Road of Blood
Sobrequiet: Assassins or Dervishes
Historical Note: This version of the Road of Blood is the most recent adaptation of the path that has guided the most fanatical Assamites since the first Bali war and the fall of the second city. It represents an infusion of the ancient lore brought back by Ur Shulgi into the more modern (and Islamic) understanding of most of the clan. Though it retains an emphasis on a mortal God (abhorent, in Ur Shulgi's eyes), it injects a new fanaticism into the blood of those the ancient needs most as he focuses the clan on its ancient mission of judging and punishing the Children of Caine. This particular version of the Road of Blood has not yet spread beyond the loyalist faction of Clan Assamite.
The others have been judged and found wanting. The judgement has been made and it remains for the executioner to deliver the sentence. Through diablerie, murder or blood magic, the Children of Haquim slowly fulfill the dictates of their clan founder. The war is a holy one; the vampires are offenses to God (or Caine), and must be removed from his Earth.
The Path of Blood is the name given by outsiders to the set of dictates and obligations followed by the most loyal of the Children of Haqim. Those who follow the path or those familiar with the ways of the children refer to the faith as "the way" or even "the laws of Haqim."
The path is ancient, dating back to the foundation of Alamut, and its precepts are older still. The course exalts the heirs to Haquim's blood above all others; they are descended from the Holy One and gifted with his teachings. This legacy of both divine grace and immortal wisdom marks the Assamites with a special place in God's plan.
The Way teaches that the Children of Caine are a curse leveled by God on His failing human worshipers. Haqim's children are just as damned and just as much a part of the curse as any other vampire, but they can transcend their state and rid the world of the pestilence of other Cainites by virtue of their heritage and blood. Staying on the path and obeying the laws of Haqim, the Assamites may stand apart from other vampires and be judged on their own actions.
These Children believe that other vampires exist to be consumed, killed and cast aside. By feeding on the heart's blood of other Cainites, a dervish may quench the Beast and move closer to God's grace. This is the will of the Creator, they believe. Caine may have been cursed, but Haqim was favored. God allowed him to be drawn into the night so that he could seek redemption and bring it to others. To move closer to Haqim (through diablerie) is to move closer to salvation.
Not all vampires of Clan Assamite follow this path, not even all among the Loyalist faction. All Children of Haqim know how harsh the path's strictures are and only the most worthy are selected to follow it. Assamites must demonstrate true loyalty to the teachings of their father, and excel at whatever tasks the clan selects for them in order to be chosen.
Other Assamites commit diablerie - be it to satiate the hunger within or to follow what they know of the laws of haqim - but only those on the Path of Blood commit diablerie for religious reasons. Caine's bastard childer are considered wicked failures, unable to redeem themselves or accept their place in God's plan. Their taint must be wiped away.
The way of Haqim is based on two crucial pillars. The first is that a follower must understand and make others comprehend that vampires are evil, cursed things, and must convert those few worth saving to the service of Haqim. This does not mean adherents attempt to convert other vampires to the path, but ensure that their actions serve followers' interests. A Ventrue's attempt to destroy an Elysium in Johannesburg can be channeled to be "productive." Why just destroy the Elysium with a few vampires inside? Why not convert the Ventrue to the way of Haquim (or a pale shadow of Haqim's way) and use her as a spy? Delay the vampire's grand gesture until followers of the Path of Blood learn everything that they need and then choose the best time to allow the vampire to proceed.
Camarilla neonates, still wallowing in their angst and questioning their fate while bemoaning their status, make easy targets for such manipulation. Some Blood practitioners use packs of young vampires of other clans as blunt insturments - shock troops to test and destroy a target's defenses. There is no shame in doing so; when all these childer go to their Final Deaths, the world is rid of them and God's work has been done. Some path followers fancy that by being destroyed in the service of the path, a vampire of a bastard clan is absolved.
In general, however, Haqim commands that Cainites of other bloodlines be destroyed. They are not to be befriended. They are not to be allied with. There must be a cogent reason why a vampire of another clan is not slain outright by an Assamite on the Path of Blood. The assassin must show fellow followers a valid benefit to the other's existence. For example, a Sabbat Noddist searching for the resting place of ancient Methuselahs might be spared if his investigation provides clues to Haqim's resting place. A Toreador antiquarian who lovingly maintains a fallen Assamite warrior's weapon may be despised, but can be left alone. A vampire who knowingly aids the Children of Haqim in their holy war is worthy of continued unlife.
But do not assume that these precepts make the dervishes murderous fundamentalists. They understand - as most other vampires do not - that the moral relativism practiced by Cainites is a lie. Vampires consume humans for survival, and use them for diversion, pleasure and as playthings. There is no debate on the issue: Vampires are evil. Evil must be hunted down and destroyed. The hypocracy of other Cainites is even more insulting than their existence.
