Road of Humanity
The Road of Humanity
Sobrequiet: Prodigals
Other roads see Cainites as something apart from humanity, be they savage hunters or ordained princes of the world. The followers of the Road of Humanity see themselves as no different in mind or soul than their fellow men. True, they have a great and terrible burden laid upon them, but they cling to the vestiges of their human nature. In the darkness of their souls, they work to fan the dying embers of their humanity into a flame that can light their way. Let others seek to become monsters or angels; the Prodigals consider themselves human and will remain so.
Unlike those on the road of Heaven, Prodigals do not look to God for their salvation. They find it in simple acts of human compassion, in the very act of living, even though they are no longer a part of the living world. Their reason and conscience and their guides through the dark maze of their existence. They will not become beasts, treating their fellow men as prey, nor seek to set themselves above humanity. To a Prodigal, humanity is not merely an accident of birth or physical circumstance. It is not a beating heart that makes one human, but a feeling heart. When the heart is hardened against all caring, or twisted and blackened by wickedness, then one is truly dead, whether Cainite or mortal.
The Beast represents all that the Prodigals struggle against: unceasing hunger, depthless cruelty, selfishness and inhuman madness. To them, it is the Beast that encourages Cainites to become monsters, and only by holding on to those behaviors that are uniquely human can they deny the Beast and its urges. But in order to survive, Prodigals must sometimes indulge those dark urges. They must feed, and they must protect themselves against those who would destroy them. these goads force a Prodigal to forever struggle against the Beast, committing small sins to forestall greater ones and seeking penance and redemption for their actions when they can.
The Road of Humanity embodies many of the ideals of the Brujah clan, particularly the possibility of Cainite and kine living together in peace, with respect for human dignity and freedom. Many Brujah follow this road, along with members of every other clan. The Road of Humanity is one that many vampires come to by instinct. After all, they were all human once, and the Embrace often leads to an understanding of how precious (and fragile) one's humanity is. Some falter and seek another road, while the rest continue to shelter the light of their humanity against the dark.
Prodigals are found most often among or near the common folk, rather than the nobility. Among them, they learn how to be human all over again, while continually testing the strength of their convictions against the desires of the Beast within. Of all Cainites, Prodigals seem the most normal to mortals, and they are least likely to stir feelings of either awe or mistrust within them.
Initiation: Many followers of the Road of Humanity come to it on their own after struggling with the realities of their Cainite nature. They affirm their belief in their own humanity and hold to it tightly, usually after a harrowing experience with their own capacity for monstrous behavior and the power of the Beast, which serves as a moment of truth. A neonate who kills savagely to sate his hunger, a fledgling who seeks revenge for a petty slight; these Cainites look at the blood on their hands and reject the monsters they have become. Others come to the road more gradually and are taught its precepts by their sire or another teacher.
Organization: The Road of Humanity claims that all men of brothers and that each should be measured according to his or her words and deeds. Therefore, the adherents of the road accord their great teachers and philosophers the respect they are due, and they tell tales of the paragons of human virtue that seek (and sometimes find) the secret of Golconda. But they have not formed any broadly recognized hierarchy. Instead, the prodigals associate with one another through a network of largely egalitarian guilds and fraternal orders. Some influential teachers and philosophers of the road gather students around them to form schools in the Greek tradition, but such groups are usually small, dedicated to study, debate and the ancient maxim "know thyself." While lyceum gather to debate, other sects of the Road of Humanity take a more active role. Some offer succor to the newly Embraced, while hunting down those lost to humanity. Others follow the Brujah ideal of a society in which Cainites and mortals exist together in peace, and they do what they can to make it come about. There are even tales of vampire hospitalers and physicians who treat injured and sick mortals, reclaiming their humanity through their mercy.
Roleplaying Tips: Although you are changed, transformed in body by the Embrace, you are still human. Your mind and soul are your own, and you will not surrender them to the beast. You can still reason, and - more importantly - you can still feel and follow the dictates of your conscience and know remorse when you falter. As long as those things are true, you will never be the monster that others say you are.
Paths of Humanity
- Path of Breath: Act as a man to be a man; breathe, work, revel and live.
- Path of the Community (Universal): Alone you are damned; in company you can be saved. Serve the needs of others.
- Path of Vigor: To stop is to wither and die. Move and you shall live.
- Path of the Community (Islamic): You are part of the Muslim community, and must act in all ways as one.
- Path of Communism: A modern derivative of the Path of the Community.
- Path of the Revolutionary: A modern derivative of the Islamic Path of the Community emphasizing righting of social wrongs.
- Path of Entelechy
- Path of Illumination
- Path of the Nocturnal Shepherd: You are part of and guardian of a community. In that community, you will find salvation.
Systems
Aura: Normalcy. The humanity the Prodigals hold in their hearts keeps them from seeming so strange and frightening to mortals. The aura modifier affects attempts at winning sympathy and appearing normal.
Human Virtues: Conscience and Self Control.
Ethics of Humanity:
- A man is measured by his words, his deeds and his heart, not an accident of birth or circumstance.
- The ability to reason separates man from beast.
- Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
- All men are brothers.
- Freedom is earned with dignity and justice.
Hierarchy of Sins against Humanity
| Score | Minimum Wrongdoing | Rationale |
| 10 | Selfish Thoughts | Thought is as good as deed. |
| 9 | Minor Selfish Acts | Compassion separates us from the beasts |
| 8 | Injury to another person (deliberate or otherwise) | Follow the Golden Rule |
| 7 | Theft and robbery | Respect the property of others |
| 6 | Accidental violation of another (e.g., drinking a vessel dry from starvation) | Ignorance does not excuse cruelty |
| 5 | Wanton destruction | Man creates; the Beast destroys |
| 4 | Impassioned violation of another (e.g., killing in frenzy) | Those who act as beasts become beasts |
| 3 | Planned violation of another (e.g., murder) | If you surrender to the Beast, you become its slave. |
| 2 | Casual violation of another (e.g., wanton killing, feeding past satiation). | Others are worthy of your respect. |
| 1 | The most heinous and demented acts | Are you man or beast? |
