Path of Liadere by Dark Whispers (25 Nov 94) "Only by seeking oneness with Nature and loving the Beast may true understanding be gleened. That which is unnatural, and interferes with the cycle of life, must be destroyed, or else this unity is in grave danger. The Tremere gained their powers via unnatural means, and destroyed the lovers of the Mother in the process; for this they shall be destroyed." - Jessica Forsythe, Avenger of Diedne Basic Beliefs This path is devoted to loving nature, being one with the Beast Inside, and the utter destruction of that which is 'unnatural' (i.e. the Tremere). To follow this path is to give ones unlife to the goal of the destruction of House and Clan Tremere; those who follow this path and refuse to do so, pay the price. The followers of this path love Nature dearly (at least as far as they define 'nature'), and will go through great lengths to protect it. However, they never interfere with 'the cycle of death and rebirth'; it is nature's way. It is interesting to note that these Kindred define themselves as natural; indeed they believe themselves to be the apex of the food chain. Even though Vampires are technically out of the cycle of life, these Kindred don't believe that this is the case. Whilst the Vampire does not grow old, and they are not susceptible to mortal diseases, they still need to feed, and they still are quite susceptible to the final death. The 'natural' creation of progeny is equivalent to mortal reproduction as far as the followers of this path are concerned, and to do so is considered a beautiful thing. These Vampires also believe that the Beast is a purely natural thing as well, and thus they seek to love it and understand it rather then lock it away. To them, the Beast is simply the natural instincts of the Vampire, and they seek to 'ride the wave' of frenzy rather then trying to control the Beast. To restrain one's natural impulses is perverse to them, and they see this as a blasphemous act. Those who seek dominace over the Beast should be taught to revel in their instincts, and those who refuse to do so should be punished, as they are vainly attempting to hold onto their mortal humanity and they can not accept that they are no longer human, but are a force beyond mere mortal comprehension. As far as these Kindred are concerned, the definition of 'unnatural' is anything which derived its existance through some means other than 'natural' reproduction (natural reproduction includes the normal creation of progeny). The Tremere are the primary example of this definition, as they achieved their vampiric existence through the use of powerful magics rather than the Embrace. Other examples include Clones and other artificially created lifeforms, like Homonculi. These creatures are blasphemous, and should be destroyed on sight. While some of the Kindred who are aware of this path believe this definition to simply be a rationalization for the Avengers' hatred of the Tremere, the followers of this path disagree, and claim that the Tremere are a 'crime against Nature'. The Ethics of the Path * Undermine the Unnatural whenever the opportunity presents itself. * Do not attempt to stifle the Beast with such inane efforts as Self-Control; when Frenzy comes, ride it, caress it, love it as you would a lover. * Whenever possible, gain information about the Unnatural and their plans, and destroy those from whom you gain this information; they are a danger. * The Kine are inconsequential and should be treated as thus; use them for food as that is their only use to us. * Destroy all allies of the Unnatural; allow them no strength in our war. * The Unnatural must be destroyed at all costs; one's unlife means nothing in comparison to the grandeur of this goal, and one must be willing to give their unlife willingly to see this goal through. History This Path was developed by the founder of the Avengers of Diedne, Dalorese. While being trained by the Setite Malius, she took elements from his teachings and used her own feelings to develop a Path of Enlightenment that she could use and respect the tennants of. This path is taught to all of the Avengers of Diedne, and there are few outside of the bloodline who are aware of its existence, let alone practice it. Current Practices This path concentrates on the utter destruction of all things Unnatural (read: Tremere), and the willingness to sacrifice one's own unlife to further this goal. The followers of this path have no qualms about engaging in Diablarie, and will do so if the opportunity presents itself. Those who follow the path of Liadere will go to any length to bring about the destruction of that which is deemed unnatural, and this appears to be their primary, and only, practice. Description of Followers The followers of this path all have a strong hatred for the Tremere, which, in turn, feeds their hatred for other things Unnatural. All the followers of this path are Avengers of Diedne, and they are willing to utterly destroy any who get between them and their goal. Common Abilities: Brawl, Melee, Dodge, Firearms, Survival, Stealth, Herbalism Subterfuge, Alterness, Athletics, Intimidation, Animal Ken and Occult Preferred Disciplines: The Discipline of Nakyrae is, of course, almost intrinsic to this path. Also, the discipline of Animalism is highly respected, and the discipline of Protean is also respected, albeit to a lesser degree. The Thaumaturgic Path of Naturae's Touch is also preferred. Hierarchy of Sins 10 Not sacrificing yourself to destroy the Unnatural 9 Assisting others when it doesn't cause harm to the Unnatural 8 Not using allies to undermine the Unnatural 7 Failing to recognize the postion of the Kindred in the cycle of Life (ie using humans for anything else besides feeding) 6 Not discovering information regarding the Unnatural at any cost 5 Accepting defeat at the hands of the Unnatural 4 Not destroying those who desecrate Nature 3 Failing to ride the wave of Frenzy 2 Not destroying any Unnatural encountered 1 Wanton and Senseless destruction of Nature Note: The followers of this path possess, not surprisingly, the Sabbat virtues, and not those espoused by the Camarilla. Instead of Conscience, Self-Control and Courage, they possess Callousness, Instincts and Relentlessness (my own replacement for Morale, as Morale is purely Sabbat). These virtues function in the exact same way as the Sabbat virtues, with the exception of Relentlessness, which functions in the same way as Courage.