The Path of Cathari



"Evil comes to this world in many forms. As the harbringers of the Father's Curse, vampires are the pioneers of all of those forms."
~Fabrizia Contreraz, Archbishop of Miami


Nicknames: Albigensians
Basic Beliefs: The Path of Cathari sprang from the Catharist heresy of the Middle Ages. A dualistic philosophy, Cathar doctrine holds that the world was created in equal parts by a good ("light") creator responsible for virtue and spirit, and an evil ("dark") creator who acted as the counterpoint, fashioning the material world and its vices. The original Cathars believed the soul to be the root of all that is pure in humanity, while the material body was a shell in the corrupt physical world. Cathars pointed to the noble aspects of the spirit - compassion, sacrifice, honesty and the like - as proof that the only true good lay in the ephemeral. The material world, with its suffering and misery, bore obvious flaws and imperfections. After much persecution, this dualistic doctrine vanished from the mortal world, crushed by papal declarations of heresy. Over the years, the vampires who favoured tenets of the philsophy adopted it as their own.

According to the vampires who follow this path, the undead are minions of the evil creator, given eternal existence to tempt others with the lures of the material world. Followers of this path believe that they fulfill a destiny as creatures tied to the physical world through vampiric immortality. Because vampires have been denied the spiritual realms of death, the Albigensians reason that they must serve the vices of the physical realm. Therefore, they seek to spread evil and corruption, seeing iniquity as their natural state.

The Albigensians have perfected a code of evils in which to indulge, however. Theirs is not a path of pointless amorality. Taking the beliefs of the original Cathar priests and twisting them, these vampires deliberately search for means of spreading evil. They pursue sins of greed, lust, pride and the like avidly. Sabbat Cathars seek material wealth and comforts, and they encourage others to do the same. Followers of this path ironically find spirituality in depravity.

The Ethics of the Path

~ Indulge in vice. Wealth, sensuality and material power are hallmarks of the physical world.
~ Lead others to temptation. It is your role to promote the depravity of the world.
~ Grant the Curse of Caine to those with great passion. Undeath is an evil curse, but those with great conviction can use it well.
~ The entire material world is corrupt. Expect betrayal and wickedness because almost everybody is corrupt along with it.
~ Your role as a creature of evil is predestined. Accept it and fulfill your purpose.
~ Death simply leads to reincarnation. Mortals return after you kill them. However, you should avoid Final Death, since you will return as a mortal if you die.

Path of Cathari Hierarchy of Sins

10......Excercising restraint.

9.......Showing trust.

8.......Failing to pass on the Curse to the passionately wicked or virtuous.

7.......Failing to ride the wave in frenzy.

6.......Acting against another Albigensian.

5.......Impassioned killing.

4.......Sacrificing gratification for someone else's convenience.

3.......Refraining from indulgence.

2.......Arbitrary killing.

1.......Encouraging others to exercise restraint.