The Corpus Delecti
More than an extended covey, less than a faction, the Corpus Delecti refers to itself most frequently as a cabal. The history of this bizarre religious sect (bizarre even by Belial’s Brood standards) can be concretely traced to the occult fascination of England’s Victorian Era, though members of the Corpus Delecti themselves claim that their beliefs descend from far more ancient sources. Members of the cabal believe strongly in the duality of mortal (and vampire) nature, the juxtaposition of the flesh and the spirit, but they carry that belief to an extent that, in the eyes of other vampires, can only rationally be defined as mad.
The Corpus Delecti’s philosophy is complex, spread across dozens of occult mantras and philosophical treatises, but when boiled down to its simplest, most fundamental concept, states simply this: he who consumes the blood of a man, so, too, does he consume the essence, the soul, of that man. Every mortal a vampire drains unto death, according to Corpus Delecti belief, is a soul added to the vampire’s own spirit, making him that much more a being of spirit, of pneuma, that much less a being of flesh. Should a vampire consume a sufficiency of souls, he can become a being truly beyond the flesh entirely, a being of pure soul, just as the Adversary himself. This is the final fate of those vampires who prove most worthy, and the ultimate goal of every member of the cabal.
This renders the Corpus Delecti a threat to the Masquerade beyond even the rest of the Forsworn. Because a mortal must be consumed completely for her soul to be taken in with her blood, members of the group very rarely leave their vessels alive. In fact, paradoxically, only if a member of the cabal frenzies while feeding is the vessel likely to survive. Even though feeding is the most intimate act of which the Kindred are capable, the vampires of the Corpus Delecti always hunt in groups of at least three. This is so that, should a feeding vampire frenzy, the others can pull him off his prey. These vampires believe that only pure souls bring the one who consumes them closer to ascension. Frenzy during feeding is a sign that the Beast has recognized a darkness in the mortal soul akin to its own, and the presence of that darkness makes the soul far too impure for absorption. To be allowed to feed from a vessel while in frenzy is, for the Corpus Delecti, a horror akin to the way most mortals view cannibalism.
Similarly, any soul already taken in by a vampire has bonded with the Beast, and become too impure for anyone else to benefit from. As such, the Corpus Delecti abhors the notion of Diablerie, and its members prefer any fate — up to and including Final Death — to committing the detestable and sacrilegious act.
The Corpus Delecti’s philosophy is complex, spread across dozens of occult mantras and philosophical treatises, but when boiled down to its simplest, most fundamental concept, states simply this: he who consumes the blood of a man, so, too, does he consume the essence, the soul, of that man. Every mortal a vampire drains unto death, according to Corpus Delecti belief, is a soul added to the vampire’s own spirit, making him that much more a being of spirit, of pneuma, that much less a being of flesh. Should a vampire consume a sufficiency of souls, he can become a being truly beyond the flesh entirely, a being of pure soul, just as the Adversary himself. This is the final fate of those vampires who prove most worthy, and the ultimate goal of every member of the cabal.
This renders the Corpus Delecti a threat to the Masquerade beyond even the rest of the Forsworn. Because a mortal must be consumed completely for her soul to be taken in with her blood, members of the group very rarely leave their vessels alive. In fact, paradoxically, only if a member of the cabal frenzies while feeding is the vessel likely to survive. Even though feeding is the most intimate act of which the Kindred are capable, the vampires of the Corpus Delecti always hunt in groups of at least three. This is so that, should a feeding vampire frenzy, the others can pull him off his prey. These vampires believe that only pure souls bring the one who consumes them closer to ascension. Frenzy during feeding is a sign that the Beast has recognized a darkness in the mortal soul akin to its own, and the presence of that darkness makes the soul far too impure for absorption. To be allowed to feed from a vessel while in frenzy is, for the Corpus Delecti, a horror akin to the way most mortals view cannibalism.
Similarly, any soul already taken in by a vampire has bonded with the Beast, and become too impure for anyone else to benefit from. As such, the Corpus Delecti abhors the notion of Diablerie, and its members prefer any fate — up to and including Final Death — to committing the detestable and sacrilegious act.
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