Post by Tami on Mar 2, 2007 21:51:54 GMT -5
Each road is more than just a set of beliefs. For a road to be useful, its ideas must be put into practice, and Cainites carry out the sacraments and rites of their roads as part of their nightly existence. These rituals affirm the Cainite's belief in the road and hold the Beast at bay for one more night. Without them, their roads would be so much lip service and meaningless philosophy. Failing to perform the rites of their road on a regular basis can erode the vampire's moral center. The exact rites vary from one to road to another, but they fit into certain categories that are common to all roads.
Prayer
In solitude or together, the adherents of the road recite sacred texts, often passages from the Bible or the so-called Erciyes Fragments. They offer up prayers of thanks for the will to carry on another night or of thanksgiving for their unliving state. They honor God (or whatever pagan gods they believe in), or they simply meditate on the truths of their road and how their experiences illuminate them. Prayers to ancient figures from legend such as Caine and Lilith are known among some of the Damned. Nightly prayers are an important devotion for the Road of Heaven, and Cainites walking the Road of Humanity sometimes find solace in them, although they more often prefer Socratic debates and dialogs on the naturity of humanity and their own existence.
Study
Cainites often spend time in study and contemplation of the tenets of their road and what those words of wisdom have to teach them. They may study under the guidance of a teacher or priest, alone or in the company of other adherents. Some roads have ancient texts and holy books, penned by their greatest teachers, while others have only the lessons of the world, studied in mortal courts, dry tombs or the darkest wilderness. Time spent in study deepens the adherent's understanding of the road .
Ritual
The roads have numberous rituals from the Mass of the Road of Heaven to the knighting ceremonies and pomp of the Road of Kings to the ritual combats and hunts of the Road of the Beast. Rituals tie the inherents of a road together, giving them common experiences, and rituals to mark important events and reaffirm devotion. During rituals, adherents are most in touch with their road and its precepts, embodying them and carrying them out.
Celebration
While rituals are usually solemn affairs, celebrations are more spontaneous but still honor the beliefs of the road. The Bacchanalian excesses of the Road of Sin and the tournaments and competitions of the Road of Kings are both examples of celebrations, while tales are told about how followers of the Road of the Beast celebrate in savage contests and wild hunts. Those on the Road of Humanity often find solace and strength in the celebrations fo mortal society, affirming the joys of life and its simple pleasures.
Ministry
Some adherents of the roads choose to honor their beliefs by teaching and ministering tot he needs of their fellows. Professors and priests are important to the continuation of the roads and for initiating neonates into the ways of the road. Teh also officiate other rites, such as priests offering the sacraments to the faithful or lords bestowing knighthood and other honors. Ministry and teaching are usually reserved for experienced adherents of a road.
Penance
In addition to preventing degeneration, a road's sacraments offer solace and hope when a follower sins against it. This may be a literal confession and penance like the Road of Heaven, or it may be a more metaphorical affirmation of the road's ethics, like an adherent of the Road of Humanity feeling remorse and doing humane deeds or a follower of the Road of the Beast casting off more of civilization's chains to be wild and free.
Penance can take place any time adherents sin against their road, whether they degenerate or not. If they do not degenerate, then they atone for their sin and rededicate themselves to the road. If they do degenerate, then proper (and often lengthy) penance may serve as a way for an increasingly callous adherent to rediscover his moral compass. The guidance of a priest or acolyte at these times can make the difference between recovering from sin and failing before it.
Prayer
In solitude or together, the adherents of the road recite sacred texts, often passages from the Bible or the so-called Erciyes Fragments. They offer up prayers of thanks for the will to carry on another night or of thanksgiving for their unliving state. They honor God (or whatever pagan gods they believe in), or they simply meditate on the truths of their road and how their experiences illuminate them. Prayers to ancient figures from legend such as Caine and Lilith are known among some of the Damned. Nightly prayers are an important devotion for the Road of Heaven, and Cainites walking the Road of Humanity sometimes find solace in them, although they more often prefer Socratic debates and dialogs on the naturity of humanity and their own existence.
Study
Cainites often spend time in study and contemplation of the tenets of their road and what those words of wisdom have to teach them. They may study under the guidance of a teacher or priest, alone or in the company of other adherents. Some roads have ancient texts and holy books, penned by their greatest teachers, while others have only the lessons of the world, studied in mortal courts, dry tombs or the darkest wilderness. Time spent in study deepens the adherent's understanding of the road .
Ritual
The roads have numberous rituals from the Mass of the Road of Heaven to the knighting ceremonies and pomp of the Road of Kings to the ritual combats and hunts of the Road of the Beast. Rituals tie the inherents of a road together, giving them common experiences, and rituals to mark important events and reaffirm devotion. During rituals, adherents are most in touch with their road and its precepts, embodying them and carrying them out.
Celebration
While rituals are usually solemn affairs, celebrations are more spontaneous but still honor the beliefs of the road. The Bacchanalian excesses of the Road of Sin and the tournaments and competitions of the Road of Kings are both examples of celebrations, while tales are told about how followers of the Road of the Beast celebrate in savage contests and wild hunts. Those on the Road of Humanity often find solace and strength in the celebrations fo mortal society, affirming the joys of life and its simple pleasures.
Ministry
Some adherents of the roads choose to honor their beliefs by teaching and ministering tot he needs of their fellows. Professors and priests are important to the continuation of the roads and for initiating neonates into the ways of the road. Teh also officiate other rites, such as priests offering the sacraments to the faithful or lords bestowing knighthood and other honors. Ministry and teaching are usually reserved for experienced adherents of a road.
Penance
In addition to preventing degeneration, a road's sacraments offer solace and hope when a follower sins against it. This may be a literal confession and penance like the Road of Heaven, or it may be a more metaphorical affirmation of the road's ethics, like an adherent of the Road of Humanity feeling remorse and doing humane deeds or a follower of the Road of the Beast casting off more of civilization's chains to be wild and free.
Penance can take place any time adherents sin against their road, whether they degenerate or not. If they do not degenerate, then they atone for their sin and rededicate themselves to the road. If they do degenerate, then proper (and often lengthy) penance may serve as a way for an increasingly callous adherent to rediscover his moral compass. The guidance of a priest or acolyte at these times can make the difference between recovering from sin and failing before it.