by: Gavin Bennett for Sanguinus Curae
Obviously, not all Malkavians are even aware of the darker history of their Clan. Few of them are. Few would even care. But the fact (apparently) remains. The Malkavians are linked forever with dark spirits of madness, criminal insanity and dark creativity. These dark urges have led them to amazing insights, moments of prophecy and amazing clarity of vision and knowledge. Unlike other servants of the Infernal, they do not see as their Masters desire them to see, they see what their masters see. Indeed they do not serve the Nahemoth, they are brothers with them. It is not an alliance, it is a familial relationship.
The Nahemoth look on as their brethren live their Unlives, but as the pathetic illusion of morality and humanity is ripped away, the Nahemoth reveal themselves to the Malkavian.
Nickname: None, but some call themselves Bedlamites. A semi-official term for them is "warders." It is believed that the sense of this phrase is along the lines of "Warders of God's asylum." Few outside the Clan Malkavian or indeed the Infernal Host of the Nahemoth know of the relationship between the two.
The Bedlamites seek knowledge by peeling back the skin of accepted reality. They know that what they do invites knowledge that at best could be considered "mind numbing" and at worst soul destroying. They believe that God is as insane as they are. They believe that the world is a mistake that must be made right. They believe that the Flood was meant to be a clean sweep of all impure things, including themselves, and the Lilin and all the Sons of Caine. They believe themselves to be a blight upon the earth, but only by unravelling the secrets of God's madness can they be at peace.
Bedlamites often have the appearance of the clinically insane, but they view such a state as a tool, not an end in itself. Only through pushing the boundaries of what has been experienced before may they push past the flawed nature of reality and see the nature of Creation. They believe that once that has happened, they can unite the Hosts of Hell under one banner, and restore the Fallen to their rightful place in the world and rebuild Heaven and Earth. They also believe that the so-called Child of the Crescent Moon will be the Dark Messiah who will strip away the remnants of God's mistakes and lead the way to remaking the universe.
Vampires are the childer of God's senile and indeed, insane, mind.
God's Angels are the oppressors of the Cosmos, and must be destroyed.
Madness is a tool to see, and a tool to guide other seekers.
God forbids Magic and all the vampiric Disciplines. They are the Dark Gifts that will cast off the shackles of His petty rules.
Prepare the way for the Eschaton when Heaven and Hell and Earth will cease to be, and Heaven will be remade.
Vampires on the Path of the Nahemoth uphold the virtues of Conviction and Self-Control.
The Path was founded to give the Warders a structure to their wanderings into the dark recesses of the mind of humanity, and the mind of God. It is also to give some structure to the use of Dark Thaumaturgy, which the Warders claim as their own magic, corrupted from its ancient form at the dawn of time. The Path was set down perhaps 3000 years ago, in Babylon. The Path gathered together many Malkavian seekers, and helped defeat the Zoroastrian Mage group who would later be called the Celestial Chorus. It remains a small Path, but it is integral to the survival and continued existence of Clan Malkavian. It is the Path set down by Malkav for his children, and he guides seekers to his grace, even as he sleeps beneath Jerusalem.
The Warders are the shock troops of the Host. They are the hands, the claws, and the sword of the Anti-Muse. They spread chaos and insanity wherever they go. They control asylums, feeding on the madness there, forcing visions on the insane so as to "free" them from the lies of God. Those still bound by the lies of the Creator would see their domains as torture chambers and dungeons. But they know better. These are escape routes from the prison. These will be used for the Host of the Nahemoth to enter Earth on the Day of Grace and storm Heaven.
They are fervent scholars, even outstripping the Bahari and Lilin. They hope that by studying the past, and the secret lore of the Cainites, the Bahari and the Gnostics, weaknesses can be found in the Oppressor's vision. Like Noddists, they work hard to determine when the Day of Grace will occur. For a different reason to the Noddists, however.
The "Bedlamites" are a very diverse group, as diverse as Clan Malkavian itself. When a Malkavian, by dint of his or her insanity, or atrocities, loses all humanity, and is about to give in to the Beast, the Nahemoth reveal themselves to her. There are reports of certain Toreador following this path also, once they discover more of the nature of their Clan Founder. Membership of this path crosses Sect Boundaries, and there are followers of this Path within the Camarilla, the Sabbat, the Manus Nigrum and the Inconnu. It is rumoured, but unconfirmed that there is a cult within the Toreador Antitribu who revere this truth. The Sabbat is not aware of the group, and its Inquisition is not as yet, interested in its activities.
The Watchers guard the "workings" if such it could be called, of the Malkavian Madness Network. They have a twofold task; to ensure that the Clan is seen as harmless and insane, as much as possible, and to seek out the truth. The Nahemoth do not consider themselves rulers in Hell, but are awaiting the day when a leader will rule in Hell and lead the Infernal Host on the Day of the Eschaton.
The ideals of the path require creativity and an analytical mind. As well, Bedlamites prize acuteness of the five senses for this makes seeing the flaws in Creation easier. Alertness is favored. Other abilities include Athletics, Empathy, Expression, Crafts, Performance, Academics, Medicine, Occult and Science.
Rating |
Guideline |
10 |
Not opposing God's will: God created a prison for himself and his creation, and he is senile and helpless. Only we can aid Him. |
9 |
Allowing an angel (or servant thereof) to live: The Angels are the secret policemen of our Prison. |
8 |
Allowing Derangements to hamper performance: Only if we work hard, and fight hard, can we see the Day of Grace come to be. |
7 |
Failing to observe Bedlamite rituals: We must aid and succor our brothers beyond the Veil at all times. |
6 |
Allowing pain to hamper performance: Death occurred at the Embrace, therefore pain should be transcended already. |
5 |
Not attempting to "corrupt" an "innocent," i.e., those still sane: Madness is a freedom, which should be shared. |
4 |
Being controlled by madness: Madness is a mental illness, a side effect, and a tool. We spread it, we control it, and we are not controlled by it. |
3 |
Allowing selflessness to interfere with sensation: Transcendence must be a priority to lower life. |
2 |
Not experimenting with new forms of madness: Only by pushing the boundaries may we transcend them. |
1 |
Attempting to retain any mortal rationale: Sanity is a prison. |
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