Path of Veille

By Raoul "Violence" Borges (paercebal@hotmail.com) for the Veilleurs.

History

Around the turn of the 19th century, Prince Villon of Paris was worried about new manifestations of occult origin in his city. No one could determine the source of this "aura," but the lupines were declining and the kindred liked it. However, wraiths began to appear more and more frequently. Then something went rampaging in the Catacombs and disappeared. More disconcerting was when a number of kindred went mad and tried to attack the Louvre a little before sunrise. At first, Villon though it was the Brujah or perhaps the Tremere. The Revolution was alive even now for some and Paris was always a Magickal city. Perhaps it was some secret war between the Tremere and the Order of Hermes. But no one, Kine, Kindred, Lupine or Magi was protected from this Aura of Corruption. Then, Villon himself was victim of the attack. Alexis, one of his lieutenants, saved his life, from a thing that could only be called "demon." Suspecting the Setites, Villon gave Alexis orders to investigate. There were Setites in Paris, and they were searching for something... Alexis chose to go to Egypt to learn about the Clan of Set.

The Campaign of Egypt was a tremendous success for the French and the English. The English and their Kindred masters resented the invasion of Egypt by Napoleon: they won the war of the seas, and then, the war of Egypt. They even won the right to keep the "Pierre de Rosette," where one text was written in both Hieroglyphs and in Greek. But they failed to take over the secrets Alexis discovered in one tomb. The French came to Egypt with scientists and artists, both mortal and undead. The French came back with treasures of drawings, and plans of temples and tombs. Alexis came back with drawings of hieroglyphs discovered in the tomb mentionned in one lost temple of Hecate, in Turkey.

Alexis didn't know how to read hieroglyphs, nor did Villon. In fact, only the Setite knews, and they would not help. He searched for someone who could, with a copy of the Stone of Rosette, decipher the writings of the First Egyptians. He found Champollion.

Champollion was a young man with little stamina, but able to learn most languages in little time. Alexis showed a copy of the stone to the young man. It took years, but Champollion was a genius. He discovered, eventually, the key of the hieroglyphs. Then he was presented to Villon.

Champollion's death was reported a little time after.

Alexis and the new Ghoul, Champollion, started to translate the Hieroglyphs of the Lost Tomb. First before the rest of the world, they discovered the history of Set and of Meryt-Neith. Meryt-Neith was known as the Royal Daughter and Great Royal Wife of Oudimou. And Meryt-Neith was, as Alexis thought, a Vampire.

Embraced by Thot, identified after as Japhet, Childe of Cappadocius, She was called after as Meryt-Seth, "Beloved of Set." She was, before the corruption of Set (one thousand years before Christ), the Undead Princess of Egypt, behind the First Dynasty (-3000). As a mortal, she was Awakened as a Mage. As a Vampire, she created her own version of Thaumaturgy. As an act of Love, she offered to Set, god of Lightning, Deserts and Storms, the Path of Lightning.

But Set had the Seed of Evil in him.

He was seduced by Nefertiti, Embraced while Akhenaton created his new God, Aton, with the help of Magi who would become, thousand years after, the Celestial Choir. Nefertiti, pawn of the Wyrm, seduced Set and tried to destroy Meryt-Seth. She used her pawn and Childe, Nebneferptah, and tried to kill the Beloved of Set.

As the Cappadocian went into hiding, Amon, Childe of Montou (known in the 20th century as Montano) and Grand Childe of Lasombra, took the power from the Followers of Aton. Giving the power back to the Prince of Egypt, Set, he knew that something was amiss. With Ramses II, son of Sethi, Set acted like the old prince of Egypt. Maat was respected. Egypt was powerful once again.

But the corruption took over him.

Thinking the other Cainites were trying to destroy him, he attacked. The reaction of Amon was swift, and Avaris, Capital of Set, was destroyed. In 935 B.C., Horus came back with invaders. He destroyed all the known Kindred of Egypt but Set, and Nefertiti. Set, trying to escape, went into hiding, in the Caern of the Wyrm, in Egypt.

When he came back, he had learned Serpentis.

He Embraced new Children, creating the Followers of Set, corrupted at Birth by the Wyrm. Amon, "the Hidden Principle", and Meryt-Seth, "Beloved of Set", hadn't been seen since. But Set searched for his former love...

Alexis was horrified to understand that this history, while began by Meryt-Seth, was finished by the hand of the Antediluvian himself. From the Papyrus hidden in the Tomb, he discovered fragments of the Discipline of Thaumaturgy, as created by Meryt-Seth. And the Path of Blood, and the Path of Lightning.

Searching for french history, he was contacted by Erik, the Nosferatu known as Phantomas. The Nosferatu was able to give him the name of the source of the evil in Paris, which he heard from a Setite destroyed shortly after trying to invade the Catacombs of Phantomas. Nebneferptah was his name and was destroyed by a mysterious female Cainite named Cahete around the second century after Christ.

A Few days after, Alexis talked about Nebneferptah to Villon, and about the Setite trying to find and arise him from Torpor. Alexis asked the right to create a sect of Vampires who would try to investigate paranormal phenomena and search for the Torporous Setite. A few days after, while trying to find Cainites for his organisation, Meryt-Seth came back to Paris.

Alexis knew that the Cainite known as Laureen, who had helped him to reach the seventh Generation, and the Cappadocian known as Meryt-Seth were the same creature. Learning about the violation of her tomb, she had searched and discovered, to her surprise, that one of her "Knights" was behind it. Talking about Nebneferptah, they decided she would help him, completing the Disciplines discovered in her tomb. Alexis would give, in exchange, all the information about Nebneferptah.

But Laureen, Fifth Generation of the Clan Tremere, had to be "sent" to Paris. After the Commune (1870), she "inspired" the french Technocracy into starting a war between the Tremere and the Order of Hermes. The War became a battle between the Kindred and the Magi until the Technocracy grew bold and gave information to the Church. Seeing Inquisitors coming for them, the Kindred and Magi withdrew, looking for a trap. Discovering the action of the Technocracy, the retaliation was swift. In 1905, the State was separated from the Church. In 1905, Einstein wrote four articles which would damage the Reality constructed by the Technocracy. The Order of Hermes lost control of Paris (to the Sons of Ether). Gustacio, Leader of the Paris Chantrie was "called to Vienna." He was replaced by an Ambitious Tremere called Abelard... And Laureen.

But Gustacio had a Childe: He Embraced by force a Corax, Criaar, to use as a spy. The Corax never became Tremere. When Alexis and Laureen found him, he was trying to create is Discipline: Veille. As Alexis and Laureen invited him in the organisation, they became the "Veilleurs" (Watchers). When Criaar first tried to create Veille, it was to replicate his lost Corax abilities and was originally a discipline. However, Criaar's powers were limited and he couldn't do it alone. So, when he was recuited by Alexis to become one of the Veilleurs, Laureen helped him recreate Veille, this time as a Path of Thaumaturgy.

As it is a Thaumaturgical Path, one must use a Blood Point first, then succeed a Willpower roll (Diff: power level+3).

* Dark Truth

The Veilleur can detect when someone is telling him lies.

System: Spend 1 Willpower point. One with more Auspex than the Veille level of the Veilleur will know that the Veilleur is somehow able to more or less read her mind.. One with more Obfuscate than the Veille level of the Veilleur will be able to tell lies without being detected. Note, that this power will not detect a lie if a person believes what he is saying, whether or not it is true. Further, some half-truths aren't detected. Something like "No, I don't killed Tania," could be detected if the guy let Tania fall without helping her. It's the Storyteller's choice: I know, it's difficult, but remember this: WoD isn't AD&D. I say let the Veilleur try to sort out the truth from the half-truth alone: roll Perception+Empathy diff: Manipulation+Subterfuge of the victim. Add 2 to the Difficulty if the victim knows that she is scanned. If he wins, then he know that it isn't all truth (five successes and he knows where...). If he fails, he thinks that it's the truth. Asking twice the same question will give the same results, if the answer is more or less the same. This power is active for the Scene. Only one person per Turn can be "scanned."

** Answers from the Grave

The Veilleur is able to ask a corpse questions (and get answers, of course!). The body must be intact (and have lungs, neck and a mouth...).

System: Spend 1 Bloodpoint and roll Wits+Medicine. The Veilleur drop a little blood in the mouth of the body, and uses his power to call the dead's spirit. This power provides the energy for the body to speak and to the spirit to come back. The spirit can then talk through the mouth of the body. Each success is one question. The power can be used any times wanted.

Condition of body	Difficulty
The body is intact and freshly dead.	8
The body is older than 24 hour.	9
The body is decaying.	10

Note that if the lungs, mouth, neck have been damaged (bullet holes), add 1 to the difficulty. A Difficulty of 11 is automatic failure. A spirit wanting to talk (wanting to give the name of his killer, et al.) can lower the difficulty by one.

*** Vision

The Veilleur is able to extend his perception. Seeing 360^o (thus making him hard to surprise), or even detect movements behind walls. A Botch in using this power is terrible: The Veilleur can't use any Veille, Auspex, Danger Sense and similar powers for the night (all the information given is false!).

System: Spend 1 Willpower Point.

Successes	Effect
1	360o Vision.
2	Movement Detection 4m radius.
3	M.D. 8m radius.
4	M.D. 16m radius.
5	M.D. 32m radius.

Only movement can be seen. Objects stopping are seen one more turn before disappearing. Large objects are seen within 2x the Radius. Little objects are seen within 1/2 the radius. If a lot of things are flying (the wife throwing plates to her Don Juan like husband... joke, but you understand the meaning), then the Veilleur must use one Willpower point unless he wants to become confused.

**** The Calling

The Veilleur can 'Call' with this power. All Veilleurs (and all who have the Path of Veille) will hear the Call. The Call isn't words. It's merely a signal with, perhaps, some emotion (A Call for help could be recognised as such). By spending a willpower point, the user may convey a mesage of one Turn. If someone wants to answer, he must succeed in the use of the power, and all Veilleurs will hear the answer: Whole groups of Veilleurs can discuss from all over the world at great expenditure of Willpower!

System: Automatic / 1 Willpower point per turn. The Range of the Call depends on the successes on the Willpower Roll:

1	1 Km
2	10 Km
3	100 Km
4	1000 Km
5	10,000 Km

The range is limited by the number of successes. Please note that the Earth's Radius is more or less 12,000 Km. As the Range Maximum is 10,000 Km, it means that there always is a position in the earth where the call will not be heard, whatever the successes.

The Call isn't made of words. It's semi-empathic. All hear it and know who made the Call (Each Veilleur has one secret name given to him in the Ceremony's Rites), and in what direction he is (see Presence 4). They can, if they choose, ignore the call. The Veilleur can convey one emotion with his call (see Auspex 2 for the differents types of emotions), but if he wants ot convey a message, he must use 1 Willpower point per 3 seconds of talking.

***** Veilleur's Familiar

This power is similar in effects to a ritual. The Veilleur must Embrace an animal as if he wanted to make a Vampire. The only difference is that he must wait more than five minutes (but not much more...) before giving back the blood. The animal's dead, but, if the power is successful, the Veilleur will take over its body and control it as an extension of his own. Any animal can become a Familiar, though arachnics, insects, fish, et al. are excluded. Most familiars are falcons, crows (!), cats and dogs. A Gangrel even took the body of his old friend, a wolf killed by Ventrue agents, as a familiar.

System: The Veilleur must find a suitable animal and drain him of all his blood. Then the Veilleur must spend 1 Blood point and succeed in the Willpower roll (for using Thaumaturgy). Then he must put one blood point in the mouth of the animal after the five minutes, as the animal must really be dead. (If the animal was killed by the Veilleur for this ritual, the Veilleur must succeed in a Humanity roll if his Humanity is 6 or more). Then he must roll Stamina+Medicine or Stamina+Animal Ken (Diff: the Willpower of the animal, usually five) If the roll failed, the animal is really dead and can't be raised. If the roll is botched, the animal was embraced, although the Veilleur can be oblivious to that (for the First night and until the First sunrise, the Familiar is like a Vampire). See Berlin by Night for examples of Cobra-Vampires.

If the roll succeeded, the animal become a Familiar. He can't go farther than 1 Km/Veilleur's Willpower point from the Veilleur. If he go beyond, the Familiar dies (see after). The Veilleur then has the following benefits:

• The Veilleur can control his body and the body of his familiar with no problem.
• The Veilleur gains two more Health Levels with no penalty if his Familiar is active. He shares his Willpower, Blood pool and Health Levels with the Familiar: If one of them takes one damage, the common Health Level decrease by one. If one uses the Blood to heal himself, he takes the blood from the common blood pool. et al. But to dodge, or soak damage, it depends on the body attacked...
• The Familiar has the same Auspex and Veille as his Veilleur. One will know if it's the animal or the Veilleur who Calls (Veille level 4)
• The Veilleur can teach his familiar Disciplines he knows himself. Each Physical Discipline (Celerity, Fortitude & Potence) cost 7xp +5/level. All the other cost 10xp +7/level.
• The Familiar has one virtual level of potence. If he wants to learn more levels, he must learn the first which will be, then, real.
• The Veilleur always knows in which direction is his animal (if he can't recognize by the Familiar's senses) although not the distance. The same is true for the Familiar to the Veilleur.
• The Familiar's aura is so feeble that it lowers the number of successes in the Auspex 2 roll by one. Discovering its vampiric in nature still demands 1 success... after removing one success.

There are some problems, too:

• For the first night, and until the first sunrise, the animal is really a Vampire. If the roll was botched, his conscience will awaken in the middle of the night, destroying the influence the Veilleur thought he had over it. He 'll try to break free and will become a Vampire-Caitiff-Animal (see Berlin by Night).
• For Game Rules, The Familiar is considered as a Vampire of the same Generation as the Veilleur's, with the exception that sunlight don't affect it (consider it as a Ghoul).
• The Veilleur can use his Familiar in the day as his own body sleeps. He must spend one Willpower point and succeed a humanity roll each hour of activity (Diff: 8). Note that it means that the Veilleur hadn't slept this day... He could be a little sleepy the night after...
• If the Familiar falls in Torpor (massive wounds, et al.), the Veilleur falls torporous too. The only exception: If one is staked, the other is stil active.
• If the animal comes out of his zone of existence (1km Radius per Willpower point of the Veilleur), it dies.
• If the animal is killed (Final Death: Aggravated Wounds, Fire... but not if he went out of the zone of existence) the Veilleur falls in Torpor.
• If the Familiar dies (from any cause, in addition to any problem written before), the Veilleur loses permanently one point of Willpower, and one point in his highest Physical Attribute.
• One can try to Dominate, use Presence, et al. the Veilleur through his animals eyes or senses.
• The Veilleur lose two bloodpoints per night instead of one. One for himself and the other for the Familiar. If the Veilleur doesn't want to maintain his Familiar he can simply not pay the extra blood point cost, causing the Familiar to fall into Torpor. However, when he does this, the Veilleur loses all advantages of the Familiar without losing any of the disadvantages.

• To awaken a torporous Familiar, the Veilleur must use 2 Blood points each beginning of the night for three consecutive nights. After the third night falls, the Familiar awakens from Torpor.