The Path of Harmony
Why should we convince ourselves we are not at all human when we speak, act and think as any humans would if forced by necessity to become cannibals?
-Ezekiel Donner, Sabbat Hierophant
History
The Path of Harmony developed in the late 1700s in the New World colonies. The Path enjoyed a great deal of growth in its early years, but its numbers have begun to dwindle because of the renewal of constant Jyhad. Most of the Sabbat have become too jaded to accept the ways of this Path. The Path of Harmony synthesized the various philosophies of the Romantics, including American ideals and transcendentalism. It put as much emphasis on emotion and divine Providence as it did on the natural law established by God.
The Ethics of the Path
- Nothing existing in nature is innately evil--including vampires.
- Life should be respected. Human life should be taken only out of necessity, but you should never feel sorry for doing what is natural for you, like drinking blood.
- Never lose touch with your humanity or your vampiric nature. Both are part of your being. You will destroy yourself if you cannot accept that you are no longer human; however, the human part of you, your sanity, will be trampled by the animal part of you if you do not balance the two. To have one without the other is unhealthy and unnatural.
Following the Path
- You shift between the human and the animal in you with ease. You try hard to balance the two sides of your existence.
- You are very emotional.
- You have a limited degree of compassion for all creatures.
- You have no compunctions about killing or drinking blood for your own survival.
- You are very sociable.
- You fight the frenzy when it is inconvenient, but ride the wave whenever you can.
- You consider yourself somewhat human, but now tempered with a Beast. You are not what you once were, regardless.
- You like to be around nature.
- You like to keep animals as pets.
- You feel the need to visit the country often if you live in the city.
Current Practices
The Path occasionally holds its own meetings. While the Path has no rituals of its own, followers of this Path are known to be the most selective in the gathering of recruits. They look for those with strong humanity as well as a healthy blend of intelligence and emotional stability.
