Path of Acceptance

By Kevin Davies (mizake@mizan.demon.co.uk) for the Coprophage bloodline

Description

Few Kindred are more reviled than the rare breed known as Coprophages. Even the Salubri, hated as they are, are afforded a modicum of respect; the Coprophages are treated merely with disgust and utter disdain. Many in the Camarilla do not regard them as true vampires at all, but as foul ghoulish creations of the Sabbat. Little do they know that the Sabbat treat the Coprophages with as much revulsion as they. But, while all sides view the Coprophages as a weeping canker upon the backside of Kindred society, few would regard them as any kind of threat. "Harmless," they say. "Disgusting, but harmless. We have far more important things to worry about than a lot of freaks whose only claim to fame is eating shit."

As so often is the case, they have been somewhat premature in their evaluation. The Coprophages' corner indeed seems to be filled with little danger. They regard mortals more as lovers and friends than prey, and there is little danger of diablerie from the Perverts' corner. Though outlandish and often offensive in behaviour, they tend to learn their lessons quickly and shut up when it is required. When they stay silent, few would consider them to be thinking about more than their own unsteady predicament.

Of course, very little should be taken on face value. Especially when it concerns a bloodline as oppressed, as cunning and as adept at changing faces as this. Those few Kindred who have bothered to investigate the Coprophages' own philosophies have returned in various states of mind; some confused, some disdainful, some irritated -- but most confused. The Coprophage vision is so far removed from the rest of Kindred society that most cannot understand it within their own mindset. And so they cast it aside, thinking it as worthless, the ravings of a bloodline that was mad from the start, and is unlikely to gain any semblance of sanity at this late stage.

They could be right, of course. Anything is possible.

But to the Coprophages themselves? Well, obviously they wouldn't understand. How could they? The Coprophages view the rest of the Kindred with a kind of amused revulsion. They see the almost worshipful importance they attach to blood and find it ludicrous. They listen to the stories of Caine and Lilith, and the Antediluvians, and wonder just how such a seemingly sophisticated group of beings could have invented such a story. Above all, they watch their ritualised way of life, their attitude towards things 'un-Kindred' and realise that the whole thing has become little more than a joke. Within their own philosophy, the Coprophages have advanced far beyond what they see as these insane, blind superstitions, and have raised themselves to a state of mind wherein all things are a part of the universal whole, the single and uniform state which binds the material world together. They have not overcome the flesh, but they realise that the flesh is not there to be overcome -- it is there to be employed gainfully. With a sense of wonder and fulfillment that could be viewed as almost childlike, those Coprophages who follow the Path of Acceptance seek nothing more than to experience all of what now passes for life among their kind -- and leave nothing untouched due to the influence of such immature concepts as ethics and morality. The Path of Acceptance is not one of immorality, or even of amorality; it is simply a way of looking at all things equally, through untainted eyes, and without preconceptions of good or bad. It throws off all the Kindred tradition and leaves one solely with the evidence that is to hand. It is a philosophy which often seems incomprehensible to those unfamiliar with it.

Coprophages on this Path come to learn the one and only truth that exists; that man and vampire alike are mere matter, untouched by spirituality, and unbound by any codes and tenets which may have been written by charlatans over the years. Nothing can be thought of as 'unclean'; for as we are matter, so is everything else around us. Those who are well-versed in the philosophy of this Path seek to remind other Kindred of the truth that they already know; dust we were, dust we are, and to dust we return. Nothing could be simpler. Nothing could be more harmless.

Ethics

• Everything living in this world, be they Kindred, mortal, or animal, is nothing but inanimate matter cleverly put together into a sack of goo that moves around and thinks. Vampires are just sacks of goo who think they know more than everything else.
• Most people think they are something special. Remind them that they are just matter at every opportunity.
• Nothing is too far removed from what we are to be considered disgusting. There is no such thing as a justifiable morality; any set of rules which you attempt to impose on matter is purely arbitrary.
• Things decay. Vampires decay more slowly than just about anything else, but they still decay. Trying to prevent their decay is trying to go against the way things are.
• One day, this whole planet, this whole galaxy, this whole universe, will just die. Remind others of that at every opportunity.
• Shocking, disgusting and horrifying other Kindred, particularly those who have been playing their pointless little games for centuries, helps them come a little way forward to true knowledge of what the world is. Besides, it's also one hell of a laugh.
• The only thing which makes life particularly special, which raises it even minutely above the level of the rest of matter, is pleasure. Never deny yourself the opportunity for pleasure. Never deny others the opportunity for pleasure. Enjoy life. That's the only reason it's there.

Hierarchy of Sins

10	Attempting to retain any sense of purity or blind faith.
9	Actively playing along with another's delusions of faith or superstition.
8	Showing disdain for mortals or non-vampires.
7	Willingly bowing to another's delusions of faith or superstition.
6	Showing disgust at matter of any kind.
5	Actively attempting not to shock or disgust another vampire.
4	Refusing to indulge one's desires in public.
3	Refusing to indulge one's desires in private.
2	Harming one who cares deeply for you.
1	Believing that life's spiritual dimension is greater than the material.