Path of Night

Path of Night
Nickname	Nihilists
Faction	Lasombra
Bearing	Darkness
Virtues	Hot: Conviction, Instinct Cold: Conviction, Self-Control Lightless: Conviction, Self-Control Allied Night, Righteous: Conviction, either Instinct or Self-Control

The Path of Night, sometimes called the Path of the Allied Night, is a Path of Enlightenment that preaches acceptance of Caine's curse and of the Beast. Cainites must harness their powers to serve the ordained purpose of vampirism – wreaking havoc upon the mortals and inspire dread – and thereby find salvation.

Adherents are called Nihilists.

Overview

Those vampires who follow the Path of Night wholly accept their damnation; indeed, they believe that, as vampires, it is their preordained role to act as agents of damnation. Unlife is nothing without pain, and misery enjoys company. This Path is practiced largely by Kindred of Clan Lasombra, who gladly mortify their own souls in the interests of bringing atrocity to the world.

The Path of Night borrows heavily from Catholic dogma, though it concerns itself more with abandonment and damnation than redemption. The vampire's purpose in unlife, according to this Path, is to scourge the Earth, to act as an agent of evil and, thus, ultimately to do the bidding of the greater powers that dictate good and evil alike. No one lives without original sin, and those who follow this Path are beholden to expose and exacerbate that sin. Life and unlife are varying states of damnation; those who fail to realize their full potential are lost sheep, suitable only for slaughter. This is one of the most terrible Paths in existence, as it concerns itself with the outright and intentional discomfort of others. Its followers are more than mere bullies and sadists, however, in that they are sincere in their beliefs. One who receives the curse of Caine is bound by fate and duty to wreak vengeance upon the Children of Seth. In so doing, vampires on this Path hope that, by fulfilling the roles meant for them, they can transcend those roles and find ultimate peace. This final goal aside, though, the Path of Night is a Path of hostility and antagonism, and the company of those who follow it is extremely hard to abide.

The Path has existed since antiquity in one form or the other; so he has many variations within its fold. Among them are the Hot Path of the Night, which is detailed below, the Cold Path of Night, which uses Self-Control rather than instinct and is more introspective, the Lightless Path of the Night, which focuses more on the darkness under the command of the vampire and has some resemblance to the ancient Road of the Abyss, the Path of the Allied Night, which has a stronger focus on the Clan as a whole, and the Righteous Path of Night, which has a more devout and Catholic undertone.

Ethics

• Leave no being untouched by your taint
• Tempt and horrify those around you; the weak will fall, while the strong will be tempered by your testing of them
• Inspire others to accept their inner darkness
• Experience every sensation imaginable and then some
• Death is a means, not an end
• Kindred, as souls damned by God, fulfill their purpose by preying upon mortals

Hierarchy of Sins

Path of Night
Rating	Moral Guideline	Rationale
10	Killing a mortal for food.	Dead mortals feel no dread.
9	Acting in the interests of another.	Gehenna is nigh – there is no time to fulfill petty agendas.
8	Failing to be innovative in one's depredations.	God has made Kindred horrors, not murderers.
7	Asking aid of another.	Those who cannot provide for themselves fulfill their ends poorly.
6	Accidental killing.	Make death a tool. Kill selectively and learn from the victims' passing.
5	Bowing to another Kindred's will.	The games of the Jyhad are diversions from the Damned's true purpose.
4	Intentional or impassioned killing.	Death serves no one; it merely deprives one of a victim.
3	Aiding another.	Compassion has no place in a vampire's undead heart.
2	Accepting the superiority of another.	All Kindred are equal under God's plan.
1	Repenting one's Behavior.	The Kindred's purpose is to cause repentance, not to practice it.

Gallery

The Path of Night VTES card. Art by Richard Thomas

References

• VTM: Vampire: The Masquerade Rulebook Revised, p. 291-292
• VTM: Clanbook: Lasombra Revised, p. 67-68
• VTM: Chaining the Beast, p. 69-74