Via Caeli

Many Cainites feel the mark of Caine as a curse and rail against fate and the injustice. However, others cling to the belief that divine purpose guides the hand of fate, and that even great evil can serve a greater purpose. Vampires who walk the Road of Heaven devote themselves to understanding that purpose through subservience to a higher power.

Known as the Faithful, most Cainites on the Road of Heaven cling to the faiths that they held in mortal life. Outwardly, the Road of Heaven appears as the most fragmented and chaotic of roads; medieval Europe teems with religions, and many older Cainites retain faiths that no longer have mortal adherents. Differences between Faithful tend to be entrenched, with different Paths often representing distinct religious traditions.

These differing religious traditions inform how Cainites on the Road of Heaven make sense of their Embrace. Christian Cainites liken themselves to Job, seeing themselves as subjects of a cosmic test of character. Muslim Cainites see the Embrace as a call to destroy the servants of Shaitan. Jewish Cainites find the Embrace an invigorating call to scholarship, a new avenue for insight into the nature of God. Druidic Cainites reason that serving the Great Balance requires darkness as well as light. And a servant of the old Roman Gods believes that she had somehow offended one of them and must strive to regain that god’s favor.

However they practice their faith, every Cainites on the Road of Heaven believes in the existence of a higher power and its dominion over all things. The mark of Caine is part of a divine plan, and only through submission to divine will can the Beast be contained.

Sobriquet: Faithful

Ethics: The Road of Heaven is a bit different from other Roads in that there is no base Road. Adherents of the Road agree to a core set of beliefs:

• The existence of a higher power and its dominion over all things.

• Vampiric existence as part of a divine plan.

• The Embrace is a call to direct service of the divine.

• Serving divine will over individual will.

• Following divine law and rejecting evil is the only way to shackle the Beast.

• Each Faithful must choose their own Path, which determines more specific ethics and morality that they adhere to.

Organization: The organization of the Faithful breaks down largely along the lines of Path and faith traditions. Many Faithful prefer to gather for worship in communities of like faith, particularly followers of the Abrahamic faiths. Jewish Cainites place great importance on forming and maintaining communities of faith and tend to limit unnecessary contact with Cainites of other faiths. Muslim and Christian Cainites also tend to form large local congregations of faith. Christian communities tend to be more fragmented, as disagreements over doctrine and appropriate practice cause frequent rifts among some congregations.

Some Cainites, however, feel their faith is best practiced in secret, in sacred groves and caves, out in nature where faith is between oneself and the spirits of nature. A few even prefer to gather with groups of Cainites of mixed faith, discussing and debating the merits and flaws of the different faiths.

Aura: Holiness. The Faithful receive bonuses whenever they are in situations where being seen as holy would lend them social advantage.

Virtues: Conscience and Self-Control

Paths

The Abrahamic religions — Christianity, Judaism, and Islam — are nominally the most similar in their approaches to using the Road of Heaven to master the Beast. However, despite a core common set of ethics and common commitment to the monotheistic worship of the God of Abraham, each faith chooses to emphasize very different practices in their daily worship practices.

Medieval Christians are very focused on maintaining sexual purity and spreading the Gospel of Christ through proselytizing. Medieval Islam is focused on care for the weak and vulnerable and commitment to practicing humility and piety. And medieval Judaism is committed to maintaining and protecting communities of Jewish faithful, submitting to God as interpreted by rabbinical authority, and maintaining ritual purity. As such, the Paths for each faith are very different.

THE PATH OF CHRIST (CHRISTIANITY)

Score Minimum Wrongdoing Rationale

10 Failing to denounce corruption and sin All that evil needs to triumph is the inaction of the righteous.

9 Acting out of pride, avarice, lust, or other sinful impulse The road to the Beast is paved in sin.

8 Bearing false witness A lying tongue is hateful in the eyes of the Lord.

7 Causing harm to a pious person God protects the innocent.

6 Feeding from an innocent without permission Corruption of the innocent is a grave sin.

5 Blasphemy or heresy in word or act Blasphemy is a sin against God.

4 Murder of innocents Thou shalt not kill, sayeth the Lord.

3 Worshiping false idols Thou shalt not have any other god before me.

2 Aiding demons or supernatural evil It is the duty of the righteous to smite the wicked.

1 Failing to spread the Gospel of Christ It is the duty of all Christians to spread the good news of our Lord

DERECH CHAIM - THE PATH OF LIFE (JUDAISM)

Score Minimum Wrongdoing Rationale

10 Failing to maintain a state of ritual purity And ye shall be holy men unto me.

9 Unnecessary contact with non-Jews The people must be protected.

8 Failing to find a rabbinical authority to make rulings for you, and obey those rulings In whatever place there is a profanation of God’s name, they do not show respect to their rabbi.

7 Failing to obey the laws and customs of the local Jewish community The spiritual needs of the individual can only be met through community.

6 Failing to maintain a connection to a local Jewish community Jews cannot exist in isolation.

5 Drinking impermissible blood For the life of the flesh is in the blood.

4 Worshipping idols Hear, O Israel, God is One.

3 Committing sexual violence It is worse to wrong a fellow person than it is to wrong God.

2 Murder Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed.

1 Endangering the Jewish community You shall not stand by the blood of your fellow.

THE PATH OF THE PROPHET (ISLAM)

Score Minimum Wrongdoing Rationale

10 Failing to honor your elders Say not to them a word of contempt but address them in terms of honor.

9 Failing to care for the defenseless All power is a gift from God.

8 Being dishonest or unfair in your dealings with others Give full measure for measure and weigh with a balance that is straight.

7 Breaking a promise Every covenant will be inquired into on the Day of Reckoning.

6 Boastfulness or arrogance Successful are those who humble themselves in prayers.

5 Feeding from a non-Muslim He hath forbidden that which has been immolated to any other god.

4 Killing unjustly Nor take life — which Allah has made sacred — for unjust cause.

3 Acknowledging any god but Allah (and Muhammad is His Prophet) Take not with Allah another object of worship.

2 Breaking the unity of Islam You Muslims are the best nation brought out for Mankind.

1 Failing to submit to the will of Allah as revealed through his Prophet and revelation God alone possesses all power and glory.