Unlife in the Belial's Brood

Vampire the Requiem - Covenant - Belial's Brood

The Youthful Beast

When first brought into the Requiem, a vampire is usually introduced to the multitude of covenants by his sire or on rarer occasions, by his coterie. While many sires may expect their progeny to follow in their footsteps, few covenants will long tolerate a member who is not fully committed to their ideologies, pedigree not withstanding. Those neonates who are given a choice often agonize over which of the covenants to pledge themselves. Having vampirism forced upon them, they find it difficult to believe that a covenant is truly a voluntary allegiance, to be joined or left at one’s discretion. Although most covenants do punish traitors to some extent or other, only a few hold a grudge against those who leave their ranks without acrimony.
Considering the poor reputation Belial’s Brood has amongst the other covenants, it should come as no surprise that few sires outside the covenant would suggest that their progeny should consider joining such a cult. Since becoming one of the Forsworn is not a choice made lightly, few neonates come to the Brood before having wasted their time in another covenant. Belial’s Brood holds out the ultimate promise of freedom for those young vampires who have long been tormented by their conflicting desires and useless conscience. Added to this is the promise of some day understanding the very core of vampire identity and being blessed with powers other vampires deny themselves by grasping the shreds of Humanity they have left. While other covenants depend on a neonate’s ignorance to lure them into the fold, the Brood prefers those who have been disillusioned by what vampire society has to offer. Neonates who hunger for more than rehashed Bible tales or thinly disguised nursery rhymes have the Zeal that the Forsworn can channel into the Pursuit and the full awakening of their bestial soul.

Seeking Freedom

The Forsworn are cautioned by their elders not to hastily judge those who approach them for counsel or succor. For amongst these neonates are the seekers, those vampires who have been touched by the Adversary and long to rid themselves of the Man within. While every faction and covey has its own principles of determining what differentiates a seeker from a spy, the rites of initiation are regarded as the ultimate test by most within the Brood. Seekers usually come to Belial’s Brood after having contact with a site or object that has been touched by the Adversary, but can also be drawn by their Beasts, calling out to them to cast off the memories of their former lives and accept the death of their flesh as the death of their mortal souls. These vampires are the preferred and most common neonates within the Brood, and the growing ranks of the covenant only increases the faith of the more traditional factions. Those who are called to seek out Belial’s Brood are usually neonates, but older vampires are sometimes touched by the Adversary in this way.
All Forsworn see actively recruiting other vampires into the covenant as an act of weakness. According to these vampires, the Adversary has set his seal on those who will be accepted into the covenant; in time they will seek out the Brood and survive the initiation of their own accord, or they won’t. Recruitment is therefore a form of hubris in their eyes, as the incautious secondguess the will of the Adversary and risk defiling the ranks of the Forsworn. Despite the popularity of this viewpoint amongst traditionalists such as the Roaring Serpent, recruitment does occur. Recruiters often mask their efforts from their covey and usually only approach vampires without a covenant, and from those only vampires who have proven their ability to keep a secret. These recruits are then presented to the covey as seekers who sought out the Brood on their own. While it can be difficult to deceive covey-mates in this way, most Forsworn will give their brethren the benefit of the doubt when presented with a new adherent. The danger lies in the rites of initiation, as a recruiter will be tempted to aid his protégé. Such meddling in the Brood’s rituals is dealt with harshly in most cases, and more than one neonate has met his end after watching his erstwhile benefactor cruelly tortured.
Rarer still are those vampires who are Embraced into the covenant. Considering the enormous spirit it takes to advance a Forsworn’s Pursuit, few wish to risk their progress by weakening themselves to Embrace another vampire. On top of this concern rests the ideal prevalent in many factions that vampires are called to the Brood, and therefore there is never a guarantee that the Adversary will favor a progeny. Despite these obvious risks, mortals are still Embraced into the Brood on rare occasions. These Embraces are slightly more common amongst sedentary coveys that have established themselves in a domain or have regular contact with mortals outside of the Pursuit. While this practice is frowned upon, it can hardly be forbidden, although the leaders of all the factions are usually adamant that these Embraced neonates be initiated just as rigorously as those who seek the Brood out. Such progeny are not the responsibility of their sires and should technically be treated as unaligned vampires the moment they open their eyes. Coming to the Brood is always a matter of choice.
In practice, sires often go out of their way to prepare their childer for the initiation rites in hopes of increasing their prospects. Coveys are usually wary of brethren who continually Embrace new vampires: it signifies a hunger for companionship outside The Crux that is suspicious in those dedicated to the Adversary. Of the major factions, only the Nameless makes anything even approach a regular practice of Embracing new vampires into the covenant, and the Nameless’ particular penchant for innovative interpretations of portents seems to give them enough of a spiritual mandate to avoid the ire of other Forsworn.

Revelation

Neonates need not grasp all the complex spiritual doctrines espoused by the Brood. In fact, such understanding is commonly thought to be beyond the keen of a young vampire, nonetheless they must participate in the rituals and obligations of the covenant even if they do not comprehend the significance of these actions. Still restrained by the remnants of their human nature, neonates must work to strengthen their connection with the Beast by embarking on the Pursuit. Every faction, and to a lesser extent every covey, has its own orthopraxy concerning the Pursuit. By adhering to these proscribed actions, a neonate can begin the process. Thus through action comes understanding of a vampire’s Beast, and through this dialog the Adversary’s path is slowly unveiled. Belief in and acceptance of a vampire’s role in the world are an outgrowth of deeds performed in the Adversary’s name.
As Humanity recedes, the Beast swells and reveals the intuitive nature of the Investments. While this progression is similar no matter the age of the vampire, neonates usually have a longer struggle shaking off their mortal self-image. A neonate struggling to define herself outside of her human nature will find her covey’s guidance indispensable. Not only is a covey proof positive that such a state is possible, the bond shared by a covey’s brethren draws them to aid the neonate in his travails. More importantly, the covey is the repository of the Brood’s rituals and practices that have been honed over the centuries to ease the passing of the Man and herald the rise of the Beast. Neonates who are fortunate enough to belong to coveys with experienced leaders are taught the covenant’s oral history and the parables of Belial that best illuminate the questions raised by their Pursuit. While nomadic coveys are more likely to have such a spiritualist amongst their number, sedentary coveys also put great emphasis on the covenant’s founding mythology.

Organizing the Young

The Call brings vampires of all ages to Belial’s Brood, but most seekers are neonates. These vampires have heeded the Call and rejected the false security offered by those lost Kindred who continue to act out a mortal passion play. Of this brave number, some will perish during initiation. Those who survive the process of becoming Forsworn are now bound to those who guided them; they are now the neonate’s covey. While a vampire often changes coveys over the course of their Requiem, most neonates will stay with the coveys that indoctrinated them into Belial’s Brood. In this first covey, they will discover what aspect they favor and choose a faction to call their own. More importantly, the covey is also their badge of membership. Only a covey will know how ardently a neonate has gone about the Pursuit, and until she distinguishes herself, her reputation amongst other Forsworn will prosper on the words of her brethren. While there are ways to garner prestige outside of the Pursuit and the covey, many Forsworn reserve their respect for those whose actions serve the Beast.

Coveys

The often brutal rites of initiation are a taste of what neonates can expect from an unlife running with a covey. Although a neonate within Belial’s Brood should have a fair grasp of the Pursuit after surviving his initiation, many do not fully comprehend the centrality of stripping away their Humanity to the covenant’s ethos. Neonates who have come to the Brood after leaving another covenant are shocked by the seeming absence of power politics and the intense dedication to empowering the Beast over the Man. Once a young vampire is accepted into Belial’s Brood, she is expected to observe all of the rites performed by her covey. Some of these rituals, such as The Vaulderie, may have been revealed to her during her initiation, but the majority are only explained once she has become a true member of the Forsworn. Although not foolproof, The Crux formed among the brethren of a covey is a neonate’s greatest protection as she learns what awaits her inside the Brood. Older Forsworn may sometimes chafe under the constraints of the powerful group bond, but neonates often find the rush of feelings instilled by the ritual a relief. While many young vampires are distressed when they discover their Requiems are destined to become re-enactments of their former lives, the Brood gives them new purpose, and the bonds they form within their covey re-invigorate them with newfound passion. With their coveys dedicated to their protection, these neonates are able to survive their initial encounters with other Forsworn.
Many coveys refrain from traveling while testing a new initiate. In fact, some neonates are surprised to discover that their coveys are essentially nomadic, only being told to pack their things after they complete their trials. Unfortunately, there is truly no other recourse for these reluctant wanderers but to follow their coveys beyond the city limits, for, as one of the Forsworn, they will have little chance on their own without the wisdom of their brethren. Also, becoming a wanderer further separates a neonate from the familiarity of his mortal home and makes it more difficult for him to revert to his breathing habits. Neonates who have been accepted into established sedentary coveys have less hazardous periods of transition, but are expected to begin their Pursuit immediately. The dangers of the road and the lack of readily available mortals to toy with makes the Pursuit a difficult proposition when traveling, but coveys based inside a city do not provide their neonates with such excuses. In fact, sedentary coveys are known for particularly cruel rites involving a neonate’s living relations and friends; beyond fulfilling the Pursuit, such rites also deprive a neonate of the familiar touchstones that bind him to his breathing days.
For a neonate, respect is most readily acquired by successfully navigating the narrow path between aggrandizing their Beast and falling into madness. This can make gathering Status within the covenant a tricky proposition as few domains have recognized authorities trusted to make such judgments. A neonate’s covey often becomes the final arbitration of the neonate’s standing within the covenant, and in some cases, especially amongst nomadic coveys that spend a great deal of time traveling, a Forsworn’s reputation only extends as far as her covey-mates. The most widely recognized way to identify when a neonate is on the right track in her Pursuit is the development of the Tongue of the Beast. Investments are also recognized as signs of progress, but the Tongue is held in higher regard in most factions. While additional Status is not necessarily imparted on a Forsworn when she finally manifests these abilities, higher degrees of recognition are impossible to achieve for a neonate without a working knowledge of them. In fact, neonates who are lax in their resolve and do not dedicate themselves to the Pursuit may find themselves threatened by their own covey-mates. Such wayward neonates are pressed to recommit themselves to carrying out depraved acts, and reluctance can provoke a violent rebuke. Young Forsworn who persist in such laziness are occasionally even destroyed by their own merciless brethren.

Rules of the Neonates

Partially due to the Forsworn’s violent unlives, many are relatively young and occupy positions within Belial’s Brood that, in other covenants, are usually reserved for older vampires. Although the places of greatest authority and prestige are still considered the preserve of the ancillae and elders, Brood neonates regularly become covey leaders and some even exhibit a peculiar insight into the nature of the Adversary that can propel them into positions of philosophical importance. Competition among neonates to prove their devotion to the Pursuit can be fierce, and often becomes deadly. Young Forsworn rarely come to blows over such things, but the Zeal generated from such a game can push neonates to Ignore even the pretense of caution. Final Death and falling to the grip of frenzy are common amongst the Brood’s neonates, but the Forsworn take pride in those who heed the Call even if they meet a bitter end.
Because Belial’s Brood considers actions to be of far greater merit then pronouncements, faction leaders are constantly searching for enthusiastic neonates who can be entrusted with greater responsibility. The power of neonates within the Brood is further exaggerated by the fierce independence expressed by many Forsworn, especially as they grow older and less willing to subsume their own desires for the benefit of the covenant. Those neonates eager to learn the covenant’s ways and willing to give up some of their personal freedom can find a host of opportunities presented to them by powerful Forsworn desperate for reliable supporters.

Neonate as Warrior

The most common niche filled by neonates within their covey or faction is that of a soldier. Since neonates of all factions are expected to be about the business of degrading their human nature, many develop a taste for violence. While these young Forsworn may consider themselves combatants for their respective faction, or even the covenant a whole, they are rarely organized and often only further the goals of their covey. When charismatic covey leaders or respected members of an influential faction call the Forsworn to arms, the appeal is strictly voluntary. However, factions that insist upon a somewhat stricter hierarchy, such as the Nameless, expect a greater degree of obedience from the neonates who rally under their banner. Even in factions with a more moderate attitude, coveys often punish cowards and the overly cautious. While few expect their brethren to rush off every time a firebrand rounds up a gaggle of followers for a night of raiding, refusing to take part because of fear is a strict taboo in Belial’s Brood.
Despite the loose structure of the covenant and its almost complete lack of cohesive political goals, Belial’s Brood offers many opportunities for neonates who have a martial calling. Most coveys depend upon a core set of militants amongst their brethren for protection and muscle. As these members die off or move on to other functions, other brethren must take their place. Just as many things within the Brood, this is most usually an organic process and not a matter of being assigned a task within the covey. Unsurprisingly, neonates who have advanced their Pursuit through brutality are the likeliest candidates to fulfill this necessary function. Nomadic coveys often encourage neonates to see themselves as warriors and to use their time spent outside of cities to hone their killer instinct. Wanderers have grown accustomed to seeing the younger members of their covey go mad or meet a violent end, and push their neonates to further absolve themselves of fear.
The Antinomians especially prize those neonates who take on the mantle of a warrior even before they have completed their initiation. These young foot soldiers are guided through grueling ceremonies that shatter their mortal façade, leaving them on the verge of Wassail. Coveys loose these martyrs on mortals and rivals alike, basking in the gore created by the neonates’ unadulterated rage. While most neonates do not survive such initiations, those who do are known as the sarx cult’s unflinching devotees. The Nameless, by comparison, have a perverse tradition of forcing some of their more aggressive neonates to take on stints as guardians. Many times these Forsworn do not know exactly what or whom they must protect, only that they must watch for other vampires who intrude on the neonates’ assigned territory and inform their superiors without being detected. Such passive work can be torture for neonates with dreams of glory, a fact that is not lost on the faction’s leaders.

Neonate as Protégé

Belial’s Brood is often embroiled in violent conflict, and those who possess special knowledge or skills within the covenant can never be certain of their continued existence. Neonates who demonstrate a penchant for rituals or a keen grasp of the underpinnings of the Brood are encouraged to be understudies to older Forsworn. Since a covey’s brethren often meet untimely ends or members of advanced age suddenly ostracize themselves, such young apprentices are quite appreciated by devout Forsworn. The Roaring Serpent usually promotes deserving neonates into such positions when one of their brethren has trespassed against them. The criminal is destroyed by the neonate who is to take his place, symbolically passing spiritual understanding to his murderer. Despite the added responsibility of being another Forsworn’s protégé, these neonates are still expected to make progress in their Pursuit. In rare cases, an elder may call upon multiple neonates to learn his craft and teachings, encouraging them in their studies by openly fostering intense rivalries. These student conflicts inevitably intensify when their elder master final goes into seclusion, often without appointing a clear heir. The Scarlet Rite is notorious for fostering such deep passions in its younger members by playing one gifted neonate against another.
All Forsworn endeavor to pick up bits of the covenant’s history and master its traditions, but for the majority such rational understanding is hollow without the insight of the Beast. Thus, it is understandably left to the ancillae and the elders to puzzle out the deeper meaning of ancient parables and more modern portents. Understanding the covenant’s practices is an intuitive process inexorably linked to the Pursuit. While teaching a neonate such things is not necessary, the Brood’s belief in the power of action over thought compels Brood members to instruct the young in rituals that will eventually reveal themselves intuitively. Neonates’ understanding of will evolves and deepens as they advance in the Pursuit, but first they must go through the motions.

Neonate as Cat’s-paw

The high attrition rate of Forsworn neonates is partly due to the unforgiving rules that govern a covey. Young Forsworn who backslide once they have been accepted into the covenant are given little more leeway than when they were just initiates. Some factions, such as the Throne of Smokeless Fire, doubt many neonates will last long enough to have the deeper mysteries of Belial’s Brood revealed to them. These pragmatists know the odds of a neonate’s long-term survival and prefer that their underlings be competent if not discerning. Although these neonates are not thought of as disposable, their longevity is not foremost on the minds of their benefactors. Such neonates are tasked with distasteful duties such as maintaining a covey’s Herd or securing mortal Allies for a sedentary covey’s protection. Better suited to interacting with mortals, these neonates often excel at these responsibilities before realizing the disdain that most Forsworn have for such interactions. Ironically, neonates who are particularly talented at dealing with the mortal world are not as intensely pressed to advance their Pursuit as others within their covey, but can find themselves suddenly condemned for the same activities that had previously won them praise.
The Mercy Seat also finds uses for such young pawns. Since understanding of the Beast and the Demiurge is intuitive as a Forsworn progresses in his Pursuit, what a neonate is taught when he first enters the Brood is immaterial. All these instructions will be swept away as true understanding fills the Forsworn from the Demiurge. Thus, neonates who seem to be failing in their Pursuit are recruited for special instruction by the Faustians. Instead of simply being executed, they are given hints as to the true mysteries of the covenant and sent on cryptic missions. Although these tasks are rarely suicidal, the Mercy Seat reserves such dupes as messengers and distractions. Even if caught, they further the cause by misdirecting their enemies. Those who manage to survive such a fate, and continue on their Pursuit, have simply proven that they are true Forsworn. The lies they were told were but trials on their journey.

Neonates and Ancillae

Along with other neonates, young Forsworn usually deal with ancillae when interacting with the authority of Belial’s Brood. The covenant is loosely organized, but the structure that does is exist is propped up by the ancillae, who are often taking the place of an elder who has moved on to more solitary games. An ancilla can play a multitude of parts in a neonate’s Requiem in the Brood. These middlemen can come to represent the worst aspects of the covenant to an idealistic neonate who truly believed that Belial’s Brood had truly suppressed political double-dealing in favor of purely spiritual work. Ancillae can also represent the promise of success. As neonates wrestle with the demons that plagued them as mortals, the ancillae walk amongst them unfettered by doubt or hesitation. These vampires are not as terrifying or Aloof as the elders, but wield startling powers without conscience or compunction. Ironically, the ancilla’s last vestiges of mortal character make him more palatable to neonates and drive him to take a hands-on role in the running of the covenant’s affairs.
Antagonism between these two age groups is common because of the unprecedented power that can be achieved by a bold neonate. Many of the most influential ancillae rose to prominence as neonates themselves, and beat the odds to age into maturity only to be challenged by the next generation of Forsworn who are as unspeakably shortsighted as their probable Requiems. Ancillae become easily frustrated by neonates who believe they have earned the right to complete freedom by simply answering the Inmost Tug and thus shirking their responsibility to defend the covenant from forces that would cast it down. While neonates accuse the ancillae of hypocrisy and a lack of Zeal, this mostly stems from the neonate tendency to ascribe mortal motivations to their superiors. Divisions not withstanding, ancillae do occasionally Mentor younger Forsworn. Usually these vampires belong to the same covey, but there have been notable exceptions in the past.
Coveys are usually composed of a mix of ancillae and neonates. While these are the ancillae a neonate most often deals with, they are his covey brethren and are usually exempt from the stereotypes the Forsworn form about the others. The most common point of conflict that arises between neonates and ancillae is the contradictions that these older vampires inevitably bring into being when they order other Forsworn around in the name of the covenant. A covey leader is expected to take charge of his brethren, and The Crux ensures his authority and responsibility, but a vampire outside of a covey has a tenuous claim on leadership. If the primary task set before a neonate is the Pursuit, and if the Pursuit is the central purpose of the Brood, no obligation or mission could possibly take precedence. While such arguments are freely expressed, ancillae are not forgiving of neonates who undermine the authority the ancillae have built up beyond their own covey.

Neonates and Elders

As neonates, Forsworn rarely interact with their elders. Some factions pass along stories of notorious ancients within their ranks, while others chastise those who openly admit that any elders exist within their number at all. According to some tales, a few neonates have the dubious pleasure of meeting an elder of the Brood almost immediately after being initiated into the covenant. Supposedly, many elders lead solitary Requiems as legendary ascetics and are sought out by nomadic coveys with promising neonates in tow. What happens to these students after they are left behind is part of the story’s mystery. Upon first answering the Call, many neonates suspect that some shadowy cabal of elder vampires controls Belial’s Brood. These neonates are quickly deprived of that illusion when the true chaos of the Brood’s numerous factions and coveys becomes apparent. Beyond being the bogeymen and heroes of Forsworn fantasy, elders are the purest manifestation of the Adversary on Earth.
Just as neonates usually see the ancillae as bureaucrats, elders are seen as terrible gods drawn from the pages of the Old Testament. The independence, solitude and deference afforded to elders by other Forsworn confuse younger vampires who had always been told that the Brood was nothing more than a Diablerie cult. Much of what the younger Forsworn know about the elders is transmitted through the ancillae. Since the ancillae have more direct contact with these creatures and hope to reach such a state themselves one night, these stories are often embellished and romanticized. Neonates who do have the honor of meeting an elder face-to-face are usually surprised by the alien nature of the thing, and such meetings usually signify that the poor unfortunate has become caught up in on of the monster’s many schemes.

The Seasoned Beast

The ancillae form The Invisible spine of Belial’s Brood. Neither as overtly violent and brash as the neonates nor as contemplative and spiritually attained as the elders, these vampires all but disappear into the more dramatic shadows of their younger and older counterparts. Nevertheless, the ancillae form a vital part of the Brood, one without which the covenant could not hope to continue.
It is unsurprising to those who study the Brood as best they can that the ancillae are far smaller in number than the covenant’s neonates. After all, given the tendency of the younger vampires to engage in seemingly random orgies of overt violence, it’s a wonder any of them survive to reach maturity at all. What is far more surprising, however, is that the ancillae do not number many more than the Brood’s elders. While the neonates have the highest fatality rate, the ancillae suffer the highest percentage of attrition from other sources. It can be no wonder, then, that the ancillae have such a minuscule impact on the Brood’s appearance and nature, at least where the outside world of the Kindred are concerned.

Roles of the Ancillae

It would be a mistake to suggest that the Brood’s ancillae are deliberately excluded from positions of prominence or authority. Belial’s Brood, after all, is not truly a covenant in any recognizable sense of the word. The Brood has no real formal structure for the ancillae to be excluded from. The fact that both the neonates and the elders drive the sect to a greater degree than the ancillae is a product of the race itself, and the nature of all who speak the secret Tongue of the Beast. Despite this fact, the ancillae seem to recognize — on an instinctual level, if not a conscious one — that they are the least prominent, and often considered the least important and least pure portion of the Brood, and this understanding colors their attitude toward their brethren.

Relations with Neonates

The ancillae of Belial’s Brood have developed beyond the near-instinctive, primal rage and violence that drives the sect’s youngest members, and for which the Brood is primarily known. Thus, the ancillae often look down with disdain upon Brood neonates, not unlike a child who has only just outgrown some infantile behavior looks down on younger siblings who still practice it. It’s not that the ancillae of the Brood are any less possessive of mortals, or any less eager to display their own strength by shedding the blood of those weaker than they. Rather, the ancillae see their ability to control those desires to be a mark of maturity. Any animal can rip and tear at its prey without thought or restraint. A vampire truly in touch with his Beast, however, knows that indiscriminate violence is not what it wants. The Beast is the soul of a hunter, not a mass murderer, and Wassail without first obtaining a true understanding of the vampiric nature is nothing more than spiritual surrender.
Other reasons for this general attitude toward the Brood’s neonates exist, of course, reasons that few ancillae indeed would admit to, or even acknowledge. Many ancillae, having only recently overcome the propensity to mindless violence, see it as a threat to the sect. Already, they forget how vital a step it is on the path to understanding the Beast that is their soul. Where their elders are wise enough to acknowledge the neonatal stage as a necessity, despite its inherent risks, the ancillae believe it only draws attention the Brood would do well to avoid.
Pride, too, drives the ancilla disdain for the neonates. The mortality rate among Brood neonates is fairly high, so each vampire who survives views doing so as a personal accomplishment. Neonates who have not yet done so are a reminder of what the ancillae used to be, and each neonate is a potential rival, should he, too, survive his first years in the Brood.
But perhaps the greatest motivator of all is jealousy. For all the ancillae’s pride at overcoming their youthful nature, at finding a balance between the Beast’s myriad instincts, they still feel the call of the Blood, still glorify the taking of life and the heat of battle. A part of every ancilla of the Brood, no matter how much he might wish to deny it, longs to return to the nights of youthful freedom he experienced as a neonate.

Relations with Elders

The ancillae of the Brood aren’t as easily summarized in their attitudes toward their elders as they are toward the neonates. All ancillae respect their elders to at least some extent. The elders have achieved levels of understanding — of the Word of the Adversary, the teachings or examples of Belial, and the nature of vampires themselves — at which their younger brethren can only grasp. The elders have utterly mastered their own nature, or so the ancillae believe, finding a perfect balance between the needs of the spiritual Beast and the undead but still corporeal flesh in which it is housed.
Yet a significant portion of the Brood’s ancillae scoff at their elders as well, seeing them as too old and set in their ways, too unwilling to provide the guidance and leadership that could turn Belial’s Brood from a semi-united religious sect into a true covenant. These ancillae do not yet understand that doing so would be counter to the nature and teachings of Belial, that the group must remain driven by instinct and religious faith, not by any political hierarchy. They have not yet fully grasped that in order to truly become one with the Beast, the Foresworn must devote their attentions inward, leaving both mortals and outside Kindred alone save where interaction is absolutely necessary. No, these ancillae see only the worldwide spread of the covenants — The Invictus, The Ordo Dracul and especially their spiritual “rivals,” The Lancea Sanctum — and they wish for an equal degree of power and authority.
They are a minority amongst the ancillae of the Forsworn, but those who think this way are numerous enough to cause problems for their brothers and sisters in the Brood. These ancillae push for their elders to do more, to take a true and active leadership of the Brood. These ancillae deride the elders for failing to do so, and some among them have even attempted to take such positions of power for themselves. To date, the scattered and informal nature of the Brood has prevented any ancillae from doing so, but should any of them succeed, it would represent the first true formal organization of the Forsworn (even in minute quantities). How other Forsworn, and indeed outside Kindred, might react to such an occurrence is something these ancillae might do well to consider.

Faith, Observance and Forsworn Nature

The Forsworn ancillae are the most overtly and expressively devout members of Belial’s Brood. This isn’t to say that they’re any more religious than their elders; if anything, the reverse is more frequently the case. The elder Foresworn understand, however, that their veneration of the Adversary, and Belial his messenger, is a very personal thing, an understanding between the Beast and the shell that houses it. The ancillae, however, are still new to their faith, and they believe they have a far greater understanding of their religion — such as it is — than they actually do.
Many ancillae make a mistake common to so many practitioners of religion, be they Kindred or mortal: specifically, they confuse practice for faith. By this reckoning, anyone who practices the rites and the rituals frequently must, perforce, be more devout than one who does so less often. They scowl at elders who do not participate as frequently, questioning their devotion to the Brood and the depths of their belief. Even most ancillae who do not fall into this logical fallacy are frequent and devout practitioners of the rites, seeking within them a greater connection to, and understanding of, the Adversary and their own dark souls.
Thus, ancillae gather regularly when circumstances permit, sometimes even on a nightly basis, to perform the various Archontes and dynamei. While the Brood’s neonates are more likely to perform random, homemade or simply half-understood sacrifices to a being they believe is the Biblical Satan, anyone who has witnessed a true Forsworn Black Mass has almost certainly witnessed a covey formed largely, if not solely, of ancillae.

Relations with the Unlearned

A great many of the ancillae grow haughty and arrogant about their religious practices. If they look down upon neonates for their wild, uncontrolled ways, and at some of their elders for failing to practice as often, the ancillae view vampires outside the Brood with little more than scorn. How blind these fools are to the truth of their own nature! How weak they are, how unworthy of Belial’s teachings or the blessings of the Adversary!
This attitude makes it difficult for some Forsworn ancillae to interact with non-Brood vampires, at least in the long term. While their elders have learned how to balance their religious practices and beliefs with the needs of nightly living when among the nonbelievers, many ancillae are unable to hide their contempt. Many of those Forsworn ancillae who die at the hands of other Kindred do so not specifically because they are members of the Brood, but simply because their condescending attitudes anger one vampire too many.
A significant minority of ancillae who do not feel this way move, instead, too far in the other direction. The teachings of Belial discourage any form of proselytizing; all those who are appropriate for the Brood will be drawn to the Brood of their own volition, led by their own Call and Cathexis. By their ability to speak the Tongue of the Beast, and by their instinctive knowledge of at least the basics of the Adversary’s desires, are they known. To seek out converts, to spread the word of Belial by any means other than action, is a subversion of those teachings.
Nevertheless, some ancillae fail to grasp the importance of this prohibition. They do, indeed, observe the other Kindred of their cities, seeking those they feel have the makings of the Forsworn, and approaching them. They are not stupid in this. They don’t simply walk up and began talking about Belial’s Word. They attempt to get to know the other vampire, to make her acquaintance, to feel her out on various dictates and strictures of the Brood without making it clear that this is what they are doing.
In the vast majority of cases, one of three things happens: either the other vampire proves inappropriate for some reason (after many long nights of discussion and observation), the other vampire freaks out and flees when the topic of the Brood itself finally comes up or other Forsworn learn of what is occurring and admonish their misguided brother to cease what he’s doing.
On rare occasions, however, a vampire attempts to join Belial’s Brood in this fashion. To date, none of these “false Forsworn” has ever manifested the Brood’s Language, suggesting that no vampire can truly understand the Adversary’s criteria for choosing his servants. True members of the Brood slaughter these false Forsworn wherever they are found.
Other ancillae, those who better understand the nature of Belial’s Brood, also seek out new converts — not by proselytizing, but by finding those who have come to their own instinctive understanding of the Adversary and the Kindred nature, and bringing them into the fold. While a substantial number of Forsworn, particularly neonates, never truly realize they are part of a larger fraternity of vampires, the more organized sects and coveys of the Brood prefer to find as many of these newcomers as they can, the better to educate them (and, not incidentally, to swell that covey’s own ranks). Obviously, other neonates cannot be trusted to undertake such a task, and the elders tend to have better things to do, leaving the ancillae to pick up the slack.

Understanding Through Faith

Of all the Forsworn, the ancillae are the most likely to deliberately seek out opportunities to learn and master the Investments that are the hallmark of the Brood’s mysticism. Some neonates develop such abilities instinctively, spontaneously manifesting powers that others have to work at, but this is an unpredictable, if not particularly uncommon, phenomenon. Elders, on the other hand, have often mastered at least the rudiments of a wide array of Investments, and prefer to devote their efforts toward increasing their understanding of the powers they already have. The ancillae, however, have just begun their deliberate delve into the occult secrets of the Brood. Some devote themselves to it body and soul, spending countless nights in study, prayer or service to their elders in exchange for a promise of illumination. Even those who consider Investments a secondary priority, however, are unlikely to pass up the opportunity to learn.
This is a potentially dangerous stage in the growth of the Forsworn. More than one ancilla has become drunk on the power of the Investments, forgetting that they bear a cost beyond those of most Kindred Disciplines. On occasion, such ancillae lose all sight of their faith, seeing the power of the Investments as an end unto itself. Ultimately, these Forsworn either fall into Wassail, or drift so completely away from the dictates of the Brood that they lose all access to the Investments with which they were so obsessed.

Factions and Allegiance

It is perhaps to be expected, but ancillae are the Forsworn most likely to shift factions within Belial’s Brood. Neonates are often drawn to a faction through pure instinct, or even fail to recognize the difference in factions at all, while the elders have had time to find their niche, but ancillae are still finding their own path. While the majority of Forsworn tend to remain in a single faction, finding that they fit well within the group to which they were instinctively attracted, a significant minority find their attitudes and beliefs changing over the years. A Forsworn might find her belief regarding the origin and nature of Belial swayed by her mytho-historical studies. More frequently, a Forsworn vampire might find himself driven to pursue a different aspect of the Trinity altogether, following a period of intense delving into the first, or to simply develop his mastery of his existing aspect. A Hyletic of the Scarlet Rite might find his attitudes hardening, for example, driving him toward the more brutal expressions of the Pandaemonium.
This has little to do with the age of the ancillae; rather, this is simply the first opportunity most Forsworn have to really study and analyze their own beliefs, as well as the other options available to them. Nevertheless, more than a few elders within the Brood view their younger brethren as fickle, due to this precise effect.
With a very few exceptions, this “faction-jumping” has few true repercussions. The ancilla’s old comrades may harbor resentment, and his new ones might be somewhat distrusting, but only the most violently fanatic Forsworn would take action against a brother or a sister for changing factions. In a few cases, however — such as the now infamous “Purifying Djinn” of Salem, Massachusetts, in the late 70s — a member of a faction is indeed sufficiently fanatic, or a convert is sufficiently prominent, that such a defection does indeed result in beatings, long-term enmities and even the occasional assassination or sacrifice.
Far more rare, but of far greater importance and repercussion, is the occasional Forsworn apostate. The instinctive draw toward the Brood means that nearly all who join have the appropriate personality and temperament to remain Foresworn for the entirety of their potentially limitless existence. Every now and again, however, a member of the Brood seeks to leave the fold. Her experiences, as she ages, might cause her personal beliefs to drift out of line with the teachings of Belial and veneration of the Adversary. She may find her political ambitions outweigh her commitment to the Brood, causing her to seek temporal power among the other Kindred rather than remain with her brothers and sisters. She might simply prove unable to shake the last lingering traces of guilt that come with even the slightest remnant of Humanity.
Again, the ancillae produce the overwhelming majority of these apostates, and for much the same reasons that the ancillae shift factions more often than anyone else. Again, the neonates Haven’t reached the point when they can begin to make these sorts of decisions or to question their beliefs, and the elders have had time to grow comfortable with their positions and to cement their faith and attitudes. The ancillae, however, especially the relatively young ones, are only just now reaching the stage when they can truly examine their actions and the teachings of the Brood with any degree of detachment and logic. Only a tiny fraction of ancillae ever attempt to leave the Brood — but this is still a far larger percentage than any other age group.

Struggling with Humanity

While neonates have the highest mortality rate within the Brood, ancillae are the Forsworn most likely to fall to Wassail. The younger members either get themselves killed before they have the chance to lose the last vestiges of their Humanity; or else they reach a stage of vicious equilibrium, wherein the bloody rampages for which they are known are no longer capable of causing further degeneration. The elders of the Brood have almost universally low Humanity, but they have learned to walk the finest of lines and to take full advantage of Belial’s teachings, allowing them to maintain a thin line between them and Wassail. The ancillae, however, have reached the stage when they must deliberately shed all but the barest traces of their Humanity, yet they lack the elders’ knowledge and occult skills. Some succumb to the Beast during occult rites, others when performing acts of brutal and methodical barbarity extreme even for Belial’s Brood. The informality of the Brood and the inability of outsiders to study Brood members in depth makes precise percentages impossible to determine, but it’s possible that as many as one-quarter to one-third of all Forsworn who survive to become ancillae fall to Wassail before reaching their elder years.

Ancillae and the Hexad

While the previous material applies more or less equally across the various factions and sects of Belial’s Brood, the ancillae of various aspects do indeed differ from their brethren in some key respects. Presented here, in brief, is an overview of the three aspects of the Trinity, highlighting the differences as they apply specifically to the factions’ ancillae.
The Nameless
The ancillae of the Nameless devote much of their attention to searching for signs of Belial’s return and supervising the faction’s efforts at discovering the modern remnants of his mortal line. Their elders may interpret prophecy and maintain a greater understanding of the Adversary’s scriptures, but their younger brethren go out into the world and seek hard evidence, or even the most subtle omens, of the end times.
Paradoxically, Nameless ancillae lead a nightly existence that, at least on the surface, seems more similar to that of non-Forsworn vampires than do most other members of the Brood. Nameless ancillae practice a great many rites and rituals, of course, but beyond those, the Nameless need to observe the world largely unaltered by their own activities, if they are to have the greatest opportunities to discover and interpret the signs of things to come.
The Roaring Serpent
The ancillae Archons take their existence as hunters of Humanity completely to heart. The Archons are direct descendents of the first vampire, and they will behave as such in his name and his memory. They focus on the hunt, and on their efforts to become the embodiment of the vampiric state. These ancillae eschew the mindless violence of their younger brethren and the static contemplation of their elders, preferring instead to ride the wave of their instincts and their Beasts without forgetting who and what they seek to become.
As hunters incarnate — or at least those who wish to become such — the vampires of the Roaring Serpent endeavor to eschew political and social machinations even more than other Forsworn. They consider it a distraction from the true nature of the vampiric state, and scoff at those who allow themselves to be caught up in such matters. The ancillae are frequently the most disdainful of other vampires, making even other Archons look tolerant.
The Pandaemonium
The direct opposite of the Nameless, at least on the surface, the Foresworn of the Pandaemonium spend an enormous number of their waking hours engaged in Satanic and occult rites, and the faction’s ancillae are easily the most wrapped up in those rituals. Neonates might seek to practice these rituals, but they often have little clue what they’re doing, thus performing “Black Masses” that are hardly more legitimate than those of rebellious teens. The ancillae, however, have learned a substantial amount of the true lore and practices behind the rites, while not yet reaching the level of mastery that allows them to practice primarily on their own. When outsiders picture the nightly requiem of the Forsworn —assuming outsiders picture anything beyond the mindless violence of the Brood’s youngest members — odds are the outsiders see the ancillae of the Pandaemonium.
The Mercy Seat
To those unfamiliar with the faction, the ancillae of the Mercy Seat would seem, far and away, to be its least effective members. The rate of failure in their efforts to lead mortals into temptation and sin is staggering, as compared to the success of both the neonate and elder Faustians.
In truth, this has nothing to do with the ancillae’s abilities, but rather their focus. By the time they reach this age, the ancillae have outgrown the neonate tendency to focus on easy targets, to celebrate in the corruption of those who have already lived lives of sin. The ancillae realize that corrupting a criminal or a sinner is no accomplishment at all, but they have yet to achieve their elders’ skill in leading even the righteous to damnation. Thus, though they attempt to lay low the pure and the faithful, they have not yet fully mastered the methods for doing so. They spend much time discussing their efforts with their brothers and sisters, developing the skills that should eventually transform them into tempters worthy of the Demiurge itself.
The Throne of Smokeless Fire
Djinn ancillae have just begun to obtain positions of true power, both within the faction (or at least their own covey) and in the mortal world. They have taken to heart the lessons they learned as neonates, and have dedicated themselves to the individual advancement so prized by the sect. Capable of a level of long-term scheming unreachable by their younger brothers, but not yet as set in their ways as the elders, the ancillae of the Throne of Smokeless Fire rise — and fall — far faster and more frequently than any other Djinn.
The nightly life of the Djinn ancillae resembles that of non-Forsworn vampires more than those of most other members of the Brood. Whether Djinn ancillae are competing with their fellow Djinn for mastery over the covey, or manipulating mortals in a bid for temporal power, the ancillae’s ambitions certainly seem to match those of outside Kindred, even if the Djinn’s motivations are very different. The Scarlet Rite
The ancillae of the Scarlet Rite make even the heights of “vampire erotica” pale in comparison. The entire faction is devoted to lust, gluttony and excess, but nobody practices them to such a degree as the ancillae. They have had the time to advance beyond the fairly unoriginal orgies and excesses of the neonates, but have not yet found their “preferred debasements” as have the elders. Thus, the Hyletic ancillae are the Foresworn most likely to feel out and experiment with the extremes of sexual taboo, to push well beyond the boundaries of even the most broadminded mortal fetishist into horrific levels of sadism and perversion.

The Eldest Beast

When one speaks of the elders of the Forsworn, one is speaking of what are perhaps the most malevolent and alien beings in all of vampirekind. Luckily, due to the extreme course that their spiritual path takes, these monstrosities are a true rarity. The reasons for the low count on elders among Belial’s Brood can be attributed to several factors. First, similar to most of their brethren, the elders steer clear of Kindred society as a whole. Due to grossly deteriorated Humanity, the acquisition of Investments and the pillar-like role they play in their coveys, Forsworn elders are much like living treasures to the Brood, with some factions revering these self-sculpted demons as a Roman Catholic would point to the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel — a testimony to the achievements of their faction and to Belial’s Brood itself. Among some coveys, where the ancient Forsworn have maintained a coherent focus, the elder takes on a role that is similar to that of a hermit, left to his own devices until times of spiritual quandary, when his cryptic, inhuman ranting is deciphered through complex and non-intuitive rites that unfold the covey’s future direction. In cases in which the elders have become less approachable, they function in the capacity of a twisted role model, a paragon of bestial wisdom and spectacular inhumanity.
Due to the nature of Investments, deteriorated Humanity and the hatred many vampires feel for the Forsworn, elders of Belial’s Brood often seem rare because they usually desire solitude. Occasionally tempted to commit explosive violence and ritual cruelty even at the expense of the covey, many elders do not keep regular company with their coveys, only surfacing to participate in rituals or aid in protecting their covey-mates. At other times, the elder is entirely invisible, moving about the havens and territories of his covey like a legendary beast, transforming the whole of the territory into his personal ritual chamber onto which he inscribes the massacres of his devotion. Between 1979 and 1981, a Forsworn elder known only as El Abominar transformed 20 square blocks of the city of Santa Ana into a bloody offering in honor of its Beast. The incident would have been disastrous to the area’s Forsworn population were it not for the activities of mortal right wing death squads that were also active in the area at that time. Luckily for the Forsworn, the World of Darkness is rarely without such horrific occurrences that serve to hide their doings.

Thirst

Just as any other vampire of advanced age and Blood Potency, the Forsworn elder eventually develops a taste and need for the blood of other vampires. Unlike Kindred who are immersed in a continuous culture of their own kind, the Brood’s eldest must make more complex efforts to acquire the precious Vitae. The most common method of feeding makes use of the blood of the covey members themselves. This simply involves the elder’s covey-mates pooling offerings of their blood and then giving the blood to the elder. While this practice is both natural and familiar to a Brood covey, the fact that the other covey-mates do not also partake of the pooled Vitae can sometimes cause complications, as the sole member’s ingestion of every drop can do strange things to an elder’s relationship with his covey. Although heavily distorted by The Vaulderie’s effects, odd spasms of dependence and attachment can cause the elder to act even more unpredictably than normal, often resulting in a disruption to the covey’s operations.
The alternative, however, is the sacrifice of another vampire to the covey’s elder. Ideally, the covey will hunt for a member of one of the other covenants, often preferring those who embody a virtue that is opposed to their covey’s philosophy. For some, the members of The Lancea Sanctum represent spiritual stagnation; for others, the Carthians represent the obstacle of Humanity itself, whereas The Invictus might embody cowardice and The Circle of the Crone represents the teetering reluctance to embrace one’s true birthright. Regardless of covenant, the Kindred are generally fed to the elder by his covey to show contempt for the associated ideology as well as to appease the elder’s terrible hunger.
In cases of extreme isolation, however, other measures may become necessary. The first method, sometimes referred to as “veal” by the younger Forsworn, involves the capture of a human being. Once this human is selected, she is Embraced, outside of any ritual context. The vampire who performs the Embrace sees his contribution as sacred and is often looked upon fondly by the elder for whom the vampire did the service. After the Embrace, the newly created vampire is locked in a lightless cell and sustained on only enough blood to keep from falling into Torpor. Over the period of one year, the incarcerated vampire quickly goes mad from pangs of shaking hunger, terror and fury — a sacrifice to the Demiurge made up of her sanity. At the close of the year, another human is introduced, bound and gagged, to the cell. After gorging herself on the blood of his cellmate, the vampire is pulled from her prison, fattened and sated, and staked through the heart. The vampire is then stretched out by the covey and ceremonially fed to the elder. As vile as this may seem, even for the Forsworn, many of the scholars of Belial’s Brood believe this practice dates back to the Brood’s origins, when the one known as Enkhatur would create and prepare vampires specifically intended as sacrifices to great Belial himself.
The very last resort, of course, is the sacrifice of a member of the elder’s own covey. In each such case, this sacrifice has either betrayed the covey or has become too chaotic for the covey to function as it needs to. Forsworn elders bereft of covey-mates must find sustenance the same as any other elder.

Roles of the Elder

Beast While some generalizations can be made about the powerful elders of Belial’s Brood, their function and nature is primarily dictated by the philosophies they’ve used to steer themselves toward such a state. Therefore, to explore the elders of the Brood, one must consider the aged vampire in relation to the faction to which he has given he allegiance.

Elders and the Sarx

Elders who have dedicated themselves to factions focused upon the actualization of the sarx are dreadful monsters in the most traditional sense of the word. Consumed by enormous lusts and compulsions of violence, they often gorge themselves on blood during elaborate rituals, which they celebrate with their coveys, acting as the demented ringleaders of complex sacrificial litanies derived from there unfolding insanity. Nonetheless, because of the physical nature of the sarx cult’s sacraments and austerities, the elders are often far more coherent at their core than those Forsworn who seek the refinement of the more cerebral pillars of soma and pneuma. Because of this, sarx-aspected elders are often capable of coherent leadership and strategy, often possessed of their faculties to a degree that allows them to masterfully negotiate the snares laid for his covey by Kindred of the covenants and others who would seek to destroy the Forsworn. In contrast, when elders who exalt the sarx do finally snap, the physical nature of their Investments ensures that the true monster born of permanent frenzy will be a force to be reckoned with.
The elders who affiliate themselves with the hyperviolent branches of the Pandaemonium are, oddly, some of the most human of Forsworn, or so they seem. Due to their strange combination of intellect and savagery, Antinomians create an ideological labyrinth in which they trap both the Man and the Beast. Although the non-linear occult formulae the faction makes use of help to deteriorate the Humanity of the younger Antinomians, these are the same ideas to which the human remnant clings when it finds itself dangling over the yawning maw of the Beast. The Language they use might be nonsensical, but it is still motivated by a desire to express devotion and abide by the covey’s rites. Their appearance might be monstrous, but it is still mutilated and modified in a way that was born from a reactionary and individuating process styled along a very human understanding of what those things are as well as mean.
In a faction that clings so heavily to formality and traditional occult forms of hierarchy, Antinomian elders are treated as revered clergy, often adored by their covey (as either dark saint or enlightened demagogue), which often results in the covey having a very Manson Family atmosphere. Regardless, the elder does not remain on a pedestal as he is constantly called upon to transmit extended teachings, expound upon alien koans, and craft and refine the ritual process that the covey believes will lead it to total bestial “consciousness.” The elder often serves as the voice of the covey’s history, which is often important to Antinomian scholars, who, for some reason, insist on maintaining an true and faithful account of how their number brought the world to its end. Only in the minds of the deeply mad would such a pointless exercise be worth such a devoted effort — or make any sense.
Perhaps the most perverse of Forsworn elders are those who have pledged their hearts and minds to the Scarlet Rite. Whereas the Antinomians painstakingly fashion themselves into hideous monsters or living symbols of some obscure occult concept, the Hyletic elders, similarly, represent the Scarlet Rite’s physical and spiritual ideals. Instead of mutilating and twisting the physical form, the Hyletic elders cultivate androgyny, youthfulness and a strange, gossamer otherworldliness that results in a presence unlike any other. Due to their mastery of secret Devotions known only to devotees of the Scarlet Rite who have demonstrated an advanced understanding of the sensual and sexual arts, the perceptions of those around them are distorted and their inhibitions stripped from them.
Beneath their alien beauty, the masters of the Scarlet Rite are beyond attachment. Abiding by the tenets of the Hyletic philosophy, all meaning and purpose is stripped from anything they come into contact with, leaving on the flesh. For this reason, the elders of the faction serve as focus points when the Scarlet Rite performs their more elaborate rites. Like stones set within the concentric circles of a Zen garden’s sands, the elders are a point of Meditation amidst the undulating flesh of the Scarlet Rite’s orgies. Because the Hyletic philosophy prefers beauty to brawn when selecting its candidates for Embrace, the power that comes with age is vital to the defense of the faction’s havens. In instances such as these, the fluid grace of the elder becomes savage and destructive, fully capable of fending off any but the most extreme threats. Regardless, violence is not their preferred method of dealing with conflict; they prefer to win their enemies’ trust so that they can be lead through the labyrinths of Hyletic belief transformed into the source of their own undoing.

Elders and the Soma

In the minds of many Forsworn scholars, the pillar of soma represents those things that many believe to be the very essence of being a vampire. Domination, predation and violent competition are all characteristics emphasized by these cults. Therefore, the elders of these cults usually find themselves in positions of significant power, leading their coveys and providing the vision that guides them spiritually. Unlike the elders of sarx and pneuma cults, the elders of the soma cults are morelike generals or Princes, leaving the fine points of ritual and other such preparation to zealous neophytes and the ancillae who oversee them. Although such rigid power structures might seem uncharacteristic for such vicious and violent factions as the Roaring Serpent and the Throne of Smokeless Fire, the effect of these coveys is more like the eerie unification that one would see in a pack of jackals, a swarm of starving rats or the alien hum that sounds from a swarm of locusts.
Take your typical Invictus elder and strip away every last vestige of decency, mercy, grace and justice. Then, where there was once Humanity, insert the most destructive and dominant of beasts, a perfect vampiric killing machine. This is the nature of the elders of the Roaring Serpent — perfect vampires, nothing more, nothing less. Through the actualization of the most pure and natural desires and instincts of the Beast, the Archon elders are often imbued with any variety of Investments, not merely those associated with the soma. Within their coveys, Archon elders are very similar to the Princes of those cities controlled by the five covenants. Archon elders delegate to their covey-mates and harshly judge and punish those who would fail to fulfill the desires of the group’s Crux. In very, very rare instances, when multiple coveys devoted to the Roaring Serpent are cooperating, a kind of shadow Prince may be instated, mimicking the methods of a proper Kindred city but unhindered by the slow politics of those wishing to maintain a semblance of civility.
Djinn elders are quite different from those who dwell among the Archons. Given to elaborate ceremony, the martial and competitive nature of the Throne of Smokeless Fire is personified in its elders, who create the rituals and trials that temper their covey’s neonates into hardened Djinn soldiers. Though not as abjectly hierarchical as the Roaring Serpent, the Throne of Smokeless Fire’s elders are the keepers of what little Djinn lore exists and provide the structure in which the fittest and most ruthless grow to inherit their birthright. In matters of physical competition, merciless Djinn elders judge the fights and take a deep pleasure in condemning those who fail in their trials to slow, painful deaths, making an example of the weakness that failure and defeat bring to light. When the ancillae of the Djinn compete against each other in matters of territory seizure, campaigns of terrorism directed against mortal institutions and other more drawn-out affairs, the wise and watchful eye of the Throne’s elders monitor the contest. Most importantly, Djinn elders hold themselves responsible for ensuring the observance of the Archontes and dynamei that forge the tie between the Djinn and their future, actualized and perfect selves. However, although The Vaulderie protects elders from threats of Diablerie from within their covey, the ancient vampires of the Throne of Smokeless fire are terribly paranoid and reactionary beings, always watchful for those Djinn outside their coveys who would claim the power of the elders’ heart’s blood for their own.

Elders and the Pneuma

The philosophies embraced by the cult of the pneuma have a particular appeal for reclusive, paranoid elders. Methods used by the Forsworn spiritualists simultaneously evolve the elder’s capacity for interacting with his Beast that gradually grows more and more powerful. Elders invested in the rites and philosophies of the pneuma are the most likely of the Forsworn to act as gurus, communicating through teachings derived from their own descent, poetry derived from the surging blood and fury of frenzy’s throes and the unspoken Language of ritual ordeals constructed to liberate the bestial soul from the oppression of morality and fear. Although their self-mastery often exceed that of elders devoted to the sarx and soma, their unpredictability is also far greater. Given to meditations upon the irrational and vicious genius of the Beast within, their motives are seemingly random to anyone outside of their coveys and viewed with a religious Zeal by those closest to them. The words of these elders are often recorded and form the substance of grimoires (many of which become Resonants) which not only find use outside of their coveys, but also among Forsworn of other factions due to their profound insights into realm of the Adversary. These books are often found by Kindred Elders of the other covenants, slowly coaxing them by appealing to the most intellectualized aspects of their repressed Beasts.
Faustian elders are rarely seen by any outside of their coveys. Devoted to semi-religious precepts implied by their understanding of the pneuma as well as their belief in a pure, untainted realm of spirit, the elders of the Mercy Seat isolate themselves in ongoing Meditation in an effort to keep their minds and spirits equally pure of intention. While they certainly perceive themselves as beings of pure malevolence, the course of corruption that a Faustian covey follows is not a simple or obvious thing, or the selection of prey. Locked away in well-guarded temple-mansions, the Faustian elder plots the undoing of those he sees in his visions, and then delegates the steps and instructions to his covey-mates, in some cases not letting the various operatives have any sense of the overarching scheme. In this way, the elder of a Mercy Seat covey can maintain the integrity of his vision without the insubordination or individual interpretations of his younger brethren. In this way, the neonates can learn their roles, and the ancillae can master the emptiness necessary to perfectly assume another’s identity.
During self-imposed isolations, elders of the Mercy Seat become lost in Research and Meditation. Their Research mostly consists of two things: identities and infrastructure. The construction of new identities for their covey-mates to assume is tricky, as each must be specially tailored to the Forsworn that is to assume them. When dealing with larger organizations, Faustian elders spend enormous periods of time analyzing channels of communication, resource allocation, as well as all of the dirty laundry of every significant individual who participates in it. Such Research can take years, but with the help of the covey, the Mercy Seat elder crafts plans that would dizzy the head of the most acute Kindred elder.
The doctrines and methods of the Nameless are perhaps the most well-guarded secrets in all of Forsworn society. It is even believed by some scholars that the elder mystics and philosophers of the faction have access to Resonants and rites crafted by the hand of Belial himself. These objects of power are said to be tied to the egregore of the Demiurge itself and to hold clues that supposedly reveal the true nature of the progenitor of Belial’s Brood. Because of this knowledge, elders of the faction sometimes (and in rarer cases, ancillae) take oaths of silence, believing that the creation of a concept through the use of Language is a blasphemy against the unholy void to which they bend unliving knee. The counterconceptual philosophies of the Nameless elders become increasingly demented as their Humanity deteriorates, often making their revelations difficult to transmit to their younger covey-mates. Although the underpinnings of their belief are the same at their core, the concocted models of oblivion that these monsters realize are as many as there are coveys, possibly more.

Heeding the Call

Whereas younger vampires of the five covenants are often seduced into serving the Brood while their Humanity is still fresh and intact, elders are rarely approached with such intentions. Ancient and potent, old vampires are not to be trifled with as they are often capable of rallying death squads composed of subordinates with but a phone call. One misstep or unpredicted frenzy, and the entire house of cards can come crashing down on the heads of the city’s Forsworn population. This is just one reason why elders are left to their own devices when finding the Brood. Although such interest might be difficult for the Forsworn to monitor, sometimes the convenient placement of a book in a Sanctified library, the inclusion of a questionable idol in an Acolyte’s rite or an allusion to a private party into the ear of The Invictus elite is all that it takes. An elder enlightened in this fashion is often the center point around which a new covey forms. This is only natural as one who has lived for centuries is unlikely to throw in his lot with younger vampires when treading on such precarious ground.

Release

For those elders who have grown old among the Forsworn, there comes a time when the last thread of Man is finally cut, when the Trinity of Being burns, and the supernal Beast is liberated and sent off into the night to find its way to the Adversary. Although the rites may vary from covey to covey in Language and method, the manner in which the draugr of Belial’s Brood are released is universal. When an elder’s Humanity is finally extinguished, The Vaulderie for the fallen is performed, and the elder enlightened to permanent Wassail is separated permanently from the covey’s Crux. Forsworn insist that these creatures neither return nor even exist after the rite is performed. Perhaps through some strange effect of The Vaulderie itself the coveys are kept safe from the reprisal of these castoff monsters. Nonetheless, there have been accounts of these frenzied beasts terrorizing isolated locales for upwards of two centuries. In undeveloped parts of the world, such monsters can feed and live in blood-gorged bliss until a powerful and knowledgeable party puts them down for good.

Relations with Neonates

Within Belial’s Brood, elders and neonates are a world apart. Even among the five covenants, age creates a disparity of experience that is nearly impossible to close as the perspective of a 300-year-old elder results in an entirely different outlook from that possessed by the newly Embraced. Among the Forsworn, this gap is exaggerated by the elders’ lowered Humanity, which creates a second factor to drive a wedge between the two worlds. Whereas the neonate is often a zealous new recruit who has just begun her Pursuit, the Forsworn elder is a carefully cultivated bomb of inhumanity that tenuously holds to his coherence by way of his faith and a single-pointed desire to serve the Adversary. What is interesting, however, is that despite their radically different outlooks, Forsworn elders do not view neonates as lesser, merely less experienced, embryonic version of themselves, as they know it is not one’s age but one’s closeness to the Demiurge and a thorough mastery of the sarx, soma and pneuma that brings true power and station. Because of this, neonates take deep pride in the power of their covey’s elders (assuming they have any) and consider them powerful saints of the Brood who can protect them and guide them to a more actualized and powerful state.

Relations with Ancillae

The ancillae are the tried-and-tested movers-and-shakers among the Forsworn. Not as far gone as the elders and not as wet behind the ears as the neonates, the ancillae have the experience, focus and vision that enable them to maintain the most important operations of their coveys. For this reason, the relationship between Forsworn elders and ancillae is extremely tight. As most of the Brood’s ancillae have moved beyond the stark-raving zealotry of the newly initiated, they require the elusive insights of their elders in order to progress their Pursuit. In turn, elders who can no longer interact with the world outside of the Brood require these more experienced ancillae in order to actualize the final steps of their own descent. In cases in which the elders have taken on the role of Forsworn guru, they often take apprentices from the ranks of the ancillae. These carefully selected disciples are instructed in the secrets of the covey’s most hidden rites, and will likely be the ones to lead The Vaulderie of release when the elder reaches the end of his Pursuit.

Related Organization
Belial's Brood

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Unlife vs. Forsworn Unlife

This portion of the chapter speaks, largely in generalities but with some specific details, of “neonates,” “ancillae” and “elders.” This is all well and good for the majority of Forsworn, who are either Embraced more or less directly into the Brood or find themselves drawn to its teachings fairly early in their Requiems.
What of the vampires who do not find themselves embracing the Brood’s teachings until decades or even centuries after their mortal lives have ended? For these vampires, consider the distinctions discussed here to apply primarily to their ages as Forsworn. For instance, a 90-year-old vampire who has only been part of the Brood for a year would, in most respects, match the persona and attitudes of the neonates discussed herein, even though he is technically, by virtue of age, an ancilla.
This isn’t true of all Forsworn — some of those who come late to the Brood find themselves swiftly taking on the beliefs and attitudes of other vampires of their age — but as a rule, it applies more often than it does not.

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