Golconda (VTM)

Golconda is a mystical state of enlightenment where a vampire is no longer subject to The Beast, or alternatively the Beast and human aspects of a vampire are in balance.

In Game History
Golconda was promised to Caine by God after he was cursed by the Angels. Although Caine never achieved Golconda, the way to Golconda was discovered by Saulot, who achieved this state after traveling to the East.

After achieving Enlightenment, which resulted in a Third Eye in the middle of his forehead, Saulot preached Golconda and taught the path to his Clan, the Salubri. From this time onward, Golconda and the Salubri were closely linked, with many Salubri (such as Mokur) becoming teachers on the path to Golconda.

After the Diablerie Of Saulot by Tremere, the Salubri were driven into hiding and much Golconda lore was lost in the process. Since that time, Golconda has largely been treated as a myth.

Process
As a mystical state, how Golconda is achieved is somewhat vague, however a rough outline of events has been developed in the Vampire supplements (notably Chaining The Beast).

To start a quest for Golconda, a character must find out about Golconda, as the topic is not that commonly discussed in the Camarilla (and not discussed by the Sabbat). Golconda lore is rare, and like most things, can be used to trap an unwary vampire. Inconnu are generally assumed to be the experts on Golconda (as they're assumed to be just about everything else), but Inconnu are notoriously hard to find. From this point on, the character presumably has a guru to guide him.

Following this, the vampire must regain humanity and feel remorse. Mechanically, this is expressed by keeping humanity above 7 and by spending willpower to avoid frenzy under all circumstances. During this time, the Vampire makes amends for his crimes as extensively as he can. Canonically, a character cannot achieve or stay in Golconda unless his humanity remains at at least 7, and Paths Of Enlightenment don't count.

At this point, the character is guided through a suspire, which is a vision quest of some kind where the character deals with his state as a vampire. The suspire is a test, which the character may fail. If the character passes his suspire, then he achieves Golconda. If he fails, he will never achieve Golconda. Characters who fail their suspire are likely to Wassail.

Benefits
Golconda is only vaguely defined in the Vampire rules, and it is generally left up to Storyteller interpretation. Golconda is generally recommended as the focus or apex of a Chronicle, rather than an interim goal.

If Golconda is achieved, several suggested benefits are outlined in the rulebooks. The most common ones are a lack of Frenzy (characters in Golconda do not frenzy at all), reduced blood consumption (down to a point a week) and the ability to learn Disciplines without generation limits. Other options include returning to humanity and leaving behind vampirism entirely.

Assuming that a character is still a vampire, the benefits of Golconda are rescinded if humanity drops below 7.

Out Of Game History
Golconda is arguably the messiest concept in Vampire, and has gone through several large revisions as the game developed. In 1st Edition Vampire, Golconda was portrayed as an unadulterated good, and relatively easy to achieve. Chicago By Night has at least two characters in Golconda, one of whom achieved it in less than a century; A World Of Darkness had something akin to a formal Golconda training school at Huneadora Castle and the Children Of Osiris approach to enlightenment is negatively compared to Golconda.

This changes with the second and third editions, where Golconda becomes both progressively rarer and darker. in Revised, the exact state of Golconda is left up to Storyteller interpretation, with strong suggestions that a vampire in Golconda is not necessarily a nice vampire. Concurrent with this change are characters such as Rebekah falling out of Golconda and other characters such as Mahatma searching for Golconda for millennia without success.