Welcome Guest [Log In] [Register]

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






We moved to a new address.
Please visit
 silenceandwhispers.icyboards.net







Add Reply
Path of Death and the Soul
Topic Started: Aug 15 2015, 07:45 AM (251 Views)
Featherstone
Member Avatar
Interventionist Mod
Nickname: Necronomists

Virtues: Conviction and Self-Control.

Ethics of the Path

As spirits trapped in undying corpses, vampires are creatures caught on the cusp of the physical world and the next plane. Necronomists study the process of death and its logical antecedent — the fate of the soul. Death is the process by which the soul returns to its unfettered state, and beyond Death lies the hidden world. The transition between this life and the next holds clues to the nature of things, the purpose of existence. You must study and understand this transition, understand the journeys of the soul and its many attendant forms. The transition from flesh to spirit is ultimately the greatest key to understanding. Engineer experiments to carefully watch and learn from that transition.

The physical world is a pale reflection of that which lies beyond, of the patterns of spirit. Accept that all belongs to a greater phenomenon, be it a consciousness, a plan or some pattern beyond mortal understanding. Everything contains a piece of the puzzle that is existence, creation. Learn of all things to assemble all the pieces. Attempt to understand everything. You have nothing if not time, and the rewards of such studies are bountiful. Learn to isolate the key truths and ignore the rest. By understanding the “transition” or “astral” world, one can truly understand the hidden physics of this one. Expose the underpinnings of existence.

The mind is the physical twin to the astral soul. By understanding the mind, one can glimpse into its nature. While humans are vibrant expressions of the spirit, vampires are caught between life and true death; corpses with an animate form, with supernatural powers and inhuman needs. Necronomists deny their unliving Beasts and instead seek enlightenment. Games of torment and endurance are common, as the Necronomists believe that pain and anger are raw and undiluted expressions of the spirit. Controlling themselves even in the throes of fasting or agony, they explore the limits of their mental endurance. Thought and emotion reflect the hidden soul, after all. Followers also deliberately torture their victims to draw out passion and to inspire a lingering imbalance that prompts the dying victim's soul to remain, tied by its own terror and suffering.

The soul, then, even a vampire’s, is immortal. Your undead state is not true immortality. Do not fear Final Death, because permanence actually lies beyond. As the only eternal constant of existence, the soul contains the key to all life and unlife. The vestiges of a Vampire’s once-mortal self contain certain clues that can allow one to examine the current context of existence. Explore them as a scientist, but no not indulge in the emotional aspects.

Necronomists tend to be curious, detached, and highly intellectual. Although they do not deny their emotions, they analyze even their own reactions extensively, searching for clues to the nature of the soul. Necronomists are intensely spiritual, yet at the same time distant; emotion, reason, and faith are all simple tools in the quest for true understanding. Many possessed a morbidly spiritual streak in life, and continue their explorations even in unlife. Followers of this Path rarely form friendships or attachments, but they are staunchly loyal to their allies, with little patience for half-measures and vacillation. Focused and determined, there is no room for diffidence or hesitation; unlocking the fundamentals of the soul requires singular dedication. Necronomists must never eschew anything that would lead to greater knowledge of the soul, including death. Advancing one's understanding of the soul is always the first priority; attachment to the material world is attachment to an ephemeral and ultimately flawed existence.

Path of Death and the Soul
ScoreMoral Guideline
10Attachment to the material living world.
9Fearing Final Death.
8Being guided by emotions.
7Frenzying.
6Failing to kill when useful or necessary.
5Not pursuing enlightenment.
4Showing an aversion to death.
3Showing compassion.
2Killing without studying death afterward.
1Preventing a death.

Note: The Sabbat claim their version of the Path is distinct, but most outside observers have difficulty telling the difference between adherents of Path of the Bones and Path of Death and the Soul. As such, the mechanics for both Paths are functionally identical.

- Featherstone & Roofie
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous)
« Previous Topic · Paths of Enlightenment · Next Topic »
Add Reply

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places and events are either the product of imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual people or events is purely coincidental.
RPG-D Their World Bloodlines APG
We're Alive! RPGfix
Background Image Source: http://tariqyasmine.tumblr.com//