Post by Tami on Apr 30, 2007 20:33:48 GMT -5
(Chaining the Beast pp 19-29)
So, you decided to play a follower of a Path of Enlightenment. Cool, and good luck. It's tall order, though. Even a vampire who retains some of his human nature is by no means an easy subject for one of us humans to represent. A vampire who's not only lost his humanity, but deliberately striven to replace it with something else...? Tough, indeed.
And that's where this thread comes in. here we will explore what happens to a Cainite along the long and lonely road into and out of the Abyss.
The Descent
All vampires were human at one point. Even the most alien undead minds in existence built their postmortem perceptions on the foundation - perhaps ruins - of human perceptions on feelings. It is thus as important to understand the starting point of the journey into darkness as it is to realize its destination.
In Vampire the Masquerade, "Humanity" actually represents a broad 21st-century paradigm of what people in the Western First World consider "healthy" and "good". That said, the tenets espoused in the Humanity code are reasonably universal. Whether one is a Christian Buddhist, wiccan, taoist or atheist, a traditionalist or postmodernist, a conservative or liberal, we tend to agree that "Thou shalt not kill" is a correct code of behavior. Some disagree or at least amend, but for purposes of game play, we can assume Humanity is the default condition for mortals in the World of Darkness, regardless of creed or culture. we can also assume that failure to adhere to this code represents degeneration rather than difference. Serial murderers don't follow a unique but equally valuable philosophy, they're just sick.
(It is interesting that in the new millennium, Western society gives an increasingly overt and unapologetic acknowledgment that following a path of "goodness," "decency," and "emotional maturity" does not always lead to material success and security. while this(book) thread is not a work of social, political, or economic criticism, it could make an interesting story to contrast the behavior of a vampire with that of, say, a ruthless CEO who made millions defrauding his shareholder and employees.)
Psychotherapy tends to view the human condition as a continuum, much as the Humanity Trait does. We ascend toward holistic wellness, or we slide toward sickness. we seek to reach a state of "self-love" in which we accept and encompass or negative qualities, but we don't glorify them or seek to augment them.
By contrast, vampires on a path reject some or all of the fundamental tenets of the Humanity code. What is positive for kine is not necessarily so for Kindred, and what is negative for kine might be expected behavior for a vampire. A quality that a mortal or high-Humanity vampire would consider a personality disorder might well be the governing drive of a 'healthy" path vampire.
It is important to point out, while measure of morality and wellness among mortals must always be considered subjective, vampires face the very real and objective threat of the beast. the beast is neither imaginary nor subject to postmodern moral relativism. Whether Cainites believe in the story of Caine, the Fall and the Curse from God, they must act as if they do or risk madness and damnation. For all intents, undead must think of the Beast as a demon lurking "around the corner" of the soul, ever ready to pounce. Some psychologist argue that it is possible for the very worst of humans - the tyrants, serial killers, abusers and other sociopaths - to be reformed given the right treatment. that is impossible for Cainite lost to the Beast.
So, you decided to play a follower of a Path of Enlightenment. Cool, and good luck. It's tall order, though. Even a vampire who retains some of his human nature is by no means an easy subject for one of us humans to represent. A vampire who's not only lost his humanity, but deliberately striven to replace it with something else...? Tough, indeed.
And that's where this thread comes in. here we will explore what happens to a Cainite along the long and lonely road into and out of the Abyss.
The Descent
All vampires were human at one point. Even the most alien undead minds in existence built their postmortem perceptions on the foundation - perhaps ruins - of human perceptions on feelings. It is thus as important to understand the starting point of the journey into darkness as it is to realize its destination.
In Vampire the Masquerade, "Humanity" actually represents a broad 21st-century paradigm of what people in the Western First World consider "healthy" and "good". That said, the tenets espoused in the Humanity code are reasonably universal. Whether one is a Christian Buddhist, wiccan, taoist or atheist, a traditionalist or postmodernist, a conservative or liberal, we tend to agree that "Thou shalt not kill" is a correct code of behavior. Some disagree or at least amend, but for purposes of game play, we can assume Humanity is the default condition for mortals in the World of Darkness, regardless of creed or culture. we can also assume that failure to adhere to this code represents degeneration rather than difference. Serial murderers don't follow a unique but equally valuable philosophy, they're just sick.
(It is interesting that in the new millennium, Western society gives an increasingly overt and unapologetic acknowledgment that following a path of "goodness," "decency," and "emotional maturity" does not always lead to material success and security. while this(book) thread is not a work of social, political, or economic criticism, it could make an interesting story to contrast the behavior of a vampire with that of, say, a ruthless CEO who made millions defrauding his shareholder and employees.)
Psychotherapy tends to view the human condition as a continuum, much as the Humanity Trait does. We ascend toward holistic wellness, or we slide toward sickness. we seek to reach a state of "self-love" in which we accept and encompass or negative qualities, but we don't glorify them or seek to augment them.
By contrast, vampires on a path reject some or all of the fundamental tenets of the Humanity code. What is positive for kine is not necessarily so for Kindred, and what is negative for kine might be expected behavior for a vampire. A quality that a mortal or high-Humanity vampire would consider a personality disorder might well be the governing drive of a 'healthy" path vampire.
It is important to point out, while measure of morality and wellness among mortals must always be considered subjective, vampires face the very real and objective threat of the beast. the beast is neither imaginary nor subject to postmodern moral relativism. Whether Cainites believe in the story of Caine, the Fall and the Curse from God, they must act as if they do or risk madness and damnation. For all intents, undead must think of the Beast as a demon lurking "around the corner" of the soul, ever ready to pounce. Some psychologist argue that it is possible for the very worst of humans - the tyrants, serial killers, abusers and other sociopaths - to be reformed given the right treatment. that is impossible for Cainite lost to the Beast.