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Name: Path of Paradox
Nickname: Shilmulo
Faction: Ravnos
Bearing: Confidence
Virtues: Conviction, Instinct

The western Path of Paradox is a Path of Enlightenment that existed since the Roman Empire among the Ravnos who traveled from India to Europe. During the centuries of division from their eastern brethren, the path changed drastically, until only few elements of the original Path remained. The ideology now focuses on understanding the truth behind weig.

Eastern Ravnos (and many other Kindred) view this branch as heretical and a mere excuse for theft, diablerie, and other crimes against society. Many attempts to purge this Path were initiated, but up to this date, some of the western Ravnos (and particularly annoying Malkavians) still cling to this Path.

Overview

This variant of the Path of Paradox teaches that all existence is fluid and malleable. Nothing is permanent or real. The universe is an ever-shifting vortex, and all in it is composed of variable amounts of ethereal matter. This matter is referred to as "weig" by those on this Path. Eons ago, however, a great blasphemy was committed. Twelve beings who were momentarily filled with great amounts of weig decided to retain that weig instead of spewing it into the void when the time came.

These beings then began to suck in even more weig – enough to allow them power, and mold the surrounding chaos to their will. These 12 beings became the vampire Antediluvians, and proceeded to sculpt reality into a fixed shape that would enable them to retain their weig, and thus their power. Because even they could not entirely resist the universe's call to release their weig, the Antediluvians periodically exuded small amounts of their weig, molding them into their own images. Thus were other vampires created. Just as their progenitors blasphemously consume the universe's weig, so do vampires consume earth's stuff of life, blood. Of course, the Antediluvians plan to reabsorb their weig in due time.

On this night – the night of Gehenna, or the Flux – the 12 Antediluvians, acting in concert and devouring the power of their children, plan to shape the universe permanently into the gray and stagnant mausoleum-realm that is their ideal. But the Antediluvians' abomination did not go unnoticed. A vortex-being, given momentary sentience by a random fluctuation in the weig, decided to fight the newly created Antediluvians on their own terms. This being retained its own weig, gaining sufficient power in the process to battle the Antediluvians – indeed, to become as they. This being sired the Ravnos clan to assist it, and became the 13th Antediluvian, though only the followers of this Path know that this "Antediluvian" exists only to disrupt the others' plans.

As a result, the western Ravnos see it as their duty to disrupt social norms and change others' perception of what they perceive to be reality, all to devour and destroy the creations of the Antediluvians. Their favorite methods for so doing are through trickery and theft. Ultimately, however, the weig must be released into the vortex. Ravnos who are advanced students of this Path actively seek to do so. They seek out items that retain weig – "magic" items, Lupine fetishes, and the like – and destroy them. The most powerful members of this Path seek out vampires with great amounts of weig – of low generation – and do likewise.

Ethics

  • Reality is what one makes it
  • Free all weig into the vortex
  • Existence is a lie, produced by the dark dreams of the Antediluvians
  • The farther one is from the Antediluvians, the less real one is
  • Alter reality as much as possible, for Gehenna drives nearer every night
  • Always prank those who serve the Antediluvians, particularly their childer

Hierarchy of Sins

Western Path of Paradox
Rating Moral Guideline Rationale
10 Refusing to commit diablerie on the elder of another clan. Elders of other Clans have great power. Take it as your own.
9 Refusing to lead a "locked" being into the light – or into destruction. Some Cainites can be shown the way. Reach out to them if possible.
8 Showing any concerns for mortals. Mortals create laws to restrain us.
7 Failing to gratify your desire. The vampiric form grants us hunger and desires to know what experiences to seek out. To avoid them is to truly die.
6 Failing to trick others when the opportunity arises. The Embrace frees us to indulge our whims. To deny those whims is to deny yourself.
5 Being caught altering another's reality via the select redistribution of possessions (known among the vulgar as stealing). Both mortals and Cainites frown upon our activities. Do not allow them to see us or act on that knowledge.
4 Refusing to release the weig of an empowered device or use it to your own advantage. Greater power is greater freedom.
3 Joining a sect or otherwise stabilizing society. Society limits action and denies us our needs.
2 Actively hindering change; Allowing others to know one's motives. What others know, they can understand and use against you. Support change, so that the balance of knowledge is in your favor.
1 Actively inducing boredom; Accepting the Blood Bond. To submit to others prospects is to cease to be an individual and to become the extension of another's will.

References


Vampire: The Masquerade Paths
Sabbat Paths Path of Caine · Path of Cathari · Path of Death and the Soul · Path of Honorable Accord · Path of Metamorphosis · Path of Night · Path of Orion · Path of Power and the Inner Voice · Path of Redemption (Nocturnal variant) · Path of the Beast (Feral Heart variant/Harmony variant) · Path of the Sun
Setite Paths Path of Ecstasy · Path of Sutekh · Path of the Warrior · Path of Typhon
Ravnos Paths Path of Paradox (Mayaparisatya · Saṃsāra · Weig)
Tal'Mahe'Ra Paths Path of Lilith · Path of the Scorched Heart · Path of Self-Focus
Other Paths Sharia El-Sama · Path of Blood · Path of Bones · Path of Entelechy · Path of Evil Revelations · Path of the Hive · Path of Asakku
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