Path of Typhon
The Path of Typhon is a Path of Enlightenment that draws heavily on Setite doctrine and the religion around their Antediluvian. Walkers in the Path of Typhon call themselves Theophidians, while outsiders often call them Corruptors.
They fight against the Beast by indulging in it in controlled manner and gaining so much more tolerance against its call (in a similar manner to the rising resistance against alcohol an alcoholic possesses), until the time when Set will return to cleanse his followers from the Beast and form a new world after reclaiming his throne from the Sun-God.
The Path of Sutekh, the Path of Ecstasy and the Path of the Warrior also originated from Typhonian doctrine.
Overview
The Followers of Set teach that their founder was one of the gods of Egypt, beings they call collectivly Aeons. The Setites say that they're much older than the Hebrew legend of Caine. Set became a vampire through his defeat of Apophis and the curse of Ra, but turned the curse of undeath into a divine blessing that he shared with deserving mortals. They claim the Aeons as jailers of a corrupt and rotten world that denies mankind its birthright to overthrow the creator god Ra and create their own worlds. Only Set realized the full potential of mankind and was cast out by his brethren. After this incident, the Aeons retreated from the material world, no longer ruling directly over the mortals, but enslaving them with social trappings to bind the soul into matter and degrade further and further into their service.
The Followers of Set (and the adherends of this Path) fight against this by eroding the spiritual chains that bind the cattle, gifting the worthy with the Embrace and converting them to the service to Set. Setite cults may incorporate elements from Greek mystery cults, Christian Gnosticism, African tribal religions, Sufi mysticism, Hindu philosophy, and indeed any other mystic or esoteric ideas a Theophidian might encounter. One example for this bred the name of the Path: The story of the thousand-headed dragon Typhon from Greece, whose throne was stolen by the gods, just as Set himself was denied his rightful place as the ruler of the world. The Path of Typhon encourages a creative theology, as a result, there are no fixed textes and rituals: if a new interpretation or cult practice leads more people to enlightenment it's true, or at least true enough for those of limited understanding. As a result, variations of the Path, like the Path of Sutekh and even an older form from the times before Set fell into torpor and vanished, exist, which are tolerated and widely practiced. The only exceptions are open heresy like the practices of the Serpents of Light.
Most people can't recognize the spiritual chains that bind them. Here too, mortal desires serve the Theophidian cause. If a person can't understand his enslavement to social convention, perhaps he'll understand enslavement to alcohol, sex, or money. The Setites would teach gently if they could. All too often, however, nothing will open a person's eyes but the complete ruination of his life and pride. Theophidians call such soul-shattering lessons the Revelation of the Void. At last, humbled and stripped of worldly entanglements, a Setite's victim may devote his life or unlife to Set and begin the long trek to transcendence. A devout Theophidian strives to root out any trace of conscience or morality based on custom and the dictates of society. He deliberately seeks out the objects and acts that revolt him, to break their power over him. He also confronts his own desires, to break their power as well -- if necessary, by exhausting them through hyper-indulgence. His goal is to hate nothing but the Aeons and desire nothing except his own emancipation and the emancipation of others.
Theophidians differ in what they want to do with the world once they exape its grip and fully realize their divinity. Some Theophidians want to depart this world and shape new worlds in the abyss of Nun. Other Theophidians hope to replace the gods and rule the world themselves. A few quietists say that once the soul achieves gnosis, the world and the Aeons become irrelevant.
Ethics
Gather information that can bring about the resurrection of Set
Contribute to the goal of the Followers of Set (reviving Set)
Bring other into your sway to increase your influence
Subjugate the Beast whims
Maintain secrecy above all
Look for Set's hidden signs and follow them
Hierarchy of Sins
| Score | Moral Guidline | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Pursuing one's own indulgences instead of another's | The slide into vice is a tool, not a recreation. |
| 9 | Refusing to aid another follower of the Path | Teams work more efficiently than individuals to raise Set. |
| 8 | Failing to destroy a vampire in Golconda | Those who have transcended their desires cannot brought under sway. |
| 7 | Failing to observe Setite religious ritual | You must not deny Set his due. |
| 6 | Failing to undermine the current social order in favor of the Setites | Other Kindred are purposeless or misled, and this indolence delays Set's revival. |
| 5 | Failing to do whatever is necessary to corrupt another. | The more individuals in the Setites' debt, the better. |
| 4 | Failing to pursue arcane knowledge | The mysteries of Set's resurrection may be hidden anywhere. |
| 3 | Obstructing another Setite's efforts | The ranks of the righteous are no place for petty power plays. |
| 2 | Failing to take advantage of another's weakness | Compassion has no place in Set's greater plans. |
| 1 | Refusing to aid in Set's resurrection | This is the purview of infidels |
