THE PATH OF POWER AND THE INNER VOICE
Culture
The premise of the Path of Power and the Inner Voice is, unsurprisingly, the acquisition of might, by which they can impose their
personal will upon the world around them. They seek to accumulate power and subjugate their lessers in a journey to become the apex predator. Indeed, even the Beast itself is held in subjugation by the most accomplished Unifiers, like a snarling hound at the end of a master’s chain.
That isn’t by accident. For the Unifiers, the Beast is a tool, and knowing when to loose it or when to let it pull them is part of mastering it. More than the other Paths, Unifiers court frenzy, trusting their ability to dominate the Beast, “riding the wave” at the edge of self-control and leaving someone else to clean up afterward. After all, what is the inchoate rage of a frenzy if not one more weapon at the disposal of the Damned?
Followers of the Path of Power and the Inner Voice are implacable foes, and whether they stand against individual enemies or structures that must be torn down, they are the most apt Sabbat at waging war and laying sieges. A pack of Unifiers is a team of
specialists, from front-line fighters to stalking elders to destabilizing rival domains with campaigns of terror and propaganda. Given its power-accumulating focus, this Path also lends itself to bullying, domineering priests and followers, as Cainites exert their will through force of personality.
Unifiers form extremely tight-knit packs that rely on the strength of the other Cainites for maximum success. Priests walk a fine line in these packs, as they need to remain the pack’s authority at the same time they foster the thirst for might among the rest of the vampires in the pack. A well-disciplined pack is a single-minded entity, with each member anticipating the needs of their vicious fellows. A dysfunctional pack is a bunch of me-first opportunists looking to fuck over everyone else in the pursuit of their own gain, heedless of the cost in blood or strategic advantage. Packs like these need new Priests, because they’ve probably murdered and
committed diablerie upon the previous one.
Ethics
■ Reward success and excoriate failure, including one’s own.
■ The world around the Cainite exists to be exploited to their benefit: The enlightened Cainite bends it to their will.
■ Force those who are beneath one’s own position into servitude using all the means at one’s command.
Worship
The Path of Power and the Inner Voice attracts Cainites of singular focus and ambition. Although they recognize that the Black Hand must triumph over all other concerns, they also believe that the Blood of Caine has given them the power and the right to enact their will upon the world. Ignoblis Ritae for this Path thus often takes the form of tests of mettle, trials of endurance, and unifying competitions.
Packs that follow this Path understand that power creates authority and that only the powerful can command their respect and loyalty. While this might sound like a recipe for endless brinkmanship and infighting within a pack of vampires, the opposite is most often the case. Uhlans frequently test and gauge each other for weakness, but they rarely allow such trials to exceed their control.
Between their common purpose and the observance of Ritae, contests of dominance and leadership in such packs are usually decided without combat. The strong give way to the weak, and the weak have the chance to grow strong. When no mediation is possible then an Ignoblis variant of Monomacy may settle the affair, though few Unifier Priests would allow such contests to result in Final Death.
Unsurprisingly, turnover can be high for Priests of the Path of Power and the Inner Voice. Weak Priests do not last long in Uhlan Packs, and when one falls it’s not uncommon for the pack to destroy several replacements before someone suitable takes the reins.
Common Ritae
Uhlans are ever aware of their status in the pack and their Priests will often test and challenge them to prove themselves worthy of greater responsibility. Often these Ritae will take the form of tests of will or cunning against a supernatural enemy, such as successfully shadowing an Anarch gang or gaining a Camarilla vampire’s trust. When it comes to mortals, Uhlans think of them as cattle or tools, and occasionally use them in their ritae for those purposes, such as sharing a victim to open a ritual of trial by ordeal.Contrition Ritae
Those on the Path of Power and the Inner Voice do not believe in poetic justice and usually dispatch transgressors with the most efficient means at hands. Packmates who can be corrected often perform menial tasks and distasteful duties until they again prove themselves worthy in the pack’s eyes. Since mortals are held insuch low regard by Uhlans, managing and caring for the pack's ghouls or herd is often reserved for packmates who have lost face. Through service to the pack, they may regain the right to pursue their own ambitions again.Hunting Ritae
Unlike many other packs, Uhlan packs often see the value in keeping a larder of blood dolls and other pliable mortals. When they must travel, such packs will often slaughter their human cattle with a Blood Feast as few have the resources or inclination to see to their transportation. Usually the lowliest member of the pack is given the task of maintaining the pack’s access to this blood supply. New recruits may receive the dubious honor of being ritually consecrated as the pack’s “Rector,” a responsibility they might find difficulty eluding until they’ve proven themselves to the rest of the pack.Granted Divine Powers
Many followers of this path focus on social or mental Disciplines, the better to convince less willful individuals to perform as the Unifier desires or to force them into compliance. They cultivate their physical Disciplines as a close second, the better to prosecute the conflicts
in which they inevitably find themselves. Dominate, Fortitude, Potence, and Presence are hallmark Disciplines of the Unifiers.
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