Path of Tears

Name:	Via Dolorosa
Translation:	Path of Tears
Parent Road:	Via Caeli
Virtues:	Conscience, Self-Control

Via Dolorosa, otherwise known as The Path of Tears, is a Path of the Via Caeli found in Dark Ages: Vampire. Its adherents are dubbed Martyrs.

Overview

The last of the commonly followed branches of the Road of Heaven is the Path of Tears, also called Via Dolorosa or Tariq el-Alaam. Adherents of this unique ideology believe that the duties imposed upon them by the Curse include both suffering and smiting evil, most notably in the form of Baali and those whom they would serve. Unlike those on the Path of Retribution, however, the Martyrs do not feel that they are the scourge of the wicked among the kine, and indeed feel themselves inferior to the Children of Seth. Instead, they believe it is the burden of the Noddist to disrupt the plans of the Adversary on Earth by any means necessary, up to and including the sacrifice of their own unlives.

The path has its origins with a group of Salubri who took its tenets to extreme degrees by inviting demonic possession. They would make pacts with infernal forces, thereby linking their souls with that of the enemy, and would then end their own unlives, taking the demonic entities down with them. Although this practice has all but disappeared among the Salubri (and it was never really popular among non-Salubri Marytyrs), the Path's numbers have grown. Most of the current Martyrs hail from the ranks of the Ashirra (especially those Assamites who survived or studied Baali Wars). In addition, the path has recently gained a new life and status following the valiant efforts of the Lioness of Jerusalem, whom many Martyrs look on as the one to lead them into the future.

Ethics

• It is the duty of the Martyr to suffer so that others might not.

• The tide of corruption brought forth by demons and other Cainites must be stemmed.

• Aid must be offered to those in pain, and protection to those who suffer evil's scourge.

Hierarchy of Sins
Rating	Moral Guideline	Rationale
10	Neglecting your duty in any way.	Only by fulfilling God's plan can redemption be found.
9	Showing cowardice in the face of evil.	Your penance is to face down the forces of darkness, even if it means your destruction.
8	Acting out of pride or some other sinful impulse.	Sin is the road to the Beast.
7	Theft, robbery, willful vandalism.	Martyrs must lead by example.
6	Causing harm to a pious and virtuous person.	God sees all and punishes such sins.
5	Feeding from an innocent without permission.	Your curse is to suffer, but for those whom God sends to sustain you.
4	Blasphemous or heretical acts.	Denial of God leads only to damnation.
3	Allowing a crime or major sin to go unpunished.	All who sin do the work of the Devil.
2	The murder of innocents.	Destroy only evil in God's name.
1	Aiding a demon or other agent of evil.	It is your duty and curse to battle against such forces.

References

Road of Heaven (book), p.55, 67