Followers of Set: A View from Within

by: R.S. Dyer for Sanguinus Curae

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I found this article in the files of the Arcanum. It appears to have been a response to several articles written by many Kindred sources outside the clan known as The Followers of Set:

For countless millennia, we have been the objects of scorn, hatred, and mistrust. We are called corrupters. It is not an undeserved title. We have made a weapon out of the dark desires of our enemies.

There are many stereotypes of what a "Setite" should be. Many see us as strung out dealers of drugs and guns and sex. Some others see us as keepers of arcane lore, sitting in a decaying library and doling out rare bits of forbidden knowledge for a price.

We are archeologists and strippers, university professors and bent DEA agents. We are all this and more. We are the Followers of Set, Devotees of Sutekh the God of Storms, the Groovers of Cool(tm).

We are destroyers. We seek your destruction. We will enslave you. We will awaken our sleeping dark god and bring about Gehenna. We do not seek to rule the world; we seek to decimate it.

You know this to be true because it is what your Sire told you. It is what his Sire told him and so on for a thousand years.

They lied to you.

Thousands of years before the creation of the story of Cain and Abel, gods walked the lands of ancient Egypt. One of those gods, Set became the first in our line.

We are the Clan of Faith, Devotees to the God of Storms. We are the Children of Rebellion. Unlike many of the religions based on Abraham's teachings - Judaism, Christianity, Islam - our faith has remained pure since the dawn of civilization. True, we keep the trappings of the ancient Egyptian faith. But we read far more into the symbolism of the ancient hieroglyphics than you will ever know.

There are three working theories as to how we came about. The first is the fable your elders taught you: That the first vampire was Cain, that the children of the third generation rose up and slew the first three Childer and formed the clans, that Set was one of the Thirteen and was also betrayed by the other twelve. Thus we seek to destroy the others as an act of vengeance.

The second is that Set developed his vampiric abilities parallel to but separate from Cain. Thus the twelve want to suppress us before the secret of how this can be done by anyone escapes.

The third stipulates that Set was the first, that he was betrayed by his brother Horus and drank from the river of the dead, that he slew the serpent Apep and took on his form. It continues to state that Set then returned to the world, cursed by Ra and produced twelve children - children that ultimately betrayed him, forging their own bloodlines in an effort to achieve god-hood themselves.

No evidence to date supports or discounts any of these theories completely.

Some stipulate that we seek to destroy the Kindred. We do not. Yet through countless eons, we have been the victims of persecution at the hands of the Elder Ones of the Camarilla. Long before the Sabbat, ages before the Anarch Movement, we alone told them 'NO'. No, we will not bow down to your control. No we will not be your slaves. We've been fighting for our freedom ever since.

When the Kindred first came to the New World, we came also. Some of us, through ignorance and the manipulation of others, renounced their heritage and joined the Sabbat. They call themselves the Serpents of Light and we will destroy them. They will pay dearly for their apostasy.

Yet still, for all that we have suffered, we seek peace with the Camarilla. Some even want to join, hoping to ease millennia of hatred and mistrust. Still others join the Anarchs, hoping to bring freedom to all Kindred. But never doubt that we are a family. Like the Gangrel, the Tremere, and others, we are fiercely proud of our identity. We are capable of deep and lasting friendships, but never at the cost of betraying our own. While we have warriors, we were never a war-like clan. Thus we have developed some skill in the arts of 'corruption.' This has been a successful method of protecting ourselves from those who would destroy us.

But our penchant for worldly pleasures is also connected to our religion. Set teaches that we should live to experience all things. That we should face what is dangerous and harmful, distasteful and wanton to be able to be free of the chains of those who continually seek to enforce their concepts of 'morality.' Once you strip away the lies of your false teachers, then you can be truly who you are, and be truly free. Through pain there is learning and as one of our ghouls once put it, "That which does not kill us makes us stronger."

We have been and will continue to be examples of that philosophy. From now until the day Set rises, destroys our enemies, and finally calls us home to paradise.

Ashford Burroughs

Cairo, 1992

"Infidels. Defilers.

They shall all drown in lakes of blood.

Now they will understand why they are afraid of the dark.

Now will learn why they fear the night."

- Thulsa Doom, Conan the Barbarian

Followers of Set: A View From Without

by: Adamus for Sanguinus Curae

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The Followers of Set are often associated with corruption. They are masters at the game of boons, spreading their vile influence though devious manipulations of kine and Kindred. Notorious for their ties to illicit operations, these Snakes can provide you with whatever you want... for a price.

Yet not all Setites are drug-running, arms-dealing corrupters. A sizable portion of the clan seems to dedicate itself to gathering arcane lore, and as a result some Followers have access to fragments of ancient scriptures that many an elder would give his most trusted childe to possess. The Setites are, of course, willing to trade this information.

The Setites claim to descend from an ancient Egyptian deity, the serpent god Set. Whether this deity was in fact an Antediluvian or truly a divine being is subject to debate. To this day the clan's origins continue to influence it greatly. The clan prefers recruits from Egyptian lands, and many of the Snakes' codes are derived from old Egyptian beliefs. Setite temples, their gathering places, are often decorated with hieroglyphs depicting tales of Set's heroic deeds. The clan also seems to have some sort of connection to the enigmatic Mummies, who also originate from ancient Egypt.

Not long ago a group of Haitian Setites separated from the mainstream clan, and joined the Sabbat. Calling themselves the Serpents of the Light, these renegades have become a major nuisance to their parent clan, opposing the Followers at every turn. The Serpents' influence in the Sabbat sect is growing, as they have proven to be a very valuable asset.

At one time the Camarilla offered the Followers membership in the sect, but the Snakes chose to remain Independent. In lieu of the rise of the Serpents of the Light, rumors are whispered that the clan may be reconsidering their decision. Whether this rumor holds true remains to be seen.

The Setites can be valuable, albeit dangerous, allies. They can provide one with nearly any item desired, yet their bargains always come with a snake in the grass. Be wary when dealing with the Followers of Set; a great many Kindred have fallen for their manipulations, and none come out of a deal with the Snakes unscathed. It is wise to keep in mind that corruption is the goal of the Setites, and while they may seem to be a true friend, a Snake's loyalty is always to himself first.

 

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