Path of Lilith

Path of Lilith
Nickname	Lilins, Bahari
Faction	Tal'Mahe'Ra, also found in the Sabbat
Bearing	Tribulation
Virtues	Conviction, Instinct

The Path of Lilith is an ancient Path of Enlightenment that has its roots in various Bahari cults. It suppresses the Beast by pursuing the secrets of Lilith and by rejoicing in pain and ecstasy.

The Path originated in the far older Road of Lilith. The Path of Awakening and the Path of Flesh are side-branches of the original Path.

Adherents are called Lilins or Bahari.

Overview

Central to the Path is the mythical figure of Lilith. The legends among the Bahari tell how she was betrayed by men, first by God, then by Adam, by Lucifer and Caine, and of the strange monsters she birthed to plague the world. They tell of mighty kingdoms her children erected to rival those made by the children of Seth and how they warred with the inhabitants of Enoch. It is said that three of Lilith's descendants entered the First City to receive the Embrace and that they eventually led the rebellion against the Second Generation. When the Deluge destroyed the first mortal civilizations, these Lilins further spread their teachings to convert the childer of Caine into the service of the Dark Mother.

No two versions of a holy text among the Lilins are the same. The only thing all agree upon is that Lilith is the Dark Mother of Wisdom and Power and that her knowledge comes at a price paid in pain. Suffering and pain are seen as the gateway to enlightenment, just as Lilith first suffered in order to understand and to grow beyond her limits. Like a parent disciplining an errant child, Lilith passes on a legacy of pain that teaches, and so the Lilins seek to overcome the weaknesses of their blind, helpless births, ascending to understanding and power. By walking in fire, impaling themselves on thorns and blades, suffering deprivation, and plunging into icy water, the Lilins excite their bodies and minds to true sensation, and open their consciousness to the entirety of the world. From the dizzying heights of comprehension, at the needlepoint of pain, they learn the true measure of creation, that they may take the formless stuff of the world and cast it in a new image. Enlightenment must burn and tear away illusions and flaws.

Among the Sabbat, this path is regarded as heretical (as they disregard the supremacy of Caine and the Book of Nod) and its followers are hunted by the Sabbat Inquisition.

Ethics

• Only through pain are we elevated
• Be a teacher, torturer and lover to any who seek enlightenment
• Practice what you learn. Wisdom is meaningless unless it accompanies action
• Cultivate a garden, that you may show the power of your own creation
• Seek out those on the border of awareness and initiate them
• Gather with your fellow students to share your learning and anguish

Hierarchy of Sins

Path of Lilith
Rating	Moral Guideline	Rationale
10	Feeding immediately when hungry.	Deprivation and hunger taught Lilith to survive.
9	Seeking wealth or temporal power.	True wealth comes from inside, not from money or influence.
8	Not correcting the false myths of Caine.	Caine was a murderer, traitor, and fool who deserves no reverence.
7	Feeling remorse.	Pain and suffering help others to learn and grow.
6	Failing to participate in a ritual.	The rituals handed down through time contain clues to awakening.
5	Showing fear in the face of death and pain.	Death is simply an inevitable change to a new form of existence.
4	Killing.	Death denies one the chance to transcend.
3	Not seeking out the teachings of Lilith.	Lilith hid her works in many places; they must be found.
2	Failing to dispense pain and anguish.	Be a teacher through the pain.
1	Shunning pain.	Only through pain are we reborn. To shun pain is to embrace ignorance.

Gallery

The Path of Lilith VTES card. Art by Shane Coppage

References

• VTM: Dirty Secrets of the Black Hand, p. 64-65
• VTM: Guide to the Sabbat, p. 141-144
• VTM: Chaining the Beast, p. 61-65
• V20: Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition, p. 329-331