Sunburners, also known as Heliophiles, is a group of Sabbat Thin-blooded active in the Gehenna War. Nearly all of them practice Thin-Blood Alchemy and follow the Path of the Sun.
History[]
As the Gehenna War roils Kindred societies across the planet, the Black Hand brings in more thin-bloods than ever before. These Chameleons accept their place as neither mortal nor vampire, exalting themselves above either. Who else can say that they no longer bear the sins of Caine's traitorous grandchilder? The Sabbat reject the concept of clan itself, but its thin-blooded embody that rejection in a way that their superiors do not. When they walk in the daylight and the Sun scorches their flesh with horrific third-degree burns, they relish the pain. It is pure, it is holy, it is a sign that they are heralds of the Time of Thin-Blood. They call themselves Heliophiles and they claim to walk the Path of the Sun. When the're not calling them fucking lunatics, masochistic freaks, or the target, the Kindred of the Camarilla and Anarchs sometimes call them Sunburners.
Description[]
Sunburners make up a new religious movement within the Sabbat, and their faith and fervor are often stronger than more established packs. The brief unlifespans of most Cainite thin-bloods encourage this; the Heliophiles already have many honored martyrs. Like all their sects, they believe that mortals exist as prey. They got the golden ticket, the chance to experience an undying existence of fun and feasts. However, they look upon their true Kindred brethren with an emotion somewhere between pity and disgust. They're honored packmates and everyone belongs in the Sword of Caine, of course. Still, the curses Caine bestowed upon the wretched Third Generation run through them, and they flee from the morning light. If only the true vampires were as fortunate as they were. The Heliophiles wear their burns as a badge of honor. The worse the burn, the clearer it is that the Sunburner faced that which shunned Caine himself and lived. Some reject daysleep, declaring that rest is only for weak mortals and those still subject to the Antediluvian's hold.
Seemingly all practice Thin-Blood Alchemy, which serves as their highest form of worship. Alchemy is an act of transformation, the same one that turned them from a herd animal into a predator. Formulae among the Sunburners are collective efforts, shared among their large packs. They focus on emphasizing their unlife between the living and the true vampires. Their favorite elixirs provide symbiosis with the Sun, weaponize its rays against their enemies, and invoke the sacred ecstasies of Frenzy in friend and foe alike.
Sunburners infiltrate almost every redworking scene in cities with an even somewhat active Sabbat movement, or in the next city down the road. Their new, unfamiliar faith passes as "just another creepy blood cult" in many cities and their formulae fascinate all but the most paranoid alchemist. It's only when the Heliophiles' pack surrounds the alchemist in her haven, ready to share with her the truth about her true place in the eyes of Caine, that she might realize the danger she's in. Or maybe she vanishes that night and reappears months later, half-burnt, riding with them across the countryside to the next city on the road.
True believers, ecstatic, unsettling. Or, feverish, desperate, searching for meaning and recognition. Pain is the real unifier of the Sunburners: Their shared burnings are agonizing, rapturous experiences, molding even strong personalities into the cult's mentality. The cult comes above everything else for its members, especially their own safety. They're constantly seeking to spread their doctrine, and improve or discover new sources of power. Encountered in the even-creepier part of the redworking world, especially Sabbat spaces, usually seeking out people to share their message with. Sometimes found in the desert parts of the world for their festivals.
Gallery[]
References[]
Sorcerous Affiliations | ||
---|---|---|
Standard Affiliations | Ancient Order of the Aeon Rites · The Arcanum · Balamo'ob · The Children of Osiris · The Cult of Isis · The Cult of Mercury · The Dozen Priests of the Pythian Order · The Fenian · Forn Jafnaðr · Maison Liban · Mogen HaLev · Nebuu-Afef · The Nephite Priesthood · The Newburgh Group · The Seven Thunders · The Silver Portal · The Society of Enlightened Altruistic Ideologies · The Star Council · Thal'hun · US Government: Project Twilight · Uzoma | |
Mage-run Affiliations | Council of Nine Mystic Traditions · Disparate Alliance · Technocratic Union | |
Redworking Affiliations | The Almost Assembly · The Calderone · CRONUS/DOVECOTE · House Carna · House Goratrix · Lui Domien · The Plague Oracles · Sunburners | |
Minor or Defunct Affiliations | Asatru Futhark · Bata'a · Masters of Stonecrop |