Qedeshah
You are my child now. My blood is your blood. We will share this world together, both its horrors and its blessings.
The maternal instinct needn’t die with the body in a vampire’s Embrace. It is not a thing driven by love. It’s something altogether more biological, more innate. Many mortals cross the threshold between life and the Requiem and leave any parental inclinations behind, choosing to dwell in the darkness of unlife and adopt complete and total self-interest. Vampires of the Qedeshah bloodline, however, do not choose such selfishness. At least, not from their perspective.
This lineage — composed purely of women, for men suffer a grotesquely failed Embrace — began just after the Judaic Babylonian exile of ancient nights, or so the story goes. Once temple whores and priestesses to a purported deity known as the Queen of Heaven, the bloodline has shifted and adapted over the ages, joining the modern Danse Macabre as very different creatures from their progenitors.
The Qedeshah, also known as Hierodules, see themselves as the mothers of all the Damned. Nursemaids to the Kindred. The Embrace is a curse to be sure, but the Qedeshah prefer to see it as closing one door and opening another. The Requiem does not end their matronly duties, they say. Nor does it kill the capacity for unfettered creation. The Qedeshah understand that they can have children, and while creating offspring now involves a considerably different process than before, both acts are still wet with blood and wracked with pain. The rules of larger Kindred society deny a vampire’s act of procreation without a temporal Prince’s permission, but the Hierodules ask doesn’t such a ban deny the freedom that God Himself granted? He obviously allows for the proliferation of the Damned through the Embrace. Isn’t that permission enough?
This lineage — composed purely of women, for men suffer a grotesquely failed Embrace — began just after the Judaic Babylonian exile of ancient nights, or so the story goes. Once temple whores and priestesses to a purported deity known as the Queen of Heaven, the bloodline has shifted and adapted over the ages, joining the modern Danse Macabre as very different creatures from their progenitors.
The Qedeshah, also known as Hierodules, see themselves as the mothers of all the Damned. Nursemaids to the Kindred. The Embrace is a curse to be sure, but the Qedeshah prefer to see it as closing one door and opening another. The Requiem does not end their matronly duties, they say. Nor does it kill the capacity for unfettered creation. The Qedeshah understand that they can have children, and while creating offspring now involves a considerably different process than before, both acts are still wet with blood and wracked with pain. The rules of larger Kindred society deny a vampire’s act of procreation without a temporal Prince’s permission, but the Hierodules ask doesn’t such a ban deny the freedom that God Himself granted? He obviously allows for the proliferation of the Damned through the Embrace. Isn’t that permission enough?
Culture
Culture and cultural heritage
Background: The Hierodules covertly reject the Second Tradition, Embracing more often than most Kindred. God has granted them the right of creation, they believe, and the women do not reject His will lightly. The single requirement for a Qedeshah’s Embrace is that the Requiem must unquestionably be better than a life of continued suffering. It is in this way that the curse becomes an endowment. The Hierodules choose women who are beaten and diminished by life, whether they have suffered at the hands of abusive husbands or fathers, or have been driven to Addiction, homelessness or mental illness. It isn’t necessary for a newly sired Qedeshah to have the characteristics of a “good mother.” The limitless time of the Requiem can be devoted to instilling such qualities.
Those who believed in one goddess often maintained that this fertile matron was literally the second “half” of Yahweh, and they called her Shekhina or simply the Queen of Heaven. Others accepted that this goddess was one of many cultic mothers, such as Ishtar, Astarte, Ashareh, Anath and even the dark Sumerian queen Ereshkigal. Whatever the specifics, women were allowed to offer faith in this system unhindered. They were also allowed to be priestesses, and the class chosen to be such officiates was the Temple whores, called Qedeshah or Hierodules.
The holy prostitutes served many functions within the temples and towns of Judea and beyond. Aside from the core purpose of cultic sexual practice, the Hierodules were counselors, singers of lamentation, nurses and priestesses of the Queen of Heaven. They prayed to idols of the goddess (usually wooden or clay pillars called dea nutrix, indicating a goddess of nurture) and provided aid to those who suffered. The temple harlots could not marry, as such practice was forbidden by Judaic law. Women who were considered unsuitable brides for Hebrew men — specifically, women who were no longer virgins through wanton behavior or rape — were accepted as Hierodules without question, inducted into serving the holy needs of the Queen of Heaven.
Temple prostitutes were allowed to serve in such capacity until the time of the Hebraic exile into Babylonia. After the exile, everything changed.
The priestesses were targeted as blasphemers and given little chance to change their ways. Altars and statues were destroyed. Sacred groves dedicated to worship were burned. The homes of the Hierodules were razed, and many of the temple whores themselves were imprisoned, exiled or murdered in secret. Such slashing and burning took place over a period of years, and the house of the Lord was duly “cleansed.”
Initially, no savior came for them. Men from nearby Nazareth came to punish the blasphemous women, instead, and dragged them into the night where they would be killed under the open sky, where God could see.
But then, she came. A woman, radiant of form and with bright, flashing eyes silently crossed the plain with surprising speed, murdering the men in one fell swoop. She spoke to the Qedeshah with a commanding voice, claiming to be the very being they venerated — the Shekhina, the Queen of Heaven.
The goddess did not reward her disciples. She did not present words of divine gratitude or holy accolade. Instead, she spat invective at her priestesses, accusing them of laxity in worship and impurity of soul. She called them dogs, insects and a host of other names, and eachslight and slur wounded the Hierodules.
It was then that she gave them their new charge. The world, she said, was mired in suffering. Mankind endured much pain, but some men had become monsters, and those monsters suffered most of all. She told them they must become monsters to fulfill their purpose, which was to be mothers to all the demons of the world, helping to soothe the anguish of the Damned. The Qedeshah would be the secret matrons and nurses of Hell itself.
This woman — this goddess — Embraced the temple whores, and then left them.
Of course, being a “mother” among Kindred is not only a difficult proposition, it isn’t concretely defined. Technically speaking, motherhood isn’t possible as a vampire. Such parentage is supernatural, not natural, and undead birth can only come from death. The Qedeshah, unlike other Kindred, see these realities not as a denial of maternity, but as a “second chance” at it. Some even see the Embrace as an advanced means of procreation, a form of reproduction that comes with choice and control, whereby parents do not perish andchildren do not abandon their blood relations.
Regardless of the beliefs and blood-borne impulses of the Hierodules, Kindred society maintains firm disdain — if not violent reproach — for Kindred creating offspring. The Second Tradition, while clearly an oft-ignored convention, can still get Qedeshah destroyed or exiled for their flagrant disavowal. Some women find other ways to express their incontrovertible motherhood. Others are willing to take the chance.
Some, however, defy the Second Tradition as a violation of their rights, both biological and spiritual. Qedeshah who actively snub the Second Tradition tend to Embrace freely and without care. Such a Hierodule may drag only a single mortal into the Requiem over a 10-year period, while another may bring three or four into unlife in a single night. Of course, any Prince or Priscus who catches wind of such treachery is sure to take quick action. Qedeshah who choose to Embrace without caution are often exiled outside of their city or are destroyed outright. Some escape unharmed or are able to hide their children, but such luck doesn’t usually last long.
One option is adoption. Ultimately similar to the human practice, it involves a Qedeshah choosing another vampire to be her “child.” Qedeshah usually choose neonates for this role (after all, the term neonate implies infant), and in most cases both vampires agree to this pseudofamilial relationship. And yet, some Qedeshah choose Kindred who may decline the opportunity — or worse, who may not even know that such an opportunity exists. Targeted neonates can be kidnapped and taken away, potentially to a Qedeshah’s Haven, where the young vampire is “mothered” by whatever standard the Qedeshah upholds.
The reasons for adoption vary. Some Hierodules simply find other vampires that need their aid. Cries for help go a long way toward drawing a Qedeshah’s concern. Many line members came from the lowest levels of mortal society, so are sympathetic to someone with similar needs. A member may even try to rescue a neonate from an abusive or outright sadistic sire (though what the Qedeshah perceives as “sadistic”may be very different from the neonate’s opinion).
Most (though not all) adoptions are sealed with the blood bond. The resulting sense of love between the two vampires isn’t precisely genuine, but it helps a Hierodule fill the void.
Qedeshah Ghouls manifest a few subtle but noticeable quirks. Many become meek and seemingly helpless (thus allowing a Hierodule to enact her matronly instincts all the more). Some are also feminized, even men. Female Ghouls seem almost exaggerated in walk, voice and demeanor, while males tend toward androgyny. Nobody is precisely sure why this is, but Common Sense suggests it’s because of the overtly feminine nature and population of the bloodline.
Occasionally, particularly desperate Qedeshah ghoul children, emulating motherhood from life, but also to empower beaten or defeated children to oppose their parents or oppressors.
And yet, the road to Hell truly is paved with good intentions. While Hierodules may perceive their motherly intentions as best for all, the sentiment may not be reciprocated. Sometimes maternal instincts get out of hand, doing more harm than good. A Qedeshah who Embraces a handful of teenagers in a given night may overestimate her ability to handle and parent these wayward neophytes. The poor young vampires enter unlife guideless and without the firm hand of a strong mother, which may ultimately get them sent to an untimely demise. Alternately, a Qedeshah who takes a neonate away from an abusive sire may not fully grasp the consequences of her action. Rescuing him may seem right at the time, but it may call all manner of trouble down upon both their heads, even if that trouble comes from the furious sire alone.
Harm done by a forceful mother could also be devastating. Some Hierodules — perhaps old vampires who have long suppressed themselves, or ones who were particularly frail mortals — just can’t handle their compulsions. Breakdowns may be temporary and last only a few nights, or could last decades. In such a period, a Hierodule takes irrational and even violent actions. A few Qedeshah have actually kidnapped other vampires (again, usually neonates) with the intent of raising them. The mother’s mental faculties are unfit to allow any kind of real care, however. She typically ends up torturing a neophyte psychologically or physically in an effort to express her “love.”
One infamous Hierodule called herself Mother Mary. She didn’t kidnap just one neonate. She traveled from city to city, managing to survive long enough to abduct dozens of newly sired vampires. She finally settled in a country Haven, where she conditioned her victims through grueling periods of reward and punishment, pausing long enough to line them up like dolls and dress them in outfits that she had sewed. It took years to track Mary down. By that time her “babies” were too deranged to be fit for Kindred society. Rumor suggests that her awful children are still out there somewhere.
It isn’t altogether too difficult for Hierodules to remain hidden. At least, not at first. They tend to mask themselves as Mekhet. The problem of staying hidden arises when a member wanders afield, running afoul of the Second Tradition. A solitary mother who’s determined to protect her own family might turn a blind eye to the persecution of a fellow line member. That isolation is ultimately shortsighted, though. Some elders understand that where there’s one of the line, there could be many, many others, and a purge gets underway. Thus, where one Qedeshah is endangered, solidarity tends to endanger them all. Fortunately for the bloodline, its kind are little known and therefore escape casual notice until some mother over indulges her impulses.
In the past, much of this legend was the focal point of the bloodline’s very existence. While motherhood was certainly important, it was possible only because the Queen of Heaven begat the bloodline and gave it purpose. Hierodules were once very spiritual as a result. They engaged in prayer circles, offering praises and hymns to Yahweh and then to Shekhina. Such faith was not only encouraged, but expected.
Over the past hundred years or so, the bloodline has lost some of its devotion, becoming predominantly secular. Most Qedeshah tonight pay lip service to the religious aspects of the line, saying the occasional prayer or using religiously loaded greetings (“May the Mother of Heaven see you safe”), but only elders offer any real piety or devotion anymore.
This transition has occurred in part because modern vampire society is overcrowded. Venerating such ancient and syncretic beliefs would reveal Qedeshah for who they are. Some Qedeshah also maintain ties to the more common practices of Judaism and Christianity. Achieving some small piety in these overarching religions at least helps a Hierodule show deference to her supposed origins. By venerating Yahweh in a more common and unexceptional manner, she is still able to offer faith to God the Father, while remaining safely in the larger fold.
Ultimately, the rigorous religious beliefs of elders and the diffused practices of the young majority has caused something of a schism in the bloodline. The rift has yet to cause the Qedeshah any lasting harm, but it may bring trouble given enough time and conflict.
Some also establish small altars to the Queen of Heaven in their havens. These shrines take many forms: wooden pillars with female figures carved in them, clay fertility figures and even icons representing the biblical Mary.
If a Qedeshah finds a neonate who suffers torture at the hands of his sire, she may offer him succor in the form of sanctuary. Some Hierodules don’t ask, acting on the principle that some beings simply don’t know what’s best for them. With that in mind, a Qedeshah abducts the vampire in a supposed act of “goodwill” and “motherhood.”
The conditions required for a Kindred to be allowed entry into a sanctuary are subjective, given to the whims and interests of the founding Qedeshah. One may believe that an ancillae hunted by The Lancea Sanctum as a heretic deserves asylum, while another may feel that such a reckless creature warrants whatever suffering he brings down upon himself. If terms of welcome into a sanctuary are too broad, vampires crowding together could lead to blood-soaked conflict. Needless to say, doors are always opened to fellow Hierodules, especially when they and their childer are subject to a blood hunt.
Some Qedeshah create sanctuaries away from cities, but near some kind of blood source, like a town. A remote sanctuary might be founded at an old hotel, a derelict schoolhouse or even in an abandoned mine. Distance from cities offers some respite for refugees, but also little avenue for escape if inhabitants are hunted down. Sanctuaries established in cities could be located anywhere: the subbasement of a tenement, deep within an old subway tunnel, or in a well-guarded mansion should a Dea Nutrix be wealthy (or cruel enough to take the place from its mortal occupants). Such urban retreats are often launch points for refugees. They can’t stay (too many vampires in one place would reveal the location), but escapes from undead authorities can be prepared and initiated from these sites.
Sanctuaries aren’t strictly halfway houses, though. They serve as general meeting places for line members. Gatherings are usually held on holy days. Services were once overtly religious, but are now opportunities for Qedeshah to drop all pretense and be what they believe themselves to be — mothers. Meetings also allow them to teach other, newly sired Hierodules exactly what such a calling means, and what’s involved in offering motherhood to accursed creatures.
Of course, some sanctuaries are not the places of peace and safety that they’re advertised to be. They’ve been twisted into menageries by Qedeshah mad with the urge to procreate. Such locales are less about asylum and more about trapping “pretty bugs” in a jar so that the presiding Dea Nutrix can take care of them.
History
What the Qedeshah believe about their origins and what is true differs in many places. The history of the bloodline is marred by legend and inaccuracy. For the most part, the Hierodules believe what they believe,and hold negligible interest in the “reality” of their birth.Whores of the Temple
This is what the Qedeshah claim as their history: Before the Babylonian exile, the temples of Judea were presided over by men. Hebrew priests and officiates were almost exclusively male. Women were not consistently allowed to venerate Yahweh in any formalized manner. As a result, many women honored both the religion of the Hebrews and the beliefs of multifarious fertility cults. They usually merged the two Devotions, forming a syncretic agglomeration of faiths. Yahweh was believed to be the divine patriarch of heaven and man, but the women also accepted the existence and worship of one or several subservient goddesses.Those who believed in one goddess often maintained that this fertile matron was literally the second “half” of Yahweh, and they called her Shekhina or simply the Queen of Heaven. Others accepted that this goddess was one of many cultic mothers, such as Ishtar, Astarte, Ashareh, Anath and even the dark Sumerian queen Ereshkigal. Whatever the specifics, women were allowed to offer faith in this system unhindered. They were also allowed to be priestesses, and the class chosen to be such officiates was the Temple whores, called Qedeshah or Hierodules.
The holy prostitutes served many functions within the temples and towns of Judea and beyond. Aside from the core purpose of cultic sexual practice, the Hierodules were counselors, singers of lamentation, nurses and priestesses of the Queen of Heaven. They prayed to idols of the goddess (usually wooden or clay pillars called dea nutrix, indicating a goddess of nurture) and provided aid to those who suffered. The temple harlots could not marry, as such practice was forbidden by Judaic law. Women who were considered unsuitable brides for Hebrew men — specifically, women who were no longer virgins through wanton behavior or rape — were accepted as Hierodules without question, inducted into serving the holy needs of the Queen of Heaven.
Temple prostitutes were allowed to serve in such capacity until the time of the Hebraic exile into Babylonia. After the exile, everything changed.
Denial of the Goddess
The time of syncretism was over. No longer would any deities other than Yahweh be observed. In an effort to wipe clean any pantheistic influences, the Hebrews delivered the Deuteronomic laws that proscribed any functionary — specifically the Hierodules — who served “immoral” purposes or who worshipped outside the accepted Lord God.The priestesses were targeted as blasphemers and given little chance to change their ways. Altars and statues were destroyed. Sacred groves dedicated to worship were burned. The homes of the Hierodules were razed, and many of the temple whores themselves were imprisoned, exiled or murdered in secret. Such slashing and burning took place over a period of years, and the house of the Lord was duly “cleansed.”
Presence of the Queen
Not far from the hills of Megiddo and the town of Nazareth sat a fallen village that was once a royal Canaanite city. This town, called Taanach, was the location of one of the few remaining goddess temples. The shrine — actually at the bottom of a large, long-forgotten cistern — was home to a handful of lingering Qedeshah, who prayed to the Queen of Heaven to save them. The women gathered around the altar made of baked earth and old blood, and waited for a savior — or an executioner.Initially, no savior came for them. Men from nearby Nazareth came to punish the blasphemous women, instead, and dragged them into the night where they would be killed under the open sky, where God could see.
But then, she came. A woman, radiant of form and with bright, flashing eyes silently crossed the plain with surprising speed, murdering the men in one fell swoop. She spoke to the Qedeshah with a commanding voice, claiming to be the very being they venerated — the Shekhina, the Queen of Heaven.
The goddess did not reward her disciples. She did not present words of divine gratitude or holy accolade. Instead, she spat invective at her priestesses, accusing them of laxity in worship and impurity of soul. She called them dogs, insects and a host of other names, and eachslight and slur wounded the Hierodules.
It was then that she gave them their new charge. The world, she said, was mired in suffering. Mankind endured much pain, but some men had become monsters, and those monsters suffered most of all. She told them they must become monsters to fulfill their purpose, which was to be mothers to all the demons of the world, helping to soothe the anguish of the Damned. The Qedeshah would be the secret matrons and nurses of Hell itself.
This woman — this goddess — Embraced the temple whores, and then left them.
Society and Culture
As a scattered, disparate bloodline that attempts concealment from the rest of Kindred society, it’s difficult for the Qedeshah to maintain any kind of unified society or codified laws or beliefs. Line members make every attempt, however, to teach some presumed universal truths and behaviors. Such information is passed along as a function of pseudo-spiritual philosophy and simple pragmatism.Motherhood of the Dead
The Qedeshah teach one another that they are quite literally meant to be the mothers of Kindred. These women believe that they belong to a singular lineage, one created by the actions of God and the Queen of Heaven. They’re meant to be the matrons of vampire society. It goes beyond that, though. They believe the motherly instinct drives them, their blood literally urging them to act in accord with matronly duties. Even if a Hierodule was raised in a vacuum with no contact with others of the same blood, she would feel the same instinct.Of course, being a “mother” among Kindred is not only a difficult proposition, it isn’t concretely defined. Technically speaking, motherhood isn’t possible as a vampire. Such parentage is supernatural, not natural, and undead birth can only come from death. The Qedeshah, unlike other Kindred, see these realities not as a denial of maternity, but as a “second chance” at it. Some even see the Embrace as an advanced means of procreation, a form of reproduction that comes with choice and control, whereby parents do not perish andchildren do not abandon their blood relations.
Regardless of the beliefs and blood-borne impulses of the Hierodules, Kindred society maintains firm disdain — if not violent reproach — for Kindred creating offspring. The Second Tradition, while clearly an oft-ignored convention, can still get Qedeshah destroyed or exiled for their flagrant disavowal. Some women find other ways to express their incontrovertible motherhood. Others are willing to take the chance.
The Embrace
The first — and in a sense the last — choice a Qedeshah comes to in regard to expressing her matronly instinct is the Embrace. Hierodules believe that the Embrace’s mere existence proves that it’s sanctioned by God. Most Qedeshah wish to create many childer, but they recognize that such brazen disregard for the Second Tradition would do them and their progeny little good. Prevailing Kindred society simply precludes such creation.Some, however, defy the Second Tradition as a violation of their rights, both biological and spiritual. Qedeshah who actively snub the Second Tradition tend to Embrace freely and without care. Such a Hierodule may drag only a single mortal into the Requiem over a 10-year period, while another may bring three or four into unlife in a single night. Of course, any Prince or Priscus who catches wind of such treachery is sure to take quick action. Qedeshah who choose to Embrace without caution are often exiled outside of their city or are destroyed outright. Some escape unharmed or are able to hide their children, but such luck doesn’t usually last long.
Adoption
Fortunately, many Qedeshah are willing and able to control their urges and restrain themselves from creating offspring left and right. Procreative energy is simply diverted so that a line member may still fulfill her matronly passion.One option is adoption. Ultimately similar to the human practice, it involves a Qedeshah choosing another vampire to be her “child.” Qedeshah usually choose neonates for this role (after all, the term neonate implies infant), and in most cases both vampires agree to this pseudofamilial relationship. And yet, some Qedeshah choose Kindred who may decline the opportunity — or worse, who may not even know that such an opportunity exists. Targeted neonates can be kidnapped and taken away, potentially to a Qedeshah’s Haven, where the young vampire is “mothered” by whatever standard the Qedeshah upholds.
The reasons for adoption vary. Some Hierodules simply find other vampires that need their aid. Cries for help go a long way toward drawing a Qedeshah’s concern. Many line members came from the lowest levels of mortal society, so are sympathetic to someone with similar needs. A member may even try to rescue a neonate from an abusive or outright sadistic sire (though what the Qedeshah perceives as “sadistic”may be very different from the neonate’s opinion).
Most (though not all) adoptions are sealed with the blood bond. The resulting sense of love between the two vampires isn’t precisely genuine, but it helps a Hierodule fill the void.
Ghouls
A lesser form of expressing motherhood involves creating Ghouls. Subjects are chosen from any of society’s strata, but most come from the same pool of down-and-outs from which the bloodline’s members might have originated. The poor, the destitute and the used and abused. Curiously, many Qedeshah also choose men as Ghouls, if only because they cannot Embrace men into the blood.Qedeshah Ghouls manifest a few subtle but noticeable quirks. Many become meek and seemingly helpless (thus allowing a Hierodule to enact her matronly instincts all the more). Some are also feminized, even men. Female Ghouls seem almost exaggerated in walk, voice and demeanor, while males tend toward androgyny. Nobody is precisely sure why this is, but Common Sense suggests it’s because of the overtly feminine nature and population of the bloodline.
Occasionally, particularly desperate Qedeshah ghoul children, emulating motherhood from life, but also to empower beaten or defeated children to oppose their parents or oppressors.
Degrees of Darkness
On the surface, the Qedeshah are ultimately compassionate beings. They certainly intend to be; motherhood is not meant to involve cruelty or brutality. Most are capable of expressing such gentleness, repressing the darkness of their Kindred souls long enough to attempt some good for other vampires. Acting as surrogate mothers allows them to help the Damned find some kind of center, even aiding all involved to hold onto their Humanity when all else seems lost.And yet, the road to Hell truly is paved with good intentions. While Hierodules may perceive their motherly intentions as best for all, the sentiment may not be reciprocated. Sometimes maternal instincts get out of hand, doing more harm than good. A Qedeshah who Embraces a handful of teenagers in a given night may overestimate her ability to handle and parent these wayward neophytes. The poor young vampires enter unlife guideless and without the firm hand of a strong mother, which may ultimately get them sent to an untimely demise. Alternately, a Qedeshah who takes a neonate away from an abusive sire may not fully grasp the consequences of her action. Rescuing him may seem right at the time, but it may call all manner of trouble down upon both their heads, even if that trouble comes from the furious sire alone.
Harm done by a forceful mother could also be devastating. Some Hierodules — perhaps old vampires who have long suppressed themselves, or ones who were particularly frail mortals — just can’t handle their compulsions. Breakdowns may be temporary and last only a few nights, or could last decades. In such a period, a Hierodule takes irrational and even violent actions. A few Qedeshah have actually kidnapped other vampires (again, usually neonates) with the intent of raising them. The mother’s mental faculties are unfit to allow any kind of real care, however. She typically ends up torturing a neophyte psychologically or physically in an effort to express her “love.”
One infamous Hierodule called herself Mother Mary. She didn’t kidnap just one neonate. She traveled from city to city, managing to survive long enough to abduct dozens of newly sired vampires. She finally settled in a country Haven, where she conditioned her victims through grueling periods of reward and punishment, pausing long enough to line them up like dolls and dress them in outfits that she had sewed. It took years to track Mary down. By that time her “babies” were too deranged to be fit for Kindred society. Rumor suggests that her awful children are still out there somewhere.
Remaining Hidden
Some vampires are aware of the Qedeshah. The bloodline has not been able to conceal itself completely over the ages. The few elders who remember the Qedeshah believe them to be lunatics. What vampire chooses a path of motherhood, attempting to empower the Curse? Not only are line members regarded as insane, they’re decried as heretics to Kindred society.It isn’t altogether too difficult for Hierodules to remain hidden. At least, not at first. They tend to mask themselves as Mekhet. The problem of staying hidden arises when a member wanders afield, running afoul of the Second Tradition. A solitary mother who’s determined to protect her own family might turn a blind eye to the persecution of a fellow line member. That isolation is ultimately shortsighted, though. Some elders understand that where there’s one of the line, there could be many, many others, and a purge gets underway. Thus, where one Qedeshah is endangered, solidarity tends to endanger them all. Fortunately for the bloodline, its kind are little known and therefore escape casual notice until some mother over indulges her impulses.
Worship and Veneration
The Hierodules accept that they owe their existence to divine intervention, believing that their bloodline literally spawned from the Vitae of a goddess. Having almost no written account of their beginnings, most of what the bloodline tells its childer is oral legend. This story — which may change in the telling from woman to woman — almost universally includes the goddess as Hebraic in origin and as half the Judeo-Christian God or as a being subservient to Him. Regardless of the story, the current conclusion is that the patron goddess and her offspring (i.e., the Hierodules) serve Yahweh. None are equal to the King of Heaven, and the Queen of Heaven is his second.In the past, much of this legend was the focal point of the bloodline’s very existence. While motherhood was certainly important, it was possible only because the Queen of Heaven begat the bloodline and gave it purpose. Hierodules were once very spiritual as a result. They engaged in prayer circles, offering praises and hymns to Yahweh and then to Shekhina. Such faith was not only encouraged, but expected.
Over the past hundred years or so, the bloodline has lost some of its devotion, becoming predominantly secular. Most Qedeshah tonight pay lip service to the religious aspects of the line, saying the occasional prayer or using religiously loaded greetings (“May the Mother of Heaven see you safe”), but only elders offer any real piety or devotion anymore.
This transition has occurred in part because modern vampire society is overcrowded. Venerating such ancient and syncretic beliefs would reveal Qedeshah for who they are. Some Qedeshah also maintain ties to the more common practices of Judaism and Christianity. Achieving some small piety in these overarching religions at least helps a Hierodule show deference to her supposed origins. By venerating Yahweh in a more common and unexceptional manner, she is still able to offer faith to God the Father, while remaining safely in the larger fold.
Ultimately, the rigorous religious beliefs of elders and the diffused practices of the young majority has caused something of a schism in the bloodline. The rift has yet to cause the Qedeshah any lasting harm, but it may bring trouble given enough time and conflict.
Rituals and Beliefs
The full regimen of the bloodline’s doctrines has been lost to the ages. Elders are incapable of remembering them, and the young Qedeshah don’t care enough to practice them. A few customs are perpetuated, mostly by elders, and some modern Hierodules take the time to pick and choose from these as befits their Requiem.- Offer prayers and libations first to Yahweh, the Lord Father
- Offer hymns and incense second to Shekhina, the Queen of Heaven
- The Embrace is holy and sanctioned by God. To not Embrace is to defy God.
- Anoint your children’s foreheads with a tincture of blood and oil
- Never kill a human in hunger. Motherhood brings life, not death.
Some also establish small altars to the Queen of Heaven in their havens. These shrines take many forms: wooden pillars with female figures carved in them, clay fertility figures and even icons representing the biblical Mary.
Sanctuary
One practice that remains strong in the bloodline is the maintenance of “sanctuary.” A sanctuary is meant to be a safe house for condemned Kindred (usually women, though not necessarily). This vampiric “halfway house” is a communal Haven established by an old Qedeshah (called Dea Nutrix, or “nurse goddess”) as a place for victimized Kindred.If a Qedeshah finds a neonate who suffers torture at the hands of his sire, she may offer him succor in the form of sanctuary. Some Hierodules don’t ask, acting on the principle that some beings simply don’t know what’s best for them. With that in mind, a Qedeshah abducts the vampire in a supposed act of “goodwill” and “motherhood.”
The conditions required for a Kindred to be allowed entry into a sanctuary are subjective, given to the whims and interests of the founding Qedeshah. One may believe that an ancillae hunted by The Lancea Sanctum as a heretic deserves asylum, while another may feel that such a reckless creature warrants whatever suffering he brings down upon himself. If terms of welcome into a sanctuary are too broad, vampires crowding together could lead to blood-soaked conflict. Needless to say, doors are always opened to fellow Hierodules, especially when they and their childer are subject to a blood hunt.
Some Qedeshah create sanctuaries away from cities, but near some kind of blood source, like a town. A remote sanctuary might be founded at an old hotel, a derelict schoolhouse or even in an abandoned mine. Distance from cities offers some respite for refugees, but also little avenue for escape if inhabitants are hunted down. Sanctuaries established in cities could be located anywhere: the subbasement of a tenement, deep within an old subway tunnel, or in a well-guarded mansion should a Dea Nutrix be wealthy (or cruel enough to take the place from its mortal occupants). Such urban retreats are often launch points for refugees. They can’t stay (too many vampires in one place would reveal the location), but escapes from undead authorities can be prepared and initiated from these sites.
Sanctuaries aren’t strictly halfway houses, though. They serve as general meeting places for line members. Gatherings are usually held on holy days. Services were once overtly religious, but are now opportunities for Qedeshah to drop all pretense and be what they believe themselves to be — mothers. Meetings also allow them to teach other, newly sired Hierodules exactly what such a calling means, and what’s involved in offering motherhood to accursed creatures.
Of course, some sanctuaries are not the places of peace and safety that they’re advertised to be. They’ve been twisted into menageries by Qedeshah mad with the urge to procreate. Such locales are less about asylum and more about trapping “pretty bugs” in a jar so that the presiding Dea Nutrix can take care of them.
Art & Architecture
Appearance: Virtually all Qedeshah are female. Almost no male members of the bloodline exist. The Hierodules do not care about uniformity in physical characteristics. It is far easier to stay hidden when shape, age and dress are heterogeneous.
Foods & Cuisine
Haven: Different Qedeshah choose different styles of Haven. Many see themselves as humble matrons (even martyrs), choosing simple, minimalist affairs that require only minor rent and upkeep. Other women, more interested in eternal potential, lean toward opulence and luxury. One common factor is that Qedeshah tend to choose havens near other Kindred. Not only does this allow them to act appropriately as “mothers” of other vampires, but it’s far easier to remain hidden in the crowd than apart from it.
Major organizations
Covenant: The Qedeshah belong to all — and none — of the covenants. As a bloodline, they do not hold literal allegiance to any of the factions, for none of those groups espouse precisely what members of this bloodline are taught to believe. The Hierodules mask themselves as members of all covenants, however, because they need to remain hidden (their flagrant denial of The Traditions would get them destroyed). Most tend to gravitate toward the populist Invictus or the religious Lancea Sanctum. The women would like to have more members hidden among The Ordo Dracul and Carthians, but so far such attempts have yielded little fruit.
The Lancea Sanctum is a curious conundrum for the Qedeshah. In a sense, it’s easy to hide among the group’s ranks, in part because belief systems are at least similar enough on the surface. Both pay homage to God and agree that He is directly behind the existence of vampires. Of course, the Qedeshah have a number of “alternate” theological beliefs, too, including the existence of the lesser divinity the Queen of Heaven. Such conviction makes the Qedeshah directly heretical to the Spear. Elder Sanctified may even recall standing orders to drag these “vampire mothers” before Archbishops for persecution. Thus, Qedeshah who mask themselves as Sanctum members walk a thin line. It’s easy enough to take part in some of the Sanctum’s rites, but should a Qedeshah be revealed, her Requiem may be cut painfully and prematurely short.
Of all of the covenants, the Hierodules have most in common with The Circle of the Crone. At least, that seems to be the case. Both groups recognize that undeath is an unnatural but powerful state, forcing a once-living thing into a lifeless existence. Both also revere a semi-mythical feminine being. The similarities end there, though. The Qedeshah do not count themselves as sorceresses or witches, and maintain that their origins are Judeo-Christian, believing in a patron goddess from Hebrew tradition. And yet, Acolytes do believe in a kind of “Kindred empowerment,” which allows the Qedeshah to exist somewhat easier (though still hidden) among such vampires.
Organization: Formal meetings are difficult for a persecuted bloodline. And yet, they’re encouraged whenever possible. These meetings, held in places referred to as “sanctuaries,” are offered on days corresponding to most Judeo- Christian holidays (Easter, Christmas, Good Friday, Rosh Hashanah). No Qedeshah is required to attend, but most make the effort (if only to maintain Status).
The only official position within the bloodline is that of the Dea Nutrix. This rank, literally translated as “nurse goddess,” is granted to any member who maintains a place of sanctuary (which is usually a Haven located outside a city, such as in a closed-down church or abandoned schoolhouse). The Dea Nutrix calls, holds and directs meetings. This is a position of honor within the bloodline and requires at least Clan Status • and Haven ••• for both the position and the location of the sanctuary.
The Lancea Sanctum is a curious conundrum for the Qedeshah. In a sense, it’s easy to hide among the group’s ranks, in part because belief systems are at least similar enough on the surface. Both pay homage to God and agree that He is directly behind the existence of vampires. Of course, the Qedeshah have a number of “alternate” theological beliefs, too, including the existence of the lesser divinity the Queen of Heaven. Such conviction makes the Qedeshah directly heretical to the Spear. Elder Sanctified may even recall standing orders to drag these “vampire mothers” before Archbishops for persecution. Thus, Qedeshah who mask themselves as Sanctum members walk a thin line. It’s easy enough to take part in some of the Sanctum’s rites, but should a Qedeshah be revealed, her Requiem may be cut painfully and prematurely short.
Of all of the covenants, the Hierodules have most in common with The Circle of the Crone. At least, that seems to be the case. Both groups recognize that undeath is an unnatural but powerful state, forcing a once-living thing into a lifeless existence. Both also revere a semi-mythical feminine being. The similarities end there, though. The Qedeshah do not count themselves as sorceresses or witches, and maintain that their origins are Judeo-Christian, believing in a patron goddess from Hebrew tradition. And yet, Acolytes do believe in a kind of “Kindred empowerment,” which allows the Qedeshah to exist somewhat easier (though still hidden) among such vampires.
Organization: Formal meetings are difficult for a persecuted bloodline. And yet, they’re encouraged whenever possible. These meetings, held in places referred to as “sanctuaries,” are offered on days corresponding to most Judeo- Christian holidays (Easter, Christmas, Good Friday, Rosh Hashanah). No Qedeshah is required to attend, but most make the effort (if only to maintain Status).
The only official position within the bloodline is that of the Dea Nutrix. This rank, literally translated as “nurse goddess,” is granted to any member who maintains a place of sanctuary (which is usually a Haven located outside a city, such as in a closed-down church or abandoned schoolhouse). The Dea Nutrix calls, holds and directs meetings. This is a position of honor within the bloodline and requires at least Clan Status • and Haven ••• for both the position and the location of the sanctuary.
Nickname: Hierodules
Character Creation: Social Attributes are favored among the Qedeshah, not only for the practical purpose of remaining hidden, but because such traits suit motherhood more than any others. Curiously, many Qedeshah also prize mortals in good bodily condition, with strong Physical Attributes. Some Hierodule understand the need to protect their “children” (whether such offspring are technically Ghouls, childer or simply “adopted” Kindred depends on the vampire), and such protection sometimes requires violent contact. Like a mother lion guarding her cubs, a Qedeshah may need to rely on some manner of physical being to keep her “babies” safe.
In regard to Skills, a Qedeshah may have dots in Survival (the once-mortals were survivors in some fashion or another), but probably favors Social Skills such as Expression and Socialize. Merits tend to manifest as Allies and Contacts, for a Hierodule needs these to survive and remain protected throughout the Requiem. Many also have dots in Haven that go toward a well-placed and convenient home, or that contribute to a sanctuary (see below).
Bloodline Disciplines: Auspex, Celerity, Embrocation, Obfuscate
Weakness: The Qedeshah suffer the same weakness as their parent clan, the Shadows. The women take an additional point of aggravated damage when suffering wounds from sunlight or fire.
Unfortunately, Hierodules also have frailties intrinsic to their own bloodline, birthed when their supposedly divine progenitor laid the Curse upon them. When a normal vampire drinks from a mortal, that human is lulled into a lost and pleasurable state. When one of the Qedeshah drinks from a mortal, the human feels no such physical rapture, only extreme pain. The human suffers no wounds (the pain is more spiritual than tangible), but it causes him to scream or potentially thrash about. (Storytellers are encouraged to roll Wits + Composure for potential witnesses to a Hierodule’s attack.) For a subject to willingly undergo the Qedeshah’s ministrations costs him a Willpower point to endure the pain.
A Qedeshah’s bite has other consequences, as well. She may Embrace only women. Any and all attempts to Embrace males have met with disastrous results. Men spend 24 hours in extreme agony, which doesn’t allow them to do anything, not even eat or sleep. After that period, the man expires in a gory display. His skin splits, his teeth fall out and he vomits gallons of blood and fluids. When the man finally expires, the Embracing Hierodule automatically suffers two points of aggravated damage as her blood burns within her desiccated arteries.
Concepts: Prostitute, homeless woman, battered wife, teenage runaway, addict, Cancer patient, nun, nurse
Who was the “goddess” who created the vampiric Qedeshah by sheer force of will? Was she really divine? And what do the Hierodules truly know of her?
Young Qedeshah of little faith suggest that she was not a goddess at all. They say she was divine in no way beyond being a mad vampire caught in the throes of a tortuous Requiem. Others say it’s all just a tall tale, and even then is inconsistent, the story changing from teller to teller. The town may change (“Was it Taanach or Lachish?”), as may the creator’s name (“She was Anath, bride of Baal, daughter of Yahweh,”). And yet, regardless of perspectives and details, believers in the story never question their creator’s divinity.
Those Qedeshah who are simply resigned to their reality accept that the so-called Queen of Heaven was likely a Mekhet vampire, potentially a woman who was once a temple whore herself. Was she scorned by the patriarchy of the religious order? Was she persecuted and destroyed, but saved by some other vampire? Her reasoning and story remain hidden behind that impenetrable curtain of history, and stand little chance of ever being revealed. Nobody is even sure if she is around anymore to ask. And even is she were, could her account be relied upon after all these ages?
The Qedeshah cannot Embrace men. Any attempt to do so fails miserably, and harms the mother as well. The bloodline is still home to a rare few male members, though.
How is this possible? When a Mekhet from outside the bloodline reaches Blood Potency 4 or higher, he may choose to join the ranks of the Qedeshah (provided one of the bloodline allows it).
Unfortunately, such a choice has a grim consequence. Once a male vampire becomes part of the line, his Vitae is sterile and dead. His blood no longer carries the curse; he cannot Embrace or turn mortals into Ghouls. His blood functions properly in all other ways, though. He can instigate or become part of Vinculums, he can exhaust blood to heal wounds or activate Disciplines, and he can drink blood and feed his own to others. But no Embrace and no Ghouls. (Any pre-existing Ghouls or childer remain; they do not explode or disappear in an exhalation of blood.)
Under these circumstances, few men are willing to join the bloodline. The few who have joined over the last several centuries have done so because of those very consequences, hoping to destroy some small part of their awful selves, guaranteeing that they will never be able to drag another into the never-ending horror of the Requiem.
Parent ethnicities
In regard to Skills, a Qedeshah may have dots in Survival (the once-mortals were survivors in some fashion or another), but probably favors Social Skills such as Expression and Socialize. Merits tend to manifest as Allies and Contacts, for a Hierodule needs these to survive and remain protected throughout the Requiem. Many also have dots in Haven that go toward a well-placed and convenient home, or that contribute to a sanctuary (see below).
Bloodline Disciplines: Auspex, Celerity, Embrocation, Obfuscate
Weakness: The Qedeshah suffer the same weakness as their parent clan, the Shadows. The women take an additional point of aggravated damage when suffering wounds from sunlight or fire.
Unfortunately, Hierodules also have frailties intrinsic to their own bloodline, birthed when their supposedly divine progenitor laid the Curse upon them. When a normal vampire drinks from a mortal, that human is lulled into a lost and pleasurable state. When one of the Qedeshah drinks from a mortal, the human feels no such physical rapture, only extreme pain. The human suffers no wounds (the pain is more spiritual than tangible), but it causes him to scream or potentially thrash about. (Storytellers are encouraged to roll Wits + Composure for potential witnesses to a Hierodule’s attack.) For a subject to willingly undergo the Qedeshah’s ministrations costs him a Willpower point to endure the pain.
A Qedeshah’s bite has other consequences, as well. She may Embrace only women. Any and all attempts to Embrace males have met with disastrous results. Men spend 24 hours in extreme agony, which doesn’t allow them to do anything, not even eat or sleep. After that period, the man expires in a gory display. His skin splits, his teeth fall out and he vomits gallons of blood and fluids. When the man finally expires, the Embracing Hierodule automatically suffers two points of aggravated damage as her blood burns within her desiccated arteries.
Concepts: Prostitute, homeless woman, battered wife, teenage runaway, addict, Cancer patient, nun, nurse
Identity of the Goddess
Who was the “goddess” who created the vampiric Qedeshah by sheer force of will? Was she really divine? And what do the Hierodules truly know of her?Young Qedeshah of little faith suggest that she was not a goddess at all. They say she was divine in no way beyond being a mad vampire caught in the throes of a tortuous Requiem. Others say it’s all just a tall tale, and even then is inconsistent, the story changing from teller to teller. The town may change (“Was it Taanach or Lachish?”), as may the creator’s name (“She was Anath, bride of Baal, daughter of Yahweh,”). And yet, regardless of perspectives and details, believers in the story never question their creator’s divinity.
Those Qedeshah who are simply resigned to their reality accept that the so-called Queen of Heaven was likely a Mekhet vampire, potentially a woman who was once a temple whore herself. Was she scorned by the patriarchy of the religious order? Was she persecuted and destroyed, but saved by some other vampire? Her reasoning and story remain hidden behind that impenetrable curtain of history, and stand little chance of ever being revealed. Nobody is even sure if she is around anymore to ask. And even is she were, could her account be relied upon after all these ages?
Eunuchs
The Qedeshah cannot Embrace men. Any attempt to do so fails miserably, and harms the mother as well. The bloodline is still home to a rare few male members, though.How is this possible? When a Mekhet from outside the bloodline reaches Blood Potency 4 or higher, he may choose to join the ranks of the Qedeshah (provided one of the bloodline allows it).
Unfortunately, such a choice has a grim consequence. Once a male vampire becomes part of the line, his Vitae is sterile and dead. His blood no longer carries the curse; he cannot Embrace or turn mortals into Ghouls. His blood functions properly in all other ways, though. He can instigate or become part of Vinculums, he can exhaust blood to heal wounds or activate Disciplines, and he can drink blood and feed his own to others. But no Embrace and no Ghouls. (Any pre-existing Ghouls or childer remain; they do not explode or disappear in an exhalation of blood.)
Under these circumstances, few men are willing to join the bloodline. The few who have joined over the last several centuries have done so because of those very consequences, hoping to destroy some small part of their awful selves, guaranteeing that they will never be able to drag another into the never-ending horror of the Requiem.