Via Voluptarius, commonly called the Path of Pleasure, is a Path of Via Peccati found in Dark Ages: Vampire. It was founded by Aconia Messalina not long after the Via Peccati itself. Followers of Via Voluptarius are sometimes called Voluptuaries.
Overview[]
Those who follow the Path of Pleasure bring the more pleasant and hedonistic aspects of the Road of Sin to the forefront. High living in the form of vintage vitae, fine clothing, beautiful concubines, and sexual indulgence are all common for those who choose to follow Via Voluptarius. To indulge the vulgar, crass, and ordinary is to go against the ethics of this path.
Sinners who travel along the Path of Pleasure actually use these sensual things to control their Beast by giving it what it wants, and using the finest things in life to do so as a way to secure this sacrament. Feelings such as shame, modesty, moderation, or morality are surefire ways to rouse the Beast to anger, and thus those who follow the Path of Pleasure tend to seclude themselves from the real world as much as possible. In spite of their reclusive nature, most Voluptuaries have a role in Cainite society as procurers of the rare, taboo, and pleasurable.
Hierarchy of Sins[]
| Via Voluptarius ("Path of Pleasure") | ||
| Rating | Moral Guideline | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Feeling shame for any reason. | Shame is a thing imposed by the disapproval of others; you exist only to please yourself. |
| 9 | Failing to indulge a new desire. | No pleasure should be denied to you |
| 8 | Failing to ride the wave of a Frenzy. | Self-denial strengthens the beast |
| 7 | Any display of modesty. | Modesty, like shame, is a morality imposed from without; reject it |
| 6 | Associating with those who bring you no pleasure. | The graceless and vulgar drain the joy from unlife and rouse the Beast's irritation |
| 5 | Turning down a chance for material gain. | Your own needs outweigh all others |
| 4 | Acting against your own self interests. | Nothing is to be gained from self-sacrifice |
| 3 | Refusing to kill when it serves your interests. | No life is more important than your own |
| 2 | Refusing to feed when the opportunity arises. | Do not refuse your greatest need and greatest pleasure |
| 1 | Encouraging virtue or the agents of virtue. | Virtue is a lie, and its followers are agents of self-denial |
References[]
- DAV: Road of Sin, p. 46, 66