Road of Sin

The Roads

The Road of Sin

Sobrequiet: Sinners

It is well known that Vampires are creatures of the Devil, and may Cainites agree. If they are damned, then why should they not indulge in the dark desires welling up within them? Rather than falling on their knees and begging forgiveness, they result in their newfound power and use it to satisfy their every wicked impulse. Other Cainites look at these Sinners and see those who have given in to the temptations of the Beast, but they are not mere slaves to their own desires. They master the beast by indulging and feeding it, existing in cooperation with it. although many Cainites condemn Sinners for their excesses, many more secretly envy them their freedom and find the sinful life very tempting indeed.

Despite some accusations to the contrary, few Sinners are agents of Hell. The minority who do become infernalists do so of their own own free will as an opportunity to indulge and gain the Devil's favor as well. After all, the Adversary is interested in corrupting the souls of the innocent - the Damned are already his. Most Sinners follow their own wills, and selfishness is at the core of their road. The power they command as Cainites gives them the means to do as they please, and woe betide anyone who stands in their way.

Their interests are as diverse as the depths of sin itself. Some indulge the senses with art, perfumes, music and similar pleasures (although not food and drink, which are denied them). They serve as patrons or muses, or they become obsessive collectors. Others practice the art of seduction, gathering harems of beautiful mortals. They play the heart like a finely tuned lute. Some corrupt others and lead them into lives of indulgence and excess for their own amusement and vicarious enjoyment. They explore the limits of pain and degradation mortals (and even other Cainites) can suffer. Because they are already damned, nothing is forbidden to them.

In fact, the only thing that is truly forbidden to the followers of the Road of Sin is failing to satisfy their endless need for indulgence. Through it, they feed the Beast and keep it sated. Denial awakens the hunger within them, and forces the Beast to take matters into its own bloody hands. Sinners know the Beast better than most, and they have no desire to become its slaves. Sinners know that total denial of the Beast only strengthens it in the long run, leading to an ultimate destruction of the self. And Sinners value the self above all else.

The Road of Sin is a tempting one, and many Cainites find themselves drawn to it, each seeking to satisfy a particular desire. High-blooded Sinners, particularly Toreador, tend to be given to sublime pleasures, from delicate beauty to exquisite pain. Cainites of the Low Clans who follow the road are said to be more savage, but this perception has more to do with social stereotyping among the unliving than actual practice. Indeed, the excesses of Tzimisce Sinners and their flesh-crafting arts, making the debaucheries of the Low Clans pale in comparison.

Wise Cainites are wary of the Sinners, but they recognize the road as a legitimate one. As long as the Sinners do not violate the Traditions or the edicts of their prince or lord, they are left to their own affairs, which is just as the followers of the Road of Sin prefer it. Some Sinners even make a place for themselves as scholars of the Beast, advising princes and potentates on how to deal with the darker impulses of their subjects.

Initiation: Initiation onto the Road of Sin is often a matter of breaking the many chains that bind the neophyte into a moral straightjacket and losing the desires within her. The Embrace begins the work, awakening primal and dark hunger within the neonate's breast. Tempters - teachers of the Road of Sin - encourage their students to follow that desire; not to shy away from it, but to reveal and luxuriate in it. To feel the pleasure that comes from the power they now command. Others claim that the priests of this road are nothing but foul corrupters, but they maintain otherwise. After all, do the truly righteous and devout have anything to fear from the pleasures that they offer? Or do they point accusing fingers because they know, deep in their hearts, that they want the freedom the road of Sin offers?

Organization: the Road of Sin is loosely organized at best, simply because the goals of those who follow it are so diverse. It tends to be broken into individuals who each follow their own desires, occasionally gathering cults of followers, both Cainite and mortal, around them. The more experienced Sinners become tempters and priests, bringing others onto the road and teaching them to unleash their desires and claim them. Even the infernalists exist in scattered cults, serving their demonic masters. Great Sinners and accorded a measure of respect, but they hold only the power they can enforce. Despite the rumors and beliefs of many Cainites, there is no single cult or leader of the Road of Sin, no devilish conspiracy seeking to drag all others into corruption.

Roleplaying Tips: You are already among the Damned, so what have you to lose by indulging your true desires? Denial only strengthens the Beast. You do not fear retribution in the hereafter, because you will never truly die. You are free of the shackles of morality that bind mere mortals and even so many of your unliving brethren. That makes you capable of fulfilling your every wish. What is that to stop you?

Paths of Sin

• Path of the Devil: You are the Hand of the Devil, punnishing Sin on Earth.
• Path of Cathari: You serve the Demiurge as jailer, preventing a return to the pure spiritual existence of God.
• Path of Cruelty: Inflict your pain and hate on others and soothe it in yourself.
• Path of Pleasure: Indulge all your desires, for they lead you to your true self.
• Path of Screams: You are damned, and you serve hell on Earth.

Systems

Aura: Seduction. The Sinners are temptation incarnate, and they have an uncanny knack for knowing the desires of others. The aura modifier affects rolls to tempt and seduce others.

Virtues of Sin: Conviction and Instinct.

Ethics of Sin

• You are already damned, so nothing is forbidden to you.
• Claim the Beast and make it yours. Do not let it claim you.
• The night is yours. Take what you want and do what you will.
• Act where others hesitate. The laws of neither man nor God bind you.
• In the dark depths of your heart lies pleasure, if you have the courage to free it.

Hierarchy of Sins against Infamy

Score	Minimum Wrongdoing	Rationale
10	Acknowledging any mortal restraint	You are beyond such weakness.
9	Failing to indulge a new desire	No pleasure should be denied you.
8	Failing to ride the wave of a frenzy.	Denial only strengthens the Beast
7	Refusing to tempt the virtuous	Virtue is a lie you must expose.
6	Avoiding injury to others at the cost of your own pleasure	No pain is worth more than your pleasure.
5	Turning down a chance for material gain.	Your own needs outweigh all others.
4	Acting against your best interests	Only fools sacrifice themselves.
3	Refusing to kill when it is in your best interest	No life is more important than your own.
2	Refusing to feed when the opportunity arises	Do not refuse your greatest need and pleasure.
1	Encouraging virtue or aiding agents of virtue	Virtue is a lie and a prison for the spirit.