Paths of enlightenment

[Rule Hound]

Path's of Enlightenment (called Roads in the Dark Ages) are no longer a Merit. There is NO cost to be on a path. However, they do need ST approval. You must write a little history about how you came to be on that path and converted over to it and showing you understand what it means to play a character with a morality different than Humanity. Remember, 95% of the Path's of Enlightenment (if not all) require your character to have lost all their humanity, bringing themselves down to 1 and then risking the change over and loosing themselves to wassail when they did it.

Path's of Enlightenment are available after character creation through role-playing and finding someone to teach you.

Google them, Learn about them and how followers of these paths view the world around them and what constitutes a sin against their path.
Here are a few links that describe them. We are using a 5 lvl sin chart so 1-2 is lvl 1, 3-4 is lvl 2 and so forth.
whitewolf.wikia.com/wiki/Road
whitewolf.wikia.com/wiki/Path_of_Enlightenment
darkages.islesofdarkness.com/index.php?title=Paths_of_Enlightenment
www.thesubnet.com/portal/wod/vtda20/RoadIntro.html#


You will notice some are Clan Specific. This does not mean that you must take that path if you are of that clan only that it is the usual path the majority of the clan learns. Also, it is available to other Clans but you must include some connection as to how you learned it and from whom in your write up.

Ultimately if it is a fully published path/road we will consider it. Ask the ST and provide a link to the information and demonstrate you understand how to play it as any other path.

Available
5 Primary in Dark Ages
Beast
Heaven
Humanity
Kings
Sin

Clan Specific
Path of Blood (Assamite)
Path of Bones (Capadocians)
Path of Metamorphosis (Tzmitze)
Path of Night (Lasambra)
Path of Paradox (Ravnos)
Path of Typhon-Set [Serpent] (Setite)


Any of the following require a good story reason written into a history as to why and how you learned them as they are uncommon. It has to fit your concept not just be cool and different than everyone else and allow different sins without penalty. Send me a write up as to WHY your character would have this and how it fits them and I will consider it.

Other possibles Uncommon
Path of Caine
Path of Cathari
Path of Chivalry
Path of Death & the Soul
Path of Ecstasy
Path of Evil Revelations
Path of Feral Heart
Path of Heaven
Path of Harmony
Path of Honorable Accord
Path of Lilith
Path of Orion
Path of Power & the Inner Voice
Path of the Scorched Heart

[Rule Hound]

Road of the Beast
The Path of the Beast demands that a creature exist in the moment, to give himself to the hunt, to make himself one with his environment. The vampire is the greatest of all predators, greater than wolf, shark or hawk. Brutally honest with themselves and with others, these undead, so-called beasts, stand outside petty games of intrigue and politics. They respect only independence and seek only to survive.
Nickname: Bestials

Tenets
1) The needs of the Beast are paramount
2) Survival is one’s first concern. Anything that gets in the way of survival is extraneous
3) Loyalty is an absolute, be it to one’s pack or one’s self. Oaths are mere words. Deeds are what count
4) Master one’s fears. Confront them to become stronger
5) Don’t shit where one eats. Keep political messes away from hunting grounds
6) Maintain one’s haven and hunting grounds well, and defend them from other predators
7) Each aspect of existence fulfils a role - even civilization has its place. Learn what that role is and abide by it
8) Mercy is for the weak
9) Exist in the moment
10) The world is uncertain. Always be prepared to adapt to new situations
11) Good and evil are mortal notions. Ignore them. They have little practical use
12) Adapt. No environment is constant and one must be able to hunt no matter where he finds himself


Sin levels and violations
1) Killing for reasons other than survival. Refusing to kill to survive.
2) Killing while feeding. Denying your instincts
3) Failing to hunt when the hunger demands. Failing to support your pack
4) Risking your unlife except to slay an enemy. Indulging in needless cruelty
5) Hunting without using innate vampiric senses and powers. Engaging in political intrigue

[Rule Hound]

Road of Heaven
The Damned know that they are cursed by God, and many of them curse God in return. But others accept the burden the Lord has placed upon them and seek to find purpose in it. These Faithful know that everything is a part of God's plan, even the Children of Caine. Followers of the Road of Heaven devote themselves to understanding that purpose. The answers to the question, "Why has God done this to me?" lead to the many divergent paths of this road. Like the mortal Church, the Road of Heaven is given to schisms, sects and heresies.

Among all of the many sects of the Road of Heaven, the voice of the Beast is that of Satan, the great tempter, seeking to lure the Faithful away from righteousness and into sin. They shun all servants of evil, such as devil-worshippers, demons and followers of the Road of Sin. The Faithful continue to carry out the sacraments of the Church even in their unliving existence, and ashen priests are the most common on the Road of Heaven.
The Faithful are found throughout Christendom and beyond. Those in the East often follow Muslim ways and there are Jews and even pagans on the Road of Heaven as well.
Nickname: The Faithful

Tenets
1) The existence of a higher power and its dominion over all things is irrefutable.
2) God laid his mark upon Caine and his Childe as Vampiric existence is part of His great plan.
3) The Embrace is a call to direct service of the divine.
4) The word of God is law. Defiance of God is sin that leads to damnation.
5) Serving the divine will takes precedence over individual will.
6) No one is above God’s law.
7) Love and serve God in all things.
8) Deny the Devil through denial of the Beast and all creatures of Hell.
9) Following divine law and rejecting evil is the only way to shackle the beast.
10) Each Faithful must choose their own Path, which determines more specific ethics and moralities they must adhere to.

Sin levels and violations
1) The murder of innocents. Aiding a demon or other supernatural agent of evil
2) Blasphemous or heretical acts. Allowing a crime or major sin to go unpunished
3) Causing harm to a pious and virtuous person. Feeding from an innocent without permission
4) Acting out of pride, avarice, gluttony or some other sinful impulse. Theft, robbery, wilful vandalism
5) Violating any of the Ten Commandments, for any reason. Failing to speak out against corruption and sin


Humanity
Not actually considered a Path of Enlightenment, Humanity is what the vast majority of vampires default to - the basic morals inherent to the human condition with which they were familiar.

Tenets
1) Respect the natural rights of others to life, liberty, and property.
2) Inflict no harm needlessly. Mindless violence is the way of the Beast.
3) Treat mortals equitably and with dignity. One who wishes to retain his humanity must deal with humans on equal terms.
4) Reason is what separates men from animals. Exercise your reason and think seriously about your moral judgements.
5) Show compassion and mercy to others.
6) Do not overindulge yourself at the expense of others. Take what is needful to you and allow others the same privilege.
7) Reign in your Beast. Do not give in to its violent ways.
8) Do not abide wickedness or monstrousness when you may have the power to prevent it.

Sin levels and violations
1) Casual killing; heinous and perverse acts; infernalism
2) Premeditated murder; torture
3) Accidental or impassioned killing (draining a victim dry, killing in Frenzy); intentionally damaging property
4) Injuring another (accidentally or intentionally); theft
5) Selfish thoughts or actions

[Rule Hound]

Road of Kings
Just as God ordained that kings should rules over men, by placing His mark upon Caine He ordained that Cainites were above the mortal herd, and that some also held divine right to rule. The Scions, followers of the Road of Kings, believe that power and rulership are their inheritence, secured by strength of arms and skill at court. Just as the mortal nobility wars for control over land and wealth, so do the Scions war among themselves for control of Cainite domains, with lesser vampires and mortals arrayed like pieces on a chessboard.

The Beast stands in the way of a Scion's destiny. It represents all the dark impulses that drag a ruler down and lead to rebellion and betrayal. But, carefully controlled, those same passions can raise a ruler up to greatness and give him the power to conquer his enemies and hold on to his throne. So the Beast must be controlled, and conquering the Beast is a necessary first step in conquering the world.

It's little wonder that the Road of Kings draws many of the High Clans to it, particularly the Lasombra, Tzimisce and Ventrue. Those who rise to the position of prince often do so by following this road. And Scions often make the best rulers because they see their endeavor as larger than simply hoarding personal power - that is the domain of the Beast. A true king creates justice for his subjects and inspires loyalty in his vassals. And the only way to understand how to inspire loyalty is to have been loyal oneself, therefore, many Scions spend time as vassals and knights in other's service. Others serve as judges and magistrates, dispensing justice in the name of a lord whom they serve.

Tenets
1) There are only two roles in this world: that of master and that of servant.
2) You are superior to mortals, made to rule.
3) To master others, you must first master yourself and the Beast within.
4) Only those who seize power gains it; only those who use power keep it.
5) Your word is your bond. Without it, you are nothing.

Sin levels and violations
1) Neglecting your duty. Treating a peer with disrespect
2) Treating an inferior as an equal. Breaking your word to a peer
3) Behaving shamefully before your peers. Showing weakness in front of inferiors
4) Failing to answer a challenge to your honor. Treating a superior with disrespect
5) Breaking your word to your superiors. Breaking a sworn oath



Road of Sin
The common folk of the Dark Medieval world know full well that vampires are creatures of the Devil, and many Cainites agree. If they are damned, then why should they not indulge in the dark desires welling up within them? Rather than falling on their knees and begging forgiveness, they exult in their new found power and use it to satisfy their every wicked impulse. Other Cainites look at these Sinners and see those who have given in to the temptations of the Beast, but they are not mere slaves to their own desires. They master the Beast by indulging and feeding it, existing in cooperation with it. Despite some accusations to the contrary, few Sinners are agents of Hell.

Their interests are as diverse as the depths of sin itself. Some indulge the senses with art, perfumes, music and similar pleasures (although not food and drink, which are denied them). They serve as patrons or muses, or they become obsessive collectors. Others practice the art of seduction, gathering harems of beautiful mortals. They play the heart like a finely tuned lute. Some corrupt others and lead them into lives of indulgence and excess for their own amusement and vicarious enjoyment. They explore the limits of pain and degredation mortals (and even other Cainites) can suffer. because they are already damned, nothing is forbidden to them.

In fact, the only thing that is truly forbidden to the followers of the Road of Sin is failing to satisfy their endless need for indulgence. Through it, they feed the Beast and keep it sated. Denial awakens the hunger within them, and forces the Beast to take matters into its own bloody hands. Sinners know the Beast better than most, and they have no desire to become its slaves. Sinners know that total denial of the Beast only strengthens it in the long run, leading to an ultimate destruction of the self. And Sinners value the self above all else.

Tenets
1) You are Damned already; there is nothing forbidden to you.
2) The Beast belongs to you, but you do not belong to it.
3) Act without hesitation. The laws of neither man nor God bind you.
4) Your heart holds your hunger and your freedom. Find the courage to embrace both.

Sin levels and violations
1) Refusing to feed when the opportunity arises. Encouraging virtue or aiding agents of virtue
2) Acting against your own best interests. Refusing to kill when it is in your best interest
3) Avoiding injury to others at the cost of your own pleasure. Turning down a chance for material gain
4) Failing to ride the wave of a frenzy. Refusing to tempt the virtuous
5) Acknowledging any moral restraint. Failing to indulge a new desire

[Rule Hound]

Road of Blood
The others have all been judged and found wanting. The judgement has been made and it remains for the executioner to deliver the sentence. Through diablerie, murder or blood magic, the children of Haqim slowly fulfil the dictates of their clan founder. The war is a holy one; the vampires are offences to God and must be removed from His good earth.
Nickname: Assassins or Dervishes

Tenets
1) The teachings of Haqim are the gospels of the night. Follow them faithfully
2) The low clans feed on mortal blood. Assassins are not of the low clans. Feed from God‘s children only when utterly necessary. To feed on humans is wrong. To feed on vampires is the will of the divine
3) The Beast must be sated. The Beast is a tool, a gift, and it can be used for good or ill. The Beast is a challenge. It must be honed to one‘s will and mastered utterly. To lose oneself to the Beast is to lose control. Losing control is the province of the weak
4) Watch and listen for anything that can help in the war against the Children of Khayyin
5) Haqim‘s teachings hold truth for all vampires. Offer those who prove worthy a chance to learn of Haqim‘s words
6) Those who refuse Haqim‘s words are heretics and enemies and must be slain
7) Seek out opportunities to draw one‘s self close to Haqim (i.e., indulge in diablerie whenever possible)

Sin levels and violations
1) Failing to diablerise an enemy. Acting against another path follower
2) Failing to slay and drain the blood of a foe. Refusing to answer the summons of another path member
3) Frenzying. Not learning all about the enemy and its secrets
4) Not bringing the truth of Haqim to others. Failing to destroy an unrepentant vampire
5) Killing a mortal for blood. Breaking your word of honour to a fellow Path of Blood follower

Road of Bones
As walking corpses, vampires truly exist on the cusp of mortality. Death comes to all things sooner or later, so the Gravediggers study the process of physical death, the decay of the body and the extinguishing of the spirit. Practised largely by the Capodicians, these scholarly Cainites strive to unlock the mysteries of death, to understand why death occurs and how vampires cheat the natural cycle. Though they are neither murderers nor cavalier about death, they do occasionally "assist" if death seems to be unnaturally delayed.
Followers are nicknamed: Gravediggers

Tenets
1) Accept, and do not fear, the inevitability of death.
2) Let death happen and study it as it does.
3) When you kill, do so meticulously and in such a way that you may study and learn from the death.
4) Act in accordance with logic. Do not allow emotion or concern for others to interfere with your studies.
5) Study different types, ways, and causes of death.
6) Control your Beast. Sate it with the blood it desires, but do not let it overcome you.
7) Be comfortable enough with death and unlife to study them avidly while remaining emotionally detached.
8) Use your study and understanding of death to seek out the meaning and nature of death and life, as well as the place and purpose of the individual in the universe.

Sin levels and violations
1) Preventing a death in any way
2) Making a decision based on emotion rather than logic; inconvenience oneself for another
3) Succumbing to Frenzy; refusing to kill when a natural opportunity presents itself
4) Accidental killing; failing to feed when hungry
5) Showing a fear of death or failing to study it

[Rule Hound]

Road of Metamorphosis
Some Paths of Enlightenment are simply specific ways of looking at the world. They’re taken to inhuman extremes, but they’re founded on a human basis. Not so the Path of Metamorphosis. The brainchild of Clan Tzimisce, this calling concentrates on alienation, cultivation of inhumanity, and ultimately on escaping all humane trait’s the way a butterfly breaks free from its cocoon.

The basic doctrine of the path is that humanity is but a precursor to the more evolved state of vampirism, and vampirism is a prelude to something else… something wondrous and terrible. As partly evolved beings, it is Cainites’ sacred duty to continue the process of change and refinement into a state of earthly apotheosis.

Perhaps characteristically, adherence to this path is an individualistic rather than communal endeavour. Devotees are competitive at best, outright rivals or foes at worst. Each vampire must walk the path by herself. While followers often ally to accomplish temporal ends or to discuss general matters of spirituality, receiving more than mere rudiments of knowledge from other paths is considered weakness and dullness.

Also, unlike many paths, Metamorphosis advocates no specific route to enlightenment. There are certainly rules to obey, techniques to follow and prohibitions to honour, but the following is ultimately a function of intuition and experience. Teachers understand that a student’s destiny might be to fail, not succeed. Failures are not only expected but occasionally encouraged as object lessons.

All told, the path sometimes presents an element that the Sabbat finds inharmonious, even divisive. It is only the influence of the Tzimisce and the usefulness of its members that keeps the path from being scourged from the sect altogether.
Nickname: Metamorphosists or Freaks

Tenets
1) Learn the characteristics of all stages of life and death. Vampires, as embodiments of both stages’ qualities, must evolve along the tree of death as well as life. Death is perhaps only the protozoa-stage of unimaginable states of being, which a truly enlightened Cainite must learn and assimilate.
2) One should not overly concern oneself with mortals. They are a step below the Children of Caine, not a step above. In retaining bipedal posture, binocular vision, opposable thumbs and cause/effect cognitive processing, a Cainite has taken all she generally needs from her former existence. Mortals sometimes aid vampires by accomplishing valuable intellectual breakthroughs, but most such reasoning applies to mortal concerns and is thus of marginal utility to vampires. At any rate, a vampire can parasitize his mortal servitors and networks with little effort, much like logging onto the Internet.
3) Do not share knowledge with others, as it is too valuable to trust to a flawed creature like one’s self. This tenet is perhaps more indicative of Tzimisce paranoia than enlightened development, as it seems of limited utility. Nonetheless, the metamorphosist viewpoint is that all creatures - even other path followers - are ultimately objects of study. To impart knowledge and enlightenment to a lab rat is to corrupt the experiment. The rat will not act “naturally.”
4) Indulge the Beast, but deny it. True comprehension of unlife requires a broad range of experience. The Beast in and of itself is like any other organ or system. If overtaxed or if the rest of one’s self is allowed to atrophy, it is a detriment. If assimilated properly into the whole, exercised and nourished but not besotted or bloated, the Beast takes its place within the framework. Its perceptions, while, simple, are often correct.
5) One should alter and augment one’s body. Changing the flesh might pave the way towards changing the soul. As without, so within. While altering one’s flesh in and of itself does not lead to enlightenment, the act of experiencing the physical world through a different body-lens can in turn lead to innovative ways of thinking - or unthinking, as the case may be.
6) Do not heed to the needs or desires of others. Their lack of introspection may distract even the keenest intellect. To remain ever aware of one’s own evolution, one must be continuously self-centred. Because one cannot evolve another being, that being’s needs are by definition an impediment to the true way.

Sin levels and violations
1) Neglecting to alter your own body. Exhibiting compassion for others
2) Considering the needs of others. Failure to experiment, even at your own risk
3) Refusing to kill when knowledge may be gained from it. Failing to ride out a frenzy
4) Deferring to another for knowledge. Sharing knowledge with another
5) Postponing feeding when hungry. Indulging in pleasure

Path of Night
Among the kine, psychologists, law-enforcement officers and philosophers argue about the nature of “evil.” Does it exist? Can it be measured? Isn’t all action and intent relative?

The vampires on the Path of Night answered these questions along ago. Evil exits. It hungers. Vampires, the Damned, are emissaries and harbingers of Ultimate Evil - the Abyss, Hell, the dark, all-consuming Void. Only by accepting their nature and duties as monsters can the Children of Caine free themselves from the thrall of the Beast.

Evil, to these creatures, is the embodiment of the forces that tear at the great order of things. Vampires, as beings unnaturally suspended between life and death, are the most unnatural and thus the most evil beings of all. It is their role in the system to be the viruses that break everything down. If the system is strong, it will resist. If not (and it doesn’t seem to be), Cainites will eat it away so that a newer and perhaps better world can be born. Being evil through and through, followers of this path would seek to dismantle even the most exalted of paradises.

This is a lonely and terrible course. Its followers are among the most Beast-wracked undead in existence; that within must be truly awful if one must escape it in this fashion. Vampires dedicated to this way are some of the most brutal, monstrous, foul beings in existence. Their only consolation is that they, not some uncontrollable force within themselves, direct their theatre of misery.
Nickname: Nihilists

Tenets
1) Leave no being untouched by one’s taint. All beings must experience the touch of evil. The weak must be destroyed. The strong must be destroyed or corrupted. Those too strong or peripheral to be destroyed or corrupted must at least be scarred in passing.
2) Tempt and horrify those around one’s self. The weak will fall, while the strong will be tempered by the test. Vampires, as creatures of life and death, have been sent as emissaries from the other side. It is their duty to break down the physical and spiritual resolve of all whom they come in contact. Nihilsts, however, recognise that some beings are fated to serve other powers than those of evil .If it is clear that a being is as spiritually pure (or simply different) as the vampire is corrupt, it is part of the natural order to allow that being to be what it is. Nihilists are also soldiers of darkness. Just because a foe is respected doesn’t mean it can’t be destroyed.
3) Inspire others to accept their inner darkness. As emissaries, nihilists are “PR agents” of evil. Every being turned to its own darkness is another solider in the great cosmic struggle between light and shadow.
4) Experience every sensation possible, and then some. Just as a master craftsperson must be familiar with all his tools, so must a master of evil understand all mediums in which he can work. Even “good” or “pure” sensations must be experienced. It is easier to work against a noble victim when one has knowledge of nobility, a pure victim when one understands purity, a loving victim when one understands love.
5) Death is a means, not an end. A vampire has died, true, but has not experienced the entirety of what lies beyond death. It is not one’s place to meddle with the planes beyond. If it were, a vampire would not have been sent back to the living world. Since it is one’s lot to scourge this world, not the next, victims must be kept in a vampire’s sphere of influence as long as possible. A dead victim is beyond one’s reach. A living victim may experience evil in all its manifestations.
6) Vampires, as souls damned by God, fulfil their purpose by preying on mortals. Few things are more horrifying than the idea of being eaten. For this reason alone, vampires must prey on mortals. Though the undead must spread as much evil as possible in the living world, it is sometimes their duty to act as shepherds, sending a soul to its final reward (or preferably to perdition).

Sin levels and violations
1) Accepting the superiority of another. Repenting your behaviour
2) Intentional or impassioned killing. Aiding another
3) Accidental killing. Bowing to another Kindred’s will
4) Failing to be innovative in your depredations. Asking aid of another
5) Killing a mortal for food. Acting in the interests of another

[Rule Hound]

Path of Typhon
The Road of Sin practiced by many Setites operating in Europe is a trend brought about by the Decadent pursuit of corruption for corruption's sake. The original, pure form of Setite worship is the Road of the Serpent or Via Serpentis. It is much more religious in its overtones than one might think, emphasizing devotion to Set as the true god and spawning corruption for the purpose of returning man to his carnal, bestial origins, thus restoring balance and weakening the tyranny of Ra and Osiris. Depending on a Setite character's origins and his individual beliefs, he may choose whichever of the two philosophies that is most appropriate.

Followers of the traditional Via Serpentis seek to undermine the foundations of order and society in all its incarnations, and erode virtue and restraint in the individual. They spread war, disease and misery wherever they can, for desperation is the quickest path to human barbarity. Sometimes, as in the case of Rome, Setites will support ruling institutions if its actions facilitate the spread of unrest and corruption across its domain.

Most Cainites believe that only Setites follow the Via Serpentis, but this is not the case. Indeed, the seduction and corruption of Cainites can lead them to becoming servitors of Set and following the god's Road. To qualify, however, a Cainite must show supreme dedication to the ideals of the dark god. Most of these Cainites undergo a ritual similar to the religious Embrace of Setites.


Tenets
1) Gather information, secret or otherwise, and learn how it applies to the resurrection of Set.
2) Contribute to the clan’s greater goal of reviving its slumbering master.
3) Bring others under one’s sway, thereby increasing influence and capability.
4) Subjugate the Beast; its reckless wiles serve only itself.
5) Maintain a veil of secrecy, for others look ill upon this path’s means and ends.
6) Look for Set’s hidden signs and act upon them.

Sin levels and violations
1) Failing to take advantage of another; refusing to aid in raising Set
2) Failing to pursue occult knowledge; hindering another Setite
3) Failing to undermine the social order in famor of the Setites; failing to do what is necessary to bering another to ruin
4) Failing to destroy a vampire in Golconda; failure to observe a Setite ritual
5) Pushing your own vices or failing to aid another Theophidian



Figured I would throw in this one just because
Path of Honourable Accord
The Path of Honourable Accord strives not only to be different from the way of Humanity, it strives to be better. Its members would argue that there is no alternative.

The entirety of the path - and the path follower - lies in a code of duties and prescriptions known as the Code of Milan. Though neither overly lengthy nor overly complex, the code dictates its followers’ entire existence. The Beast claims the souls of the Damned by insidious rationalisation. So, their code of behaviour must be so clear that such rationalisation is impossible. The Beast claims the souls of the Damned through blind emotion. So, any such emotion must be replaced by the cold logic of the code. Whether their sworn duty involves protecting an ally - or enemy - or torturing a child to death, knights carry it out to the letter. If they give their word that a task will be accomplished, it will be or they will reach Final Death trying.

The code upholds truth, courage and duty. In some ways, this path is the ultimate example of “negative reinforcement.” Its precepts and followers are cold and harsh - but those who follow the Path of Honourable Accord are a thousand times as harsh on themselves as they are on the world. They take first blame for failure and if it is their duty to defend someone, they will be destroyed before allowing her to be harmed. Truth, no matter how terrible, is cultivated, for lies are the soil in which the Beast tunnels like a worm. The soil of the vampire’s soul must therefore be stone.

Make no mistake: While many of this calling’s tenets are “virtuous,” they are by no means “good.” Love is a lie. All the Damned know that. Honourable Accord rejects compassion of any sort. Error leads to flaw, flaw leads to weakness and weakness lead to ruin. Adherents of this code must be without error. Nor may they tolerate it in others. Different paths seek to guide the Beast or to let it run along prescribed channels. This one would cage it, then freeze it into immobility. To do that, a vampire’s heart must be as hard and cold as steel.
Nickname: Knights

Tenets
1) One always keeps his word and honours his agreements. One’s word is one’s personal Code of Milan. The first inroads of the Beast are through lies, both to one’s self and to others. The next are through excusing either one’s own or other Cainites’ lapses. If one neither lies nor lapses, the Beast cannot gain a foothold.
2) Never show cowardice; overcome fears. Ultimately, best intentions are useless if they cannot be acted upon. In some ways, fear is a knight’s worst foe, for it is both a rationalisation not to accomplish something and a blinding emotion. Fear is the currency of the Beast. It must be rejected at all costs.
3) Duty comes before personal matters. Duty is inflexible, immutable; personal matters are subject to whim, to rationalisation and thus to the Beast
4) Treat fairly and equitably with those of station. Conversely, the dishonourable are beneath contempt. As one does not lie to himself or fellow knights, so he does not lie to or exploit other noble Cainites. Those who have taken pains to quell their own Beasts and set examples for the Damned are to be respected and honoured, even if they don’t (yet) follow the code. Conversely, those who are clearly doomed, who wallow in their own shame and weakness, are to be avoided, placed out of sight, mind and soul. Such creatures can corrupt all around them like a pestilence.
5) Always repay debts. This tenet is central to the code. So long as debt or gratitude weighs on one’s soul, there is an opening for the Beast to exploit. The ideal knight’s mind and heart are on the code and only the code, not on matters owed to another Cainite. Debts must always be repaid promptly and in full.
6) Support comrades-in-arms in all things, except when they counsel treachery. Only by being an example to all can one save others from their own weaknesses. Be a paragon to packmates, acting as a righteous exemplar and, if necessary, a punishing scourge.

Sin levels and violations
1) Killing without reason. Breaking your word or oath; failing to honour an agreement
2) Placing personal concerns over duty. Showing cowardice
3) Disobeying a leader. Failing to protect allies
4) Associating with the dishonourable. Failing to participate in group rites
5) Failing to uphold the precepts of your group. Failing to show hospitality to allies