Cabiri
Contents
Quote
"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science." - Albert Einstein
Introduction
The Cabiri inherited Immortality from an Ishmaelite named Cabirus between the sixth century BC and the 15th century AD. They earned their place among the Dynasties by recording and organising the lore of the reborn, helping the various Dynasties communicate and co-operate. Most Cabiri are Greek or European nationalities, and their society owes its traditions to the classical world and the Mystery Cults rather than the echoes of Ancient Egypt.
Description
As a Dynasty the Cabiri have always known that they needed to find their niche in Immortal society, to prove themselves to those they secretly looked down upon. That they were successful in joining the club is clearly seen by reading Immortal texts or listening to them speak. All Immortals use at least some of the words and definitions put in place by the Cabiri and the Dynasties could not function without the framework the Cabiri put in place.
Some few are warriors or soldiers and the lands from which they draw their membership are hardly strangers to battle but rather than taking up the sword of Alexander or the Spartans, they chose to learn of their tactics instead. Many of the original Cabiri had been mages or Acolytes before undergoing the great Rite and they still look to knowledge and planning as the best route to victory. Their bravery is set to exploring hidden tombs and in facing blood thirsty hoarders of mysteries than in open warfare.
These Cabiri, as they were named by the Shemsu-Heru, were still being created up to the 15th century AD (when Horus believed he destroyed the last copy of the writings), and it appears there have been others created since then (Proving Horus wrong). Most Cabiri are of Southern European or Northern African nationalities, and their society owes its traditions to the classical world of Greece and Rome and the Mystery Cults of the Mediterranean, to the echoes of Ancient Egypt rather than to its direct influence.
In fact it is often the philosophy of the Orphic cults and the classical societies that defines the Cabiri from the general Ishmaelites, where the latter are distinctive because of their individuality, the Cabiri soon came together for safety in numbers. As an outsider one could say that the Cabiri are a cult of the Ishmaelite Dynasty, turncoats from a distinct location (usually) who chose the trapping of a society and a shared philosophy rather than the diversity and solo road of the other Ishmaelites.
The first Immortal created from the secret writings of Cabirus, known simply by the honorific ‘Orpheus’, was created somewhere on the Aegean coast in the Hellenistic kingdom of Thrace. From here the Society spread slowly along the shores of the Mediterranean and into the rest of Europe. Its core tenets were guarded carefully and each new Immortal had to decipher the clues of the mysteries for him or herself.
Although the magic that created the Cabiri was clearly the same Spell of Life that created the Shemsu-Heru and Ishmaelites, the teachings and trappings of that Society did not travel with it. Early Cabiri had to forge their own path through the Underworld and find their own answers to the gift and plagues of immortality and cyclic resurrection, based on the Mysteries of their mortal lands. They were aided greatly by the society of the dead in the Dark Kingdom of Iron, a hierarchy with which they shared philosophy and culture.
Most Cabiri-to-be were found through the various and widespread mystery cults, which were fascinated with the mysteries of life and death; thus they tend to have more philosophical and esoteric inclinations. It taught its secrets through the legends and plays of the Eleusinian and Orphic cults and found its moral compass in the same philosophies of intellectual Spirituality. The Cabiri today are perhaps the only surviving repositories of the Mysteries as earlier Orphic literature survives only in Papyrus fragments or in the quotations of other works.
The philosophies of the Mystery religions are well-guarded secrets unknown to those outside of each various cult or circle of believers. Though they share some of their ways with other Cabiri, even members of the other dynasties, they still retain certain variations of the Orphikos bios, or "Orphic way of life". While all cells believe in the first tenet; dedication to the mysteries and the arts, they hold differing views on the other common practices such as vegetarianism, abstention from Sex, the prohibition against eating eggs and beans. The only requirements for membership in the Eleusinian Mysteries were a lack of "blood guilt", meaning having never committed murder, and not being a "barbarian" (unable to speak Greek). Men, women and even slaves were allowed initiation.
Some abstain from having sex altogether while others take the story of Orpheus to mean they should seek true love or remain loyal to one through any circumstances. Eventually most Cabiri come to see the story as a metaphor for the relationship between the worlds of the living and the dead. As they progress through the mysteries they come to see much of the classical myths as lessons couched in euphemism and metaphor. Everything from the birth of Venus to the labours of Hercules is part of what the Dynasty refers to (tongue firmly in cheek) as the riddle of the Sphinx – the quest to understand the nature of man and of mortality.
That riddle, the final mystery, is at the heart of the Cabiri Dynasty. Whether through debate, experimentation or the pursuit of rare knowledge, they have grown to see the seeking of answers as what sets them above the other Immortals. Many believe that the Dynasty is destined to discover some great secret which will allow all Immortals to defeat Oblivion once and for all.
The Shemsu-Heru of fond of spouting the belief that there is no single religion or philosophy that guides the Cabiri, no single mentor or hero they aspire to emulate or serve, not even Cabirus himself. They are very wrong however because the Dynasty has several examples of note and a highly developed moral code. Those Cabiri not on the Path of Humanity follow the path of Dikaiosyne, a code of morality much like the path of Ma’at. They believe in concepts of Noblis Oblige and societal responsibility, that the war against Oblivion serves all mankind living or dead, and that the greatest tool against an unthinking foe is wisdom and intelligence.
The Shemsu-Heru are equally misguided in their belief that the Cabiri are selfish or eager to turn their back on creation. Though they care nothing for Horus quest or his laws, and his displeasure at their existence means nothing to them, the Cabiri are just as engaged with the war against Oblivion as any other immortal. Just because they have other names for Apophis and his minions, or because the Cabiri have many unique foes of their own, does not mean that they are not fighting for just the same cause as Horus own cult. The truth is that the Cabiri and the Shemsu-Heru ought to be great allies and close companions, but the spell of life does nothing to quell human nature and they remain divided by petty misunderstandings and rash judgements.
Occultists and scholars, as much out of necessity as anything, the Cabiri are survivors. They hold the mysteries of Egypt as vital to their path, but no more so than the secrets of Atlantis and Ultima Thule, of Arcadia and Shamballa. Like the Mages who inherited the Egyptian paradigm, the Cabiri follow a Hermetic model. They are hoarders of esoteric knowledge, willing to share and quick to prove the adage that knowledge is power. A Cabiri can match an immortal Shemsu-Heru twice his age when the need arises, having learned secrets from a wider world and perfected the arts of self-sufficiency through lifetimes of hardship. In the Underworld they are even more formidable, having access to an army of Wraiths and the strings to some of the Stygian legions if need be.
In fact the Cabiri have forged a number of associations with allies and dupes on both sides of the shroud. Cabiri Immortals have a great degree of influence over the Arcanum and the Benandanti, and routinely employ Risen in their schemes. It is not unheard of for a Cabiri Immortal to step in to the role of the Sapienza (mentor) for young Benandanti, especially if the former tutor dies or is otherwise unable to complete the role. All of this pales in comparison however, when seen against the Cabiri domination and manipulation of the Orphic circle. Female Immortals have influenced and directed the Dikeia for millennia, while the ruling council of the Orgiophantes is just as much a tool of the Cabiri.
At the very core of the Cabiri Dynasty are the Mystery religions; the Orphic and Eleusinian Mysteries which claim that while the Gnostics hoped to acquire knowledge through divine revelation, they already possessed it, locked within their allegories and myth cycles. These Mysteries taught that soul and body are united by a compact unequally binding on either; the soul is divine, immortal and aspires to freedom, while the body holds it in fetters as a prisoner. They claim that death dissolves this compact, but that the uninitiated are quickly re-imprisoned in a new body: for the wheel of birth revolves inexorably. Thus the soul continues its journey, alternating between a separate unrestrained existence and fresh reincarnation, as the companion of many bodies of men and animals.
For the Undying this process is halted and they are given complete control over their own incarceration. They have countless lifetimes of continuing searching to purify themselves and to seek their final destiny, an ascension to Godhood for some, or simply a transcendence to eternal existence as a spiritual entity without the purgatory of the Wraith’s existence.
Upon Death
The Elysian Fields are the secret Realm of the Cabiri in their Death Cycle, their answer to the Shemsu-Heru kingdom of Ammenti. This pocket of the dark Kingdom of Iron is the home of an intellectual elite among the Wraiths, as well as the last bastion of the ancient mystery cults. Since the sixth Maelstrom the Elysian fields have increased the defences at their borders and become even more insular and elitist in whom they deal with.
In the lands of the living, the Shemsu-Heru rule the Immortals, and the Cabiri walk in their shadows, sometime even cowering in fear. But In Death, the Reborn of Egypt must hide away in Ammenti for the most part while the Cabiri have much greater freedom and power.
But the route to the afterlife is no less difficult for the Cabiri than it is for other immortals to be. The Myths of the Cabiri tell of dedicated group of Wraiths, the Eumenides, who ensure that they are met and well looked after, guiding the Reborn through the pitfalls and the Valles Avernae (Valleys of Hell).
On their way into the Tempest they must cross the five rivers of Hades, which form the boundary between upper and lower worlds. The journey involves facing and beating several tests, either through skill and guile or by seducing the Eumenides as Orpheus himself once did with his music and song. By crossing these rivers, and the tests they present, the Dead have proven their lives worthy of admittance into the Elysian Fields. Those who cannot pass these tests, or at least some of them, to the satisfaction of the Eumenides are left to their own devices. If this is their first death, they never return to their bodies to become reborn. If it is simply one of the many death cycles, they are left to battle the shadowlands alone mostly, unless something or someone can change the minds of the Furies.
With the challenges met and defeated, or the Eumenides won over, it is on to the Elysian fields where he is judged by three ancient Wraiths; Aeacus, Minos, Rhadamanthus, the inflexible judges of the dead. It is uncertain whether this trio is really the same three Wraiths as they are always masked, or whether the names represent three roles with their own distinctive garb of office.
The actions of the Cabiri are debated by these three Ancient Ghosts and weighed against the teachings of Dikaiosyne. Though the Judges of the Cabiri are less strict than the 42 judges of Ammenti, they still demand strict adherence to the chosen path and a life lived by the Orphikos.
Organization
The Cabiri appear, from casual observation, to lack organization, seeming to be little more than a lineage of mummies with a common origin with little other affiliation or loyalty. The truth is that the Cabiri maintain the trappings of the Mystery religions and as such any structure and dogma remains secretive and obscured. In accordance with the mysteries, much of their development and journey is taken alone, with challenges overcome by the individual and her own abilities and charms - an approach learned from the Ishmaelites and assuring an amenable relationship with the turncoats on both sides of the shroud.
Though this does not mean that the Cabiri lack fraternity or culture, or that they will not work in unison when the need arises, the Dynasty does not commit such things to record. Not everything in life can be recorded in scrolls or carved into stone, some things simply need to be experienced and passed on through the plays and rituals of the mysteries themselves. In truth, those within the Dynasty recognise a fantastically well defined hierarchy based upon enlightenment within the mysteries and maintained by a strict chain of command.
Because their governing body and organisation is focused upon the enlightenment of the individual journey, the Cabiri suffer greatly from the plague of amnesia. Much of their workings and information is preserved by secretive cults or hidden between the lines of the Mysteries and it may have to be rediscovered again and again by members in each regeneration. On the other hand, no other immortals are so blessed when it comes to the virtue of Joy as they seem to be able to take almost anything in their stride.
As for numbers and spread, while the Shemsu-Heru believe there are no more than a dozen Cabiri and the Cabiri themselves would rather it stayed that way, the truth is however that there are probably as many bastards as there are Shemsu-Heru creeping around the two worlds and staying under the radar. No mean feat considering the dedication of Horus’ fanatics, hoodwinking them isn’t always an easy task.
Sorcery
Hekau is the Cabiri forte, they evolved from among cults which understood True magic and have since spent eternity studying every aspect of Isis gifts. Many Immortals believe the Cabiri to be the best wielders of the spells among their number, although the Dynasties very nature means that this theory has never been put to the test. There is no single path at which they excel and the majority of members seem highly proficient at all of the seven arts.
The Origin of the Nine Houses
The Cabiri were the ones who defined the nine houses and whose record keeping played a large part in which names were finally settled upon for each of them and so among the Dynasty the nine Het are named for the same Egyptian Gods as they are in Shemsu-Heru circles.
The Mystery Cults
Due to societal persecution and Suppression, the mystery cults were secret schools studying the "Inner Nature" of man and of surrounding nature. By understanding these mysteries, the student attempted to perceive his intimate relationship with Divinity, and strove through self-discipline and devotion to become at one with his "Inner God". For every possible permutation of that search there was a school and a Cabiri faction that emulated it, too many schools to list here. However there are some generalisations that can be defined here, the gulf between the devotees of the Orpheus (the Orphici) myths and those of the Myths of Persephone (the Eleusinian’s).
The Eleusinians
The Eleusinian mysteries, which celebrate the story of Persephone’s return, predate the Orphic mysteries and the Cabiri Dynasty by almost a thousand years. They are about a great deal more than just the predicament of the Immortals and those who follow this philosophy believe that the ultimate design of the Mysteries is to lead us back to the principles from which we descended, a perfect enjoyment of intellectual [spiritual] good. They seek transcendence in some intellectual manner, hoping to forever unchain themselves from the need for the physical (the Khat or fetters) in order to exist forever. They believe that such a destiny is possible for mortals and Immortals alike and that those who attain epopteia, who learn the secrets of the greatest mysteries of Demeter, will be forever immune to Oblivion.
The Orphici
The Orphici on the other hand are more concerned with the destiny of the Immortals, and of themselves in particular. They seek personal purification and enlightenment, and they believe that this destiny has been achieved by others who left behind clues and signposts to the road that must be followed. They believe that each individual Cabiri is on a journey to become a god. Rising through the Ranks from Acolyte to Mystes until they truly become a Hierophant, an interpreter of sacred mysteries and arcane principles.
The Redeemed of Bacchus
"Now you are dead, and now you are born on this very day, thrice blessed. Tell Persephone, that Bacchus himself has redeemed you." – So goes the credo of the redeemed who walk a path between the Eleusinians and the Orphici. They believe that intellectual purity or ascension to some other plain are beyond even the undying and that the meaning of existence is simply the need to find joy in all things and to be happy with ones lot in eternal life.
The Vulcanites
There exists amidst the Cabiri a small cell of Roman Immortals. Once powerful men from prestigious families who were buried near intersections and crossroads as the first step in a long and complicated cult induction. The patriarchs look to the God Vulcan and his gift of fire as the lesson for their eternal existences, but they act as much like a private club as they do a mystery religion. Their detractors claim that these Vulcanites carry the perpetual stench of myr, brought from middle east and used as disinfectant and deodorant then preserving their bodies. That Rome eventually came to rule over Egypt has not endeared the Vulcanites to the Shemsu-Heru in any way.
The Immortal Few
- -- Cabirus -- Progenitor and Fallen Ishmaelite.
- -- Orpheus -- The First of the Cabiri.
- -- Empress Julia Domna -- High Priestess of the Vulcanites.
