Dur-An-Ki

Dur-An-Ki ("Master of Heaven and Earth") or Assamite Sorcery (see below) is a form of blood magic practiced by Kindred of the Middle East and Africa, particularly the sorcerers of the Assamite clan and the Shango legacy of the Laibon. It is a very old form of magic, drawing from a huge variety of mortal religious traditions, and pre-dating Thaumaturgy, which it resembles in many ways.

Overview

Originally the main form of blood magic practised by all Kindred, Dur-An-Ki became lost to European vampires during the Dark Ages. It differs from Thaumaturgy mainly in that its practitioners, called ashipu, do not impose their will on the world through abstract symbols of power. Instead they call upon ancient covenants with spirits, commanding them to fulfil their desires, though this is a very different practice to the long-lasting pacts made with demons by practitioners of Dark Thaumaturgy.

Rather than the hermetic trappings of Thaumaturgy, Dur-An-Ki draws heavily on astrology, the use of amulets and talismans, and especially ecstatic practices. By entering into a trance, the ashipu ascends the "Ladder of Heaven" to meet ever more powerful spirits and gain more powerful magic. Assamite sorcerers usually use a drug called kalif for this purpose, but there are many other methods, including dancing, pain, meditation and artistic experession.

Dur-An-Ki vs Assamite Sorcery

Dur-An-Ki is a form of magic that originated in ancient Mesopotamia that Assamite Sorcerers have incorporated into their own practices. However it is not confined to Assamites (or indeed Kindred, as it grew out of a mortal magical tradition, though it's likely only mages would have had any success using it).

Some scholars refer to Assamite blood magic specifically as "Assamite Sorcery", either from ignorance (few western Kindred are familiar with the Shango or know of other ashipu besides the Assamites) or to deliberately distinguish it from the broader tradition of Dur-An-Ki. Assamites, however, refer to their magic as Dur-An-Ki and see no need to distinguish themselves from other practitioners.

Paths

Dur-An-Ki does not have a set primary path - note that the most detailed paths are unique to Dur-An-Ki:

Awakening the Steel^[1]

• Confer with the Blade: See events and informations that have transpired around a weapon.
• Grasp of the Mountain: Mystically enforce the grip on your weapon
• Pierce Steel's Skin: Direct your weapon to destroy any protective measures of the enemy
• Razor's Shield: Allows to parry projectiles
• Strike at the True Flesh: Bypass any supernatural protection in your attack

The Hunter's Winds^[2]

• Scent of Deception: Alters your scent
• Chameleon's Skin: Alter your skin and clothing to assume nearby coloring and texture
• Unassuming Pose: Blend in a crowd of people
• Whiff of Kalif: Appear physically intoxicating
• Ghost Body: Become invisible, inaudible and intangible

Covenant of Nergal^[3]

• Maskim's Touch: Cause symptoms of influenza in a target
• Breath of Ereshkigal: Breath upon a target, inflicting minor disease
• Nergal's Blessing: Lessen the symptoms of a pathogenic illness
• Nergal's Wrath: Inflict a disease of choice on a target
• Ill Wind: Spread a disease simply through your nearby presence

The Evil Eye^[4]

• Humiliation: Cause a victim to have bad luck in its next action
• Loss: Cause a victim to lose a valued piece of property
• Peril: Cause a victim to suffer a dangerous accident
• Enemy: Cause a victim to lose Allies
• The Eye That Wounds: Inflict damage on your target

Music of the Spheres^[5]

• Song of Mercury: Deaden emotions through music
• Song of Venus: Enhance affection through music
• Song of Mars: Enhance aggression through music
• Song of Jupiter: Allows to resist Presence and similar attempts of emotional control
• Song of Saturn: Inspire supernatural fear in an audience

Echoes of Allah's Wrath^[6]

• Curse of Lifeless Mien: Curse a mortal to appear sinister and withdrawn
• Curse of Heavenly Dolor: Curse a mortal to recoil from symbols of faith
• Curse of Unfettered Rage: Curse a mortal to experience a Frenzy
• Curse of Boundless Thirst: Curse a mortal to gain only substenance from blood
• Curse of Forbidden Sol: Curse a mortal to fear the sunlight like a vampire does

Whispers of the Heavens^[7]

• Map the Skies: Read the stars to determine your exact position
• Read the Heaven’s Plans: See an omen of the future
• Call Down the Hunter’s Moon: Determine the best course of action for specific undertaking
• Trace the Soul’s Favor: Divine important aspects from a person whose birth date is known
• Ripples on the Sea of Stars: See parts of the world from aerial perspective

Other Paths

As Dur-An-Ki shares magical roots with Thaumaturgy and many other magical practices, many of the common paths are available, though they are usually identified with a particular spirit or type of spirit, and called by a name which identifies that spirit. As with Akhu, in most cases these paths pre-date the Tremere versions. Thanks to many centuries of contact with other magic users, the ashipu may also know a few paths practised by other Middle-eastern traditions. Where names differ, the original path name is listed along with the reference.

• Life's Water: equivalent to the Path of Blood;
• Jinn's Gift: equivalent to the Path of Conjuring;
• Hand of the Magi: equivalent to the Lure of Flames;
• Covenant of Enki: equivalent to the Neptune's Might;
• Elemental Mastery: like the homonymous Path;
• Suleiman's Laws: equivalent to the Spirit Manipulation;
• Path of the Ailing Jackal: equivalent to the Path of the Father's Vengeance;
• Echo of Nirvana: equivalent to the Path of the Focused Mind;
• Movement of the Mind: like the homonymous Path;
• Hands of Destruction: like the homonymous Path;
• Weather Control: like the homonymous Path;
• Thaumaturgical Alchemy: like the homonymous Path;
• Path of the Blood's Curse: like the homonymous Path;
• Path of Duat: a Path that share similarities to Setite Sorcery;
• Path of Blood Nectar: like the homonymous Path;
• Path of Warding: like the homonymous Path;
• Path of the Levinbolt: like the homonymous Path;
• Gifts of Faith: like the homonymous path;
• Gifts of the Heart: like the homonymous path;
• Alchemy: like the homonymous path;

Additional powers - although it is still possible to them, students of Assamite Sorcery have great difficulty learning the practices of other blood magic traditions. All experience points costs to learn other blood magic paths and rituals are increased by half (round up) for Assamite sorcerers. In addition, even once the sorcerer has incorporated these lessons into her repertoire, they are still alien to her. All invocations of a “foreign” path require one extra blood point and all rituals take triple the normal time and require one extra success for any desired result.

Rituals

Main article: List of Dur-An-Ki Rituals)

Many Assamite rituals revolve around contact between the reclusive viziers and worldly assassins. The latter exchange vitae for magical services. Also, invoking rituals requires one to ingest at least one point of vitae from a vessel under the influence of kalif, or to actively inhale large quantities of the smoke itself and consciously move it through one's body by forcing blood to circulate.

References

^  Awakening the Steel

Awakening the Steel	Clanbook: Assamite Revised	Pg. 74-76
Awakening the Steel	Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition	Pg. 441-442

^  The Hunter's Winds

THe Hunter's Winds	Blood Magic: Secrets of Thaumaturgy	Pg. 123
The Hunter's Winds	Kindred of the Ebony Kingdom	Pg. 103-104
The Hunter's Winds	Rites of the Blood	Pg. 159-160

^  Covenant of Nergal

Covenant of Nergal

Blood Sacrifice: The Thaumaturgy Companion

Pg. 43-44

^  The Evil Eye

The Evil Eye	Blood Sacrifice: The Thaumaturgy Companion	Pg. 44-45
The Evil Eye	Kindred of the Ebony Kingdom	Pg. 102-103
Path of the Evil Eye	Rites of the Blood	Pg. 161-162

^  Music of the Spheres

Music of the Spheres

Blood Sacrifice: The Thaumaturgy Companion

Pg. 46

^  Echoes of Allah's Wrath

Echoes of Allah's Wrath

Road of Heaven

Pg. 70-72

^  Whispers of the Heavens

Whispers of the Heavens	Libellus Sanguinis III: Wolves at the Door	Pg. 68-70
Whispers of the Heavens	Players Guide to the Low Clans	Pg. 176-179

• VTM: Clanbook: Assamite Revised, p. 72 -76
• VTM: VTM: Blood Sacrifice: The Thaumaturgy Companion , chapter 2
• VTM: Kindred of the Ebony Kingdom, p. 102 -104
• DAV: Libellus Sanguinus 3: Wolves at the Door
• DAV: Road of Heaven (book)
• VTM: Sins of the Blood