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  Kindred Religions – 
  The Church of Set 
  © 2019 White Wolf Entertainment © 2019 Onyx Path Publishing 
  
  Kindred Religions 
  “Every methuselah is capable of shepherding a flock of devotees, convincing 
  them of miracles of the Blood, and forcing them to supplicate before an 
  almighty leader. Every methuselah is a god just waiting to take on the title.” 
  — Shrug, Nosferatu Mistress of Cardiff 
  Undeath causes many a crisis of faith. The devout Christian might cease to believe in the 
  sanctity of life and the forgiveness of God Almighty. The Muslim might fail to reconcile their 
  own experience with the Qur’an’s teachings on death as a long night of sleep, where upon 
  dying, the individual immediately discovers their destiny in heaven or hell. The Hindu waits 
  for their atman to be reborn in a new body, only to find themself locked in their own damned, 
  unliving shell. 
  It is enough to drive one away from faith entirely, and yet, vampires discover new beliefs. 
  There will always be great mysteries in the world, and faith has provided millions, perhaps 
  billions of humans with answers, and comfort where there are no answers to be found. 
  Vampirism is a terrifying state in which to find oneself. It’s only natural that Kindred flock 
  together to find meaning, purpose, and sometimes, salvation in communal struggle. 
  Sometimes it comes in service to a higher power, other times it comes through examining the 
  Beast within, and rarely, it leads to transcendence beyond a vampire’s base instincts. 
  The religions presented in this chapter all exist within the World of Darkness, with some as 
  prominent vehicles of vampire faith, and others merely existing on the fringes of Kindred 
  society. In your chronicle, these might act as backgrounds, support networks, the sources of 
  powerful Mawlas, or the font from which to draw horrifying antagonists. 
  The Church of Set 
  “If it seems sickly, infect it. If it looks flammable, light the match. Everything 
  that remains is a thing that can’t be plagued, can’t be burned, won’t be 
  defiled. And such things belong to Him.” 
  — Nonus Dis, Priest of the Cave of Apples in his Eighth Hour 
   
  [LAYOUT: PRAYER CARD] 
  Ancient to the Ancients 
  Rise up! Rise up, o childe! 
  Wield your flesh that rots not, your Blood that sours not, 
  Strike at the chains that crush all souls in common! 
  Your sire advances to lay bare your heart, 
  To guide you through Duat, to Set the Triumphant. 
  He is roused at your coming, enfolds you in his arms, 
  Kisses you, consumes you, 
  Fixes the undying stars in their orbits around you. 
  The false gods fear you, 
  
  The great Eternals surround you, 
  The unread vessels serve you, 
  Vitae is threshed for you, 
  Life is distilled for you, 
  Your monthly feasts are made with it, 
  Your yearly feasts are made with it, 
  As ordained and made evident by Set,  
  Your torturer, your father, your lover. 
  Rise up, o childe, you shall not die! 
  Hymn 11, the Book of Going Forth By Night 
  [/PRAYER CARD ENDS] 
   
  The Chaos Cult 
  A vampire can follow Kindred society’s laws, uphold the Camarilla’s Traditions, cling onto 
  their pillars of Humanity, and struggle nightly with the growling Beast in their heart. Or, a 
  vampire can make their own laws, drive their heel into the Camarilla, divest themselves of 
  their mortal shackles, and make their Beast a weapon. 
  The Church of Set favor the latter option. It is what they preach. It is what they believe. 
  Possibly the oldest of all Kindred religions, stretching back in time across millennia, the 
  Church of Set have always been present to “liberate” vampires from society’s strictures and 
  encourage them to find their true calling. 
  Yes, many fall, become wights, and are used as valuable teaching lessons. But for those who 
  survive? They become stronger, and praise be to Set for helping those vampires become 
  everything they are meant to be. 
  Due to their attitudes toward liberation from rules, theoretically, many Kindred should 
  oppose the Church’s very existence. They are servants of chaos, advocating that unlife only 
  possesses meaning if vampires free themselves from the edicts of ancient masters such as 
  Princes and Justicars. Yet, vampires see in the Church of Set wisdom that comes through age 
  and experience, freedom through anarchy, and a chance to rebel against all the external 
  tyrants and internal guilt trips that hold them down. Whenever a domain holds a temple of 
  Set, the Kindred know there’s a place they can visit for a form of enlightenment, counsel, and 
  hard, bitter truth. They also know that by attending this temple, they can find purpose in the 
  meaningless nature of eternity.  
  The Church of Set is strong because it appeals to a Kindred’s base nature, while promising to 
  eradicate the worst of those desires. It is chaos, storm, and promise of change. When the 
  alternative seems like stagnation, it’s no wonder neonates of tonight increasingly flock to the 
  temple doors. 
  Despite their message of freedom, however, the Church of Set is not some utopic faith to 
  which all fledglings must cling. Even the Ministry — the clan most commonly associated 
  with the Church, through their Blood, founder, and religious practices — urges caution to 
  those seeking to follow Set’s path. 
  
  Church and State 
  In the nights following Gehenna, a curious — though not unprecedented — schism occurred 
  within the flocks of Set, so the Serpents claim. Just as Set’s sarcophagus at Ombos was said 
  to shatter many centuries ago, so too in these nights did the body of Set’s faith fracture into 
  dangerous shards.  
  One such splinter group, shedding ties to its venerable history and even abandoning the name 
  of the Red God himself, refers to itself as the Ministry. The Church of Set refers to them as 
  heretics, and yet, it is the Ministry who dominate the clan tonight. To understand the Church 
  of Set, one must first understand the Ministry.  
  The Ministry are the Clan of Faith, but they are not a single religion. The Ministry holds the 
  keys to salvation and uses them to deface every surface around them. They are known to 
  steal, reproduce, and even forge texts of orthodox doctrine, disseminating them among 
  unbelievers, unworthies, and the otherwise unready. Doctrine is often twisted to fit their own 
  needs, especially when it comes to the holy search for the mysteries of Set. Ministers have 
  shown themselves eager to enshrine Set within or attribute to him anything that benefits their 
  autocratic philosophies or actions, syncretizing him with tyrannical kings, chosen 
  Antediluvians, or, among the radical fringe, Set’s inimical brother Osiris. The Ministry is 
  content to use Allah, Catholic saints, Vishnu, or any other being of reverence as a mask for 
  Set. They attract followers because the clan is made up from followers of every religion, 
  every culture, and every background. The Ministry are a clan of chaos, but they are the body, 
  the bureaucracy, and the society that ostensibly governs the realm of faith among Kindred. 
  The Ministry perverts doctrine of all religions to bring its members closer to Set. They are 
  wreckers and despoilers to some, but liberators and counselors to others. Ministers might 
  spread terrible lies about supposed abuses of power committed by the Church of Set, just as 
  the Church of Set finds itself taking in Ministry survivors who have been subject to those 
  same abuses. It is not unheard of for a temple of Set to offer shelter to kine or Kindred 
  misused by the Ministry. To many, it appears the Ministry and Church are at war. To others, 
  it is clear a cycle of abuse and manipulation in the form of nurture propels vampires between 
  them. 
  The Ministry is devoted to the cause of individual Anarchs rather than the spirit of 
  independence and freedom as a whole — that is, Ministers seem eager to rule Anarchs rather 
  than convert them, in contradiction to the edicts laid down by the Red God. This is where the 
  clan and the Church most widely differ. As infiltrators and warmongers, the Ministry makes 
  itself a frequent target of the Camarilla, but while the Ministry take the flak and earn support 
  from their downtrodden Anarch brethren, the Church maintains a distance. The Church does 
  not involve itself in the sectarian wars. So committed is the Church to decrying these 
  pretenders that they will justify a Contending — a trial more akin to a kangaroo court than a 
  place to express one’s defense — against any adherent who abets a Minister outside the 
  Church, to be called off only if the wayward child returns to the flock and sufficiently atones. 
  Anyone shown the true path who still allows the silvery voices of the worldly to lead them 
  astray has become useless in the eyes of the Red Pharaoh.  
  To the rest of the world, the Church and Ministry appear to occupy a shared history, but 
  distinct spheres in these modern nights. They share some members, they share some ideals, 
  but the two are opposed at a structural and philosophical level. The Church of Set’s 
  leadership outwardly regards the Ministry as insignificant, incorrigible children at best. 
  Ministers are not in the business of being ignored, and seem to delight in overt, ill-advised 
  stunts that threaten scrutiny by the Second Inquisition. Such theatrics are to be smothered or 
  
  undermined with any resources a temple, priest, or lay member has at hand. The Church even 
  says honest cooperation with the Camarilla to suppress known Ministers is preferable to the 
  Ministry operating unchecked.  
  The Clan of Lies 
  Of course, that’s what the Church of Set wants other Kindred to think. The damage from this 
  so-called schism is difficult for any outsider to ascertain. The Church of Set maintains the 
  fractures between Church and Ministry are dire heresies. Some Ministers, however, believe 
  the front-facing aspect of the clan is just that: a carefully erected façade that allows the 
  Church to continue its own practices and aims, deflecting all out-of-clan attentions toward the 
  new kids on the block making such a noise within the Anarch Movement. 
  If this is true, the Church of Set is successfully playing the Anarch Movement and many of 
  their own clanmates. The Serpents have, after all, served Set for millennia. An overnight 
  reformation is unlikely. The danger to the clan from all this scheming, is the possibility of 
  their new face growing in power and relevance over the ancient traditions and beliefs of the 
  orthodoxy. If the Church of Set deliberately cultivated the Ministry, they may have lit the 
  fuse for a bomb destined to collapse their foundations. 
  Divine Origins 
  Was Set really a god? That is a question many Kindred aware of the Church are obliged to 
  ask. 
  The Church of Set claims that millennia before two brothers squabbled over their offerings, a 
  mighty family reigned over the Earth, and among them dwelt the forebear of what some 
  crudely refer to as the Followers. Set, of violent storms, of the cruel red desert, of the 
  incomprehensible outsiders beyond the civilized world. Set the warrior, Set the triumphant. 
  Set, who would be king. 
  In the faith of ancient Egypt, and through the ages to tonight, metaphor is more valuable than 
  linear narrative. The myths remain in fragments. The interpretations mature with each new 
  era.  
  In one translation, Set is a betrayer to his kin. His father, Ra, retires the throne and grants it to 
  Set’s brother, Osiris. In a cold rage, Set slays Osiris — some say by drowning, some by 
  dismemberment. In another version, Set is betrayed. Osiris at turns visits upon him a great 
  violence, or tricks him into an unwinnable conflict, or steals Set’s consort for himself. Osiris 
  takes advantage of his own brother’s weakened state to seize rule of the world from him. Or, 
  perhaps, Set never wanted to reign — an Anarch, even then, striving against the tyranny and 
  corruption of Ra’s bloated, degenerate court.  
  Regardless of interpretation: there is a great sin against truth, and Set the Pharaoh never sits 
  upon the throne. Setites of tonight abide by this message even now: members of the Ministry 
  may claim cities for their own, but if you are a member of the orthodox Church of Set, you 
  must never take rulership. 
  According to legend, when Ra discovers what Set’s done to his brother, he levels a curse 
  similar to that from Noddist theology, and banishes Set to the shadows. When Osiris tricks 
  him and the terrible serpent Apep sinks its fangs into Set’s mighty heart, it is the monster’s 
  venom that corrupts his physical form to resemble an eternal corpse. When Set must hide 
  himself from his despotic siblings in the stygian waters of Duat, it is through starvation that 
  he resorts to drinking naught but blood. Or so the myths go. 
  
  Curse, liberation, radical conversion. All of the stories together make the shape of truth, but 
  in the telling they become lies. The Church preaches that Set made his curse a gift and 
  delivered it to his congregation, the gift of flesh that never rots and blood that flows more 
  potent than the rivers of the underworld. The corruption of Apep burned through that which 
  was fallible in him and left only perfect, atom-fine edges of obsidian. Duat’s unliving waters 
  could not have converted the god, changing him from one purpose to another, so much as 
  everted him, stirring the exalted appetites within. 
  The question remains: Was Set a god? The question is incomprehensible to those of the faith. 
  He is a god, and, in the curious para-temporal way gods have about them, will always be a 
  god, and has always been a god. He sleeps in the temple at Ombos. He winnows unrefined 
  souls with his childer. He makes his living church among them.  
  And when the tragic heroes of the Book of Nod walked the Earth, Set’s “followers” were 
  already ancient. 
  A History in Whispers 
  Regardless of how one feels about his eminent divinity and the mythical origins of his 
  church, scholars of the Hecata, Malkavians, and Ministry record Set’s last appearance on 
  Earth as 33 BCE. He sundered the ground with earthquakes, shook the palaces of Cairo with 
  wild storms, and delivered his final mysteries to the faithful. When a cabal of Hierophants 
  and witches came to his resting place, they found the obsidian sarcophagus empty and 
  shattered, razor black shards embedded in the sandstone walls. 
  The ancient Hierophants of the clan ruled in his absence. The faithful tended to Egypt 
  through the reign of each pharaoh and invading king, guiding from the shadows and pruning 
  the crop as they had already done for millennia. Their ideology and history had already 
  prepared them in unique ways for the many and varied changes in leadership, from 
  Macedonian to Ptolemaic. Enemies of the word of Set were deeply polluted — by necessity 
  of their rejection of him — and it was the role of the faithful to encourage that pollution to 
  destroy their enemies from the inside out, and make those who survived worthy of Set’s 
  favor. 
  None of the fearsome conquerors of Egypt showed any interest in rooting out the priests of 
  Set and plundering their flocks. While a few elder leaders groused at the supposed dilution of 
  his kingdom by endless waves of barbarians, the orthodoxy held — Set is also the god of 
  foreigners, in his role as the Lord of All Outside Egypt, and there was more to gain in bearing 
  an invader’s indignities than in burning him out. 
  The faith’s greatest test, however, came during their first Inquisition. Not the Christian-led 
  burnings Western Kindred refer to — for the Church of Set, their Inquisition came a full 
  century earlier, at the hands of the Sultan Baybars. His commitment to the eradication of 
  infidels did not stop at his decisive campaigns against European crusaders. Baybars’ 
  Mamelukes destroyed ancient temples, burning and burying their relics. They hunted two 
  Eternals of Sothis, methuselahs of the Church, and brought them to their final death. They 
  pillaged the Founding Temple Ombos, most holy among the Church’s body, and desecrated 
  its contents. 
  The Purge of Baybars drove the Church of Set out of Egypt and into exile, taking with them 
  any artifact they could carry. They lived in diaspora for decades until Baybars’ assassination. 
  Many of the old treasures smuggled out during the Proclamation of Red Tears still have not 
  been returned, though modern movements arise to repatriate those that have found their way 
  into the collections of unwary museums or wealthy erudites.   
  
  The Burning of Baybars 
  A special yearly ceremony is held in orthodox temples of Egypt, the 
  Mediterranean, and the Middle East. Some particularly radical branches in the 
  West may participate, though the ritual trappings are singularly difficult to come 
  by. On the anniversary of Baybars’ death in 1277, the faithful gather around a 
  ceremonial brazier, tended by the acting Hierophant or High Priest. He reveals 
  a knife of obsidian, and a bone preserved from Baybars’ corpse. 
  Leading the flock in the Execration Litany, the priest shaves a sliver from the 
  bone and holds it over the fire, releasing it at the climax of the ritual chant. 
  When the wraith of the old Sultan appears in the flames, the followers shout it 
  down, spit on it, and otherwise relish the eternal torture so delivered on their 
  ancient enemy. 
  Forty years of exile in foreign lands brought the followers of the Church new wisdom 
  through pain. They found that while the European Kindred despised them for their faith or 
  their subtleties or their skin, they craved what the Church could provide them. The Church of 
  Set fed these cravings gladly.  
  It began with simple trade goods — silk, spices, rare animals. The Church’s coffers swelled, 
  and so did the hungers of wealthy Europeans. Setite merchants began to trade in opiates, 
  hashish, specialized servants. Then, goods more abstract and cunning. A perfect forgery of a 
  grant of arms, for an ambitious commoner. An ignorant child with particular physical traits, 
  to pass off as a rival’s bastard. A sorcerous elixir of potency, for a knight afraid to meet his 
  death in foreign lands. The Church grew as a network of fixers and informants, collaborating 
  in secret, passing goods from follower to follower. Each branch and temple began to keep 
  records of their resources, as well as members’ skills and connections.  
  Set’s treasuries grew, and so did his flocks. Setites learned they could lean ever harder on 
  those who had grown dependent on them for favors of their own, deeds they couldn’t risk 
  doing themselves. Entrenched as they were, the faithful of Set could avoid the worst of 
  another Inquisition, purchasing the silence of infidel priests and redirecting hunters to 
  worthier targets. Meanwhile, Western clients who could withstand their poisonous addictions 
  were invited into the Mysteries of the faith. And those who fell were, naturally, doomed from 
  the start. 
  More Modern Deceits 
  With the Renaissance, and the resulting Age of Reason, the West saw a resurgence of 
  classical thought and gnostic cabals. Philosophers of science needed ever more taboo 
  materials for their research. Alchemists, sorcerers, and their secret societies became 
  inexplicably fashionable. There were seductive new ideas to spread, and who better to help 
  their dissemination than the world’s first cult of mystery?  
  The thought-experiments of the Enlightenment led to wars of revolution and renewed 
  conquest. The nascent New World promised liberty and happiness, as entire peoples from 
  half a world away paid for it with their bodies. The Church was there, too, everywhere, a 
  contact in every port and palace; sometimes, they were first.  
  The presence of the faithful in all corners of the conscious world, and their history of playing 
  both sides, leads many outsiders to think the Church had some part in every atrocity of the 
  last three centuries. According to the Church, these claims are flimsy lies. The Church of Set 
  has and always will stand in opposition to all forms of tyranny, whether from one man over 
  few or one man over a nation — or one false god over a universe. The Master of Duat did not 
  
  allow himself to be denied the throne of heaven only for his childer to love other kings and 
  despots. 
  As such, it must come as no surprise that many of the faithful in these modern nights have 
  taken up with the Anarchs, though members of the Church rarely cling to the Movement as 
  fiercely as they do to the faith. Leave that for lay-Ministers. Church members are encouraged 
  to enjoy the disdain of all sects, in their own understated ways. Outsider Kindred have long 
  disdained the Setites as up-jumped pimps, troublemakers and fixers. Being underestimated 
  serves the Church just fine... especially now. 
  After the Red Star appeared in the sky at the turn of the millennium, the high scholars and 
  new witches reached an exceptional consensus: the Red God sleeps no longer. He is here. 
  The modern world groans under the distended corpse of capitalism. Whole nations are bought 
  and sold on the trade of weapons and narcotics. The Second Inquisition burns Princes in their 
  manors. Those with Blood of a thinness previously thought impossible walk the land — walk 
  in the light! The Earth itself simmers and boils with the injustices visited on its body. 
  The world is ready for Set. And if they are to be believed, it is the faithful of his Church that 
  will begin the threshing. 
  Sectarian Matters 
  If the Ministry so despises the idea of authority, why did it beseech the 
  Camarilla for membership? While desperation and fear are as likely causes as 
  any with the Gehenna Crusade arriving at their doorstep, the clan’s true aim was 
  to change the world’s most powerful Kindred sect from the inside while 
  benefiting from its walls. For all their talk of freedom from hierarchy, the clan 
  still possesses Hierophants and church leaders who instruct and guide their less 
  enlightened fellows, so installing their religious structure within the Ivory 
  Tower would not be so anathematic to the Ministers as many might believe. 
  The clan’s greatest philosophical division in these modern nights comes 
  between the Ministry and the Church. The clan’s “rebrand” or schism — 
  depending on who one asks — that led to the Ministry’s creation came before 
  the attempted entry into the Camarilla, but following the failure of that coalition, 
  many Serpents loudly eschewed the sects entirely, declaring themselves 
  Orthodox Setites, Snakes, or the Church of Set. The vampires who cling to the 
  Ministry epithet are more inclined to associate and politic with Kindred from 
  other clans and join the Camarilla, Anarchs, and Ashirra, while the Church of 
  Set takes the view of “once bitten, twice shy” and despairs for their liberal-
  minded clanmates, who they feel are destined to face bloody betrayal yet again.      
  Snakes in Their Hidden Nests 
  Because of the Church of Set’s reputation, both unearned and carefully cultivated, leadership 
  must construct and disclose their houses of worship with a prudence bordering on paranoia. 
  There are many branch cults with no physical structure to speak of, all the better to go to 
  ground if the Camarilla or the Second Inquisition decide to drive out the snakes. 
  Mortal-facing fronts are small, mobile institutions, meeting regularly and in-person, usually 
  with Greco-Roman influences. In the ‘70s, these were bland New Religious Movement 
  centers. The ‘80s and ‘90s saw a switch to substance-abuse support groups. These nights, 
  pop-up mindfulness practitioners are coming into fashion. The format does not matter — the 
  Church favors any organization that preaches detachment from what binds you. Even at this 
  level, the doctrine of the Church of Set can be introduced in subtle, bowdlerized formats. 
  
  Leaders are encouraged to downplay use of serpents and Egyptian gods in their organization 
  names and heraldry, in favor of the more palatable imagery of Mars, Bacchus, or Pluto — all 
  three, if possible, as they are identified with Set as Typhon Trismegistus.  
  Pierce this mundane shroud of counselors and life coaches to find the true face of the Church 
  — the temple. The architectural requirements for a temple of Set are few but unusual: there 
  must be an inner room from which all outside light can be blocked, and there must be space 
  within this room for a larger-than-life statue of the Red God. Movie theaters are the obvious 
  choice, and darkrooms are equally valuable though rarer in this age of digital photography. 
  The Church is nothing if not resourceful. Lacking the space or resources to construct a new 
  temple, and in absence of the perfect preexisting architecture, many smaller temples are 
  assembled in abandoned garages, cellars, or large storage units, with the inner sanctum 
  separated from the outer by blackout curtains. 
  The temple’s outer sanctum prepares the celebrant to face their god. Priests help them strip to 
  their skin, cleanse themselves in a consecrated mixture of ashes and urine, and finally dress in 
  shendyt, or Egyptian waistcloths, in deep red and green. Past the light-blocking barrier, the 
  inner sanctum is stark and somber, empty save for the black statue of the Master of Storms 
  and the dim red lights that illuminate its alien edges. Individual prayers and offerings occur 
  here, as well as the smaller or quieter rituals. 
  Temples with size and secrecy enough can stockpile donations within their walls, serving as a 
  storehouse within the greater decentralized treasury of the Church. Still older temples feature 
  libraries of Setite ritual and magical texts. These texts are precious in themselves and never 
  loaned out under any circumstances.  
  The most ancient artifacts and cornerstones of the Church’s doctrine can be found in aptly 
  named Founding Temples. Such temples include Red Hook in the Harlem borough of New 
  York City, founded in 1893 as the oldest temple of Set in the Western hemisphere. Scholars 
  of Typhon Trismegistus make regular pilgrimages to the Cave of Apples temple in Naples, 
  when they can manage the trip, though this seat of Church operations in Europe has been 
  steadily emptying in the nights since the Beckoning began. Of course, most famous is the 
  legendary temple Ombos at Naqada, Egypt, once the resting place of the Red God himself. 
  Some say Ombos still lies in ruin, and some claim it is rebuilt. The few modern pilgrims have 
  not returned or even sent back word. 
  Rituals of Liberation 
  The experiences of the faith are intimate and individual to each member. Church leadership 
  encourages its flock to pursue personal relationships with the Master of Duat. However, study 
  of the canon set down by priests, meditations on the revelations of wisdom, and performance 
  of the Mysteries must be conducted or shared in fellowship with a member of higher rank 
  available as a guide (the better for leadership to root out any heresy in its infancy). 
  Kindred are encouraged to maintain a shrine to Set within their haven, provided it does not 
  detract from attending Church rituals and ceremonies. The shrine belongs in the darkest part 
  of the darkest room, cordoned off by black curtains. The altar can be as elaborate as the 
  worshiper feels necessary, though the Red Pharaoh is not known to be impressed by 
  extravagance. The only required accoutrements are a small icon or statuette of Set, wrought 
  in black and red; a bowl for offerings; and an incense burner with kyphi, if the worshiper can 
  find it, though juniper or cedar incense are also known to please the Ruler of the Desert. The 
  worshiper may wish to keep implements of pain or torture at hand to enhance their prayers. 
  
  With access to a shrine, a Kindred of the Church is expected to perform the nightly offering 
  ceremony. It begins with burning incense until its smoke hazes the air. Then the celebrant 
  parts the curtain to the shrine, bowing before the image of the Red God while offering a 
  favored hymn or a simple “Eternal homage to you, Set the Liberator.” They cut their palm to 
  allow some vitae to flow into the offering bowl, mixing it with beer. The icon of Set is 
  dressed in green and red cords, smeared with the still-bleeding palm. The celebrant may 
  linger in meditation, inserting needles under their fingernails one by one or flaying a digit to 
  allow pain to clear their thoughts. When the offering is complete, they extinguish the incense 
  and withdraw from the shrine, scuffing their footprints as they go. 
  The Lesser Mystery of Set 
  Of less intimate but far higher meaning are the two Mysteries of Set, the Lesser and the 
  Greater. The Lesser Mystery is observed once a month during a full moon, with special 
  significance given to mysteries that occur during a lunar eclipse. Any Kindred who know of 
  the performance — though not necessarily who is sponsoring it — are welcome to attend and 
  liberate themselves. Many recruiters consider this a necessary community outreach event.  
  In the Lesser Mystery, the facilitating priest places emphasis on revelations — in this case, 
  making dramatic shows of magic, supposed artifacts, and other entertaining displays. The 
  most common sight at these ceremonies is a large python serving the priest as a ghoul, passed 
  among the spectators.  
  Following his revelations, the priest conducts sacrifices, though these will be called by 
  another name. Sometimes the attendees are asked to paint a source of anger onto a red clay 
  vessel, and then dash it against the wall. Sometimes they are bidden to pour their wine over 
  specific stones in the floor. Sometimes the audience comes looking for the Set they hear of in 
  Camarilla whispers and are disappointed to find anything less than ritual slaughter. 
  This Mystery is a lesser eversion, a small liberation from the assaults of the soul. But for 
  every attendee who feels the rebellion rise within them, and every member the priest deems 
  worthy, there is a second event to come immediately after: a revelation of one of the Gates. 
  The Nine Gates 
  The Mysteries of the Nine Gates of Wisdom are cornerstones of the religious experience of 
  the Church. It is impossible to progress in the hierarchy of secrets without receiving their 
  transformative lessons. The Gates are as follows: Ecstasy, Terror, Wrath, Desire, Satiety, 
  Despair, Ignorance, Chaos, and Blood. Passage through each requires a guide well-versed in 
  their execution, though an initiate’s awareness of the Gate ritual itself is not essential. Indeed, 
  the Church encourages initiation without any anticipation or prior agreement on behalf of the 
  initiate, for the most effective, visceral experience. 
  As the Gates reveal discrete truths or experiences meant to strip the initiate of corrosion, each 
  calls for a wholly different approach and atmosphere. Scholars recommend the Gate of 
  Ecstasy as an initiate’s first, as it is the most palatable and most expected Church experience. 
  The initiate of Ecstasy is subjected to intense sensory experiences meant to awaken her body 
  and smother her ego. The second Gate is usually of Terror: the guide encourages the initiate’s 
  starving id to express itself via her basest, most primal fear, then directs her need for relief to 
  the waiting arms of Set and his Church.  
  From here, the path is individualized to each initiate and her necessities, though many 
  sponsors move on to Wrath, doing whatever is required to goad the initiate’s rage into a 
  single livid explosion, incinerating the last of her false self. The Gate of Desire draws from 
  the initiate her most abhorred, subjugated needs, and encourages reflection as she indulges 
  
  them — why are they so hated? Must she suppress them, after all? The Gate of Satiety 
  gathers the seas of the initiate’s hunger and drowns her in them, until the very thought of 
  indulging a past pleasure is revolting to her. Under the Gate of Despair she loses everything 
  she once thought vital to her self — her temporal joys, her wealth and possessions, her 
  playmates and false loves — in order to learn that nothing outside the truth in her soul can 
  possibly define her. At the Gate of Ignorance, she experiences life-changing doubt brought on 
  by a shattering revelation, that something “true” upon which she built the foundations of her 
  being is not true at all. And in the Gate of Chaos, she is shown with unerring soundness that 
  the world itself is a lie, devoid of any reason or sense, and any belief she once placed in the 
  material is guided to its proper home — belief in Set and his unbreaking Church.  
  At any of these Gates, a vampire may suffer frenzy, gain Stains, or devolve completely into a 
  wight. The Church of Set covers this truth up, assuring its newest members that they will be 
  supported through these trials, with the priest pointing to the handful of ranking Setites in 
  attendance as evidence of how the Church looks after its own. This sense of brotherhood is a 
  lie. Until a vampire has passed through every Gate, the initiate is on their own. If they fall, 
  they must pick themself up. If they cannot, the priest should experience no regrets over that 
  vampire succumbing to the Beast in perpetuity, as clearly they were unworthy. Domains 
  where the Church of Set holds sway may have a stable core where the Church is at its 
  strongest, but in the domain fringes, more wights prowl than perhaps in any other cities. 
  On the Gate of Blood 
  Of the Nine, the Gate of Blood is considered most sacred, and absolutely vital 
  to full participation in the Church of Set. To be initiated in the mysteries of the 
  Gate of Blood, the celebrant must make herself a life sacrifice to the Red God. 
  Her guide, acting in their authority as a divine agent of Set, consumes every 
  drop of her blood before replacing it with some of the guide’s own. The initiate 
  wakes from their glimpse of Duat, reborn in the love of Set the Triumphant. The 
  Gate of Blood is a time for somber reflection on the part of the guide, and 
  ecstatic revelry on the part of the celebrant. 
  Kindred laity recognize this as an Embracing, done up in the trappings of 
  Egyptian esotericism. Though the Church considers Kindred adoptees of the 
  faith already inducted in the Gate of Blood in their own way, priests of Set are 
  eager to perform a facsimile of the ceremony for them, that they may be 
  Embraced again. 
  The Greater Mystery of Set 
  Of the Greater Mystery, little is written or discussed. Its very nature compels secrecy — to 
  discuss the Greater Mystery outside the confines of its performance is considered heresy. 
  There are, however, aspects of it that all members of the Church understand: 
  The Greater Mystery of Set is a ritual performed over the course of several nights, once a 
  year, during a new moon in the darkest month. Those of the Fourth Hour or later, who have 
  already experienced a Lesser Mystery, are obligated to attend. In the first night, sacred 
  objects are brought to the temple — an obsidian shard of an ancient sarcophagus, a 
  winnowing-fan, red clay vessels of unknown contents. A mortal man of a certain age must be 
  brought into the temple, dressed finely and treated in all ways as a king, his every desire 
  attended to. From the temple’s outer sanctum, the leading priest declares the start of the rites, 
  and there is an all-night feast, though not necessarily of food.  
  
  The second night, all initiates must be cleansed in dark water, which they are allowed to 
  procure from different sources, and can wear only green or red as they go about their nightly 
  business. At least once in the night they must visit the temple to leave offerings for the ritual 
  pharaoh.  
  In the third night, the fasting begins — Kindred initiates may only drink the blood of those 
  who are under the influence of entheogens. Kine initiates likewise must begin imbibing 
  hallucinogenic drugs. The doors to the temple close to all who are not allowed participation 
  in the Greater Mystery, save the ritual pharaoh, who has lived three days now as a god on 
  Earth.  
  Of what happens in the fourth night, only those present know. But in the fifth night, all 
  emerge from the temple in states of injury or exhaustion, and the sacred objects are carried 
  out — an obsidian shard sticky with fluid, a filthy winnowing-fan, red clay vessels now 
  empty, and several crude cedar boxes that smell like a butchery. The ritual pharaoh is gone, 
  though one member of his body remains with the priest.  
  In this final night there is an hours-long feast held somewhere secluded outside the temple, 
  featuring all manner of catharsis—specially-brewed beer, hashish and narcotics; carefully 
  monitored frenzies and fights; orgies selective or all-inclusive; and other more exotic 
  manners of release.  
  Any who discuss what they performed or witnessed while in the temple, either then or later, 
  are silenced at all costs and made subject to a Contending. Rarely has such a thing been an 
  issue — it seems the Greater Mystery is far too intimate and personal for anyone to want to 
  share its wonder openly. 
  Beginning the Journey of the Faithful 
  All souls, living and unliving, knowing and unknowing, shadow the journey of the dead 
  through Duat, an underworld of black water and pale flame. The existence of this journey, 
  and each person’s unwitting recreation of it, may not be made obvious to the believer until 
  they are well along their own journey. Leaders of the Church take care to note each member’s 
  progress, so no one is forced to bear the scouring of a revelation before they are ready. 
  The First Hour of the Journey by Night represents Ra’s descent into Duat, and Church 
  doctrine likens it to struggling to make out shapes in the darkness. The Church designates 
  potential converts and curious individuals “just trying it out” as unbelievers in their First 
  Hour. Recruiters make themselves constantly available to the First Hour initiate, anticipating 
  his needs and meeting these to the best of their ability, all while watching carefully for signs 
  that the initiate is ready to be guided through his first mystery. 
  For many, their first mystery is a surprise. They receive an invitation, formal or informal, to a 
  celebration, the details of which are vague and mundane: a secular party, a small benefit 
  concert, a get-together over vitae and wine. The celebration turns out to be a thin front for a 
  performance of the Lesser Mystery of Set — but the recruiter-turned-guide is careful to 
  conceal the fangs of doctrine under the shadows of a pleasing garden.  
  Many performances of the Lesser Mystery end in the revelations of the Gate of Ecstasy, for 
  precisely the reasons anyone would expect. The guide crafts their initiate’s sensory deluge to 
  fit her particular tastes. This can be head-pounding music and half-moons of molly, ending in 
  a blur of flesh and heat. It can also be a flight of delicate mortals with carefully curated 
  Resonance and choice Dyscrasia, in a garden heavy with night-blooming jasmine. One’s 
  unknowing passage into the Second Hour is unforgettably pleasing, leaving the initiate with 
  an enthusiasm that will serve them well in the trials to come.  
  
  There are moments when the pain and chaos of the material world align to provide Set’s 
  guide with the circumstances necessary to initiate her charge in the revelations of their next 
  two Gates. When the Second Inquisition flashes its muzzles, or the Camarilla levies 
  incomprehensible rulings, or petty grievances sour the bonds of a coterie, the guide is there, 
  offering shelter to her initiate and leading them to the shadow of Set. 
  The guide does not rely on these moments to occur naturally. When necessary, she creates 
  them herself, using her access to the Church’s considerable network of contacts and resources 
  to set the stage for the wisdom of the Gates to make itself manifest. The unknowing initiate 
  may soon find themself beset on all sides by sudden, unimaginable hardship with no 
  discernable source or reason — lovers turned unfaithful, Touchstones in mortal danger, 
  evidence mounting for crimes never committed. 
  Does the guide feel remorse? Yes, at times her heart aches for the state of this world, that it 
  could construct a soul-cage only torture can break. But the initiate draws closer to salvation in 
  Set’s arms with every new torment. More often, the guide feels joy... and envy.  
  In the Fifth Hour of the Journey by Night, Ra and the host of the dead finally reach the august 
  tomb of Osiris, enthroned in black wings, suspended over a lake of fire. In the initiate’s Fifth 
  Hour, they have been broken upon four Gates in total. They have seen the world for what it 
  is: twisted and restrictive, a place where the true self cannot find happiness. They have 
  known the love of Set and his Church, the only place where they can be truly free. Their 
  sponsor can now reveal herself and her mission, confident that the initiate is ready for the 
  truth. They are ready for a joyous welcome into the Church of Set, openly and officially.  
  The initiate is central to the confirmation ceremony, flensed of everything but their Gate 
  wisdom and newfound love of the Church. The night begins with somber rituals meant to 
  reenact their Embrace into the shadow of Set, and ends with familial love. These re-
  Embraced fledglings appear drunk on renewed devotion to their Church, but are undeniably 
  spirited and courageous, making them essential to the recruitment of new members. At this 
  level, they are permitted further revelations denied to others: namely, study of Church 
  doctrine, and membership in performance of the Greater Mystery once a year. Members in 
  their Fifth Hour only now realize there were even Hours to begin with, and often look back 
  on their journey so far with a fearful wonder. 
  The Journey for Mortals 
  For kine, the Journey by Night is conducted with rather more caution and 
  patience. They are recruited through one of the Church’s front organizations, 
  invited to Lesser Mysteries scrubbed of most overt vampirism, and guided 
  through the more “palatable” Gates first. While boons and favors are still 
  dispensed with reassurances and warm smiles, the Church presses back on 
  mortals much sooner than Kindred. Members will find themselves volunteered 
  for small tasks or donations — certainly nothing that comes close to what they 
  have so far enjoyed on the Church’s dime. 
  As the mortal initiate passes into their Fourth Hour, the demands of the Church 
  loom large. Tithes increase in frequency, flooding the mortal with debt. Church 
  leadership now screens and approves relationships with outsiders, so that they 
  won’t in their ignorance interfere with an initiate’s fragile enlightenment. 
  Errands for the Church are now arduous undertakings — the mortal only has 
  time for their Church membership. Kindred of higher levels may be granted 
  permission to Blood Bond or ghoul mortals in their Fourth Hour, making the 
  prospect of leaving the Church even more difficult. Indeed, most of the 
  
  Church’s labor force comes from mortals in their Fourth Hour, known 
  interchangeably as the Hour of Trials or the Hour of the Final Labyrinth. Still, 
  kine are promised the greatest revelation to come if they remain — and having 
  seen the results of a Contending, they know all too well the consequences of 
  leaving. 
  The Later Hours of Night 
  At the Sixth Hour, a Kindred must have mastered a total of six Gates of Wisdom. A member 
  of this level now shoulders the heavy responsibility of guiding others through Gates they 
  themselves have mastered — including the Gate of Blood, if Church leadership blesses them 
  with permission to Embrace a childe. A Kindred in the Sixth Hour of her Journey by Night is 
  a full-time member of the Church of Set, a spiritual employee. She may entertain other 
  hobbies, projects, or titles, but only if these enhance her usefulness to the Church and to the 
  Red God. If she fails to bring Set his due of souls — either in new fellowship or destruction-
  by-vice — she must also take care to guard herself against a Contending on the basis of 
  infidelity. 
  In the Seventh Hour, one of the Paths that an initiate may follow comes to a premature end. 
  This is the Hour of Set in his aspect as Triumphant Warrior and Consumer of Apep. Those 
  who follow the Path of Wepwawet forever delay their spiritual development to serve under 
  the Triumphant’s command. These warriors are fearsome ascetics, mortifiers of the flesh, and 
  protect the Church as swords of Set. Those lucky enough to study with the paragon Faruq 
  Abd al-Qadir in his training hall at Abu Simbel will find themselves traded like currency 
  from temple to grateful temple. For all the adoration they receive, however, one of the Gates 
  will always be out of their reach. They are figures demanding both pity and great respect. 
  For those on other Paths, the Seventh Hour begins after the mastery of eight Gates. This Hour 
  confers the authority to open and manage local temples as a priest of Set, one small node in a 
  network of tithes, favors, treasures and hirelings. For many, this is the Hour of their spoiling. 
  Once, they only had access to pleasures the Church gifted in its wisdom, a leash perhaps too 
  short to choke on. However, not even a follower of Set is immune to corruption through 
  power — and just as well, because that which can be liberated, must be. Such a weak leader 
  is allowed to take his fill, as the Gate of Satiety allows, but his elders will step in if it seems 
  he has more followers consumed than converted. 
  Mastery of all Nine Gates of Wisdom is required to reach the Eighth Hour, the time in which 
  Ra throws open the doors to Osiris’s tomb and makes ready the way for the host of the dead. 
  Upper management of the Church can be found at this level — High Priests of older temples 
  (such as Khaled al-Fakhani in the Court of Humility), acclaimed Bahari witches and the 
  greatest of blood-sorcerers. 
  Members of the highest circle of the Church of Set dwell in their Ninth Hours, a level reached 
  only by the aged, the accomplished, or the gifted. This is the Hour of the Antipode Labyrinth, 
  when Ra reverses his course through the sandy maze of Sokar. High Priests of Founding 
  Temples guide the Church’s ambitions from here — or, they did, before the Beckoning left 
  their offices empty. The Church has many millennia of practice at operating independent of 
  centralized authority, though concerns rise through the ranks regarding non-clan Kindred 
  stepping into the vacuum left by Beckoned elders. 
  Demigods travel in the Tenth Hour of the Journey By Night: the Djet Sopdet, Eternals of 
  Sothis, methuselahs who were Embraced 1,460 years ago at the beginning of a Sothic Turn. 
  While nominally the heads of the Church, few continue active management at this level. It is 
  
  understood they have their own pious undertakings to attend to, but no one of the Tenth Hour 
  has been seen or spoken to since the Beckoning began. 
  Of the Eleventh Hour, there is only One. Lord Set, the Red God, remains in this penultimate 
  state, delaying his passage beyond Duat to guide followers in the shadow of his Church. And 
  beyond this lies the Final Hour: passage into the primordial Nun, where the flensed and 
  faithful will find a new world, or create another. Or so the orthodoxy claims. No single entity, 
  living or otherwise, has experienced crossing beyond. 
  Church of Set Convictions 
  While ultimately, doctrine is less important to the Church of Set than ritual and 
  experience, neither of those will be of much use to an initiate who has no idea 
  why she is doing what a priest commanded her to do. That said, the Church 
  follows closely the idea of secret knowledge: that certain authorities possess 
  divine dispensation to withhold truths from followers who are unready to 
  receive them. An initiate is meant to receive the lessons on her body and soul 
  first, as guided by someone well-versed in the mysteries, before she is permitted 
  to study the texts of a temple library. 
  The Church of Set finds the idea of commandments distasteful, but for those 
  who require an easily-memorized litany of convictions, the doctrine of the 
  orthodox Church commonly manifests as the following Convictions: 
  •  
  Always strive to liberate others of their vices 
  Vice is a tool, not a recreation. The faithful initiate can best serve Set by 
  winnowing the souls of the world — that is, separating the wheat from the chaff 
  — by determining who is prone to degradation and who is strong enough to 
  resist. What can be liberated, will be liberated, and what remains will be a legion 
  of refined souls in service to Set, freed from their bondage to literally anyone 
  and anything else. You are the thresher, not the threshed. 
  •  
  Never refuse aid to another member of the Church 
  The Church of Set claims that when they rule this world, or move on to the next, 
  they will do so as a brotherhood of many. There are no kings here, save the Red 
  Pharaoh himself. 
  •  
  Always respect the commands of those in later Hours 
  The priests, and also the warriors and faithful witches who plumb the depths of 
  Duat ahead of you, have made ready the path you yourself travel. You are free, 
  but they are more free. Their wisdom and guidance must be observed.  
  •  
  Always do what is necessary to test another’s resistance to liberation 
  What an individual might think of as “compassion” is, to the Setite mind, 
  nothing less than violence. In refusing to test another soul’s limit for freedom, 
  you are dooming it to slavery and denying Set his due. Do not wait for 
  permission when their liberty could begin now. 
  •  
  Always seek the mysteries of Set, hidden throughout the world 
  The more Mysteries a Setite understands, and the more secrets they wield, the 
  better they will serve the Red God and his Church. 
  •  
  Always do what is necessary to test the flaws in a social order 
  Beware the individual who desires authority. Organizations both mortal and 
  Kindred are inherently degenerate by virtue of their disconnection from the true 
  
  god. If they are really as inviolate as they claim to be, then they must be brought 
  into service of Set’s living Church, or otherwise dismantled and allowed to rot. 
  On the Church of Set 
  As attributed to Khalid al-Fakhani, priest within the Church of Set in the Las Vegas domain 
  Before the Red Star appeared, the Church of Set were referred to as the Followers of Set. 
  This is an extremely literal translation of the phrase Walid al-Set, and does not convey the 
  full extent and power of the faith. To call the Church “followers” is like referring to the 
  Roman Catholic Church as “followers of the Trinity.” It is technically correct, of course, but 
  it leaves out so many of the nuances that it might as well be useless. 
  Many atrocities have been laid at the feet of the Church of Set over the years. I will not waste 
  time trying to correct them all. Some are even completely true. I venture to guess that most of 
  them have a grain of truth at the core, but like any resource shared by immortals, time and 
  distance devour the truth alive.  
  Is the truth important here? I will politely say no. Mythology is built by the people who 
  subscribe to it, and is a reflection of the flock rather than of the god.  
  Liberation is our guiding light. We, the members of the Church of Set, seek to ruin, that we 
  may find those resistant to the ruination. We do not seek to destroy Osiris; that would be 
  foolish. Rather we bring those who cannot handle the truth of the Outside, that which Osiris 
  and Horus sought, farther into the darkness. We bring them to Set, so that Set may protect the 
  rest of us from the searing light of what waits beyond the doors of the world. 
  An interesting note on the Church of Set is how we define “we.” There are those of the 
  Ministry, of course, but to think that our membership is defined by bloodline or even Path is 
  small-minded. The Church of Set welcomes members from across sects, and numbers among 
  her body the paths of Lilith, Typhon, the Warrior, and others. Morality is personal. Doctrine 
  is essential. In order to be a member of the Church of Set, you must be inducted by a priest, 
  and follow the guiding principles of the Dead God. Judge those in your city. Protect your 
  flock. 
  The Church of Set has existed for thousands of years, ever since Set passed into Duat. We are 
  in every city. You cannot cross a domain border without running into an adherent. Even if 
  you do not see us, we are here. Ideally, a Setite presence (and yes, the word Setite is 
  acceptable, like Muslim for Islam) should contain at least one priest and one warrior. The 
  priest guides the flock, and the warrior keeps it safe. More are, of course, encouraged, but be 
  careful to balance out your fury with your place of succor. Priests report to bishops, and so 
  on, up to the head of the Church in Cairo. Titles of priests who handle lesser priests in several 
  domains may vary by location. 
  While liberation may entail torture and death, be careful to keep your flock at a manageable 
  level. Killing off all of your flock in a suicide pact is just not our style. If your faithful are 
  dead, they cannot continue to spread liberty, and they cannot be further liberated themselves.  
  Should you have Bahari in the domain, convert them. Give them a safe space to practice their 
  arts and explorations. The followers of Lilith are useful to us, and they understand the 
  exploration of the dark in a way some of us do not. Many of them crave structure, as much as 
  they struggle against it. Give them a place in the hierarchy, and duties to fulfill. If you know 
  anyone in the Order of Taweret, make introductions. We used to have witches in the Church, 
  long ago, but their ways were lost to us. In many ways, the Bahari fill that role. Let them do 
  so. 
  
  Should there be young, eager warriors not affiliated with the Church of Set in your domain, 
  pay them. Give them work. Let them see you as a source of problems to handle, and you will 
  have devoted Setite warriors in under a year. Feed their need for violence, and they will 
  commit violence on your behalf. 
  Should there be eager neonates, feeling isolated by their sires, and craving a slice of what the 
  city has to offer, give them a taste. Allow them to assist in managing the mortals who run 
  errands for you, or plant a word in the mayor’s ear. Make it clear that you are the giver of 
  these gifts, and they will come to you, friends in tow. Recruiting elders who already look at 
  the Church of Set askance is a difficult task, and they will always be using you for their own 
  aims. Do not allow this. Instead, go to their children, and raise them in the ways of Sutekh. It 
  is through the children that societal norms change and we become more powerful by the 
  night. 
  I suppose that could be the single simplest principle in the Church of Set. Feed someone’s 
  vices, and they will commit more vices on your behalf. The Church itself might not be simple 
  — we span borders and cults and belief systems — but this is the simplest act we can commit 
  to further the glory of Set. Those who indulge and fall are failures and tools. Those who 
  overcome are worthy of passing through the Gates of our faith. 
  The Ministry represent us, but we represent their heart.  
  Dua Sutekh. 
  Setite Temple: Kharkiv 
  Kharkiv exists as an unusual domain, having recently experienced an almost-citywide 
  conversion from the Camarilla to the Anarch Movement. The Prince stepped down, a new 
  Baron stepped up, Primogen joined a wider council of elders, and the Sheriff — who 
  attempted to cling on to her position — vanished one night, to the mourning of nobody. 
  Kharkiv likewise exists as an example of what the Church of Set can do to a Camarilla 
  domain if they get inside the heads of power players and convince them of the promise of 
  Setite liberation. For years, the Setites have worked on the city’s influential Kindred, one by 
  one, pushing them to the brink of falling to the Beast before snatching them back as saviors 
  every time. They show the possibilities of freedom without binding mortal ties and undead 
  regret, and cut those fetters if they feel their converts are ready. Some resist or realize the 
  manipulation, only to find their peers among the governing Kindred are already members of 
  the Church or worse, to return to their havens and find Setites already there, ready to “vanish” 
  the vampire who opposes their plans. 
  Despite their success in working on the city’s Kindred, the Church of Set couldn’t care less 
  whether the Camarilla or Anarchs govern Kharkiv. Set prohibits them from ruling a city, and 
  they’ve no real desire to become political advisors. Their objective is to test every vampire 
  and indoctrinate those left standing into the cult. They observe the domain of Indianapolis in 
  the United States, where the Ministry rule with a laissez-faire, any-faith-goes attitude, and 
  believe Kharkiv needs to correct the mistakes made to the north. Priests Vyacheslav and 
  Akhtem feel it’s integral to the strength of the Church to convert every meaningful vampire, 
  and eradicate the opposition as the sandstorm scours skin from a cadaver. If only the worthy 
  remain, they can then move onto another city instead of arrogantly trying to rule this one. 
  They take the view that the liberated should rule themselves. 
  The Church of Set in Kharkiv operates a single, unobtrusive temple in the city, into which 
  only confirmed members of the cult may enter. A single-story grey building in the thick of an 
  industrial estate in the Kyivskyi District, the temple is the Church’s statement that 
  
  appearances matter far less than content. Within the temple, Setites may indulge in any 
  pleasure they can pick up from Kharkiv’s streets or ferry in from elsewhere, as long as they 
  leave the temple the following night with no desire to ever revisit the experience. Sometimes, 
  that requires murdering a vessel to whom the vampire has become attached. Sometimes, it 
  means experiencing heroin in bloodstream, procuring a blood doll of rare Resonance, or even 
  taking Ashe (see p. XX), with the guarantee they’ll never do so again. The grey temple is a 
  testament to the Setite ability to risk temptation and overcome, if they’re worthy of doing so. 
  The cult’s public face comes through their operations in the Karazin University, where a 
  handful of its members claim territory, and a storefront in the Ave Plaza shopping mall, 
  where they meet Kindred of other cults in what is advertised as a Scientology testing office. 
  Unlike most domains, many meetings between Kindred occur to discuss faith, experiences, 
  and tests of one’s self-control. To an outsider, it initially seems evangelical Christianity has 
  taken hold among the city Kindred, as the name “Set” is rarely mentioned outside the 
  converted, though Priest Akhtem consecrated the museums along Sumska Street as a place to 
  use Church terms freely, after the M. F. Sumtsov Historical Museum hosted an Ancient 
  Egyptian exhibition there in 2019, containing the most intact enameled sculpture of Set dated 
  from at least 3,500 years ago. 
  Kharkiv’s Church of Set possesses a loose hierarchy, with the priests on top — three of them 
  Ministry, two of them from other clans — and everyone else a warrior, who defends the faith, 
  or a believer. Kharkiv’s Kindred have quickly adopted the term “believer” to point to those 
  who the Church of Set has saved, “non-believer” to those still to be targeted, and “the lost” 
  for those in need of pity, ostracism, or elimination.   
  Perspectives 
  Anarchs: Of all the Kindred sects, this one is the most tolerable. They’re aimless but do have 
  a propensity for enjoying unlife in a way in which so many other Kindred fail. The Ministry 
  can guide their energies to something of worth while we hide in their shadow. 
  Ashirra: We occupy a necessary place in this sect, acting as advisors and counselors without 
  ever truly entering their political and religious hierarchy. Sometimes an outside opinion is 
  required. The Banu Haqim would have the entire Ashirra turn on us, but thankfully, there are 
  more clans to that sect than a cabal of rabid assassins. Of note, the Ministry have no 
  presence among the Ashirra. It is a sect where we represent ourselves. 
  Banu Haqim: Where they admire and cling to law and autocratic rule with an almost 
  feverish enthusiasm, we believe in freedom to explore one’s existence, and that the only way 
  to truly find oneself is to do so without strictures. It is no surprise we have been at odds for 
  centuries. 
  Camarilla: They were right to reject the Ministry. We work best without the Aeons pulling 
  our strings. 
  Hecata: Our relationship with the Clan of Death is deep and important. Remember the 
  parable of Nakhthorheb and Lazarus, and how both of our clans understand the lands of the 
  dead better than any other. 
  The Ministry: A body cannot stand without a spine and a brain. One might say they are the 
  spine and we are the brain. Or perhaps we are the heart and they are the flesh surrounding. 
  Either way, some of us are of the Ministry, others are not, but we cannot expect an entire 
  clan to fall into lockstep in service to the greatest of faiths. No, they protect us, we guide 
  them, and they can remain the cosmopolitan front to our beliefs. 
  
  On the subject of Paris 
  The mystery behind the perpetrators of the Paris bombings that led to the 
  Ministry’s rejection of the Camarilla (or the Camarilla’s rejection of the 
  Ministry) and subsequent joining with the Anarchs is ongoing, though the clan 
  isn’t openly making strides to discover the perpetrators. 
  The prevailing rumor of the time was that the Banu Haqim sabotaged Ministry 
  and Camarilla relations to better insure their own admission into the Ivory 
  Tower. Several prominent Serpents refute this theory, however, based on the 
  risk the Banu Haqim faced if their attack on Camarilla Justicars and Setite 
  Hierophants was discovered. Though, those same Serpents state, the Banu 
  Haqim certainly make for perfect scapegoats. The two clans have fostered a 
  rivalry for centuries. 
  Investigators into the Paris bombings wonder whether the Camarilla set up the 
  attack to remove troublesome Justicars, deal a blow to the Snakes, and impress 
  the Banu Haqim. Others wonder if it wasn’t just another Second Inquisition 
  attack with a hell of a lot of collateral damage. With the Lasombra’s recent entry 
  into the Camarilla, further thoughts go to the Magisters taking early steps to 
  remove a potential rival, though the fear such an attack could cause might have 
  jeopardized their attempt.  
  The clan’s conspiracy theorists quietly discuss whether the attack was 
  orchestrated by the Church of Set to sabotage the clan’s liberal arm before it 
  made a terrible decision, while others theorize the Ministry might have planned 
  this all along to make them more sympathetic to the Anarch Movement (and 
  remove some powerful Hierophants at the same time). 
  The truth may never be known. 
  Animals 
  Vampires of the Ministry, and the orthodox branch of their clan, are as capable of shifting 
  into the form of a wolf or bat as any vampire with the required level of Protean, but the clan 
  has a special affinity for beasts of importance in Egyptian mythology and various types of 
  snake.  
  Boa Constrictor 
  There exists an instinctive fear of the animal that can wrap itself around you, squeezing the 
  air from your lungs and cracking your bones in its tight grip. Boa constrictors are native to 
  the Americas, with Ministers identifying as members of the Tlacique — a vampire cult 
  focused on Aztec mythology — commonly taking constrictor form using the Discipline of 
  Protean. 
  Standard Dice Pools: Physical 5, Social 1, Mental 1 
  Secondary Attributes: Health 5, Willpower 3 
  Exceptional Dice Pools: Brawl 6, Stealth 6; Intimidation 4; Awareness 4 
  Special: If a boa constrictor successfully grapples an opponent, it may constrict its victim for 
  +2 Superficial Health damage. 
  Cobra 
  The cobra is renowned for the way it rears before striking and its notoriously venomous bite. 
  While they range in size, the largest are up to four yards/meters in length. Ministers proficient 
  
  at changing form often adopt the shape of a cobra, while some endeavor to make animal 
  ghouls of these venomous creatures. 
  Standard Dice Pools: Physical 4, Social 1, Mental 1 
  Secondary Attributes: Health 4, Willpower 2 
  Exceptional Dice Pools: Brawl 6, Stealth 7; Intimidation 4; Awareness 4 
  Special: If a cobra successfully bites a mortal opponent, it deals +2 Aggravated Health 
  damage and its venom kills or debilitates the victim by the end of the scene if not treated. 
  Against vampires, the venom from a cobra bite has no effect. 
  Jackal 
  Small, fast members of the wolf family, jackals primarily prey on small mammals and birds, 
  or scavenge where possible. Though not the toughest of creatures, the jackal is an important 
  animal in Egyptian mythology, encouraging some Ministers to take jackal form for religious 
  reasons. 
  Standard Dice Pools: Physical 5, Social 1, Mental 1 
  Secondary Attributes: Health 5, Willpower 2 
  Exceptional Dice Pools: Athletics 7, Stealth 6; Intimidation 2; Awareness 3 
  Special: The jackal’s long, curved canines inflict +1 Superficial Health damage on bite 
  attacks. 
  Oksana Koblenko “Proserpina” 
  Epitaph: Blackmailer for the Greater Good 
  Quote: “Did you see the screens I sent? Good. Never mind how I got your texts. Let’s talk 
  about how to keep your Prince from getting them, too.” 
  Clan: Caitiff 
  Mortal Days: The Scapegoat Daughter 
  Natalia Koblenko studied law on a merit scholarship at the Karazin University, concurrently 
  pursuing a Juris Doctor and a Master of Laws. She was poised, eloquent, the superstar of the 
  Koblenko family, the true joy of her mother’s life. 
  Her twin sister, Oksana Koblenko, hated her.  
  Oksana pursued a degree in engineering at the same school, without a scholarship, or poise, 
  or her mother’s love. She didn’t want to be an engineer, but a throwaway comment from her 
  mother convinced her it would finally get her attention. She kept her head down. She stayed 
  away from boys. After a disquieting self-discovery, she stayed away from girls. She repressed 
  everything that wasn’t perfect, compressed it down until she felt like she might blow to 
  pieces.  
  Oksana let it out in little ways. Little cuts, mostly, high on her bicep where the scars wouldn’t 
  show. Then little thrills she could get away with. She snitched on fellow students because it 
  made her feel good to receive praise for exposing their secrets. She started accumulating 
  stores of blackmail material on students, teachers, even family members. She called them 
  “little tricks.” She’d find a way to slip them into the public, in an email to her sister, or a text 
  to a classmate, and watch them work. Entropy — the breakdown of order, the flaws in trusted 
  systems — fascinated her more than anything.  
  
  It started little and grew from there. Her tricks got better. Her cuts, deeper. She started going 
  to group when her dormmate caught her; Olympian Counseling Center — Free to Karazin 
  Students! It helped, a little, to be around others like her. She had more focus, which she bent 
  toward her little tricks. She found out she could sell them, and her skills. People paid her 
  money for acquiring intelligence and extorting unsuspecting victims. Sometimes she’d see 
  the aftermath of her tricks in the local news, and it’d be her first smile in weeks.  
  Then someone tried to kill her sister. 
  Kindred Nights: The Wanted Childe 
  Oksana woke up in the dark, slumped in a chair. The night was a blur of unimaginable, bone-
  deep pain. Pain, and a bleak, acrid hunger. Three white shadows loomed over her. They 
  brought her something big, warm and struggling. She bit into it without thinking. It tasted — 
  no, felt incredible, a better release than the knife’s edge.  
  The white strangers asked something. She couldn’t make it out over her throbbing head. They 
  muttered. Got angry. Started arguing. “God damn it, Simon!” A woman, high and panicky. 
  “You dumb piece of shit, that’s her sister!” 
  She choked on fear, the scent of it rolling off them, and her own, crawling up her throat. The 
  strangers kept arguing. One grabbed her by the shoulder and hauled her to her feet. What do 
  we do now? We got the wrong damn Koblenko! They dragged her outside, fighting in angry 
  whispers. Oksana stumbled free of the white claw on her shoulder. She ran, they shouted. The 
  metro was smears of wet light, incomprehensible. 
  Oksana ran forever and everything melted together like a nightmare. Until finally, finally, 
  something looked familiar. 
  Olympian Counseling Center — Free to Karazin Students! 
  It was closed, of course. But she forced her way through the locked door. The group leader 
  was there, young and quiet and red-headed, sitting in the dark with a familiar woman. 
  “Oksana.” He remembered her name. “What happened?”  
  She told him about the white strangers, about biting and drinking. She told him about the 
  cutting (though he already knew), and more poured out of her like black water. The 
  engineering degree she didn’t want. The girls she didn’t want to notice. The little tricks. Her 
  sister, her disgusting sister, better than her and everyone knew it and Natalia didn’t have the 
  decency to feel bad about it. Nobody wanted her, nobody. Not even her mother. 
  Akhtem sat with her for hours. The woman — another group member — came and went as 
  Oksana sobbed and Akhtem listened. He didn’t flinch, or ask questions, or raise his eyebrows 
  or scoff. He simply let her purge. 
  “You’ve been hurting for a long time,” he said when the black water finally stopped. He 
  pulled her to him, an arm around her shoulder like a cloak of snow. “You’ll hurt for a long 
  time more,” he admitted, and she found herself reassured by it — a plain, respectful truth. 
  “There is someone who wants you,” he promised, gripping her hard. “He led you to us,” the 
  woman finally spoke, “because he wants you to meet him.” 
  This was how Oksana found the Church of Set in Kharkiv, to her mind quite by accident, but 
  to the Church by an act of providence. They assured her that her reason for being there was 
  ordained by a force greater than any single being, and tutored her in the existence of a 
  vampire. They reminded her it couldn’t just be coincidence that she was Embraced so close to 
  a Setite temple. They praised her good work so far in liberating others, and made sure she 
  knew that good work was to continue, but under their direction. 
  
  Now, Oksana is a dedicated agent and adherent of the Church of Set, traveling between 
  domains, serving her temple’s will. She finds even greater pleasure and purpose in her actions 
  now than when she performed them as a mortal, as she finally receives congratulations for 
  her achievements. The Church of Set liberated her, and she uses its ways to liberate others. 
  Plots and Schemes:  
  •  
  Secure the Temple: In the midst of a new Anarch court, Akhtem’s hold on Kharkiv’s 
  Kindred wavers between those driven politically and those who feel the summons of faith. 
  What he needs is a front that can hold up to all scrutiny, cover its tracks, and grant protection 
  to other Kindred Church members. Oksana is intent on procuring this for him by expanding 
  her network of victims and defrauding anyone who would stand in the way of the temple’s 
  expansion. 
  •  
  New Brothers and Sisters: The feuding Anarch gangs in the northwest represent 
  huge, untapped potential. The Church can help them. Oksana knows it, but they need to know 
  it, too. She’s taken it upon herself to deliver digital “presents” to prominent gang leaders, like 
  blackmail material on rivals or stolen identities to be mined for resources. No strings. For 
  now. 
  •  
  There Can Only Be One: Natalia Koblenko finished her Juris Doctor and her Master 
  of Laws, made a huge splash in the political and public law arena, and is now on track to be 
  the youngest woman to run for — and win — the Kharkiv mayoral seat. Baron Karina wants 
  Natalia in her retinue, and thwarting the Baron’s attempts is another of Oksana’s full-time 
  jobs. Oksana knows she should be beyond care for her sister’s progress or downfall, but she 
  doesn’t care. She finally feels superior to Natalia and refuses to let that change. 
  Domain and Haven: 
  •  
  Temple of Gray Veils (Haven 2, Herd 4, Resources 2) When not holding support 
  groups at the Olympian Counseling Center, Oksana works on the establishment of a second 
  Kharkiv temple, in the stockroom of an abandoned KARE Kharkiv furniture store. The 
  faithful number seventeen kine currently, most of whom comprise a strange diversity of 
  recovering addicts. Oksana runs stolen power through the stockroom, making the place 
  livable for her kine. The temple has a stockpile of useful contraband, as well as a directory of 
  Church members in the south who can provide off-site resources. It also features a small 
  library of old orthodoxy texts, which Oksana has not yet read. 
  Thralls and Tools: 
  •  
  Court of the Obsolete (Herd 3) Oksana’s personal herd knows her as the Proserpina, 
  an affected cybergoth goddess who holds court with her lessers, the vast majority of them 
  sniveling incels. She’s yet to master the art of nurturing Resonances and takes anything she 
  can get. Her followers adore her (Oksana’s Presence makes sure of it), and while they aren’t 
  the most useful bunch, they faithfully follow the doctrine she lays down. Someday they’ll be 
  ready for the temple. 
  •  
  Tara Bakurova (Ally 1) When she met Tara, a fellow self-harm survivor with a 
  similar history of familial trauma, Oksana wanted desperately to be friends. When she got to 
  know her, a determined, fiercely romantic young woman, Oksana wanted desperately to be 
  lovers. She refuses to bring Tara into her herd — she wants her to love Oksana, not worship 
  the Proserpina — but also worries that Tara will recover and leave the group before she’s 
  ready to join the Church. 
  •  
  Natalia Koblenko (Enemy 1) Beautiful, passionate, talented Natalia, sharp as knives 
  and twice as deadly. Natalia knows her twin is still in the city. She’s seen her fingerprints all 
  
  over — every local corporation suffering a public scandal, every sudden failure of the local 
  government following a virus or leaked information, every feeble attempt at a smear 
  campaign against her law offices. Natalia won’t be brought down to her level. But she will 
  find Oksana. 
  Kindred Relationships: 
  •  
  Akhtem Veksler (Mawla 2, Adoration) Akhtem saved Oksana from a premature 
  final death in the chaos of Kharkiv. But he did more than that — he re-Embraced her in the 
  love of the Red God, and now he guides her as a divine agent of Set. Little is known of the 
  man save his basic history: he abandoned his father’s faith to come west with the late 19th 
  century goldrush... and found something better. His influence is well entrenched in the city 
  but maintaining a permanent temple has eluded him. Oksana wants to prove herself 
  indispensable to his plans. 
  •  
  The Ministry (Jealousy) Oksana has observed how representatives of the Ministry 
  are accepted across domains as diplomats, counselors, and bureaucrats, and while she doesn’t 
  know any Ministers personally, dislikes what she interprets as their cowardice. To Oksana’s 
  mind, they don’t deserve to be successful because they abandoned their orthodox beliefs. 
  She’s only new to the Church of Set, but the Ministry’s polytheist, liberal bullshit is not for 
  her. 
  •  
  Simon Danilenko (Anger) Oksana hasn’t heard from Simon, personally, since he 
  mistakenly Embraced her a few years back. She does keep in touch, though, looking into his 
  latest vices so she can deliver them to him, in the hopes that one will be his undoing. Oksana 
  knows he isn’t fit for divinity and will find a way to destroy him if she can. 
  Whispers:  
  •  
  Doppelganger: In her efforts to become a self-taught Mask cobbler, Oksana has 
  learned how to craft replica documents and spoof data from pre-existing Masks. So far, three 
  titled Camarilla vampires have been brought to task for breaches of the Masquerade, only for 
  the Sheriff to later learn the breaches were committed by Anarchs using stolen Masks. 
  •  
  Muckraker: Oksana’s got taps on major cell towers all over the city, and for the past 
  few years she’s been training an algorithm to sniff out Kindred texts with telling keywords, 
  like juicebag, leech, donor, and lick.  
  Mask and Mien: 
  •  
  Oksana Koblenko appears to be a young woman in her early twenties, 5’4” and bony, 
  with dim, sad eyes and a small mouth. Her short, soot-black hair feathers her cheekbones and 
  brushes the edge of her jaw. She writes more eloquently than she speaks; her voice tends 
  toward sudden stops and mumbles. Though she doesn’t have a Mask, she does have several 
  online personas. 
  •  
  At work in the Church, Oksana dresses simply: dark red leggings, a red tunic top, 
  fingerless gloves to keep the joints in her sensitive hands from stiffening while she codes. She 
  travels in a haze of kyphi incense, and even outside the temple bleeds a faint aura of 
  frankincense and pine.  
  •  
  When she appears to her cult as the Proserpina, Oksana’s frame becomes delicate and 
  ethereal. She accentuates her eyes with charcoal, weaves long golden cords into her hair, and 
  dresses in a cyber-nouveau collection of neon green straps, gold rings, and heavy black 
  fabric. Her Proserpina persona gives her an ocean of confidence she doesn’t normally have, 
  but she tends to fall into campy “dark goddess” clichés. 
  
  Sire: Simon Danilenko 
  Embraced: 2015 (Born 1993) 
  Ambition: See a permanent temple of Set established in Kharkiv 
  Convictions: Never refuse aid to another member of the Church; Never turn down the 
  opportunity to liberate others 
  Touchstones: Tara Bakurova — fellow self-harm survivor; Natalia Koblenko — narcissistic 
  nightmare twin 
  Humanity: 6 
  Generation: 13th 
  Blood Potency: 1 
  Attributes: Strength 1, Dexterity 2, Stamina 2; Charisma 2, Manipulation 3, Composure 3; 
  Intelligence 4, Wits 3, Resolve 2 
  Secondary Attributes: Health 5, Willpower 5 
  Skills: Craft (Electronics) 2, Drive 1, Larceny (Extortion) 3, Survival 1; Etiquette 2, Insight 
  2, Persuasion 2, Subterfuge 4; Academics (Research) 2, Awareness 1, Finance 1, 
  Investigation (Scandals) 3, Occult (Church of Set) 2, Politics 2, Science (Engineering) 2, 
  Technology 4 
  Disciplines: Auspex 2, Presence 3 
  General Difficulties: 4/2 
  New Coterie Type 
  The Church of Set are masters of secreting members of their cult among other Kindred sects 
  and within foreign domains. Many Kindred of this religion form coteries specifically for this 
  purpose. Some utilize the sbirri coterie type (see Vampire: The Masquerade, p. 199), while 
  others opt for the more aggressive saboteur type. 
  Saboteurs 
  “We will erode their domain brick by brick.” 
  The saboteur coterie is one without an immediate powerbase or roots within their new 
  domain, but their reach among the kine is likely impressive. They often have the support of a 
  vampire assigning them to the task of spying, assassination, or political disruption. 
  •  
  Contacts: (••) (disenfranchised, outsiders, etc.) 
  •  
  Influence: (•) (surveillance companies) 
  •  
  Mawla: (••) (the vampire who set them to their task) 
  •  
  Mask: (•) (cover identities) 
  •  
  Resources: (••) (liquid cash to assist with their cover story) 
  •  
  Adversaries: (••) (at least one vampire who would oppose their mission with 
  violence) 
  Possible extras: Domain (if the coterie is embedded in their current locale), Status Flaw: 
  Suspect 
  
  New Powers 
  The Ministry and their orthodox clanmates in the Church of Set practice some refined 
  versions of their clan Disciplines, utilizing the powers of Obfuscate and Presence to better 
  create cult members and crush weaknesses, and Protean to better emulate their clan founder. 
  These powers are not exclusive to the Serpents, but few outside the clan use these Disciplines 
  in the ways the Ministry does. 
  Obfuscate 
  Level 2 
  Mental Maze 
  Prerequisite: Cloud Memory 
  Amalgam: Dominate 1 
  Serpents maintain that the power to Obfuscate is less about illusion and more about 
  perception. Mental Maze is the ability to remove all sense of direction and location from a 
  victim, allowing the vampire to make their target a prisoner in their current environment, 
  such as a home, a nightclub, or worse — a vampire’s cellar. The victim finds their location 
  folding back on itself, subtly altering their perception of previously visited rooms, convincing 
  them that an actual exit will only lead deeper into the maze, and eventually breaking them 
  down into a state of panic and fragility.  
  Cost: One Rouse Check 
  Dice Pools: Charisma + Obfuscate vs. Wits + Resolve 
  System: The vampire must be able to communicate with their victim in some way, causing 
  them to read or hear words to the effect of “you cannot escape.” The vampire must be present 
  for the power to take effect. If the vampire is successful on the above roll, their victim 
  struggles to find their way out of any multi-room structure in which they’re currently 
  situated.  
  If anyone attempts to assist them, the victim must succeed at a Resolve + Composure roll 
  (Difficulty 4) or immediately distrust the individual guiding them, as their environment 
  conflicts with any guidance given. 
  If the victim makes no attempt to escape, then no further effects take place. Mortals cannot 
  successfully escape, though the Storyteller may have them attempt to for narrative purposes. 
  If supernatural victims attempt to escape, they only get one attempt, and must roll Resolve + 
  Survival (Difficulty equal to the number of successes the vampire’s player rolled when using 
  the power). Anyone who fails to escape a Mental Maze loses two Willpower points and 
  cannot attempt to escape again in this scene. 
  Normally, the power sees use in a multi-room structure, though with the expenditure of a 
  Willpower point, the vampire may apply the power’s effect on a victim in a single room or an 
  outdoor (but still densely-packed) environment such as a forest or construction site.  
  This power is usable on multiple targets at once (if they all hear or read the same message), 
  though the player only makes one roll, and the victims each make individual rolls to resist. 
  Duration: One scene 
  Presence 
  
  Level 3 
  True Love’s Face 
  Prerequisite: Entrancement, Mask of a Thousand Faces 
  Amalgam: Obfuscate 3 
  Combining the powers of Entrancement and Mask of a Thousand Faces, the vampire is able 
  to take on the appearance of someone their victim loves, whether or not the practitioner has 
  seen the recipient of this love before. Their appearance (including body shape and voice) only 
  changes to the eyes of the beholder. The vampire gains no additional knowledge of the “true 
  love” beyond what their victim might tell them. 
  Variants of this power exist, allowing vampires to appear as the object of a victim’s hatred or 
  fear. A strong emotion is all that’s required to apply the power, whether in the form of 
  passion for a new lover, care for a child, or resentment of an ancient rival. 
  Cost: One Rouse Check 
  Dice Pools: Charisma + Obfuscate vs. Wits + Composure 
  System: On a successful roll of Charisma + Obfuscate, the victim sees and hears the vampire 
  as a loved one (or other human recipient of strong emotion). 
  Duration: One scene 
  Protean 
  Level 5 
  The Heart of Darkness 
  Amalgam: Fortitude 2 
  Practiced almost exclusively by vampires within the higher echelons of the Church of Set, 
  this power enables a vampire to remove their own heart and store it outside their body. The 
  vampire’s flesh and bone warp as they reach their hand into their bare chest without the need 
  for incision, after which point they remove the heart. This power is not without risk to the 
  practitioner, and can only be used by a vampire on themself. The vampire typically places the 
  heart in a ceremonial canopic jar or urn, though there is no restriction as to where the heart 
  can go. For as long as it is removed, the vampire is immune to staking attempts, unless a 
  stake is driven through the removed heart. The vampire’s emotions are detached — 
  metaphysically and biologically, if the heart can be said to be the font of emotion — 
  providing them a resilience against their Beast’s urges but a remove from compassion and 
  warmth.   
  Cost: Two Rouse Checks 
  System: This power requires no roll, but takes three turns to complete and inflicts two 
  Aggravated Health damage to the vampire, requiring the expenditure of a Willpower point 
  when removing the heart. No powers can be used to mitigate these effects. Reattaching the 
  heart requires two Rouse Checks. Once removed, the vampire gains +2 dice on attempts to 
  resist all kinds of frenzy but adds a −2 dice penalty to all Insight rolls.  
  Damage visited upon the heart does not physically manifest on the former host’s body, at 
  least until destruction. However, if the heart is dealt Aggravated damage equal to or greater 
  than the vampire’s Health, the vampire falls into torpor. If an extracted heart is destroyed — 
  it possesses the same Health and Fortitude as its former host, but can only be completely 
  
  destroyed with fire or sunlight — the vampire experiences final death. While the heart is 
  removed, the vampire’s body cannot be staked unless the heart is located and separately 
  impaled, in which case the vampire falls paralyzed. The vampire is still susceptible to death 
  via fire or sunlight even without a heart. 
  Duration: Permanent (or until the heart is destroyed/returned) 
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Storyteller [multi]/World of Darkness (WoD) [multi]/Vampire/Vampire 5e/Cults of the Blood Gods Preview/Cults of the Blood Gods Kickstarter Manuscript Preview 2D (V5).pdf