Re ae Fel ae a for vanppire; he MasqueradeBy Ancet McCov,MattHew MCFARLAND, JosHua Mosoquerra-AsHEIM, AARON RostnBERG AND Lucien SOuULBANCreprrs ‘Written by: Angel McCoy, Matthew McFarland, Joshua Mosqueira-Asheim, Aaron Rosenberg and Lucien Soulban Additional Material: Alan 1. Keavir Developed by: Justin Achilli 9: Carl Bowen Art Director: Richard Thomas Layout 6 Typeseuting: Becky Jollensten ike Dana, Troy Nixey, and Chris- Interior Ai topher Shy Front Cover Art: Christopher Shy ly 735 PARK NORTH BLYD. SUITE N28 Lamson, Gh 30001 USA GAME STUDIO Front & Back Cover Design: Becky Jollensten © 200] White Wolf Publishing, Inc. All rights erved. Reproduction without the written permission ofthe publisher ix exprossly forbidden, except for the purposes of reviews, and for blank character sheets which may be reproduced for personal use only. White Wolf, Vampire, Vampire the Masquerade, Vampire the Dork Ages MA age te A cansivnn, Hanser thie Recker Darkness and Aberrant are registered trademarks of White Wolf Publishing, All rights reserved. Werewolf the Apocalypse, Wraith the Oblivion, Changeling the Dreaming, Werewolf che Wild West, Mage the Sorcerers Crusacle, Wraith the Great War, Trinity and Sins of the Blood are trade atkscf White WolfPublishing Inc. All All characters, names, places an text b righted by White Wolf Publishing, Inc. The mention of or reference to any company ot product in these pages is not a challenge to the rade rmatk oc copyright concerned. This book uses the supematural for settings, chat acters and themes. All mystical and supernatural clements are fiction and intended for entertainment purposes only, This book contains mature content. Reader discretion is advised. Fora ree White Wolfcatalog call 1-800-454-WOLF. ‘Check out White Wolf online a hup://eww.white-wolf.com; altgames.whitewolf and rec.games.frp.storyteller PRINTED IN USA, tsreserved inare copy- Shs oF Boo 2CONTENTS INTRODUCTION: SoMeTHING Wicken THis WAY Comes CHapTeR One: Sinsor Moraiity Crapter Two: Sins or Society Crapter THREE: SINSOF DISCRETION Chapter Four: Sixsor Power Appenpix: A CONSPIRACY OF SINNERS Conrens 3Sanaa ele OLE Ve -—Honont ne Barzac Heresy abounds in the modern nights, whether arising from tmmovality or ON aL ester eee ee Cement ery near gr a ee crimes committed in the darkest of hours by vile, selfish Childee of Caine. To en ar etre ters teeta re etna eee feel le, toothen even the slightest breach of the Kindred’s millennia-long legacy is the gravest eet ee ana en nas tea net SOS are ae get ora tes a teers ou rates a Pe ht Mae en eee ec Tcren eeteenet ec an Only one answer is universally uue: These sectets are open renunciations ofthe era LCOS as Tonite Se Ceara) Co ee(7 WICTION A heretic is a man who —Gouthold Ej For some Kindred, “merely” being Damned n't «enough, Herein the Final Nights, with the worldcareen- ing mapilly toward seemingly inevitable Gehenna, desperate times call for desperate measures. The Kindred sponsor cults truck with malevolent spicual entities and adopt anathema as their codes of morality. But why! Ie'seasy ro clismisssuch thingsas the actions of “evil” Kindred le'seasyto accep: thar Kindred arethe spawn of the Levil given tatmocity andinherentlyflawec. In fact, toadegree, these things are tue. A Kindred who doesnot resist her nature will inevitably find herself inthe clutches. of the Beast Obviously, as the presence of sects and societies evidences, notallKindredend up drivenmadby thirstand rising at night only to kill, These Kindred are the exem- plary ones who have risen above being monsters—ifonly temponirily, These Children of Caine prove that Damna- sion canbe resisted aslongas one bas thestrengthand wil to keep it at bay. Hopefully, your characters are among these Kindred Bursuch is nc always the case, Faaism takes itstoll onal Kindred, and some bear is marks more gravely than others. I'thewor'd is doomed, chese Kindred reaton, why resi i Why not indulge in what you want! Lacking the drive to steel themselves against the Beast, these Kinlred findthemselves consumedby it. Shities,indolentchilder ofthe modem nightsall o9 often reser the undeath into which they've been dragged, ard eldersfinaliysuccumb to the weight of uncold years and snap, Aoaucon: Soe Wi T Mike o sees with his own eyes iphraim sing Whatof the ones, though, whomudy place themselves outside che world of the Kindred. Its one thing to verify one’s vessel before feeding; it's another altogether to actively pursue thethrillingzaste of the Amaranth. When one rejects the mores ofthe Cainite worldconsciously and consistently, he has becomesomethingotherthan avenal Kindred, He has become a heretic. Marine Ti Count ‘TharswhatmakesSinsof the Blood necessary These ‘are the heresies that those who ate committed to rejecting Kindred society observe. Anyone can be an iconoclast it takes @ unique person 1 be devoutly diffrent To that end, this book isn’t a roster of baddies to whack, In the moral gray «ale that Vampire observes, these Kindred mighe even te rigk in certain convictions evenif other parts oftheir creed are wholly aberrant tothe restof theworkd. The most complex Vampire games don't have clear-cut good guys or bad guys — each Kin red is weighed by the merits of het individual actions, The most ravenous Sabhat muy sll choose to rescve a chil from a turing building. An ascetic Toreadbr starv deny the Beast and curtail her predations on the mortal herd might fexe the strength to fight the hunger one night andleavea newlywesleaupledrenched in theirownblocd Even after placing a Kindred in a position of respon- sibility forherownactions, Vampirealso accountsfor the motivarions of those characters. That's the crux of degen. eration, of Humanity and Paths of Enlightenment. A g herself to jen Tas War Coscharacter who simply “does noevil” doesn't become more ‘good” A character has togenwinely feel remorse, to fight the animal inside her earnestly. That Sabbat who saved the child from the fire —did he do i to preserve her if, ordic he doit hecause leavingher there would be a waste otherwise had for himself? These are the sortsofsituationsthat Sins ofthe Blood proposes. These enemies aren't cardstock mooks to beat hinking, vital characters who en some action or philosophy that the nest of undead scciety had spurned. Take these general ideas and apply them to specific characters, Let the r discuss herein be the outcomes of motives that your specie c harbor. Think about that, The antagonists with which you populate yourstoriesmightbe the compellingantiheroes of anotherchronicl. This book is for players and Storytellers ike. We don't mean tosuggestthatevery character knows eachotthesecretsin thishook—furfromit. Wk aplayer’s character who adopts cne of the philoso- hes can be every bie as rewarding to pertay a6 a rival upholding that philosophy would be to overcome. Con: sider characters in the doomed ttad tion of Doctcr Faustus cr the noble sacrifice of Sidney Carton, Pechaps amember of the coterie wants to seek Golconda. despite (or perhaps because of...) the wicked nature of is fellows. Maybesll of thecharacterare hereties themselves, comprisinga coterie of vitae that he could hi its we on the run for its own survival, Maybe they make up the tighteousparty, pursuing the pariah themselves. The story this book work forall sides of the equation elements THE Questions OF SCALEAND FREQUENCY Note thar even the motives thar drive a heretic to commit his misdeeds do not comprise the sum of that chainctes. If a Kindsed’s wate : pethaps we can forgive bim his unforunste undead vitae. IF the prince mtintsins doesn't joo nlives of Kin matter that he upholds the principles of the Path of Scorched Heart? Just 2s we mentioned before, that these heresies d automatically relegate a Kindred to the position of guy we whacked neither do they always need wo be the ceniral focus ofthe character who observes them, Stcry telletsand players (thats, those players who ean hetrusted to doso responsihiy) should feel fre to use these ideas to round our characters, oto use them as building points to distinguish charactersfromone another. A Kindredscholar trained in the Socratic Method radically different experience than al has gone autarkis i. an effort to isolate him Gnostic tradition, Sx. 0 ¥ Booo 8Nonetheless all of these practices are considered her- ses fora reason, every Kindred ina cityhad one or more ofthese characteristics, the characteristics would he part of thestats quoand notreally sinsacall, Storytellers, employ the contents of this book. Players, don't assume that you neal one of these aspects to make unique characters. This book is about sublime concepts, These ratities andweitcnessessurface infrequent (athest) ina Kincked’s unlife. Their stats i tied to this rarity. Use them only where they contribute toa character of a story. Qecam’s. Razor applies here. IFyoucan achieve the effect of some- thing inthisbook withoutactually using themechanicsof it (as with our aforementioned scholars), then, by all means, doit Storytellers, vou can also use thissortof thing todefuse the know-iallsin your oupe, should you have them. Lec them sume that the cold scholarisonthe Path ofthe Scorched Fear, then reveal larerthathe simply had a very low Humanity anda very cagey Beast. Gvnl Evi! ‘Taking all thar information into consideration, re- member thar these hehavinrs are proserihed. Sure, they: work as flaws to empathetic protagonists, but they also work as good comerstones for thase fighting in the idiom cof Vampire's themes of morality. Keep in ied, however thats eniely co any o9 relegatcheretiesto the rolesofstooges ormooks, Don'tset up a blood cult only ta have it populated by a score of Ifyou wane a shooting gallery, : marae ther paces with the air rifles. A\llof the philosophies and practices in this book are intended for use with devout characters. In keeping with de cealey Gass ull Ene gave aoe and more valuable characters if youunderstand why they've spre phat they: Ava Seiyesin SsgsSuRna you to blur the moral line for the players’ characters, who sengileg os heed ef Gelert eiecy alsa ak splatter the goors in knee-jerk “enemy” fashion, In the end, though, you're free to make your own, decision, Yeu're not doing anything wrong as long as you whacking baddies is good, old-fashioned, beer-and-pret- 2els fun. Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of this book. Howto Use Tuis Book Thishosk tiesnotcolumpits‘sinness"intoone anti- empathetic whole. We've broken the taboos intodivinet chapters, makingnotonlythesinsdifferent, but thosewho commit them as well, ‘Chapter One: Sins of Morality examines the com: plex cae of Kindred ethics. Ir deculs afew new Paths of Enlightcament and what h ctexesto the point ofno return andit vakesa unique look pens when one’s monlicy — could there be any other? — at the exalted state of Goleonds Chapter Two: Sins of Society considers the social taboos of the race of Caine, Considerations such as ect and those who refuse wo associate with them, the autarkts, are discussed here. Also, the dreaded Amaranth receives a bit of attention, for those Kindred who don't mind staking their thirst on their fellows in the urge to full their own legacies Choptar Theoes Sine of Disoresdon expanse ws te those who break the Silence ofthe Blood fer their own, ends, Cults — from herds to religious heresies to aflock of adoring followers —are the topic here for those Kinde who don't want to face the Final Nights by themselves Chapter Four: Sins of Power includes new Dark Thaumaturgy paths and rituals, as well ass fewother secret ritesthat, while not infernal in nature, would certainly not enclear their practitioners to her elders. A few new me chanical systems for players and Storytellers — new Abilities, Merits and Flaws — are also covered the Appendix: A Conspiracy of Sinners iatsalnse tara fee Kicnle wly bave then this book heresies to heart From stall organizations ro loose glob confederations, it seems that nowhere is safe from the blight of che Kindred or their sins. A Brier LEXICON When discussing those who would break the under- stood social contmct ofthe Kindred, certain unig words arise. Whether objective or loaded, the diction of (and regaxling) the Damned is just as evocative as their lex vethoten parlance. Kindred shoul he careful around whom they wie theve tetre In sore femful domains, jst knowingaboutsuch unpleasantthings sa sureway tocar the attention of a shen or Inquisitor. Harmonist: A follower of the Path of Harmony. linternalist: A follower of the Path of Self-Focus Suspire: The burstof sight or momento clarity that allowsa Kindred to attin Goleonda. The Suspire isa final test that determines whether or not she atains this gal ‘Tainted: Marked by the Devil;in obvious league with demonic powers Unforgiving: A follower ofthe Pa Hear. Wassail: Theact that “snaps” a Kindred, teducingher ‘morality tozeroand placingher under controlofthe Best when a vampire “uives up” the kas vestiges of the Men. ight: A Kindred whose Humanity (or Path) rating has dropped tozera, While most Kindred assume thatsuch creaturesare ravenousmonstersin constant frenzy, sch i rot always the case, Each Cainite's Beast is diferent. While seme are indeed ragrng lends, othe cunning or practiced survival urge ‘of the Scorch Jnacouen: Sover no Wot Tas War Cows 9No mum is a hero to himself Ray Bradhury, Something Wicked This Way Comes Ast wote this, [hear punt be several hlockssaway, bub e outside imagine itt peverhe sine. The sous echoes off the stinking buildings of this city, and the sounds | hear could just as easily he across the street. Wherever they originate, they mean the end of a lif Teemembera rime when the death of ahumen being mae a small sound a death rattle, Fheve not heard such a sound iseue from the theoat of a dying mortal in many seers, [can only imagine this to be because humans now die in such numbers that che individual's sound is fost amid the general din. [denorknow. [am neither scholar ror philosopher In life, Iwas called Nehemiah. If Thad a weakness, it \was pasion. | loved my wife and son so fiercely that hurt sometimes. | cannot explain i. I could norexplain even, when I could remember the sensation, and it is long beyond my memory Jam wrtingall this fora very specific reason, and the reader will bear with me, I trust. The reason for this treatise, essay, rambling — what you will —will becorne clearinehe etd, For now only read and try w understand. Te will, assure you, not come easily. By way of preamble, le me stare that the Beast and how toprotect oneself from its ravagesis a concern forall ‘Cainites, Even the most depraved aimong the kine f lest a monster than the kindest — or, truthfully, most re seraned— of us. In the pages that follows, | shall try t explain the mindset of a Cainite who forswears hi humanity for other, more complex ethies. | shall alse touch upon the fate of those who lose all control and Ibecome slave to dhe Beast. The final and moot iy section of this work One ancedote before we begin, that of my Embrace | was fisherman by trade, as was my father before me If Thai a cond love, it wasthe sea. Cine fine day, I saled farther out thar Leverhad and,as sun set, found myselfom apiecefland I had neverbefote seen. I beached my small hoot and lay down on the sand to sleep, not at all sure I could find my way heme after dark. J awoke to someone biting my throat. vera stony and ler mean, | threw my asst to the round and stad. He reaninedhisteer.andlviveifinax Laardenm then, new hae he was:amonster and that !hadino chance to fight him. He would take my blood ifhe so chose, and al { could do was resign my soul toG-d. Imade one requestof im, however. asked him tocalee my boat hack to my family so thae ryson could provide for my wife He sac down next to me, surprved at my courage and love. We spoke for hours, end he concluded, in brief, that ry eare was too full of emorion and would eventually will speak foe itself, think (Gunn Ox: Snsor Moun 1lead to my ultimate heartbreak and oblivion, Before | could protest (foe that is all ! would have been able ta do), fhe was upon me. Jam sure, given my probable audience, Lhavenoneed torecount the sensation of the Embrace. | will, however, recount dhe last wonds T heard ag a human belng, before rising the next night as one of the Damned Jone, gone the human soul, said mysire. And oh w right he Wen Humanity isNotbNnouGu For quire some time following my Embrace, | re. ined, for all moralistic purposes, human, lt wasn't until hat Ieame to follow one of the so-called Paths ment. This is not uncommon, even though mysirehad long forsaken any view thatresembled human mere, In those nights, the Paths of Enlightenment were rucimentary at best, The Camarill and the Sabbat were hot to be for many years, and 2 Cainite’s method. of sing the Beast wis often # chore undertaken alone: The key ro keeping one’s sanity was usually « key that 2 Caine fonged himselé Now, however, a Cainice who wishes, or simply has no choice but to leave his humanity behind, usually receives instruction. So what then, the reader might well, ask, is typical ofa nawert Path-follower? Normally, age isa factor. A Cainite normally rerains a human viewpoint for some yeats after the Embrace, simply because the adaptation to nocturnal existence, coupled with thedraconian herrorof Ci irony ofthe orm Kindred” — implying derie and fellowship — never fails to amuse me) is quite enough to contend with. Bur as the Cainite ages, he finds that everything he knowsisdying, His mortal family, his sire has instructed hitn well, knows nothing of histransfor ‘mation and believes him dead. Any friends he hid among the living have long ago forgoeten him and gone on with their lives. Ag he goes along, night-to-night, he will eventually kill: And chat i the euming posae. (Consider, fora moment, the taboos thatevery culture the world over hus regarding death. Whether the expert- ence ismeant to signify arevfying judgment followed by etemal suttering or bliss, or a journey to another place withoutsuch quilifiers as painor pkasire, death involves removing a being from human ccntact completely and forever. Every human being that | (for example) have killed has not simply vanished with no. race, but left behind others who mourn, weep and, in most cases, wonder where their loved one has gone, The fist time 3 human dies under the fangs of a Cainice, that Cainite nite polities(the ‘edo cons sleeps fitflly the following day. That hurnan will never again enjoy a meal, a wally a breath. He is gone forever. The immense responsibility of what he has done weighs heavily on a Cainite’s shoulder daly enough, that burcler doesnot compound with multiple vietims, but becemes all 100 easy 10 bear. The more mortalswhodie toslakeaKindred!s thin theeasier it becomes. And as humanity changes, in the Cainite’s sight, toa rabble of walking, chartering meals, the Beast rousesand thrashes against the Cainite’smind, Asit takes time for a Cainites moral rectitude to slip so low as to he ‘noticeable problem (particularly if the Kindred was, in life, a principled man) the young: amongthe Damned are rarely recruited to follow Paths of Enlightenment. Simple depravity s not enough, however. One thing hac all Paths have in common (the ones that I have seudied, arany rate) ischarfool are not wolcometo tread them, Any idiot can learn to enjoy slaughter, but che strength of intellect required to understand a Path, even one so deceptively direct as the Pach of Honorable Ac- cord, is beyond many Cainiten, Likewise, a fal wlio believes,even as his urxlead flesh ktsaftera wound, that nothing beyond the physical world marrers and that no 1d ot goxls exist does not have the spiritual capacity nevessary to follow a Path. Those who ate degenerateand stupid orshorsighted often end up as one of the ravenous fiends I shall soon discuss. Those whoarenearing madness butsll have the presence of mind to do something about it, however, may come to the attention af a teacher. Paruisiv Tie CaMARIT A Before entering into adiscussion on fhe nature of this insertion, ie behooves ws to comider the differance between aCamarilla Kindred whochooses. Pathover the more familiar precepts of huraan morality and a Saba Cainice who doesso, Among the Sword of Caine, hurman morsity sedkculesloutright. After all,reasonstheSabbat, mortals are indeed only cattle, and thei lives are worth little, Why, then, should the mighty predators seek to emulate theirprey, exceptasst means ta lure thers closer? Agaxlquestion, that. Theanswer isa matter af logic. Whether they choose to admit itor not, all Cainites were nce mertal. In ts dogmatic denial. of humanity, the Sabhat hastens the rath tothe Beast considerably. There fore, it becomes necessary for aSabbat Cainite who does not wish to become 2 mindless, uncontrollable horror to follow a Pach much sooner: (The Sabbar, afterall, nomi: nally espouses freedom of thought, and the Beast strips that freedom in short onder.) In the Sabbat, a teacher might approach a promisiry candidate while hat cand dateis still a neonate, (Ancillae, Fhave found, are rare in the Sabbae.) Sowers Boo 2Ind neonate following a Path is unspeakably rare, In fact, Thaveheard of only one such Kindred in the hist hilosopher and alienist (what would n *psychiatrist) Embraced into Clan Tore 19th century, As T understand it, the combi Rose Clan'sheightened perceptions and rapture, plus his ‘own rather obtuse thought patterns, made normal com prchension and morality impossible. Within five yeors of hisEmbrace, hissitemadearrangementsforhimto receive tutelage in the Path of Death and the Soul. Thefact that hissite was (andstllis, co my knowledge) a member of a in the lare ation of the jor city’s primogen spared him rome ridicule when word gee arcundthathe practiced ‘necromaney?” bur rot much. Asfaras! know,henowexi humanity die arcundhim, taking Kindred with a nd starthng other ali that impresses even the undead Following a Path in the Camarilla, therefore, defi nitely marks the practitioner as a kind of outsider an abbat influence. That makes cerain amcunt af sense, of course, given that the first Trition of che Camarilla (and the only one that speaks the Kindred’s relationship to mortals) states that sinites, the undeadpredator of che night,must blend ir raises questions about Cun Ore re with those mortals. Naturally, abilicy torelane te Camarilla nights, might have eventually been instructe inva road of morality suited to thei deals or found thet cwn.such road, now strive to remain humane, when they are, infact, Far from human. tsum upa Cemarilla Kindred'sposicion, should he decide to follow a Path: He is a member of a sect that espouses human morality ara wary to remain hidden amon, mortals (rather than foractval ethical concerns). Thatsect is composed of, pardon my language, vampires. Vamp tes are not human. Yet, our hypothetical Path-follower i ridiculed, suspected and quite probably interrogates! ar length foratterpting to comprehend and exis within the boundaries ofhisundead existence « in effect, forrefusing ‘opretend tobe something he isnot. It would e ee Camarilla Ki af, then, beautifully, altho brands me a heretic nim quite sure that suchan assertion, an such a Kindred do to avoid persecution? bbat, naturally! However, I don't recommend hod (for reasons I will discuss momentarily) What I do recommend is that a Kindred who wishes « disguise the fact that he no longer follows the same moral Snecr Moan Btrack as the kine simply not make a show of it: Spiritual and moral discussions aren't entiely uncommon among Kindred (our condition begs some speculation, at least), and indeed, many Paths of Enlightenment hold know! ‘edge and itspursuitassacred. However,many of hem also teach that keepin one's secrets isa wie idea, While ouch is the case for any numberof reasons, ongoing survival is the best of them. Does this mean that a Path-follower in the Camarila should become a recluse? Not at all secretive Kindred is ssumed to have something worth hiding, Unless one's Pashspecifically precluses or inhibies contace with others, itiswise to play henightly social gemesthatthe Camarilla so loves. Appear at Elysium, become part of a coterie, should you feel so inclined. Appear Honest before your prince. [fthe city in which you dwell hosts any elders who predate the Camarilla (and who still show theie faces at Elysium), an insight into the vampiric condition might actually impress them, Ifthe secretis revealed, as it were, the exposed Path: follower ein distinctly delicate position. He ean expect visits from the Camarila in the form of archos, aking ever-so-politely where the Kindred leamed his ethical precepts and if, indeed, heorhismentorisamembercf the Sabbat. On thar topic, members of the Sabbat will cor tainly want to know why a Kindred is practicing “theit” moral cades (yes, the Sword of Caine really is that arr: sant,l'vefound) and theymaysendcheiroyminvestigstors. ‘The Comarila js ending if 3 paranotd, and suffers no hypocritical delusions about behaving with. tolerance toward such “alcmative faiths.” Elders, of course, will probably seck blackmail before persecution, if possible but such 4 che nature of the Jyhad. Elders usually seek blackmail before anyching that would benefit thetn ess. Ifan inhuman (ifot necessarily inhumane) Kindred can foolhis ellows by simply behaving “normally” round them, shat about fooling the mortals themselves? How does a Kindred avoid detection (for the Masquerade is practiced by Cainites the world over, regardless of their politics) ifhe is dedicated to a hisher purpose than sub predation? Sometimes, the sane principle applies: Avoid the mortals, but when one must interact with them. one does one's best to blend in. Of course, followers of some Pathe ore hatter ahle-t0 adhere to thie principle than followers of other Paths. The Path of the Feral Hear, for ‘example, encourages is followers not to kill unless abso lurely necesary (although a Beasts reason for exercising such restrain is quite different that a Man's) The Path of Death and the Soul, however, promptsits followers tokill atany time, aslongasample opportunity forstudy follows, Some Paths encourage contact with mortals some held it cousin. The wise Kinudredis wary. The kine can “feel the tmalignant presence of the Beast in those who follow Paths-Although they may notlnowexactly whatitis they face, mortals have an uncanny knack for knowing that it issome sort of predator. ‘When the act of keeping one’s nature secret fromthe throngs of humanity clashes wih the reverence one must, show to one'sPath,itsunfortunately thePath that usualy gives. At heart, Cainites are selfish creatures. The ulti- mate actof selflessness, it can be argued, is to suffer ordie tor one's beliets. Very, very few Cainites are willing to do. so. (In fact, the only Path chac T know that espouses ‘honorable sacrifice is the Path of Honcrable Accord — most others hold ica sin nct to protect one's unite in. any way possible.) Even if co-existing alongside mortals is distasteful to a Noddist, the sheer number of morals makes doing so inevitable at times. Although constant contact with morals may push the Nexis further fromm hisgoal ro be morelikeCaine, practicality and moraliryda otoften mesh well, While difficult to avoidcoremitting around morals, the ovd “sins” of many of the Paths of Enlightenment do indeed push the Cainite clever to th Beast. Therefore, in an attempt to avoid having to make a choice between sin end survival, many Camarilla Kin- dreduse ghoulsand other leckeys t carry out any business that requires mortal contact, Paruisiy THe Sanaar On the other hand, Cainites of the Sabbat leave fhumianitas behind much mere readily, This becomes prob- lemiatic, since very few mentors are available for a young Sabbaton the verge of losing hismind, AcI'vestared, most Sabkat Caines are neonates and elders, and, as always, flere have litre ime to instruct neonates. Isuspace Haat if the overall survival rates of the Sabbat were higher, many more fthem would fallow Paths of Enlightenment, and far fewer would fall ro the Beast L mentioned earlier that even if following «Path of Enlightenment is the only recourse one bas against the Beas, avoid going to the Sabbat to leam. One reason | ‘caution against the Sabbats that although Pathsare more ‘common there then in the Carmarilla a woukl-be suppl cant must stil search fora patron. Tryirg to find help in the Camarilla means incurring prestation debe, which, while inconvenient, isfar preferable: thedebcone incurs finding help in the Sabbar. Before a Sabbar Cainite will accept a student, that student must almost always be a member of the sect. Therefore, in exchange for aid in saving off the Beast, one agrees to give up one’s freedom and join a fanatxal army (which, ironically enough, claims to fight for freed) That said, the Sabbat certainly has the largest con centration of Path-follawers,sowhat of thom? Fow oldars of the sect remain true to human precepss, I'm sue. One Snscr Boon “Wuat Paris Work? Certain Paths, ws Nebemish mentions, are easier foc Cannacilla vampires wo follow tha ochers. « Path of Caine: As it ditects its followers ta avoid mortals and ciablerite Kindred whoveuleivate thei Humanity, this Path is probably nota wise choice for a Camarifla characte + Path of Catharis A Catarilla vampire who treadlscarefully could conceivably follow thtsPath, though she ight appear to be sorely lacking in morality, especially ar more enlightened levels of this Path + Path of Death and the Soul: Thecompassionless, lethal Necronomistsrarely bother with the Camarilla, Their need tostudy death, oftea by causing it draws zoo much attention: It'snot outof the question;however, and of al che Pathe, thie ona it probably tha ane'reaet likely cathe odogeed tyittrelles wh steed’ a meal compass + Path of Evil Revelationis Welcome neither in the Sabb nor dhe Cannery the’ Gserapters fester in both sects. (That doesn’t make them any more viable as characters for players except ityertain chronicles, however) * Path of the Feral Heart: Arguably the oldest Path in existence (with the exception of Hunianity),this Path is sul practiced by some nominally Camavilla elders, and it enuld conceivably be passed on to younger Kindged. However, since the Path disdains polities, « Beast character would need-a yood reason (such as survival or protection in nximbers) 10 join a coterie, * Path of Honorable Accord: Although this Path isconsidered a Sabbat staple, tsroots predate thesect. Thetefore, an occasional Camarilla Kindred can be found among the Knights, ¢ Path of Viliths This horerical Path en'efoally eroraad by the Soblbae ond ite peactitioriers ore mc concerned with enlightenment than sect politics. Likewise, the Path’s precept ageinsc killing actually makes she Camarilla'a more palatable choice forthe Bahari than the Sword of Caine. (Afterall, the Lilin inthe Camearilla can claim that regard for life prevents Her from killing ard nor be laughedbat too openly.) As the Comsartls holds Caine and Lille to be mytholegical beisygrtacher than actual historical figures (for Ce nace part), even an open Bahari would probably be reganted! a.a deluded scholar rather than a dangerous heretic Even so, the fact chat chis Path is © rare theans char few Camarilla Kindred ever hear of, much less practice, che Poth of Lilith + Path of Power and the Taner Vorce: While Kitidred do practice this Path (ifrarelj); ras commonly held only by elders who can agpreciute its nuances and truths fully. * Other Paths: The Paths of Night, Paradox and che others Listed in Vampire: The Masquerade are practiced chiefly by members cf the clan that espouses them. However, occasional members of otherclans (and therefore other sects) find their way down chese roads as wel. ofthe set's guiding principles isto abandon al pretense leaders of the sect, each have their own “pet” Paths, and of humanity, Elders have had centuriesin which to realize [will soon discuss these further. In general, the question of thisbutevenafterthe bloody ritwalsandthemystictuths whether or not a Sabbat Cainite can follow a Path is that Curse of Caine bestows, the reonates still find largely up to the individual in question. As long as the tecomingsomethingotherthanhumanarathertalleedet. Cainite is competent and in good standing with the sect, Obytheydoinalca peacfussbourtluiccbesy" ofcourse, bi ean probably find somone wo teach him. However, I s¢e a strong similarity between them and Once a Cainite beginsto followa Path, he may learn teenaged mortals who blusterabout notbeingafmidtodie —ypdisdain other Cainites who still cling to their humanity as they engege in demonstrations of “chicken” and other Afterall, while they only talk of truly becoming inhurran, amusing pastimes, The young Sabbat talk,as they s1y,2 the Path-follower has taken action toward this goal seat game, but for the most part, they mustswallow their Meanwhile, hisstll-humane (sa tospeak) packmates may horror when they see vessels hung from rafters. Whether begin tosec him as haughty and inscrutable, Sabbat packs the horror stems from a lingering regard for life,or ftom frave splintered simply because one member becomes se feeling of, “There, but forthe grace of God go,” it must comnitted te his Path thatthe pack’ purpose isdistupred beaverted ifthe Sabbut is going rosurvive his fist decade and not lose his mind. NoSabbar clan is really more or les likely 9 followa Path. The Lasombraand the Tzimisce, the founders and Gharan OS Mena? 5 Tue Omens, Several clans follow Paths created for and by their members. While lamnotz member of such & clan, | havehad opportunities to study and converse with severalsuch practitioners, and [feel i is in my bese interes ro relate what {have leamed regarding these Paths. The Path of Blood The Assamites have undergone serious changes in recent nights Fist, cher curse ell and | wan disappointed tw see that many of them reverted to their bloody preda: tions of nights past. However, as the din ftom. that ‘occurrence begins to fade [see that a significant number of Assamites have joined with the Camatilia. 1 do not predict, however, that this will mean asignficant rise in the numberof Dervishes thar the Camarill boasts To my knowledge, the Path of Blood is commonly taught only to those Assamices who achieve greamess within the clan by converting or taking the blocd of infidel." Therefore, those Saracens who have isn edyasit were to the Camarila sreunlikely tohringthe Path’s tenets with them, This Path is rarely proselyized ourside the Assamite old with any piery. Its followers de not often seek non-Assamite converts (even though the Path's cove of ethics makes provisions for auch), but 1 suspect thatthiseluctance is morebecause the Assamites ate selfish than hecause they actively want t0 exclude others. Ie resem areligion more than a simple ethical Path, as thowe who have crossed ways with a “devout” Dervish can well attest ‘The Path of the Bones In the nights before the | recall, another clan held Death” and practiced Path similar to the one that some and the Sabbet, as ‘é mantle of the "Clan of Giovanni now espouse. Since I did no: join Kindred (or Cainite) politics with any real interest until after the Giovanni rose to their current position, | have no idea how closely theirPathofthe Bonesresemblesitspredeces- sor. 1doknow, however, that this Path stare, even in the clan of its inception. Cainites with interests in death that are so deep-seated as to require morality based around it usually follow the Path of Death and the Soul, although the two Paths are superficially similar. The Path of Night Although rumors exist that this Path is trulyancient, descended from teaching of Caine (or Lilith, depending con the whims of the speaker), iris muddled and difficult to follow. suspect that was pioneered by young Lasombea aroundthe timeoftheAnarch Revolt: Like the Puth ofthe Bones, ics tare, and ic ismore common among aspecific, rather pedestrian mindset (cht the Kindred are horific, indomitable monster who fulil their purpose by feeding con mortals) than within sey specific ch, Timagine that the only reason that young, dispossesed Caieif of the Camarila haven't begun following this Path is its lack of accessibility to them. The Path of Metamorphosis [find this Pach fucinsting The basie precept of the Paths Lunderstand it, isthac the undead condition isnot anvend |, but astepalong the way to afinal change.It's an interesting thought, but if one considers the source (Cainives who are capable of changing chet forms at will) oe can certainly se its ideological roots. Wishful think. ing? Perhaps, Buc then, the Teimisce are the onfy vampires com monly capable of sich changes,so anagging feeling arises chatpethepsthey now somethingthat the rest ofusdon't (The Beast Clan iscapubleof change, up toapoint, butthe change isthe sameeach time. The Trimisce, however te capaole of changes limited only by thei skillorimagina- tion.) The Tsimisce's special Caimite gifts, perhaps the impetus for the Path of Metamorphosis, seem to spread easily from contact with their blood; [have wen entire Sabhat packs demonstrate irsknowledge. Sowhy, then, do the Fiends keep their knowledge hidden so careflly, when thetoolofenlightenment (asthey eit) the ability terchange; iso ensily qerend? The Path of Paradox | confess, 1 aun somewhat contemptuous of follow: ts of this Path. Several of them once attacked me in Ulm, apparently after tracking me for some time. They spoke of correctingthe meya” and that my "swacharma” was to die at their hands. | eseaped with my unlife, but | managed later to isolate one of them and exeract some knowledge from him. In the end, I let him go. By attempting to destroy me, he and his fellow Shilmalo ‘wereattempting to correct what they perceive as agreat wrong tothe karmic cyele. Since Thad foudht them off and escaped, they concluded that they must have been, wrong about my purpase within it. Be that as it may, this Path is not practiced solely by the Ravios. This is probably gand forthe Path's given the recent destruction of most of the clan. The Shilmulo with whom | spoke indicated that sometimes membersof other clans would Embrace mortals who were capable of understanding the eysle, and who dhevefone made good candidates forthe Path of Paeadox. [pointed out t him that basing possible members of a decidedly inhuman Path on what those potential members di as Jhumans was fallacious. He like many devotees ofa hetet system, did not have an answer for me The Path of Typhon ‘Some Pathsare philosophies, some are religions. Mast ofthe Paths espoused by one particular clan are more lke religions. The Path of Typhon is one such Path, have never heard of anon-Setite Kindred pursuing this Path, and, given thar their chiof goal wemm to be Ss. we Booo 6paving the way forthei“god's"etum,lean'timagine that there are any who do. Chief among the Path's virtues are solidarity and obedience, which means thatthe followers have strength of purpose behind their reprehensible ac- tions, A drug dealer who sells poison an order to gain comfort and stanss is understandable, if net commend: alle. A drug dealer who sells poison in an attemge 10 gamerfellowersfor anundead god, however, isto be feared (or, if posible, burned). Wannticon Paris Now cher wehave seen what following a Path requires, what it may do to the standing of a Camarilla Kindred, the rnecssty of Pathsin the Sabbar and the nanure of the more familial Puts perhaps weshouldexaminejust whatolowing a Path means to any given Cainite. First of all, consider the notion of""sin.” In my breath ing days, the greatest sin was worshipping a false god. Indeed, the Torah is rife with gruescme depictions of what hhappens to these who insult the One Above, Some religions prchibir aleahol, some pre-marital interceurse and soon, Anatheist would doubtless be surprised and pethaps amused by the various activities precluded under the beading of “sin.” Often, a reason exists for the activity in quersion heing declared sieful that hae no beating what soever on the religion in question. For example, the custom of eating ish on Fridays stems back to the Church ‘wishingto give thefishingindustzy (suchas itwas) aboost, yet asking any teacher of Cathutician dae reason fr the practice would yield a far different answer, Many sins, however, stem from taboos that any mor- tal would fir obvious. The aetsof murder, re, theftand soca wouldseemto be “naturally wrong,” regardless of the religionin question. Consider, then, that follower of (for example) the Path of Death and the Soul holds the taboo against murder be as misplaced asa modem pagan might hold an unwed Catholic’ abstinence from sex. Likewise, anadherent of the Path of Caine considers befriendinga mortal sinful, The reasoning or thisissound encaigh if you happen to he a Nodklist, but for the rest of the wold, such 2 taboo might seem doomed. Because Caine, the first murderer, was outcast, and you seek to éemulatchim,youshunthemortalpopulction’ The Noddist ily enone; "Vex A Tach lalowactaninteemnestthe ‘world to share the things that he finds holy or unholy. ln fact, only a follower of the sare Path will sympathize or advise him. Following a Path i a lonely road, especially ier dhe inal tuehge & ove Consider, too, the difficulties of following a Path venus remaining “humane,” which are presented merely bythe ficethat the mortalssil eonral the world, Mortals make the laws in accordance with their belie. When a Cainite forsakes his humanitas, he also often forsakes rmortal law and custom. Having survived long enough to see law and custom change dramatically, Ian say with some assurance that such things are typscaly transitory ‘Thatdoes not, however, stop the mortal authorities from investigating murders espectally murderswithan'tecult” twist to them, And, despite the United States’ vow that they shall make no law stopping a citizen from practicing a religion of choice, I seriously doube that such an argu: rent would absolve a defendant of a murder charge My point here is chat humanity's precepts 3 observed, much like many human religions, more by toaetion and deni often than by action and acceptance. A Christian may feel thar he is following his religion iFhe resiststhe temptation of theflesh, buta Beast that does not hunt when the pangs of hunger strike — even ifeiteun: stances indicate that abstinence may be safer heing true to its fundamental nature. As I stated, meny Paths of Enlightenment hold study and knowledge as ‘acted. However, one cannot acquite knowledge simaly by denying ignorance, The active, even aggressive pursuit of one’s ethics is something that few mortals (espectelly Westerners) are prepared to undertake. Suchis espectslly amue if the Path is based on esoteric knowledge that requires travel, patience and kargaining tw acquite, So much simpler to play at being morta, toavoid doing the things that, while living, one would have avoided! Cam: forting, certainly, but ultimately furile, as humanity’s precepts sour ater one reaches what would have been the 200th anniversary of one's birth andi realizes chat mortals are goingto die, each and every one, regardless of what or whokills hem. That realization, in andl of itself, marks 2 slide toward the Beast, and it is truly inevitable WHEN THE Beast WINS, The slide toward the Beast ends in only two ways First,theCainite may meet Final Death. This is, needless ‘osay,notthefirst choice ofmost Cainites. The only other possibility, however, isev ain takes over permanently Most young Cainites have never seen one of the pitiful wretches whose sanity and self have beer sub sumed. They hear tales from their sires, stories of Kindred who stalk the night, feeding on whosoever crosses thet paths, eventually brought down like mad dogs by theit own kind or by hunters. These stories are essentially true but somewhat misleading Indeed, most Kindred who succumb to the Beast became nothing more than mindless brutes. In Greece the peasants called them erpkolakes. Mortals saw them as hideous, bloated monsters. and they knew countless folk sspalarable: The Beast wins ‘Cour Ove: Sn o¢ Mena 7forslaying gthem, Mustard seed tered ahour the howe would delay such ‘oms would bar them entrance, as they 0 afraid ef them, Needles snick through s comps stomach, the legends vary,of course) imamol dreaded vryholakes. OF comrse, a true Cainite these perty defenses, fed upon whom he ch one the wiser, However, these remediesactually tum the ravenous orkolakes. obe overthe centuries, ig nearly every nation on Barth has in pmon is. legend about vampires. The actual forms, capabilities and desires of the undead vary in legendry from place eo place: The Greek urykolakes bears litte wysian largsui, aside from their commen diet. As any relatively venerable Cainite can actest, mortals misinterpret the facts almost willfully. sai ‘comesis no surprise that their legends ae afarcry rom the truth, asaremostof their preventive amuless. Ha the case of the mindless C for them here) most of these folk cha ove quite useful. A mourain rose placed on the chest of a Syiss heimmobibi re. Astakethrough the be lien ray well desteoy a wi sed to simply paralyzing it), Wt ur? | have heard several theories, s scientific, but none x etthe fact that, regardless f the Cainite's age or the potency of his blood prior tc losing his mind to the Beast, superstitious mort sonal hypothesis on the ‘matter, Recall, dear teade, that | am neither scientis: nor wen alimost entiely from persona xperience and trusted scurces. (The read e ral horror [rarely specified any further] orsimply ahuran being. Fis not without a certain ireny, therefore, that a term that encompasses borh what a Cainite was and is shoul be trached to the filthy creatures that are so representative ofthe falureofthe Kindred'squesto cope with hishuman mind.) alny wate Bet ca here to ego, but to the anim inctthatelevatesthinkingbeings livi undead) above the animals, Add Cainitesureindierendly mystical be nes, if vou prefer). We ate capableof feats thatare simply science (with all due respect to the eminent researcher, Dr. Douglas Netchurch). As sanity faces, will cisappears,andall chat is leftis instinct —and, Sas or ooo \8for lack of a better tem, the curse. Wights are creanures driven by primal urge and divine damnation, unable t0 ponder theircurse orto truly suffer from it. Therefore, the ‘One Akove opens the way for mortal remedies to hold these creatures at hay or destroy them, thus sending them: ‘on to whatever punishment awaits. AAs further evidence for this “divine intervention, theory," as it were, [present the thin-blooded, Rumors now circulate that this “ast generation” of Cainites are incapable of siring new childer, bur such Cainires suffer from the curse less harshly chan most. have heard staries of Kindred surviving the sun's rays for long periods of time, of Kindred exting and drinking mortal food and even of Cainites siting mortal children. (A note, however: This idea isnot new. The Serbs had legends of creatures called dhampyr, who could fight the undead when no on ‘could see them. A fairly convenient way to make money, asicturred out. Thechampyrfightathe inviable varapice, then collects a fee from the relioved citzenry. But T digress. )In any event, one common (though by no means universal) thread between the thin-blooded whelps of tonight is that Common superstition often affects them. 1 personally met a young Caitif who fele himself barred from crossinga bridge—just like the legendsof old, which, state that the Damned cannoteros running water undee their own power. But, the reader no doubr notices that in the case of thin-blooded (but stil sane) Cainices, superstition seems powerful, bur che actual Curse levied by Ge (including thefear ofsunlight and the ability to consume only blood) seemlightened. Why this? Itismycontention that these thin-blooded Kindred are not beyond redemption, that a way hack tolife,"s0 to speak, critsfor these unfortunates. Exactly how this redemption might be achieved, Lam not certain, In any case, redemption is beyond the compre. hersionof the wights,andit isto them that Inowrediteet my focus. Unstire Asa WiGHt OF coure, Ican only gues. However, every Cainite hassomeindication ofwhatitstobeoneof these mindless horors, for every Cainite knows what it is 10 fall to madness, The frenzy brought on by hunger or rage is almost certainly what a wight feels constantly. ‘Thistsnoceeeny owner shavereny sighicependilee time lurching about for victims. Were that the case, the Masquerade would not have stood firm as lang as it has. Wights are not intelligent by any meats, but remember that they operate by the basest instinct fal: survival. In fosing theit human will and soul, they have become tet predators than anystill-senticnt Cainite. A predator, after all, never gambles with its life. Ie does not entera fight it doesn't think ican win, It feedson the weakund the sick, and — despite wives’ tales zhout cas xe does not toy with fs food. Cainites do al ofthese things, arguably w stave coff the weight of etemity, Wights, having lost their sense of time (how can an animal recognize time's passing, alter all?) do not succumb to ennui, and thereby avoid the Political and social entanglements of Cainite existence. This rather animalistic pattern of existence goes « Jong way soward explaining how wights continue ro exis inthemelemnights Theydo not, ova rile, quan tho human herds, as they are clearly no longer human. In stead, they slink through the sewers, water through the barriosand ghertors, avoiding prey until tis time Wo fed Then, they single out a victim, immobilize or kill him cutright and feed a thet leisure. They make no effort to clean up after chemsely ‘course, and this is often how they are discovered. A life expectancy (so to speak) of tore than @ yeas optimise: fr a wight Butexceptionsdo exist of course. A man (cr woman, Isuppose) who was strong-willed and rational in the fist stages of unlife may become a very dangerous wight indeed. Such a wight might expenience "mn clarity” during which a semblance of sentience retums. ‘Such sophisticated abilities as language, of course, are impossible to recover, but the wight may well remember how to fie a gun, lock a deor, or even start (Prot drive) car. Like amnesiaes, who tend to remember fhysical skills rather than verbal labels (that is, forget the word “car” bur still exain the ability todive) wighits sometimes surprise pursuersby taking action that would seem beyond their capubiliry to understand. Indeed, it probably is While pursuing wight once in New York City, was very surpssed whon sy peoygrlbed ha peel from he belt of the policeman it had recently fed upon and fired at me. I don’t believe, however, that the wight had any real idea what it was trying wo accomplish; it continued firingeven afwor the pistol yas empey, and when 1 got closer, it dropped che pistol andi attacked with its bare hands, completely forgetting the gun, 1 occasionally refer to wights as the nains” of Cainites, but exactly what remains? As sated, memories and skllssometimes remain ir rather spotty hagments. A igh may or may nochunt familiar grounds ee Lue seen, casesin which wightsfled the city oftheit previous une, a well as cases where the wight haunted the Rack of her city like @ hideous ghest- Personality remains to varying degrees. For example, fa Kindred (in “normal” unlde, thesort whoenjoystestinghislimitsby experiencing pain, the wightthathe becomes may well derive an oddpleasure from wrestling with its prey, allowing it to fight him fora moment before biting. This sort of personality retention, however, is by no means something to ber on Ordinarily Guo Ove Sis oF Mea 9the person whom the wight once was is subsumed, with only habitual or vestigial behaviors arising occasionally. Thegiftsof Caine, however, aw another matter. Over time, | have had opportunities to study with members of various clans, and indeed, when boons are offered me, | almost always take Faymene wn instruction, Therefore, | fee! myself qualified to discussthe mechanics (metaphysi- cally speaking) of various undead proclivities. Take, foreximple, the Kindred sheightenedaspect of charisma. This beguiling skill relies chiefly on force of personality and the ability to inflicrit upon others. One of the early abilities it confers isthe power to frighten off an assailant simply by snarling arhim (a superb skill to have, | mighcnote, when one is walking in unsavory neighbor: hhoods and does not wish tosully one’s handk). This would seem an ideal resource for a wight. Litele true skill is required, aterall, and theetfect is nat unlike a exe moking herfurstand on end to appearlargeranvd more dangerous. But what of the other skills under this supernatural um- brella? The power of seducers and leaders, in the hands (onl more impporandy, che misnl) fa wigha? Aseven the rankest ledzling kriows, the hasc principles of any given Kindred edge are the first because they are the simplest to master. But they are simpler only because of frame of reference; The fledgling is learaingto flex new muscles, so to speak, and he is learning by a combination of blood bome instinct and instruction. Conversely, supernatural “physical” acumen, while cormmon oniy to some clans, is basicenough thar any Cainite an learnt without insruc tion. A wight seems fo transcend the traditional leaming process with regard to such advantages and exercise only those sbilites that aid its survival (hence, exhibiting Dread Gaze while never learning to produce Awe). While a sti-sane Cainite i» bound by clan and teacher with regard (0 leaming new powers, a wight is boundbyclan (toapoint)andnecessity: Undead gifts that have no practical use to the wight fade from memory almost immediacely, whereas those that aid nightly sur vival become honed to dangerous levels Forexample, many yearsago, in whucisnow Slovenia, I became aware ofa wightthat had wandered out into the countryside and taken up residence in asmall village. The townspeople (devout Christians forthemostpart) lived in {earor the predator harsometimes stole nto thesrchuldren’s windows. Of course all manner of superstition sprung up around that practice. Some believed that a demon from Hell had come to snatch the next generation of true believers. Others supposed it was the malevolent spit of adeceased miser, and so on. (Thismiser, of course, was 2 Jew. Having watched this stereotype of my former faith ‘appear and festerover the yeas, Iam sometimesglad that my passions are deadened, else my enemies could fallow the corpses of bigots to my docr....) At one point, an otherwise well-cespected widower was wceased cf Iycan- throoy, ofall hings. What never ceurred tothe townsiolk was thar this creature was predator, simply secking the easiest prey, Children were too weak to fight, and they rarely had enoughstrength of will tocall upon faith tosave them (which may well have worked, recalling the pro nounced effect of superstition on wights). removed the wight ftom the village and discovered his former identity a Toreador lately fled from Zagreh. After making some inquiries and tracing his movernents back to that city, 1 discovered that at the time of his degeneration, he had walked among the undead for just under two centuries During that time, he had mastered the at of pretematural senses, to the point that he could read the thoughts of those around him. Likewise, he had leamed the secret of summoning others from great distances, but hal never cultivated the third skill common to the Rose Clan, nor hadhe atained any skill in chose curousgifts outside ofhis own clan, However when Iwacheithin d me, a feat that few can boast, Twice | lost him in the shadowsand had to call upon my own skill arheightening mysenses (but meagerat that time) to find him, Afterthe Jun, wondered how ie was that a mindless beasc could have leamed the art of invisibiliry, when it baffles many more intelligent Cainites (I admic that t took me neatly a year to lear the tick of fading into shadows), Then | discovered thatthe former Toreador haxlattacked ante on a Malkavian neonate before leaving Zagreb, and the progression became clear. The wicht, uron losing the last vestiges of humanity, lost his sills in supematural sight and charisma, He retained only what he needed to survive: the ability to sharpen the five “natural” senses. However, his clan's affini speed was finally realized. Since it was “in the blood,” so to speak, and necessary for his continued survival, he developed the ability instinctively. Then, upon feedingon the Lunatic, he found hinnself manifest” ing the power of stealth and honed the ckill to the point where he could slip into a mortal dwelling without nc or alarm. This was all the wight needed to continue his unlife, and he probably would kave continued preying on de Hildkenot he village urn citer bad hack, buncers or some supernatural force intervened. As it happens, his predhtions did not leave the townsfolk unatlected, The village standsto this night (though it has grown consider- ably, of course), and butldings constructed in the decade duringand after the beast walled amongthem arenoteble in that few bedrooms have windows largeenough to admit anything bigger than « cator close enough to the ground ‘hata man Could reach the sill by jumping orn dic csily atin Sas or ooo »Huxtixo WioHTs ‘A Cainite who woul hurt wights (and reasons exist for doing, as T vill explain shorty) had best remeber tharthesecrentures exist ina state akin raconstant frenzy. ‘Theydonotfee pain, and awound thar does not inca tates usually ignored. A Cainite who had powerful blood during his “normal” unlife loses no potency upon becom- ing a wight. The shartered remnants of a Cainite only seven times removed from Caine ira wight seven times thus removed. Combine whatever streneths the wieht Jad before is fllwith its animal cunning and predator's instincts and youhave some inklingas to what cagey prey itcan be For example, the fear of fire and sunlight quaintly called Rotscbreck lately ae affects wighestoa much higher degree. This is not to suggest that wights are coward again, they are predators, and just as a wolf les fom the strange sounds ard smells of man, a wight flees frown fi with al ts ecrsiderable strength, So, using fire vo destroy wight is possible, but understand that it wil ly into a deadly frency, and it will kiterally tear itself apart trying to escape, Conversely, a sina, hand-held blowtorch 1s su petb asa routing device while stalking wigh's x you can be sure that they will run away from the fire, no matter what. The only tick is keeping up. ‘Anothercaution in stalking these creatures should be obvious 2 the Masquerade, Wights don't give a fg frit, cf course, and they will invoke their undead gifts opealy, feed on mortals lft cars ce whatever else they feel they ‘must do to escape a hunter, no mater who is watching. Great care mst thus be taken co drive wighes away from populated areas, either toward water (again, mostof them. shy swayftom t}orintosmenclsedares (any abandoned building, or even closed business a the ides isto restrict, their freedom of movement). Most princes, if told of a hewithin city limits, will “lend”: hunter the asistance of one or mote nonates, Somerimss, the scourge of acity (ifone exists) will draft fledglings into sevice. While chis might seem a bit excessive a an entire coterie for one animalisic madman? x the reader should recall that the Thuncer or scourge has nc way to gauge a wight’s power simply by lookingar it. The wight could be the remains of aneonate, certainly «but as | mentioned, the wight could also be all that remains ofa powerful elder. This should make clear one possible benefit taward hunting wights. While diablese is often regarded as de- monic cannibalism in he Camarilla,SabbatCainives may vwell go hunting for wights with this er in mind, (An- other possible goal is ro capture the wight and release it intoa shopping mall, I'm told.) Despite the propagand Camarilla Kindred do occasionally commit the sin of iaklerie, and so hunting wights in greups is practiced not cenly w ensure success, but also to ensure thar none ofthe buntets may claim the wigh’s soul as his trophy, Unless, ‘of course, the wight is the subject ofa full blood hunt Thad the opportunity once toconverse with aCainite ‘who committed diablerie upon a wight. Before succumb: ingtothe Beas: the wight had heen adewouit Christian for many years, and indeed, ehae faith was the last bulwack against insanity. I asked the Cainite who consumed the ‘wight if she hod assimilated any of the wight’s memories (rm lod 20 boliaws that this happens to diablesst fairly frequently). The following was her answer. The teacier should recall that what she "remembers" squite likely the list memories of the Cainite as he lost his mind and became a wighe {remember apit, Undemeath me,apit: My feet each ‘on one side ofthe pit. remember the pit growing wider snd something in the pit, below, screaming, Mere like wailing really. As though in pain from hunger. Noreason to think hunger, but I thing that’s why it howled, And then it changed, and I tememberholdingonto a ladder or a rope, and slipping. And I kept trying to remember the words co the Hail Mary but kept getting stuck after rut of thy womb, Jesus’ And then I fell and the wailing was louder. And then I realized it was me wailing." Thave no idea how much of this is exaggeration. { shouldrelate,inallfaimess,chatthe diablerist in question isa Malkavian, which certainly makes me take the tery with a grain of sal. The next common motive for hunting wights, an the ane commonly cited ss primary, is to protect the ‘Masquerade. Humane Kindred sometimes speak of pro tecting the citizenry at large from these horrors but tha, eC course, is bunk. A wight left to rs own devices wil, sooner of later, he discovered by the mortal world, and Cainites of a certain age know well what happens next Some Cainites hunt wights for spor. This isn’t an ‘atitude Lean say Iunderstend. A prepared hunter (or a group of them) is usually more than a match fora wizht simply because the hunters can expect the wight to respond to stimult in a certain way, The dance much the same as that of humans hunting a big cat decides that youares threat, it will goto ground. Ifyou ‘comer it ic fights t suvive However, strength of weap ‘nny and arategy usually prevails, lars the huners have seriously misjudgedtheirquarry’scapabiltes. Aso, hank fully, wights are quite rare. Most Kindred will never see ‘one. Those who domight net be ale lstinguish ic from another Kindred unless they sce telltale evidence of its ‘wretched mental state ‘The safety of a city's Cainites is who a concem. Destroying the “mad dogs” of Kindred society is just as necessary for us as putting down true mad dogs is for (GurarOu Sns os Mewar umortals, While most wights do not attempt to feed an Kindred, occasionally one sealizes that the blood taken from is own speciesis more filling than that of easier per. Thavenever heard of a Cainite actually being diabletized by a wight, bur that certainly isn't to say that it couldn't happens. [awe io idea what effec this might have on the wight (and i isn'tan experiment! 'm prepared to pursue), but L hypothesize thar it might either grant a moment of lucidity to the wight or, conversely, push the creature deeper uico the depehs of madness The final and least common reason | kriow of for hunting and slaying these unfortunates is mercy. The loss cfsentience, ofthe consciousness that makes us thinking beings isone of the mosttrightening things [ can think af. Therefore, some of us (jes, myself included) track down the unfortunate wights and end their existence in hopes that they will know some peace in the hereafter. Wiont pacts Diahlerie aside, wights will atc other Cainites with theintentionoffeedingiftheyfeel that they can dosovafely A Coinite who lingors over sca inight suallenly Gud Fhimset struck from behind witha club (as wightsincelligent enough to sarprise Cainites are certainly intelligent enough ‘oemploy weapons) Such “cannibal” wights are more rate than ther fellows, since their predator's instincts ensure that they shy away from such able prey. However, if two or tote wights manage tofind each oxher,a curiousthing nay happen. Rather than fighting, the cteatures might join together insoctal groups analogous co wolf packs ‘This only makes sense, considering that wights are descended from social animals. I have observed this phe- nomeron firsthand omly once, but Thave it on excellent ‘authority that the case | saw was not entirely atypical. My experience: observing wight pack in Detsoie was this, I was in thecity hunting down a wight, the remains of Sabbat mass Embroce. [chad fled abaccle with Camarlla inured and escaped. This wight would not have lasted long in ary ease — it was far too blatant about its predations and stories of “cannibal killer” had already begun to surface among the cty’spoor. [found the beas and beyan routing it away from inhabited areas so chat could dispose of i Iherdeirtoward the river. Upon reachingthe tanks, T was surprised th see a figuen ninning at the wight. Ths newcomer ran with a loping gait chat did not seem at all human to me. Such being the ease [decided to see what the newcomer was and how the wight would react to it (and vice versa). Tomy surprise, the two beingstized each other up, and the wight [had been chasing ducked its head, apparently acknowledging the ctheras ts superior. They then bothturned toward me. Notwishingto lose this Luniqite opportunity for study I led the area and doubled hack to observe. The second wight was obviously older, as | could see from its tactered clothes, and stronger. The two of them procected each cther and hunted in tandem. Whenever they fed, however, the dominanc wight would feed firse, much like the lealeroFa wolfpack does. would have been interested tose howa thisd wight would have affected the peckingorder, but [was forced todestroy them beth before either attracted attention from the local Sabbat or any mortal authorities. I can say, however, that the younger wight teught me withall its (Considerable) strength when itsaw that I meant to injure his companion, ‘The pack phenomenon is not universal, however. ‘When two wights meet, the results a kat as likely to be «pitched bale herween competing predators ait is the formation of a social group. This, too, is something | witnessed. While traveling herween New Orleans and New Iberia, [became lost and was forced to sleep the day in a roadside movel. lawake that evening tosomething scrab- bling at my arm as L ested under the bed ‘Aine exerting yee fom my (adenttedly ether foolish sleepingarrangement, took teck ofthe intruder. Temas obviously 2 Camie, and its disheveled appearance and dull, animablike eyes marked itas a wight. The only weapon [had ta hand war « small pistol, and Idoube it would have donesny good. As was preparing toslow the beascusing my temporal gts, another misshapencresture entered the root. While Thad no way co guess the lineage of the first wight, hesecond was obviously heremnantsofaGangrel Its eyes gleamed red, it sported blool-enciusted talons, and it had odd, patchy fur acros its torso. I thought for a moment tac these creatutes were part ofa pack (and yas beginning to reconsider my options) when the fist wight Jaunched itself ac the newcomer. As it did so, I was able to observe deep furrows in its hack se clearly these two unorcunates hac! clashed befcre, They were mote inter- ested infightingeach other than hotheringme, so wasn't concemed for my safety. However, | did want to make certain tat noneof the other uestsof the motel aw them or fall vitim to thesrrage. Carefully and slowly, Iherded them into the bayou. They ignored me except when | attacked directly, and when I did, the one Tattocked tried to run (considering itself curmanched). Finally, when both combatants wi exhausted and wounded, | managed to subdue them and study them ac greater length. discovered tharboth wights Jhadbeen hunting in the area, and each had been expanul- ing its own territory” until the two creatures happened tupon each other. They had been hunting cach other ever since, clashing when they met, with neither gaining ‘enough advantage to win, Sno B.000 2Sroryretiine Wicurs ‘The flowing informations intended for Story tellers who wish 9 use wighis in their chronicles, '* Moralityt A wight is simply a Kindred whose’ Humanity (orothermorality) score hes dropped to zero. dhe Sul dhe Dee's in nouns conga ae budy. As mentionéd previously, this command needs not be a constant, blood-soaked rampage, The Beast can certainly be curing when itmeeds to, andltisjst this low amtrnal sense of self chat keeps the wight from simply destroying itself sooner, as the case with most Cai who suffer the wassail. *# No pain: Wightsdo novacknowlede pain fiom bashing or lethal woundsyand they soak such woundsat I difficulty. They sufer wound penalties only ifthe wounals stem from fre or sunlight, and even then, they typically enter frenzy (ce Rétschreele) so quickly that Pain does not hinder them, * Disciplines: Wights dé not leer Disciplines in the same way as most Kincired. Instead, they grasp the least complicated and most wseful(cothera concentsof the Discipline inquestion rarely over level three, For cexamele, awight developing Obluscate would probsbly leam nly the frst fwo levels, as thethicd iscooimvolved forits mind to grep, Thephysieal Disciplines (Potence, Foretude, and Celery) have no upper limicexceptthe ‘maximum dictated by the wight’ generauon. Que-ot- clan Dsciplinescanbeleamed only ifthe wightalready had some skill in the Discipline prior io degeneration, ‘othe consumesatleasrfive blood poines from a vampire whose clan commonly exhibits. * Animalistic: Wights are neatly impossible to influence mately o emisetonelly; All sie Desi nate and Fresence (exespt Dread Gaze) recetve a ¥2 difficuley modifier. Appearance: A wight can havaan Appearance seore nto higher that 1 Mosfertu wights: are often ingistingushable from “notmal” Sewer Rats, which rmakesthem all the more dangerous, * Memories: How much awightrecallsdependsonits ‘Willpower rating. A wight with a Willpower score of 3 or less becomesa Hoodthitsty monster incapatle ofa al strategy or reascn, himting chiefly by animal instinct. A. ‘wight with a higher Willpower ating, bawever, can acta- ally retain Abilities: For every pointot Willpower above 3, the wight retains one dot ofa given Ablity Ret exam, tvampite with eMeleeratingof SandaW lower rating ofS retinstwo dots of Melee. _The Aletmess, Athletics, Brawl, Dodge, Intinaida. tiotl and Stealth: Abilities are. not affected by this restriction’. As wights have no Humanity, heyeanniot possess the Empathy Talent. Note thar some Abilities are mappropriate for vwights regardless of their Willpower scare. No wight will retain muuch mastery of Academics oe Compater Likesrse,teraininga Linguistics ratingonly meansthat ‘the wight can understand the languages it ance knew! (0s opposed racy speaking them) netalrif the wight does nt ipunlife tobe indieetdngerauthe wish isnot ‘unary (jt blood pool is mone tha 3/4 full), it wil porte interests related to itsformer Nature. For example, a wight whose former Narure was Architect may observe the old “count scartered grains of vice" yh or push di into ples ‘round its haven, wheteasa Monster wight wll kill anal again, ney mattet how fll ts bloed pol is @ Generation: Age and potency of hoodare snchanged by the lassof Humanity. A wightean be of amy age ot generation. Older wights don't differ in behavior much as compared to younger anes, 4 Fronzy/Ritschrecks Wights chick for feeney and Rotschreck at +3 dificulty. Most will le: fie or sunlight without bothering to resist the fed fear, ‘*Diablerie: Consuming he soul ofa wight srsky, Besides the usual Humanity lgs, the diablerist must. ‘immediately check or fenuy (difficulry8) Nightroares ften plague the diableris: for months afterwar:, In aditon, although the attendant “rush” fom disblerie vull occurs, decrease ynieration.gomes ata price. the ‘wight was of lower generation than the diablerist, the dhablerist’s player must coll Willoower (difficulty 7), If she sueveed, her generation ckops hy ope, but she Amieduiely gains detangement (which onedepends cn the Storyteller’ taste 2: bestia ones are most apne petate). Wights svill only commir diablerie if the wight! in question has already done so (before becoming a wight) and is alone and undisturbed. # Superstition: While she narrator of the preced ing text greatly exagierates a wight's inere ulnecability'9 superstition, many wighis are indeed curbed by gatic,erasesor other such “Yolk emeiies if theusersucceedsina Willpower rol (dificulty).fthe user's player happens to Kaye Thue Faith, the wight ivcoils automatically and flees wf rogsible, A. stake through the heart will nor destroy a wight, but it does parale it as usual * Wight packs: Groups of wights occasionally behave usstated elsewhere in th becomes a sort of default lear, and the pack affects crude attempts at strategy (harying prey likewolves, attackingen masse and so forth), Weaker wight will | fight 1a Final Death to provect the leadee One: Ss ok MorsI never discovered the identity ofthe Gangrel wight, bucthe other rumed out to bea Ventruc and the childe of a New Orleans harpy. Said harpy,asit happens, offered 1 pay handsomely to keep the newsof his childe’s fate from the ears of his fellows. [had no desire to become involved with the harpiesof any city, however, and so declined any reward for silence. Cainites of all stripes are rare, of course, and wights even more s6, which means thar the adds of ancomntering: either a pack or a feud are extremely slim. However, if somethinghappens only once a century ard one has seen the passage of [5...well, let me close my discussion ‘on wights by saying that, like all wild animals, they are unpredictable and dangerous, and (cbviously) have no moral limitations at all when it come to survival Omen Pats to Gorconna Tewould seem that Goleonds is the logical extrapo lation of humanitas for a Cainite. But what ofthe Paths of Enlightenment? Are they exempt rom any possibil- ity of redemption. simply because they chose the road that best suited them? ‘The answer is no. However, the possibility lies, I believe, in giving up the Path and rediscovering one’ human ethics and morality. This process takes year possibly decades, and given the inhumane nature of many Paths, this goal may be impossible co achieve. However, one’s human side can be reclaimed if the vanupite fstcony estugh to try As for those Cainites who attempt to teach Golconda (or a similar state) by reaching the pinnacle oftheirparticular Path, I have no true idea, only guesses. I should think thar some Paths might allow for it with abit of heretical changeto the Path’sethics, whilesome others (notably the Path of Metamorphosis) seem to have this sort of transcendence in mind a8 a goal. However, true Golconda comes from conquering the Beast and redressing one’s crimes, not from a study of what itis to be a monster. I must, therefore, conclude that, although some kind of reward might await the followers of the Paths of Enlightenment, the reward is not the road of Mercy promised by Gabriel To Introspection Golconda is hinted at in the Book of Nadi *. even now there is path opened, a road of Mercy, and you shall call this toad Gokeonda, And tell your chil- dren oft, for by that road they may come once again to dwell in the Light.” In that context, it seems to stem G-d directly. However. it isimportant to note that joa” of the Book of Nodis the same entity that both Jews and Christians worship (even if they themselves, won'tconcede that point) and that some Cainites (my Repemprion? T stated before that the final section of my manuscript would speak for tse also stated that only two avenues exisc for Cainites who wish to. defea: the Beast In thislast statement, Lmisspoks. One other method exists: Golconda cannot speak the wond above awhisper That Teril hold eich sovlsrenen fr tha wt concept « might seem laughable to some, in the face of my... No, I am getting ahead of myself 1 must separace my experiences from the tmuth, divorce myself ofemotion,asbefitting oneoftheUnforsiv- ing. Very well, then. The teader might well ask, “What is Golconda” “Myths surround the word. Most of chem are completely false; some are merely misguided. Whar Golcondais noe, however, is satwof tolerance or acceptance. AKindred who hasteachiedGoleomda is not, by conventional human morality, “good.” “caring” or “tolerant.” Goleonda is not for the softheartad, athe diseipline and sel perceprion it requices is phenomenal. Golconda snota tate reached by followingny ‘xe partic religion or faith, In my travels, | once heard a Kindted preaching that the true path 10 forpivencs lic in devout attontion tthe Five Pillars ‘élslamn,that Allah would forgive those Kindred who followed the Muslim faith and reward them with Golconda Lactually broke my usual practice of strict ecstatic is gels Calbticsa tigated wait How | asked, could the Muslim faith be che way to forglvenest when thar fash (like most others) wasa prodict of a need for social change within mortal society, an when many Cainites (myself included) ‘predate the religion’s inception by hundreds of years: twboot? He didn’tave an angwerforme;beyond the ‘ual “All wills itso." Although fam nor prone to boutsof strongemotion of any kind, that night I was ‘overcome by disgust. Likewise, no one sector clan has any more information on Golconda than aay ether. The mysterious Inconnu ate rumored 10 pursue Golconda, bur they are also rumored to be the Just of the Antediluvians, a group of demon- worshipping infernalists, the gatekeepers to Gehennaandsoon. In allmycenturies of nie, Thaye neverseen or heard from a member of this srrange group, and I om forced to assert that they may aot sitet at all for the ‘Swsor He Boon 4gtandsire among them, reportedly) predate even Juda isin, Su, where did Golconda criginare I spoke once with a member of the enigmatic Salubri. Lam aware of the rumors surrounding their clan;1 am also aware that many of these rumors can be traced back to the Tremere, ardl | prefer to trust expe rience over Warlocks, The discussion was brief, but the Cainite expressed an opinion thar the founder of her clan actually discovered Gclcondaafterextensive travel inthe Middle and FarEast. Since I spentthe first several centuries of unlife among the Cainites of Jerusalem and the surrounding countries and never heard ct Saulot or his involvement with Goleanda, I am forced to doubt the veracity of that statement. However, | am also forced to concede that the woman who made the statement displayed an inner serenity much beyond her years (she confessed that she was little more than a neonate). I feel that the answer lies not in spirituality but in science. Forevery action, an equal and opposite reaction follows. The action of a Cainite’s slide inte degradation, eventually cesling, inthis Final Death or a violent period in wassal, has its reaction in the Kindied's departed burstill-extant soul erying out. The soul is immortal and strong, even if the Beast makes the Kindred’s mind weak, just as the Beast has ts own end in mind —complete surrender to base instincts — the soul, 100, has an ultimate goal, "to dwell in che Light. must apologire to the reader. Much ofthe preced ing ismy own philosophy, and Ido not mean to offend But, in following Golconda, dogmatic human religion has no place, There ate no holy texts to offer pre packaged codes of behavior. no Pillars, ne mmandments and rarely any teachers. The hardest step on the way to Goleonds (aside, perhaps, from seeing the way tall) isthe firstone, because theseeker wallesa dangerous road, alone im the dark The choice to make that first step is often done without knowledge oreven rumor of Golconda. Aer al the Camavilla regards tas allegory at best anda fairy tale at worst: The Sabbut, neeales ww say, coms the very idea of penitence and remorse in favor of leading an unlie without regret. Bur sometimes, » Cainite sees something that makes him remember what it was to be mortal. 1 needn't be signaficant, but somehow, 1€ couches a dead heart. A wedding, abirth, adeath, a funeral, achildatplay — the posibilties areas erlless asthe ways that mortal express their emotions. The point is this: The Kind remembers the emotions, even if actually experienc them is beyond his capacity, and he feels the burden death and time that 1 mentioned in the vwiting oars One Sn. Mona 5This burden crushes the weak: The last memories of wight might well include such a moment,but those who are strong enough to bear the guilt, and honest enough to identify it, find themselves acting on it. And this action i whore the road to redemption becomes rocky. Selflenial is not an easy thing for mortals, and is widely regardedas semehow virtuous. Fasting, abstinence from sex an go forth are seen as tools to grow closet to the Almighty, m sure [nea not remand he reader oF the effects of festingon us. The hunger becomesmore than we can bear. And so feeding for the penitent Cainite is an condeal; many such Cainites tur to seduction or taking Vitae ftom sleeping vesses, oreven feedingon anitnals. In any event, a Kindred who seeks salvation aust avoid killing atall costs, even in selfdefense. The taking oa life isa sure methodoflosingall progress reward Golconla— and this includes murder by inaction (which means that Cainitesattemptingto find Golconda had best mindtheir ‘associates carefully), Most Cainites never proceed far enough on the path tosee vhatcomes next. Not killing mortals seems strange and unnecessary to many of us, and change comes hard to the undead. But a C te who mana; inds that more re ei. A Kindred sesking Golconda must frst seek atonement Atonement, absolution, redemption, salvation and sodown to the most hasicof such concepts:forgiveness. In life, I axl no iclea how to forgive. I remembered sights aginst me for years, and nursed grudges studiously. As such, I never expected forgiveness, and my wife often surprised me by granring it to me when I stayed out on the sea toolong, when I gambled with my earings and son. Twas not astrong enough man to forgive T'msorry. Only a few hours remain until dawn, | will see this throughs ‘The supplicant must atone for any and all crimes he has committed. Thiscan, in the ease of younger Cainites, extend to sins committed while he was still mortal. Inany ‘event, atonement tee many forms. Pechape the Kindred seeks cut those he has wronged and simply confess nl apologizes, Perhaps he seeks to cameet the mistele surrey titiously, Or ifthereisnopossble way co atone directly for sus ernie (the Cainite fed on and killed someone an lef him, and he hasno way tofind oucthe victim’sname), the supplicant may seek to prevent crimesof a similar nature. imple denial is invel Again, nove that the Cainite does not seek to atone because of responsibilty cither to himself or to higher being. The desire to repent must sand on its owt — the Kindred must feel and display true remorse, else no- progress is made, A Cainite who displays such behaviors openly evenly comesto the attervion of atutor. Whether thet tutor chooses to reveal himself js another matter; it Aependslongely on whether the tutor fele thar the suppl cant would benefit by instruction, and indeed if the supplicant has any hope at all of reaching Goleonda. To reach Golconda, after all, requires denying the cigs of aid these uuntphing over dhe Beast. One does notallow the Beast “controlledfreedom," onebestsitinto submission. This means that a Cainite who cannot con- trol the throes of frenzy or Rétschreck is not a candidate for Goleonda, Sel-contaol 1s paramount to attaining the state, asisselawareness—one must be able to examine oneself honestly and ask, “Can 1 control myself? Can I deny myselP? Can I forgive myself?” Nor questions with ‘easy answers, those. The tutor may choose to ask those questions for the supplicant, to place che seeker in sicua- tions where he will betested. On the whole, however, the best lesson a tutor can give is one of hope The road, after all, is often thankless, and since mentors are rare and the road so very personal, cis very hhard to tell that any progress isbeing mode at all. At least silere ere'ytuberes «nla one esomneyonrore of i degeneration is much easier to track that redemption. A. tutor can provide the benefit of reassurance and give the seeker some suggestions on where to turn next. Awould-beseckershould beware, however. Golconda, asstated,ispersonal, Whac might makeone Cainite weep. ‘with guilt might elicit no real reaction from another. For thisreason, mentors watch their protégés very carefully for some time before unmasking, indeed they ever bother. If aseeker announces that he intends to seek Golconda and is rewarded with a mentor almost immediacely, it is more likely that an elder has found willing pawn: than an enlightened Kindred has found a disciple ‘And this brings me to another caveat of seeking Gokonda: Avoid the Jyhad. The jyhad is merely aplay- thing for ancients, a distraction from eternity. A Cainite seeking Golconda cannot afiord such dalliances. The struggle with the anarchs or the Sabbat? The takeover of New Yerk by the Camarilla? The war between Kined andthe strange Cathayanson the Wast Conse? Allofthese ae of no import compared to (for example) a man being beaten to death hy a gang in your own city. Cainites are beyond the strictures on killing as far as Golzonda is ‘Sotwcista (argh vetaiady aeuselioncal apsses Iotll premeditated murder, and T hardly need mention chat aber likely prohibirsany chance ofreaching Goleorea). ‘Does thismean that contact with other Cainitesisprohib- ited? No, notinand of itself, burconsider the factors. [Ifyou spend time around Cainizes who are not attempting t0 {ind Golconda (and i’srarethat ewoKindredever attempt theroad together), you are likely tohave to prevent them from killing, Youare equally likely to become involved in the sort of pseudo-political nonsense so commen to the ‘Snsor me Buooe Py