General World of Darkness Discussion Thread QQ Edition

[Maragas]

Also does anyone know the best places to talk about Vampire the Masquerade Dark Ages online? total newbie here.

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Well, in order of activity I would probably rank it like this.

Official World of Darkness Discord (Not recommended to be honest, last time I was checking it was a mess with Edition wars, political shitslinging and sucking up 5th Edition.)
Classic World of Darkness Discord (Decent and just what you are looking.)
4chan World of Darkness threads in /tg/ (Honestly, some of the best WoD players/ST are there and it's often active. Though 4chan style of posting might be...offensive to some. The latest one here)
Everything else: SB thread, QQ thread, Onyx Forums, Reddit. I try to keep SB thread active and usually post WoD stuff there first. Onyx Forums are...well, nearly dead but still has some life left and even some writers of the books post there.

 

[SS100]

How would you turn Alucard, from Hellsing Ultimate, into a Vampire from World of Darkness?

 

[Sydonai]

How would you turn Alucard, from Hellsing Ultimate, into a Vampire from World of Darkness?

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Old Clan Tzimisce with Obtenebration, and reading the source material instead of the anime adaption.

 

[tem345]

How would you turn Alucard, from Hellsing Ultimate, into a Vampire from World of Darkness?

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old tsimishie with a heavy diabelrie fetish

 

[Repentant_Dragos]

I need help. Mage: The Awakening-based help.

Basically, in Awakening, you can only travel back to the past, the present is set, and so you cannot have your future selves travel to the present (their past) because of that. This is bad because the current plotline of my story will involve summoning the much-stronger future selves of my OCs to take down a True Fae.

Is there a way around that? Or do I have to bring in another splat/major template's powers?

I was pondering doing a timeskip to the future, to turn it into the 'present', then have the timeskipped OCs travel back to the past. Can Changelings' Talecrafting/Story Magic do that?

 

[heralding_bubble]

I need help. Mage: The Awakening-based help.

Basically, in Awakening, you can only travel back to the past, the present is set, and so you cannot have your future selves travel to the present (their past) because of that. This is bad because the current plotline of my story will involve summoning the much-stronger future selves of my OCs to take down a True Fae.

Is there a way around that? Or do I have to bring in another splat/major template's powers?

I was pondering doing a timeskip to the future, to turn it into the 'present', then have the timeskipped OCs travel back to the past. Can Changelings' Talecrafting/Story Magic do that?

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The PoV OCs aren't the Present OCs but Past OCs, and Present OCs comes back to help with the fight that went kinda bad for them to make a new timeline for the Past OCs and the divergence turns them into Present OCs because it isn't the timeline of the formerly!Present OCs anymore and so they need to hightail it out of the timeline before they get stuck in the alternative one they helped create?

 

[Repentant_Dragos]

The PoV OCs aren't the Present OCs but Past OCs, and Present OCs comes back to help with the fight that went kinda bad for them to make a new timeline for the Past OCs and the divergence turns them into Present OCs because it isn't the timeline of the formerly!Present OCs anymore and so they need to hightail it out of the timeline before they get stuck in the alternative one they helped create?

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This might work; I'll consider it.

 

[gereh]

I need help. Mage: The Awakening-based help.

Basically, in Awakening, you can only travel back to the past, the present is set, and so you cannot have your future selves travel to the present (their past) because of that. This is bad because the current plotline of my story will involve summoning the much-stronger future selves of my OCs to take down a True Fae.

Is there a way around that? Or do I have to bring in another splat/major template's powers?

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Short answer: Future self stepped through a temporal Iris and shows up.

Longer answer with rambling:
The secret technique for time traveling into the future: Waiting.
More serious the problem with time traveling to the "future" is that the "future" doesn't exist yet. That why all divination like spells always only show you "a possible future". And whatever you do in the present of course shapes those futures in the end

Also from the 2e book

When a time traveler returns to the present, any changes he made to the timeline "set," becoming Lasting, and the distortions vanish.

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So if someone travels back in time let's say 50 years to help in the fight against the fae, those changes only would become permanent 50 years later and only if nobody dispels the spell in the time.

A good way to do time travel without those "problems" are "temporal Irises" it mentioned that those don't follow the "rules" and as such can do almost everything you want. So if you have a future version of a character show up and explain it by him having stepped through a Iris I would say "Yeah, makes sense, they probably can do that."

 

[Repentant_Dragos]

Short answer: Future self stepped through a temporal Iris and shows up.

Longer answer with rambling:
The secret technique for time traveling into the future: Waiting.
More serious the problem with time traveling to the "future" is that the "future" doesn't exist yet. That why all divination like spells always only show you "a possible future". And whatever you do in the present of course shapes those futures in the end

Also from the 2e book

So if someone travels back in time let's say 50 years to help in the fight against the fae, those changes only would become permanent 50 years later and only if nobody dispels the spell in the time.

A good way to do time travel without those "problems" are "temporal Irises" it mentioned that those don't follow the "rules" and as such can do almost everything you want. So if you have a future version of a character show up and explain it by him having stepped through a Iris I would say "Yeah, makes sense, they probably can do that."

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Thanks! The existence of a Temporal Iris simplifies my plot greatly!

 

[SS100]

When it comes to resources and Wealth, in Vampire the Dark Ages V20, can anyone explain to me what a wealth or resource level of three Dots look like for a 610 year old Vampire?
I'm just asking because whilst he has a humanity of only 4, at the start of the fanfic, he is courteous enough to leave gifts to trusted peasent families who do take care of him or give him hospitality. Just wondering what these gifts should look like.

 

[gereh]

When it comes to resources and Wealth, in Vampire the Dark Ages V20, can anyone explain to me what a wealth or resource level of three Dots look like for a 610 year old Vampire?

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Depends on the vampire I assume. Would look different for a merchant vs a minor lord or a knight.

I'm just asking because whilst he has a humanity of only 4, at the start of the fanfic, he is courteous enough to leave gifts to trusted peasent families who do take care of him or give him hospitality. Just wondering what these gifts should look like.

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So here is what the V20 Dark Age book has to say, for resource 3:

Comfortable. You are a prominent and established member of your community, with land and an owned dwelling. You likely have more tied up in equity and property than you do in ready coin. You can maintain a one-dot quality of existence wherever you are without difficulty, for as long as you choose.

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Something to keep in mind, while banks existed as far back as the ancients those weren't the same as what we would imagine today, also they weren't as widespread and as money was kind of unwieldy, traveling around with big amount of money was kind of difficult. So how much the character has at hand will depend on were the character is.

That said the character is able to maintain a one-dot lifestyle indifferently, a one-dot lifestyle is basically "working class" that said the character should be able to "pay" all the expenses that the peasant will have for the time he stays with them (or give them something of equal worth). Depending on how often he wants to drop those gifts he may very well pay for their whole expanses for a year or more. If he really wants to help them out, I would assume he get the local lord and either bribe or intimidate them so those peasants would have to pay less "taxes" this would be more beneficial for them in the long run, than a "small" gift I would assume.

 

[shadowdice]

my campaign continues to be funny in the worst of ways

I am running parts of Fair as Foul in my Gehenna campaign and the players learned about Lyla (a girl Lilith is turning into an avatar of herself). This resulted in a lot of very dark comedy.

Tremere Player/Basket: So, the girl has been adopted by Lilith and is being raised by her

Mekhet (a child of Lilith): Ah, ahahahaha AHAHAAHAHAAHAHA

Basket: She cannot be so horrible that she like, adopted a child and immediately threw her out, right

Mekhet: AHAHahahahAHAHAHAHAHAAAHAHA

Toreador Player/Kokoro: I mean, she is a personn

Mekhet: *still laughing* No, no, no. Lilith found a child with a name superficially similar to her that happened to be a dhampir, then spiked the child's drinks with her blood and threw her into the streets for years, making sure that anyone who tried to adopt her was killed and ordering the Apostates to give her lessons in survivalism while ensuring she never had a home. Ahahaha, oh, good grandfather, you act like this isn't a woman who let Ennoia be raised by wolves. Actual wolves.

Basket: You know, I do not know why I assumed anything else. This is like a guardian angel who hates you.

Mekhet: Yes, this is why I want to kill my mother

The gangrel player had been marked by a book the Crone had made and been called by her to the L.A Chantry that she had taken over, but he immediately spilled the beans on everything the party was doing and planning, making the Crone realize that the other players were the breaks in control of a nigh savant gangrel that has amazing potential as a thaumaturge but no common sense, the rest of the players had to come while the Crone was sitting in a chair, complaining about how she had thought she would have an amazing apprentice but the person she met was crazy and had no filter before looking at Basket (who had changed the timeline to prevent the Crone from blood bonding Caine) and complaining about how she prevented her from getting married

Basket: Wait, you are Eve

Crone: Eve is a title, one born by Lilith, myself, and the third one. I was made after Lilith left Adam. God made me of the same soil as Adam but he saw my creation and was disgusted by the formation of humans beings and everything underneath the skin. He is remarkably superficial. Thus, I was cast out.

Basket: That sounds really stupid on God's part to just, let Adam see that, I figure most people would be terrified. Could you explain your side and plan.

Being a Tremere, the player immediately suggested killing Lyla upon learning that she was an Avatar of Lilith

Crone: Nonononono, please, you merry bunch of reality tearing psychopaths. I just said that she has all the potential powers of Lilith. If we can find the spell, book, or one of the portals Lilith uses to travel between realities, we can leave. Just leave this dimension full of demons, elder gods, genocidal mages, werewolves, and insane nature spirits. Just leave and never look back at this world of darkness and insanity

Basket: Not knowing what is on the other side

Crone: Do you want to stay in this reality?

Basket: I see your point, but killing her is still one the table of options to weaken Lilith.

 

[SS100]

Depends on the vampire I assume. Would look different for a merchant vs a minor lord or a knight.

So here is what the V20 Dark Age book has to say, for resource 3:

Something to keep in mind, while banks existed as far back as the ancients those weren't the same as what we would imagine today, also they weren't as widespread and as money was kind of unwieldy, traveling around with big amount of money was kind of difficult. So how much the character has at hand will depend on were the character is.

That said the character is able to maintain a one-dot lifestyle indifferently, a one-dot lifestyle is basically "working class" that said the character should be able to "pay" all the expenses that the peasant will have for the time he stays with them (or give them something of equal worth). Depending on how often he wants to drop those gifts he may very well pay for their whole expanses for a year or more. If he really wants to help them out, I would assume he get the local lord and either bribe or intimidate them so those peasants would have to pay less "taxes" this would be more beneficial for them in the long run, than a "small" gift I would assume.

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This is for a demon slayer story. The vampire drops gifts (I'm going to say a box full of coins but am not sure) for their hospitality. And appears about once a decade.

But I want to show that they are a relatively distant friend with good relationships. 610 years is a long time after all. I would say they're someone on the move a lot. But like I don't want make it seem like a handout.

The family wouldn't accept it and it has to feel "earned".

 

[Rakdos92]

The family wouldn't accept it and it has to feel "earned".

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"Oh no, I have fallen and twisted my ankle! If only a peasant would dash over in a pleasing manner to heroically carry me to safety so that I may reward him and his family handsomly for the rescue and hospitality!"

"I can hear you."

"Alas, I am doomed to wallow in this mud."

 

[gereh]

This is for a demon slayer story. The vampire drops gifts (I'm going to say a box full of coins but am not sure) for their hospitality. And appears about once a decade.

But I want to show that they are a relatively distant friend with good relationships. 610 years is a long time after all. I would say they're someone on the move a lot. But like I don't want make it seem like a handout.

The family wouldn't accept it and it has to feel "earned".

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Once every ten years is quite the time span, especially for a mortal peasant. It's reasonable to say that they would only meet the vamp three to five times in their live.

The whole idea of the vamp showing up once every decade and dropping gift to those that treated him well (while probably also hurting those who would harm the once taking care of him) in my mind sounds less like "distant friend" and instead like "folklore creature".

Like he started doing that with only one family, but when he came back after ten years the family didn't exists anymore, but the sunrise was coming so he didn't had the choice but asking at a random house. They let him in and provided him safe haven and when he left some times later he dropped some loot onto them.

Then some other times, some local lord was mistreating the peasants and he and his soldiers came to one of the families the vamp was staying with at the time, enraged at how they treated his "friends" the vamp slayed the soldiers and the lord (as the lord was a demonist he was hunting).

Over time the legend spread of a "mysterious noble lord that comes at night and asks for you to take them in, if you are nice and let them in and show the hospitality. Not only will he grant you riches ones he leaves. He will also protect you from all those that would do your harm" I wouldn't be suprised if the locals think that he is some kind of fae or some kind of noble spirit.

Not only would that (in my opinion) would be a cool little bit of worldbuilding, it would also explain needly why the peasant would accept the gifts, because of the stories they are expecting to be rewarded.

It wouldn't be exactly what you are going for with him "being a friend" but it comes with nice story hooks, like a "fake lord" who goes around and exploit peoples hospitality and damaging the vamps reputation. Or there is a real "fae" that goes around and does the whole asking people for hospitality and it isn't happy that our vamp is being mistaken for them.

 

[SS100]

Once every ten years is quite the time span, especially for a mortal peasant. It's reasonable to say that they would only meet the vamp three to five times in their live.

The whole idea of the vamp showing up once every decade and dropping gift to those that treated him well (while probably also hurting those who would harm the once taking care of him) in my mind sounds less like "distant friend" and instead like "folklore creature".

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I think I will decide to make it once every four or five years. And he stays for two to three weeks. So that makes him more of a distant friend.

Don't get me wrong I appreciate that you helped me but the reason why I'm writing this is for a smut fic. I think I'll also age down the Vampire Elder to "only" 407 years now. But make his humanity rating of 5 now. So a bit high for an elderly but not completely abnormal or impossible.

Like I said the elder is Comfortable. So they're a bit wealthy with a bit of money but that's it.

 

[SS100]

Can anyone explain to me how to describe the demeanour of a Vampire with a Humanity Rating of 5?

Their Nature is an Idealist but their Demeanour is a Traditionalist.

Can everyone explain that in a comparison to the same. Vampire with a Humanity rating of 4 and that same Vampire with a Humanity rating of 6?

The reason why I'm asking this is because at the start of my story this Vampire starts with a rating of 4. But due to the actions of the main protagonists his Humanity rating actually pumps up to 5 and he hovers around there.

Never dipping but never going up either. Which is still a good improvement and helped make them somewhat more idealistic.

 

[gereh]

Can anyone explain to me how to describe the demeanour of a Vampire with a Humanity Rating of 5?

Their Nature is an Idealist but their Demeanour is a Traditionalist.

Can everyone explain that in a comparison to the same. Vampire with a Humanity rating of 4 and that same Vampire with a Humanity rating of 6?

The reason why I'm asking this is because at the start of my story this Vampire starts with a rating of 4. But due to the actions of the main protagonists his Humanity rating actually pumps up to 5 and he hovers around there.

Never dipping but never going up either. Which is still a good improvement and helped make them somewhat more idealistic.

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As this is Dark Ages I assume you mean "Via Humanity" right? There is a table of "sins" that basically tells one what is "okay" and what not at a given level.
https://whitewolf.fandom.com/wiki/Road_of_Humanity

 

[shadowdice]

Can anyone explain to me how to describe the demeanour of a Vampire with a Humanity Rating of 5?

Their Nature is an Idealist but their Demeanour is a Traditionalist.

Can everyone explain that in a comparison to the same. Vampire with a Humanity rating of 4 and that same Vampire with a Humanity rating of 6?

The reason why I'm asking this is because at the start of my story this Vampire starts with a rating of 4. But due to the actions of the main protagonists his Humanity rating actually pumps up to 5 and he hovers around there.

Never dipping but never going up either. Which is still a good improvement and helped make them somewhat more idealistic.

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At 4 you do not really have feelings anymore people are just sort of things that act in ways that do not make much sense as they have all of this stuff in them driving their actions

If someone annoyed you enough, snapping their neck isn't really an issue but only a crazy person would be planning out a murder because why would you do that? Running someone over because you were escaping hunters doesn't really fly on your radar but you aren't going onto the sidewalk to enjoy killing people

You are a monster but the beast hasn't overtaken you to the moustache twirling evil villain

Six is like a human who has low empathy, you can have friends and all of that but you aren't looking at a family on the street and going "awe aren't they so happy" a friend from before turning will comment will comment about how you aren't as interested in what you used to be into but you are not outright depressed, accidentally killing someone is genuinely upsetting to you and people do have value instead of just being things

As you go lower in humanity you might drop any bother with having the demeanor or your actual core self gets hollowed out to the point that you are thinking about why you ever cared about ideals and just act out the traditional manner out of habit

a bit of the characterization would be based on what ideals and traditions apply to that nature and demeanor

at 5 you are at that point where you have kind of realized that you can't be who you were before and feel unmoored from most of society but you are still not intentionally trying to destroy or hurt anyone or even their stuff

 

[SS100]

How would you show a 407 year old Vampire with Four dots of wealth in Taisho Japan?

 

[shadowdice]

How would you show a 407 year old Vampire with Four dots of wealth in Taisho Japan?

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that is Zaibatsu level (as in IRL zaibatsu which did exist at the time), the kind of person who is rubbing shoulders with the Diet and other movers and shakers in Japan's industrialization

since you said his demeanor was Traditionalist, that is also probably the kind of person funding groups like the Black Ocean Society and so forth to try and get vampiric tendrils in other parts of the world while possibly going "There is no way these humans are going to start a war, and now we are invading China, shit."

edit

have a bunch of properties, depends on the character's focus but there is a mansion probably somewhere in a seat of national power or other major city with guards that have been told to keep wooden stakes on them and know that anybody who is too pale is someone they want to put a lot of bullets in the legs off before jamming a stake in

 

[SS100]

What is the most powerful discipline to have at eight dots? Especially for a 2000 year old elder?

The big elder or the head Elder of the Carmilla of Taisho Japan for my Demon Slayer and Vampire the Masquerade story is over 2000 years old.

Two thousand. He's considered of the first ever Native Japanese people to have ever been turned into a Vampire. And he's able to keep a lot of the other vampires (there's 500 in Taisho Japan) in line precisely because he's just that badass, commands that level of authority and yet is relatively reasonable.

He's not a goodies two shoes or such. But he's managed to maintain that ranking for thousands of years and have at least everyone in the Carmarilla not hate his guts. Dislike yes. But not hated.

What discipline at eight dots would be best for such an elder in v20 dark ages or vtm?

 

[SS100]

What would be some tips to making a 2029 year old OC Ventrue Methuselah?


I'm in the process of writing my OC Ventrue Methuselah according to V20 rules from the core rulebook and Dark ages V20. At the present it's for a Demon Slayer Crossover.
I've already decided my Elder Vampire (407 years old) and am now making the Methuselah or the Top Vampire of Taisho Japan and he's earned this for a reason. Surviving for several thousand years this man is considered one of the first native Japanese people to have ever been turned into a Vampire.
He's the guiding voice for the Ventrue Clan in Taisho Japan and , grudgingly, the leader of all Carmilla Vampires in Taisho Japan.
His highest discipline is Fortitude which is known as Armored Flesh. YES EIGHT DOTS. BUT he also has seven dots in Dominate (Mass Manipulation) and Presence (Cooperation). That is not to say they're not willing to kill people or Kindred if necesary but they generally prefer peaceful solutions.
After all making 500 Vampire cooperate (taisho Japan has a population of 50 million) requires you be good at a lot of things for so long.
Nevertheless other than what I have said above what do you recommend I add to this character?

 

[SS100]

Made my Elder Vampire. Let me know your thoughts on what I can do to improve. For the disciplines consider the number the ceiling and they have everything beneath that a well. Thoughts?

 

[Lucidum]

To keep in mind, an Elder or Methuselah's greatest strength isn't just the fact they have powerful Disciplines but rather the fact they have centuries(in your case millennia) of favors, resources, and experience to fall back on.

It's a rare occurrence that a Prince or other players in Gehenna like the Methuselah go out into the city and does something themselves, they have agents, proxies, and probably a good chunk of the local government and the more useful businesses subverted through ghouls, bribery, or even outright having bought them.

What makes them especially terrifying in the modern day for younger vampires and mortals is that the Prince or their Agents are one phone call away from designating your public identity as a terrorist, police storming their apartment during the day, and in general making your life (or un-life) very unpleasant. This is of course not to mention how... uncomfortable they can make your stay in the vampire community in whatever city they control.

 

[Repentant_Dragos]

My fanfic is now on SB as well!

 

[SS100]

Either with V20 or V5 rules for either modern or Dark Ages.


How would you create Muzan From Demon Slayer as a Vampire?

 

[gereh]

My fanfic is now on SB as well!

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Nice I hope it will get more attention over there, I have the feeling it never really caught on here and I know how frustrating that can be as a creator.

Either with V20 or V5 rules for either modern or Dark Ages.

How would you create Muzan From Demon Slayer as a Vampire?

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So from what the wiki says he's very much in the whole "Perfection" shtick can transform his body, control his blood, is hard to take down and fast as fuck, also has some telepathy.

A Toreador who had a Tzimisce as a snack a millennium ago and got really into Vicissitude (or go with Volgirre Bloodline but that from Mind Eye Studio so neither V20 nor V5, also not clear if it was around in the Dark Ages, founder is 5th gen so it's possible). Then later got a Follower of Set to teach him some Serpentis (for the extra flexibility). So probably:

Vicissitude 9+
Auspex 4+ (simple Telepathy is level 4)
Sepentis 3+ (for Serpents Flesh)
Celerity ??? (depends on how fast and graceful he is not seen the anime so no clue)

Maybe add in some Protean and Blood Sorcery if he is old enough he had enough time to learn them along the way.
Also he sounds like someone on the Road of Metamorphosis.

 

[Repentant_Dragos]

Nice I hope it will get more attention over there, I have the feeling it never really caught on here and I know how frustrating that can be as a creator.

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It was very frustrating, yes!

 

[shadowdice]

Nice I hope it will get more attention over there, I have the feeling it never really caught on here and I know how frustrating that can be as a creator.


So from what the wiki says he's very much in the whole "Perfection" shtick can transform his body, control his blood, is hard to take down and fast as fuck, also has some telepathy.

A Toreador who had a Tzimisce as a snack a millennium ago and got really into Vicissitude (or go with Volgirre Bloodline but that from Mind Eye Studio so neither V20 nor V5, also not clear if it was around in the Dark Ages, founder is 5th gen so it's possible). Then later got a Follower of Set to teach him some Serpentis (for the extra flexibility). So probably:

Vicissitude 9+
Auspex 4+ (simple Telepathy is level 4)
Sepentis 3+ (for Serpents Flesh)
Celerity ??? (depends on how fast and graceful he is not seen the anime so no clue)

Maybe add in some Protean and Blood Sorcery if he is old enough he had enough time to learn them along the way.
Also he sounds like someone on the Road of Metamorphosis.

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The Volgire founder's sire is Helena and she is one of the more prolific methuselah 4th gens due to wanting spare bloodpacks around

Helena herself was involved in Carthage though she disavowed it later when she saw that the Romans were winning so it would be pretty easy to make Volgire REALLY old or have it be that she has other descendants that got into vicissitude

honestly, wouldn't be surprised by her having it if not for the fact that they made her character sheet before coming up with the Tzimisce and that discipline