Eremites

The Eremites know, vampires are, by necessity, social creatures. Therefore, the Kindred known as stylites, who extol the virtues of isolation and starvation, are one of the strangest, most troubling Golconda cults in existence.

It’s a rare Eremite who isolates themselves, but bringing isolation, and therefore enlightenment, to others? That’s where these Golconda seekers specialize.

Overview

Adherents of this religion consider themselves beyond such trivialities as names and labels, but when they must use identifiers, they refer to each other as Eremites. The few vampires who know of them call the cultists stylites, and they rarely find this epithet offensive.

The original stylites were mortal ascetics who ascended tall pillars and lived on top of them until their deaths. The famous ones in the first century CE were Christians, but evidence suggests pagan holy people also practiced this form of isolation.

Few Eremites reside on columns, pillars, or poles. It's not practical for a vampire to do so in most cases, due to their inevitable exposure to the sun and frankly painful solitude. Yakushev Tomas Nikitovich of Clan Toreador had a column erected in an underground cave and, according to his acolytes, remained upon it for 325 years, after which he climbed down, having supposedly rid himself of the curse of vampirism.

The Tzimisce Lisette Lundgren climbed her column every night at sunset, returning to a small chamber built beneath it for her daysleep. She also claimed to have achieved Golconda. How the two went about feeding during these periods of meditative isolation is unknown unless they placed themselves into torpor once atop their perches and found ways of extracting themselves from that state when necessary.

Poles aside, most Eremites believe in the merits of total isolation, whether in a cave, on a mountain, or deep in the desert. Isolation, they teach, focuses the mind, body, and spirit on the task of overcoming the Beast. But they're not interested in doing this to themselves. Most of them have already experienced this state, apparently gleaned something from it, and now visit it on others.

When the cult deems someone ready to become an acolyte, they convince, lure, or kidnap their victim away from the safety of their haven and community trappings, isolating them in some remote area. There, it's up to the new acolyte to practice the art of physical perfection, bringing herself to a peak of fitness and beauty while feeding as little as possible. Combined with the fear of isolation and distance from home comforts, it's a difficult balance. Some acolytes, willing or not, ally themselves with locals (if there are any) from whom they can feed in exchange for protection from whatever dangers might exist in the area, whether this be other humans, wild beasts, or something else. Others sustain themselves from domesticated animals.

Occasionally, an older vampire who wishes to follow this path or is taken and forced to follow the cult's course (typically through being physically restrained at the bottom of a cave, sewer, or well, or atop one of the cult's popular elevated platforms), enters torpor with the intention of re-awakening with the ability to satisfy their thirst from beasts alone. It rarely works, as often, the vampire will have forgotten their intent upon awakening and can prove very resentful of any who try to remind them. Isolation can only stretch so far. Eventually, the Beast roars and the Hunger grows uncontrollable. There comes a moment of readiness in which the Eremites observing the acolyte agree to allow their new cultist to descend upon a community as far from her site of isolation as possible, drink what's necessary, and drag mortals back for extended consumption as the isolation begins anew.

The main cult body, in this case, appears to be one of kidnappers and gurus who don't practice but do preach. Therefore, the questions some Kindred ask are:

“What's learned from holding captive Kindred in extended periods of solitude and torment?”

“Does it truly help a vampire to volunteer for such a practice?”

The Eremites claim the benefits are uninhibited study of the Kindred condition and the lengths to which focus and constitution can be extended. The jury is, however, out on whether these so-called benefits extend beyond words.

Culture

Converted Eremites share a belief concerning the nature of vampirism. When a sufficient number of Eremites have denied themselves ready access to blood, the corruptive influence of fellow vampires, and have exercised Disciplines only to survive—rather than for self-aggrandizement or profit—they believe the entire puzzle of Golconda will snap together. The gurus think they’re close to the end of their path.

When a being becomes a vampire, they enter a relationship with their Beast. Every vampire, whether they know it or not, is in a constant, mortal battle with their Beast. The Beast wants to take them over and drive them to wassail. It’s the Beast who suffers the Hunger. It’s the Beast who drives vampires to the Eternal Struggle. It’s the Beast who fuels their will to power.

The stylites are not so naive as to deny that mortals can also be driven by wicked urges, but mortals have no Beast to punish them if they resist temptation. Or if, as some argue, they do have some kind of beast, it’s a much weaker, less visceral monstrosity than the Beast of a vampire.

By starving the Beast, they weaken it. Eremites believe they can achieve Golconda by finally killing it. There are two schools of thought among them about what Golconda means.

The majority believe it means a return to mortal life at the age of one’s original Embrace, though most realize this carries its own problems.

Others believe it means a return to one’s mortal life at their current age, which, in most cases, coincides with Final Death.

Final Death upon achieving Golconda, however, is seen as a possible ascent to heaven, attainment of nirvana, or whatever post-mortem fate the individual Eremite believes in.

Starving the Beast requires keeping a delicate balance. An Eremite who denies the Hunger too harshly sometimes loses control and enters a Hunger frenzy, often damaging one or more of their supporters and any acolytes who happen to be in range.

Following such a lapse, the Eremite enters a period of shame, contrition, and profound meditation. This may lead to her returning to existence as an acolyte, engaging in self-flagellation, or undertaking other forms of self-punishment.

Every stylite insists on a very real difference between beasts and the Beast. Many stylites, particularly Gangrel, feel strong ties to the natural world. Many gain sustenance from beasts of the field and forest, and some have animal companions.

Eremite Convictions

The Eremites are independent souls and, as such, do not form a common consensus on many matters. They do, however, agree on three main points, which are sufficient for them to consider themselves a religion, even if they are not highly organized.

• Never feed more than is necessary. Many Eremites describe this as “becoming lighter.” They train themselves to manage on less and less vitae, believing this enables them to control the Hunger.
• Never succumb to the allure of wealth. Stylites believe the presence of worldly delights and material goods feeds the desires of the Beast. If a being remains in contact with anything that provokes desire, their desires persist and keep them from Golconda.
• Always deny the Beast’s desires. Starved of all its desires, the Beast becomes quiescent. The vampire becomes free of its tyranny and thus reaches Golconda.

Organization

The Eremites do not have any formal organization between converts or captives, as it would go against their ethos of isolation and rugged individualism.

However, many Eremites who travel are aware of each other based on what they hear from city-dwelling Kindred rumor mills. Eremite gurus communicate their findings with each other and pass this knowledge on to retainers, sometimes ghouls, who are expected to make abstract, coded recordings of the degeneration or enlightenment of isolated vampires.

There are anywhere between a half dozen and twenty of these written accounts floating between Eremite gurus, and the issue with their encrypted nature is that not all gurus can understand them.

Many of this faith are of Clan Gangrel, as their combination of Disciplines assists greatly in the cult’s way of unlife. No clan, however, is precluded from joining.

A stylite Mawla favors acolytes with the Disciplines needed or arranges for another to do so if she cannot herself. Since most Brujah abandoned the Camarilla, several have entered states of solitude, and more than a few Nosferatu followed suit, leading the Eremites to target such Kindred for conversion, whether they want it or not.

Stages of Enlightenment

Although the Eremites lack a formal hierarchy, most recognize stages of enlightenment through which the vampire will pass on their path to Golconda, which they maintain can only be found at the end of a pole… or at least, reached through sufficient isolation to provoke an awakening.

• Supporters. Any creature may lend aid to an Eremite. Supporters comprise animals, mortals, and even other vampires who help the Eremite in their nightly existence, with kidnappings, procurement of food, or the furnishing of a “retreat” for Kindred in need of isolation. Supporters may express an interest in the beliefs of the stylites but not be sufficiently convinced to become an acolyte. An Eremite sometimes finds a Touchstone among their mortal supporters.
• Acolytes. Acolytes possess sufficient conviction to gain acceptance and follow the cult path or are selected for conversion by an Eremite who’s already been through the process. All acolytes gain a Mawla in the cult. Acolytes are full members of the faith — even if they resist — and have the respect of all Eremites, as it is they who will go on to ensure the faith is properly represented in vampiric society.
• Gurus. When the acolyte is ready, she returns from the wilderness. Readiness is subjective, however, with some Mawlas declaring their acolytes not nearly exposed enough to hardship or not enlightened sufficiently, while others take a lighter touch. Acolytes who become gurus are vampires who genuinely believe they’ve glimpsed the state of Golconda and feel they can now pass this teaching on to others. Gurus surround themselves with devoted mortals and lost Kindred in need of mentors and reassurance, providing dribbles of wisdom in exchange for service. The cult’s gurus are its retainers of Golconda’s mysteries. While a cynical Kindred may look at them as archetypal cult leaders, what cannot be denied is how some Eremite gurus seem to go months without feeding. They must be doing something right.

References

VTM: Forbidden Religions, p. 41-46