Road of the Beast

Most Cainites struggle against the hunger of the Beast, but the Feral followers of the Road of the Beast accept their destiny as the greatest hunters in the entire world. They see themselves as kin to the wolf and the lion, predators that live in wild places, stalking their prey. They rely on their instincts and animal cunning to help them survive.

Followers of the Road of the Beast exist in the moment. The past is past, and the future is yet to be written. All that matters is now, satisfying the needs at hand. They typically have no patience for plotting and scheming, preferring to act where others think. This boldness makes Ferals seem naive to some Cainites, but they are not fools, and they do not care to be trated as such.

They see with the eyes of the hunter. Everything in the world is divided into predator and prey, enemy and ally. There is no room for anything else.

Naturally, few of the members of the High Clans follow this road that rejects the very social order that guarantees their prestige. Those high-blooded Cainites who do embrace the Feral way are usually outcasts and exiles from the courts of princes and barons. The road is much more popular among the Low Clans, especially the Gangrel, who are the most strongly associated with the Road of the Beast in the Cainite mind. Still, members of any clan can follow this road if they are strong enough to survive it.

Sobriquet: Ferals

Road Virtues: Conviction, Instinct

Aura: Menace. Those in the presence of a Feral know that she is a true hunter, just as deer do when confronting a wolf. The aura modifier applies to rolls aimed at terrifying or cowing an opponent.

 

Paths

Path of the Hunter: You are a predator, and all others are your prey.

Path of the Nomad: Civilization is slavery. Run wild and be free.

Path of the Savage: Embrace your hatred and rage, and use them to destroy the weak.
Hierarchy of sins against the Beast:

10    Putting yourself at risk needlessly.
9    Not challenging a weak leader.
8    Killing for any reason other than survival.
7    Avoiding contact with nature.
6    Needless torture or cruelty.
5    Making a sacrifice for someone unrelated to you.
4    Refusing to kill when important to your survival.
3    Failing to defend your territory.
2    Showing mercy to an enemy.
1    Abstaining from feeding when hungry.

 

Road of Heaven

The Damned know that they are cursed by God, and many of them curse God in return. But others accept the burden the Lord has placed upon them and seek to find purpose in it. These Faithful know that everything is a part of God's plan, even the Children of Caine. Followers of the Road of Heaven devote themselves to understanding that purpose. The answers to the question, "Why has God done this to me?" lead to the many divergent paths of this road. Like the mortal Church, the Road of Heaven is given to schisms, sects and heresies.

Among all of the many sects of the Road of Heaven, the voice of the Beast is that of Satan, the great tempter, seeking to lure the Faithful away from righteousness and into sin. They shun all servants of evil, such as devil-worshipers, demons and followers of the Road of Sin. The Faithful continue to carry out the sacrements of the Church even in their unliving existence, and ashen priests are the most common on the Road of Heaven.

The Faithful are found throughout Christendom and beyond. Those in the East often follow Muslim ways and there are Jews and even pagans on the Road of Heaven as well.

Sobriquet: The Faithful

Road Virtues: Conscience, Self-Control

Aura: Holiness. The righteousness of the true servants of Heaven is apparent to all. The aura modifier applies to Social rolls that rely on the vampire's image as a holy and divine being.

 

Paths:

Path of Divinity: You are among the chosen of God and should be worshipped as such.
Path of Penitence: Your damned existence is punishment for your sins.
Path of Retribution: You are God's angel of vengeance and scourge of the wicked and sinful.
Hierarchy of sins against Heaven:

10    Violating any of the Ten Commandments, for any reason
9    Failing to speak out against corruption and sin
8    Acting out of pride, avarice, gluttony or some other sinful impulse
7    Theft, robbery, willful vandalism
6    Causing harm to a pious and virtuous person
5    Feeding from an innocent without permission
4    Blasphemous or heretical acts
3    Allowing a crime or major sin to go unpunished
2    The murder of innocents
1    Aiding a demon or other supernatural agent of evil

 

Road of Humanity

Sabbat Cainites as something apart from humanity, be they savage hunters or ordained princes of the world. The followers of the Road of Humanity see themselves as no diferent in mind or soul than their follow men. True, they have a great and terrible burden laid upon them, but they cling to the vestiges of their human nature. In the darkness of their souls, they work to fan the dying embers of their humanity into a flame that can light their way. Let others seek to become monsters or angels; the Prodigals consider themselves human and will remain so.

The Beast represents all that the Prodigals struggle against: unceasing hunger, depthless cruelty, selfishness and inhuman madness. To them, it is the Beast that encourages Cainites to become monsters, and only by holding on to those behaviors that are uniquely human can they deny the Beast and its urges. But in order to survive, Prodigals must sometimes indulge those dark urges. They must feed, and they must protect themselves against those who would destroy them. These goads force a prodigal to forever struggle against the Beast, committing small sins to forestall greater ones and seeking penance and redemption for their actions when they can.

Prodigals are found most often among or near the common folk rather than the nobility. Among them, they learn how to be human all over again, while continually testing the strength of their convictions against the desires of the Beast within. Of all Cainites, Prodigals seem the most normal to mortals, and they are the least likely to stir feelings of either awe or mistrust within them.

Sobriquet: Prodigals
Road Virtues: Conscience, Self-Control

Aura: Normalcy. The humanity the Prodigals hold in their hearts keeps them
from seeming so strange and frightening to mortals. The aura modifier affects
attempts at winning sympathy and appearing normal.

 

Paths:

Path of Breath: Act as a man to be a man; breath, work, revel and live.
Path of Community: Alone you are damned; in company you can be saved.
Path of Vigor: To stop is to wither and die. Move and you shall live.
Hierarchy of sins against Humanity:

10    Selfish thoughts
9    Minor selfish acts
8    Injury to another person (deliberate or otherwise)
7    Theft and robbery
6    Accidental violation of another (e.g., drinking a vessel dry from starvation)
5    Wanton destruction
4    Impassioned violation of another (e.g., killing in frenzy)
3    Planned violation of another (e.g., murder)
2    Casual violation of another (e.g., wanton killing, feeding past satiation)
1    The most heinous and demented acts

 

Road of Sin

The common folk of the Dark Medieval world know full well that vampires are creatures of the Devil, and many Cainites agree. If they are damned, then why should they not indulge in the dark desires welling up within them? Rather than falling on their knees and begging forgiveness, they exult in their newfound power and use it to satisfy their every wicked impulse. Other Cainites look at these Sinners and see those who have given in to the temptations of the Beast, but they are not mere slaves to their own desires. They master the Beast by indulging and feeding it, existing in cooperation with it. Despite some accusations to the contrary, few Sinners are agents of Hell.

Their interests are as diverse as the depths of sin itself. Some indulge the senses with art, perfumes, music and similar pleasures (although not food and drink, which are denied them). They serve as patrons or muses, or they become obsessive collectors. Others practice the art of seduction, gathering harems of beautiful mortals. They play the heart like a finely tuned lute. Some corrupt others and lead them into lives of indulgence and excess for their own amusement and vicarious enjoyment. They explore the limits of pain and degredation mortals (and even other Cainites) can suffer. because they are already damned, nothing is forbidden to them.

In fact, the only thing that is truly forbidden to the followers of the Road of Sin is failing to satisfy their endless need for indulgence. Through it, they feed the Beast and keep it sated. Denial awakens the hunger within them, and forces the Beast to take matters into its own bloody hands. Sinners know the Beast better than most, and they have no desire to become its slaves. Sinners know that total denial of the Beast only strengthens it in the long run, leading to an ultimate destruction of the self. And Sinners value the self above all else.

Sobriquet: Sinners

Road Virtues: Conviction, Instinct

Aura: Seduction. The Sinners are temptation incarnate, and they have an uncanny knack for knowing the desires of others. The aura modifier affects rolls to tempt and seduce others.

Paths:

Path of the Devil: You are damned, and you serve Hell on Earth.
Path of Cruelty: Inflict your pain and hate on others and soothe it in yourself.
Path of Pleasure: Indulge all your desires, for they lead you to your true self.
—Hierarchy of sins against Infamy:

10    Acknowledging any moral restraint
9    Failing to indulge a new desire
8    Failing to ride the wave of a frenzy
7    Refusing to tempt the virtuous
6    Avoiding injury to others at the cost of your own pleasure
5    Turning down a chance for material gain
4    Acting against your own best interests
3    Refusing to kill when it is in your best interest
2    Refusing to feed when the opportunity arises
1    Encouraging virtue or aiding agents of virtue

 

Road of Blood

The blood of Caine must be earned. The state of vampirism is not a right, nor a curse. it is a privilege that not everyone deserves. The followers of the Road of Blood understand this distinction and see themselves as its enforcers. They value purity of action and purpose.

This is not a trivial road to follow by any stretch of the imagination. It is all too easy to pervert the Road of Blood, using it to justify wanton diablerie. Because of this, the Road of Blood is characterized by a rigid code of ethics, a strict emphasis on self-control, and the utmost devotion and discipline. Its followers watch each other at least as closely as they watch outsiders. They see the triumph of the Beast as a weakness, and the Beast must be denied control at all costs. The Road of Bloodencourages fervency to the point of fanaticism - without this devotion, these Cainites would likely succumb to base temptations and abuse their purpose.

Obviously, if the followers of this road diablerized Cainites left and right, they would soon be destroyed. Several things keep this from happening. The followers of this road pay their closest attention to the worthiness of the blood-descendants of Haqim; they will pass over other Cainites in order to keep their own kind in line. The Sentinels also do their best not to act rashly. They consider their actions carefully, and try to remain unnoticed in their duties. Like all other Cainites, they exist on the time scale of a vampire - if they must take two centuries to orchestrate the diablerie of a particularly corrupt prince, then so be it. They also take into account degrees of corruption - why go after someone who sins but little when a greater sinner nearby requires immediate attention?

Sobriquet: Sentinels
Road Virtues: Conviction, Self-Control
Aura: Resolve. Followers of the Road of Blood know the seriousness of their task and are incredibly dedicated to it. Their aura modifer affects Willpower rolls.
Paths: A small, secretive group that follows the Path of Righteousness see it as their duty to watch the watchers exclusively. They concern themselves with rooting out corruption and lack of resolve among adherents of the Road of Blood.

Hierarchy of sins against the Blood:

10    Acting impulsively in any situation
9    Allowing actions to be dictated by emotion
8    Succumbing to frenzy
7    Failing to diablerize an unworthy vampire
6    Acting cowardly or dishonorable
5    Allowing the unworthy to go unpunished
4    Showing weakness before the unworthy
3    Failing to honor an oath
2    Submitting to the will of an unworthy prince or elder
1    Becoming blood bound to a Cainite

 

Road of Bones

Via Ossium, commonly called the Road of Bones, is one of the minor Roads that kindred may choose to follow in Vampire: The Dark Ages and Dark Ages: Vampire. It is primarily followed by Cappadocians and Giovanni, and its followers are called Scholars.

The followers of Via Ossium value knowledge above anything else. By intense study of the unknown, the Scholars keep their Beasts at bay. They will go to nearly any lengths to learn something new, but will not needlessly sacrifice themselves for a cause. After all, their own gathered knowledge is too important to let others handle. At the same time, Scholars do not fear death; indeed, as most Scholars are Cappadocian, they are fascinated by it. They view it as a powerful force to be studied, dissected, and rationalized so that they may understand their own existance better.

Members of other scholarly clans, such as the Giovanni, Tzimisce and Malkavians, are also known to follow Via Ossium.

Hierarchy of sins:

10    Showing fear of death
9    Failing to study an occurence of death
8    Refusing to kill when the opportunity presents itself
7    Refusing to feed when hungry
6    Succumbing to frenzy
5    Refusing to share insight with another follower of the Road
4    Letting compassion sway a decision
3    Acting in a sacrificial manner
2    Needlessly preventing a death
1    Showing aversion to death

 

Road of Paradox

The Road of Paradox teaches that all existence is fluid and malleable. Nothing is permanent or real, but is composed of variable amounts of ethereal matter.

The Ravnos refer to this matter as "weig". In its natural state, weig flows willy-nilly from being to being, object to object, creating and destroying without care. A given object can be filled with weig one moment and nearly empty the next; such is change, such is existence.

According to the Ravnos, the Antediluvians are beings who were momentarily filled with great amounts of weig and never released it. They strove to sculpt reality into a fixed shape that would enable them to retain their new power. To aid thier cause, they passed on small amounts of their weig, molding them into their own images. Thus were other vampires created.

Ultimately, the weig must be released into the vortex. Ravnos who are far along this Road actively seek to do so. They seek out items that retain weig - "magic" items, Lupine fetishes and the like - and destroy them. The most powerful of this Via seek out vampires with great amounts of weig - of low generation - and do likewise.

Sobriquet: N/A

Road Virtues: Conviction, Self-Control

Aura: N/A

Paths: N/A

Hierarchy of sins against Change:

10    Refusing to commit diablerie upon an elder of another clan.
9    Refusing to lead a "locked" being into light - or into destruction
8    Showing any concern for mortals
7    Failing to acquire items or knowledge that would affect reality
6    Failing to trick others when the opportunity arises
5    Being caught altering another's reality via the select redistribution possessions (known among the vulgar as stealing)
4    Refusing to destroy an empowered device
3    Actively joining or maintaining an existing Cainite power structure
2    Actively hindering change
1    Actively inducing boredom

 

Road of the Serpent

The Road of Sin practiced by many Setites operating in Europe is a trend brought about by the Decadent pursuit of corruption for corruption's sake. The original, pure form of Setite worship is the Road of the Serpent or Via Serpentis. It is much more religious in its overtones than one might think, emphasizing devotion to Set as the true god and spawning corruption for the purpose of returning man to his carnal, bestial origins, thus restoring balance and weakening the tyranny of Ra and Osiris. Depending on a Setite character's origins and his individual beliefs, he may choose whichever of the two philosophies that is most appropriate.

Followers of the traditional Via Serpentis seek to undermine the foundations of order and society in all its incarnations, and erode virtue and restraint in the individual. They spread war, disease and misery wherever they can, for desperation is the quickest path to human barbarity. Sometimes, as in the case of Rome, Setites will support ruling institutions if its actions facilitate the spread of unrest and corruption across its domain.

Most Cainites believe that only Setites follow the Via Serpentis, but this is not the case. Indeed, the seduction and corruption of Cainites can lead them to becoming servitors of Set and following the god's Road. To qualify, however, a Cainite must show supreme dedication to the ideals of the dark god. Most of these Cainites undergo a ritual similar to the religious Embrace of Setites.

Sobriquet: N/A

Road Virtues: Conviction, Instinct

Aura: N/A

Paths: N/A

Hierarchy of sins against Set:

10    Failing to indulge in the most trivial of physical urges
9    Failing to immediately sate one's carnal desires
8    Refusing an opportunity to corrupt a mortal
7    Refusing an opportunity to corrupt a vampire
6    Refusing an opportunity to corrupt a holy figure
5    Failing to undermine the prevailing mortal environment
4    Failing to undermine the current social order
3    Protecting an individual's virtue
2    Punishing an individual for indecent behavior
1    Actively enforcing the rule of law

 

Road of the Slain

The Via Einherjar, the Road of Slain, teaches strict adherence to the Norse ethic of personal responsibility, courage in the face of adversity and individual initiative. This road is usually followed by Scandinavian warriors who chose to cling the trappings of their civilization, rather than becoming vulgar like so many others.

The followers of Road of the Einherjar believe that by following the codes of behaviour hallowed by the All-Father and Norse tradition, they can master the Beast through courage and iron self-discipline. Many are the followers of the Einherjar's Road who have died at the doors to their halls, forcing themselves to watch the sun rise without fear.

The followers of the Road of the Einherjar are neither "virtuous" nor "good" in the sense of the more humane or honorable vampires of certain other Roads. They are brutal, direct, crass, self-serving, and often intolerable except to those they respect. To their true friends, they are loyal to the death and would willingly give their last possessions. Those who are not their friends are objects to be beaten, scorned, cheated, robbed, raped and challenged until they prove thier worth.

Sobriquet: N/A

Road Virtues: Conviction, Self-Control

Aura: Menace

Paths: N/A

Hierarchy of sins against Courage:

10    Stealing or cheating
9    Not challenging a weak leader
8    Begging or otherwise asking for help
7    Failing to kill for reasons of conscience
6    Failing to boast and spread tales of your actions
5    Hoadring or other miserly actions
4    Performing an "unmanly" act such as making brag and failing to fulfill it
3    Showing fear or hesitation in the face of peril
2    Running away from danger. Breaking a sworn oath
1    Backing down from a challenge

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