(VDA 166)
Forfeiture
Clan Infernalists
Assamite
Brujah
Cappadocian
Followers of Set
Gangrel
Lasombra
Malkavian
Nosferatu
Ravnos
Toreador
Tremere
Tzimisce
Despite the allegations of this clan's foes, the Tzimisce have
scant regard for the infernal powers. These monsters feel that
they have little need for otherworldly Hells when they have the
ability to create their own on Earth. A dedicated Fiend would
torture angels and demons alike, fearing little in her blasphemy.
Some Tzimisce have even learned spirit magics enabling them
to pursue a disrespectful demon beyond the world's boundaries.
Ventrue
Via Diabolis
Should a character attempt to evade his part in a pact, his
soul is declared forfeit by Hell, and the demons involved begin
their pursuit. Some mortals may be able to escape demonic
persecution by fleeing to holy ground, but for a vampire such
a route is practically impossible. The character may beg for his
unlife and soul, making his final moments on Earth petty;
alternatively, he may turn on his pursuers and fall in glorious
battle. Certain legends say that a character who evades the
forces of Hell three times becomes free from any pacts, loses all
investments (including improvements bought with demonic
aid) and may start his own Road.
A character who escapes Hell’s clutches will be bitterly
hated by all demons and resented by all infernalists, her life
or unlife is likely to be very complicated from that point on.
(VDA COMP 175)
Even the proudest Cainite may be humbled by the forces
of the Devil, The following section looks at individual clans'
views on infernalism among their own, and suggests what path
such a damned vampire might follow.
Rare is the Assamite who falls prey to demons - the
tenets of the Via Sanguinius hold that dealing with demons is
a trap for the weak, and Clan Assamite is never weak. Infernalists
of this clan are viciously hunted down by their brethren, and
great honor accrues to the vampire who performs the purifying
killing. So hated are the infernal powers that Assamites will
not even drink the vitae of an infernalist, preferring to let the
blood be wasted rather than contaminate their numbers.
An Assamite infernalist is secretive and deadly, trading
with demons for the powers that he cannot learn on his own.
Such an infernalist pursues a twisted version of the Road of
Blood, dedicating the souls he destroys to his dark masters.
Brujah's weakness when dealing with the Devil is the desire
they hold for knowledge; beneath their warriors' hearts lie
scholars' minds. Many Brujah have been seduced by Hell through
promises of ancient knowledge and dark secrets; others have
believed that the powers granted by demons can be turned to
good use. All have fallen in the end. The clan's tradition of
fellowship hinders the purging of infernalists, as most Brujah feel
that a fallen comrade is redeemable. Such idealistic folly has
allowed demons to reap entire coteries at once.
A Brujah infernalist finds his rage channeled into Hells
work. Scholarly pursuits are neglected and forgotten as the
slow spiral into darkness begins, stripping away all human
pretensions until only the inner Beast remains.
Given their familiarity with the Reaper and the afterlife,
the Clan of Death seldom falls prey to infernal trickery.
Cappadocians' heightened senses and extensive lore allow
them to spot and protect themselves from most minor demons.
However, like the Brujah, they can be tempted by promised
revelations of the world of spirits. The relationship between
and demon and a Graverobber is like an intricate dance in
which a misstep for either party is fatal. At the clan center at
the mountain Erciyes lie many bottled demons who failed in
their tasked of corruption--but rumors over the existence of
many failed Cappadocian infernalists, who have been hound
in torpor by the clan.
A Cappadocian who turns fully to the infernal powers is
certain to barter for Necromancy as well as darker powers. Once
she has accepted her infernal servitude, she turns to her new work
with a surprising will, building fortresses of corruption and raising
evil spirits tirelessly. After all, her eventual fate will be but one
revelation among the many secrets of death.
Set is a jealous god, and he does not allow his childer to
follow another. There are few sights more terrifying in the
than a Setite hunt for a fallen Serpent.
The torments inflicted on such a renegade are said to rival the
fires of Hell themselves - and to last almost as long.
However, the promise of even darker power tempts a few
of the Followers, and small dens of infernal Setites lie scattered
across the fringes of Europe.
Although Gangrel's typical rejection of Christianity should
make them easy prey for Satan, this is not the case. Their physical
and mental isolation from the works of humankind has thus far
protected them from the Devils minions. Fallen Gangrel who
rampage against the Church are often supported by their comrades, who remember the destruction of paganism at the hands
of Rome and bear a grudge - but woe betide the Animal who
seeks power over his own kind through infernal means.
A Gangrel infernalist cheaply barters his soul, often
caring more for the pagan traditions of a brave and honorable
death than for the consequences in the hereafter. The agony
of such an infernalist eventually discovering how tightly she
has been bound in chains, how domesticated she has become
in the service of Hell, is sweet to demons.
The Lasombra have long-established rules for dealing with
demons. They refuse to deal with lesser demons at all, seeing such
as beneath their dignity, and attempt to manipulate any demon
they encounter just as they manipulate everyone else. The clan
believes that its powers of darkness are at least equal to Hell's, and
its members are willing to test this assumption should they feel
slighted by any infernal power. Because the Magisters hate
weakness, any clan member who is exposed as a demonic vassal
is destroyed because it sullies the clan's honor.
A Lasombra infernalist accepts petitions from demons
who come politely before him. They ask the demon to sign
pacts of agreement - rules for their relationship - before
committing themselves to any further dealings. These masters
of the legal loophole and the subtlety of power can sometimes
- but not often - come out ahead in a deal.
Each Malkavian holds her own view of the infernal
powers - the only truth that applies to all dealings between
Madmen and demons is that the demons do not always know
what they are getting themselves into when they seek the soul
of a Malkavian. According to legend, one demon who sought
such a prize found himself confronted by all the Malkavians of
the region, who suddenly gathered together. Driven mad by
the experience, the demon was bound into human form and to
this day wanders the world, living on charity and gibbering
insanely.
A Malkavian who does wholeheartedly turn to the infer-
nal proves a fiendish foe indeed.
This clan puts no faith in appearance and scant trust in
words, so demons have a hard time seducing a Nosferatu.
Because many Nosferatu have turned to Christian salvation as
an escape from their condition, few are willing to deal with
demons. Most Nosferatu seek out renegade clan members and
sorrowfully destroy them.
A Nosferatu who turns to darkness becomes a bitter
monster. The compassion inculcated in the clan by its curse
festers into rage against those more fortunate than he. With
care and great cunning, he weaves plots to destroy beauty,
tarnish hope and drag everything down to the same sorry state.
Certain rumors state that many of Nosferatu's first childer
- and perhaps the clan founder himself- turned to infernal
powers following the great war in the First City. Clan Nosferatu
says little of this legend, but those who count the Lepers
among their friends occasionally hear whispers of a hidden war
fought by the clan against these dark monsters.
Ravnos do not deal with demons - it is nigh impossible
to force one of the Charlatans to sign a binding contract or
make along-term agreement. Demons have been frustrated in
their dealings with this clan many times, and weave traps to
destroy them whenever possible.
The rare Ravnos infernalist will be a mercurial foe,
delighting in cruelty and deadly tricks where once a sense of
fun prevailed.
Though the Clan of the Rose has turned to the sanctuary
of the Church, many among its number remember the
Dionysian heyday of the Toreador, With the fall of the pagan
powers, some Toreador have turned to darker magics to satisfy
their appetites; sometimes it seems as if Hell needs no incubi
or succubi while the Toreador exist in the world.
An infernalist of this clan often devotes herself to sensual
pleasure, but also seeks a release for her appetites through
bloodletting and artistically inspired cruelties. Such a twisted
being rivals even the Tzimisce in ingenuity when her inspiration is applied to pain. The art such infernalist Toreador create
is said to impart seeds of corruption in whoever views it.
This clan's need for strength and the taint of its
previous Hermetic intrigues have woven a strand of damnation into the pyramid of power. Because of the clan's strict
hierarchy, a single Tremere infemalist can reach out to
corrupt many underlings and win higher position in the clan.
The clan's stress on the need for power has led many Tremere
toward a dangerous detente with the infernal host, as Usurpers
attempt to barter for knowledge and magic without losing
their souls. Such ploys generally fail, as the clan's desperate
need gives the demons great bargaining advantage. It is said
that one of the Seven Elders, who with Tremere founded the
clan, is an infernalist. If this is true, then much of the clan is
corrupt.
A Tremere infernalist is invariably a master of magic,
greedily learning all the paths of Dark Thaumaturgy and
seeking out places and artifacts of potency.
The clan boasts that it has overcome demons and even gods in
its nights, though no one knows of any who have returned from
such vendettas. Perhaps, the Fiends smile, their compatriots are
establishing new domains in Hell.
A Tzimisce who decides to deal with demons is among the
most dangerous foes in the Dark Medieval world. Combining
Hell-spawned sorcery with her natural predilections, she be-
come; the penultimate master of darkness
Of all Cainites, Clan Ventrue suffers from the greatest
measure of pride, and it is this that leads its members into
demonic clutches. Ventrue often refuse to bend with the wind
and so are broken by the storm - infernal powers play on this
inflexibility when they seek the souls of these undead lords.
Coming as they do from noble backgrounds, most Ventrue are
trained to seize power with both hands and so are incautious
with regard to what power they take. Demons often come to
them in the guises of sycophantic servants, offering advice that
sounds good while leading their dupe into infernal clutches.
They encourage the vampire to make war on the Church, to
neglect her responsibilities and then laugh as the Ventrue's
carefully constructed world falls apart. Only then does a
demonic advisor reveal its true form and offer a deal to give the
Ventrue back all she has lost. The clan as a whole sometimes
makes the mistake of supporting an infernally inspired comrade, in hopes that the clan can keep the gains its erstwhile
member made while under infernal tutelage. Little do the
Ventrue realize that corruption has a way of spreading.
A Ventrue infernalist is the cruelest lord imaginable, draining his lands to supply a stream of decadent luxuries
and fuel endless conflicts with neighbors. The Ventrue's
lands become a Hell indeed for all who live there, and will be
reduced to a barren wasteland before his reign is done.
(VDA Comp 166-169)
The Devil's Road is a strange contradiction: On the one
hand it commands its followers to wallow in sin and depravity;
on the other it functions as do other Roads in maintaining the
character's personality against the Beast. Following the Devil's
Road does not necessarily place a character within Hell's
power; there are many independent vampires who follow it but
would scorn the company of demons.
The key to understanding this contradiction is that the
principles of the Via Diabolis were established in the nights
before Christianity. It represents a willingness to cast off the
limits of society and act purely in one's own interests. Those on
the Devil's Road can be portrayed as antiheroes - champions
of dark passions - rather than as simple monsters.
VDA Comp 169
