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I looked upon the scene before me - upon the mere house, and the simple landscape features of the domain - upon the bleak walls upon the vacant eye-like windows - upon a few rank sedges - and upon a few white trunks of decayed trees - with an utter depression of the soul, which I can compare to no earthly sensation… - Edgar Allan Poe * There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy - William Shakespeare * No Man chooses evil because it is evil; he only mistakes it for happiness, the good he seeks. - Mary Wollstonecraft * Tell me the news, again, whatever it is... sorrow and I are hardly strangers. I can bear the worst. ― Sophocles






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Path of the Beast & Sub-Paths; Feral Heart, Harmony
Topic Started: Aug 15 2015, 06:57 AM (259 Views)
Featherstone
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Beast Feral Heart Harmony
Path of the Beast

Nickname: Beastials, Beasts

Virtues: Conviction and Instinct

Ethics of the Path

The Path of the Beast demands that a creature exist in the moment, to give himself to the hunt, to make himself one with his environment. The vampire is the greatest of all predators, greater than wolf, shark or hawk. Brutally honest with themselves and with others, these undead, so-called beasts, stand outside petty games of intrigue and politics. They respect only independence and seek only to survive. Bestials simply exist. In this, the Path's oldest form, followers exalt the vampire as the greatest of all hunters, the pinnacle of the food chain.

A vampire is a hunter; he hunts to exist, but he also accepts that he is part of a natural order. Each aspect of existence fulfills a role – even civilization has its place. Learn what that role is and abide by it. If a hunter kills too much, then he eats well this season but starves the next. If a hunter disrupts the food chain of his prey, his prey will starve. The vampire must feed from mortals when he is hungry, but must not feed recklessly or kill randomly. The prey must be hunted, trapped and killed, and the carcass hidden from the herd. To do otherwise would disrupt other cattle and make hunting all the more difficult.

The needs of the Beast are paramount. Vampires are predators. They kill to eat and draw pleasure. Human morality is a lie best forgotten. Once the night claims you, you are no longer human. Good and evil are mortal notions. Ignore them. They have little practical use. To be a vampire is to belong to the Beast. Inside you, a snarling, drooling thing waits; the red fury that other vampires hate and fear. The Beast is not the enemy, seeking to destroy you. The Beast is divinity, the true face of the soul. The Beast must be made strong. At its heart, this path exists to sate the hunger within. Once the Beast is fed, there is temporary peace. By indulging their hunger when necessary, they can exist without the nagging questions of morality and degeneration

But the Beast must not win. A true master of this path accepts the Beast, but it does not claim him. Rather, he claims the Beast for his own. No longer the other, the beast teaches survival, violence, strength and balance. Sometimes the Beast even teaches wisdom. Not the wisdom of mortals, but the primal wisdom of the hunt. Survival is one’s first concern. Anything that gets in the way of survival is extraneous. Master one’s fears. Confront them to become stronger. The Beast tears away the trapping of the intellect such as lies, foibles and wishful thinking. To follow the Path of the Beast is to strip away falsehood and gaze unblinking at the truth.

Few Beastials actively seek the company of others of the same path. They struggle for supremacy and operate on a pack basis. Whoever proves dominant leads the pack - until she fails or shows weakness. These packs exist for a specific purpose, and usually for only a short time. As soon as the need is gone, the pack disbands. With relief, Beasts return to the wilds and their own hunting grounds. Those who walk this path do so alone. However, loyalty is an absolute, be it to one’s pack or one’s self. Oaths are mere words. Deeds are what count.

A hunter must subdue and slay his prey, but he must also defend his ranges from other predators. Don’t shit where one eats. Keep political messes away from hunting grounds. Maintain one’s haven and hunting grounds well, and defend them from other predators. Mercy is for the weak. The world is uncertain. Always be prepared to adapt to new situation. One must be able to hunt no matter where one finds oneself. Nature rewards those who adapt and discards those who do not. Beasts are highly territorial and seek to know of everything that happens on their turf. In the wilderness, beasts tend to make nightly patrols, wandering their claimed hunting grounds.

Masters of the path can rarely be manipulated by promises of what is not immediately before them. They are fearsome, elemental, perceptive creatures. Adherents of this path (or any of its sub-paths) care little for personal appearance, fashion or ornamentation. They choose function over style. Some disdain clothing altogether and wear rags or nothing at all. Honest and gruff, they do not deign to spare the listener’s feelings, and seek to keep such contact to a minimum.

Path of the Beast
ScoreMoral Guidline
10Hunting with means other than your own innate vampiric senses and powers
9Engaging in politics
8Risking your unlife, except to slay an enemy
7Indulging in needless cruelty
6Failing to hunt when Hunger demands
5Failing to support your allies
4Killing without need (i.e. when feeding)
3Failing to follow, or denying, ones instincts
2Killing a creature for reasons other than survival
1Refusing to kill to survive
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Roofie
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Beast Feral Heart Harmony
Path of the Feral Heart

Nickname: Beastials, Beasts, Ferals

Virtues: Conviction and Instinct

Ethics of the Path

The Path of the Feral Heart is a philosophical interpretation of the Sabbat that stresses the superiority of the vampire state – hunter (vampires) over prey (mortals). This Path differs from Path of the Beast by its focus on the pack. The pack means survival. Alone, one cannot survive Gehenna, but as part of a pack a Beast might survive and prosper. Enemies must be destroyed because they threaten the pack and the individual. Killing in defence of one’s self or the pack is not murder. Survival is your first concern. It is necessity. Their loyalty, once given, is unquestionable.

Beastials tend to serve as foot soldiers and scouts and rarely partake in pack or sect politics as they simply get in the way of the hunt. However, whether running alone or with a pack, loyalties must be absolute. There is no time for shifting allegiances.

Beasts must always recognize and indulge in their predatory natures. Followers of this path therefore strive to develop their prowess as hunters. Vampires are the ultimate hunters -- immortal and invulnerable. The Beast Within is merely the expression of the predator's instinct. To deny one's atavistic impulses is to go against the dictates of nature. Beasts see no real need to "adapt" the path to a more modern age. Modern weaponry is unnecessary next to the vampire, as the unliving form provides the all of the tools you need to stalk and kill. Followers have little use for the trappings of civilization or education.

A follower of this path feels that the Beast is a natural part of being a vampire and that its needs must be satiated. Live in balance with your Beast; you must always recognize and indulge in your predatory nature - engage in the brutal actions necessary to survive. The feral cunning and vicious instincts of the vampire are excellent survival tools, but retain your intelligence and reason, your insight of the mind. Know that you are a predator; look at everyone and everything you encounter in this context. By satiating the Beast's urges from time to time, the vampire ironically gains a greater degree of personal control.

The ‘natural world’ is an illusion. All things must live according to their form, and even civilization is natural because it is the form of humanity. Learn what its role is and abide by it. However, keep political messes away from hunting grounds. Though the Beasts do not revel in their predations, neither do they avoid them. By learning to accept the role of hunter, thereby acknowledging the proper role of the unliving, a vampire becomes like an animal: feral, predatory, but ultimately in her proper place. Although fire can kill you, you must master your fear so that you can kill those who would use it against you. Confront all your fears to become stronger.

Path of the Feral Heart
ScoreMoral Guidline
10Hunting with means other than your own innate vampiric senses and powers
9Engaging in politics
8Remaining in the presence of fire or sunlight, except to slay an enemy
7Acting in a overly cruel manner
6Failing to sate your hunger
5Failing to support your allies
4Killing without need (i.e. when feeding)
3Failing to follow, or denying, ones instincts
2Killing a creature for reasons other than survival
1Refusing to kill to survive


Note: This and Path of the Beast are often considered interchangeable, but Beast was the Father Path.
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Roofie
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Beast Feral Heart Harmony
Path of Harmony

Nickname: Harmonists

Virtues: Conscience and Instinct

Ethics of the Path

Harmonists believe that nothing that exists is "unnatural". Simply "being" means that an individual or force has a place. This includes vampires. "Evil" and "Good" are mortal attempts to codify events. They have no practical meaning, and do not apply to unlife. Nothing existing in nature is innately evil - including vampires. Although vampires are connected to nature and animals through their bestial and predatory natures, the intellect and emotions of humanity needed to be balanced against the feral spirit of the hunter.

Harmonists have great respect for the natural order and their place in it; they realize that it is in a constant state of flux (even though they are not), and that trying to "preserve" it is an artificial notion. Adapt to the world's changes. It is your only means of survival. As the highest form of predator, they have both human instincts and superhuman huntings skills. Hone both, but let neither overdevelop. Never lose touch with your humanity or your vampiric nature. Both are part of your being.

You will destroy yourself if you cannot accept that you are no longer human; however, the human part of you, your sanity, will be trampled by the animal part of you if you do not balance the two. To have one without the other is unhealthy and unnatural. So, you should shift between the human and the animal within you with ease. Try hard to balance the two sides of your existence. You consider yourself somewhat human, but now tempered with a Beast. You are not what you once were, regardless. Human beings may be fascinating to watch and even play with, but you are not mortal any longer, so do not be fooled into believing that you are.

Life should be respected. Protect the world from undue disruption, and maintain a degree of compassion for all creatures. As a Cainite, your role is that of a hunter, but human life should be taken only out of necessity. Never feel sorry for doing what is natural for you; have no compunctions about killing or drinking blood for your own survival. Hold mortals in high regard, but know you are better. Also, do not sully your Haven. This means that the neighborhood in which you reside should be clean and, if necessary, defended against rival predators and decay. Harmony is achieved by each aspect of existence. Learn that obeying the natural order is really a matter of walking the fine line between knowing when to act and when to leave well enough alone.

Harmonists are are emotional and sociable. You fight the frenzy when it is inconvenient, but ride the wave whenever you can. You like to be around nature, and to keep animals as pets. You feel the need to visit the country often, if you live in the city. Although a Harmonists feels no remorse for doing what he must do by nature (hunting, feeding, and killing), he tempers these actions with an understanding of his place in the natural world. Upsetting the "natural balance" is considered a grave offense. Harmonists often have finely honed hunting instincts, as they seek to internalize both the mind of the human and the drives of the Beast in one single, terrifying predator.

Path of Harmony
ScoreMoral Guideline
10Failing to spend at least two hours per night communing alone with nature.
9Indulging in the Jyhad, engaging in politics or playing too effectively at being mortal.
8Failing to hunt when hungry.
7Pointless cruelty or kindness.
6Refusing to ride the wave, as long as it is not detrimental to your own survival.
5Failing to provide safety and support for your loved ones and comrades.
4Acting too human or too bestial.
3Refusing to kill if necessary, killing anything for any reason other than survival.
2Feeling guilty about doing what is necessary to survive (e.g. killing).
1Allowing or participating in grossly upsetting the natural world (vandalism, arson, etc).

- Featherstone & Roofie
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