Chaining the Beast is a sourcebook for Vampire: The Masquerade. It details numerous Paths of Enlightenment, their guidelines, and those Kindred who use them.
Summary[]
From the White Wolf catalog:
- Does a Vampire Have a Soul?
- Not all Kindred follow the sacred Path of Humanity. Some forsake their mortal ethics, giving themselves wholly over to the vampire condition. Others abandon the moral struggle altogether – and find themselves in the throes of Frenzy. How can the race of Caine steel itself against its murderous impulses?
- But For How Long?
- By popular demand, Chaining the Beast explores the Paths of Enlightenment in detail, from the Hierarchies of Sin to the myriad nightly concerns of a vampire who upholds them. A resource for those seeking to explore the alien mindset of the undead, this book sheds light on the dark corners of the Kindred psyche.
Contents[]
Prologue: The End of Innocence[]
A follower of the Path of Night fulfills the demands of his path over the night.
Introduction[]
A short exposition of the themes of the book, along with the disclaimer for the morally confused.
- Source Materials
- Ronin (Film)
- The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant by Steven R. Donaldson
- Schindler's List (Film)
- Blade Runner (Film)
- The Elric Series by Michael Moorcock
- The Amber series by Michael Moorcock
- Apocalypse Now (Film)
- The Godfather (Film)
- Time Enough for Love, et al, Robert Heinlein
Chapter One: The Right Road Lost[]
Details about the modern Paths of Enlightenment as well as the origin of them.
Chapter Two: Rigors of the Way[]
Details the degeneration process on how a vampire forsakes Humanity and adopts a Path.
Chapter Three: Paths of Enlightenment[]
Details around twenty Paths of Enlightenment.
Chapter Four: Knowing the Way[]
Advice for storytellers on how to handle Paths and avoid slipping into the Path of What I Was Going To Do Anyway territory.
Appendix: Fellow Travelers[]
A short list of prominent followers on the Paths.
Background Information[]
- Ads at the back of the book include: Dark Ages Book List, The Succubus Club: Dead Man's Party, Vampire Player's Guide and Lair of the Hidden.
- Special Thanks is made to Wil Flachsbart, Ellen Kiley and the Meatnog Gang.
Memorable Quotes[]
(...)
Characters[]
- Anibal Gutierrez - Human
- Ur-Shulgi
- Sascha Vykos
- Fabrizia Conteraz
- Dr. Douglas Netchurch
- Trimeggian
- Anisa Marianna Lopez
- Azrael
- Klaus Konrecht - Vampire, Teutonic Knight
- Yasamhain - Gangrel, Leader of the Silent Rose
- Lord Aaron Wesley Wilkshire
- Brahmaparush - Ravnos
- Gayal
- Lord Marcus
- Enoch, "Metatron"
- Father Ignace - Sabbat
- Louis Levasseur - Toreador Antitribu
- Marianne Jibrac - Toreador Antitribu
- Nepthu-Ka - Typhonite Setite
- The Black Scorpion - Typhonite Setite
- Lowly Saatha
- Jason Lustrius - Typhonite Setite
- Sobek
- Kupala
- Rathmonicus
- Nehemiah
- Suleiman ibn Abdullah
- Fergus Alexander
- William Luft - Fergus' Sire
- Frederick Van Tongeren - Ventrue
- Célèste
- Paul Forrest
- Ganesh - Paul's Sire
- Mike Goran - Paul's Boss
- Justine Chen
- Monique Kim - Justine's Sire
- Chen Yi - Justine Chen's Father, Human, Died
- Lady Zara Slatikov
- Razkoljna - Zara's Sire
- Yorak
- Radu Bistri
- Virginie
- Alison - Virginie's Sire
- Father Juan Carlos
- DeSalle - Juan's Sire
- Valerius Maior
- Varro - Past Infernalist Hermetic Cult of Mercury, Mage
- George Hammond - Tremere Pontifex of London
Terminology[]
Abyss, Acadiens (Sabbat Pack), Arikel's Tribe, Bleeding Hearts Pack (Sabbat Pack), The Blood Diaries (Text), Book of the Empty Heart (Text), Book of Nod, Chykas, Decani, Derangement, The Divine Tide, Dukes of Malfeas, Encyclopedia Haemovoria by Trimeggian, Encyclopedia Vampirica by Douglas Netchurch, Guarded Rubrics (Bahari Text), Hierarchy of Sins, High Mass, Inferno (Realm), Jocastatians, Lexia Tenebrus by Lord Marcus (Text, "The Shadow Maxims"), Mnemosyne, Noddist Covens: Librarians, Las Hermanitas de Zila; Paths of Enlightenment: Path of the Beast (Road of the Beast, Bestialis), Path of Blood, Path of Bones (Road of Bones), Path of Caine, Path of Cathari (Road of Sin, Path of Sin, Via Peccati), Path of Death and the Soul, Path of the Feral Heart, Path of Harmony, Path of Honorable Accord: The Code of Milan; Path of Lilith (Bahari, Lilin): Path of Awakening, Path of Flesh; Path of Metamorphosis, Path of Night (The Devil's Road): The World Maggots, The Black Angels; Path of Orion, Path of Paradox (Mayaparisataya Dharma): Zapathustra's Children, Dakini, Brahmanists, The Saints, The Saddhu; Path of Power and the Inner Voice, Path of Redemption (Road of Heaven, Via Caeli): The Shepherds of Caine, The Scholars, Order of Ste. Joan; Path of Revelations (Path of the Devil, Via Peccati), Path of Typhon (Cult of Typhon): The Abd'al-Sobek; Minor Paths: Path of Entelechy, Path of the Hive, Path of the Scorched Heart, Path of Self-Focus, Sharia El-Sama (Tariq El-Sama, Road of Heaven); The Phrygian Codex (Text), Revelations of the Dark Mother, The Sainting, The Silent Rose (Lilin Coven), The Thousand Nights of Sutekh (Text), Widows (Sabbat Pack), Yama Kings,
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