TEXT:  
  Kickstarter Manuscript Preview #5: 
  Cult Construction 
    
   
  © 2019 White Wolf Entertainment © 2019 Onyx Path Publishing 
  
  Cult Construction 
  “As I entered church today, I heard a few of you bemoaning your lack of cash. 
  Your scarcity of capital. Your absence of money. Well let me tell you, my friends: 
  money does not occupy these seats. Money does not fill a heart. Money cannot 
  hear my words. More important than money is the soul. And I see a lot of souls 
  out there tonight. Your souls are ripe and full of love and aspiration. Souls are all 
  I need!” 
  — “Coach” Tyrone Soros, Motivational Speaker, Ministry, Indianapolis  
  The majority of this book revolves around cults already in existence within the text of Vampire: 
  The Masquerade. These are only a small fraction of the cults within the world, however. Small 
  circles of Kindred, ghouls, and humans form their own religious movements that either grow or 
  splinter off into tiny subsects that eventually die. People ask themselves what the meaning of life 
  is, and turn to charismatic leaders and mystery rituals to find the answer. Cults give people a 
  sense of purpose — and since there are seven billion people on the planet, there are as many 
  types of cults as there are stars in the sky. 
  This chapter gives you the tools you need to create your own cult, religion, or organization, as 
  well as cult-related coteries. Note that this chapter deals with in-character perceptions of cults, as 
  well as discussions of love-bombing, grooming, and abuse. 
  The Act of Creation 
  One could describe an organized religion as a cult that’s received formal recognition. In truth, 
  there’s little to divide the two, beyond the word “cult” becoming dirtier as organized religions 
  consumed the world. Neither cults nor religions are two-dimensional clubs for wayward 
  hobbyists. They’re families bound together by belief, values, and ideology. Over the past thirty 
  years, Kindred society has seen a glut of individual churches rise to the fore, which has created a 
  sea of competing faiths. Players are encouraged to build their own coteries, cults, and spiritual 
  covenants. The following material helps customize a methodology and system to put meat and 
  flesh on the bones of an idea. In order to get started, the players can ask themselves several 
  crucial questions: 
  • 
  What are the core tenets of this faith? What are its central mandates? 
  • 
  What is the structure of the cult? 
  • 
  How does the cult recruit members? 
  • 
  What rituals, rites, ceremonies, and sacraments enhance the faith? 
  • 
  Are there any revered texts or protected relics? 
  • 
  Are certain holidays or specific dates honored and celebrated?  
  • 
  What symbols and colors represent the cult? 
  • 
  Where does the cult meet? 
  • 
  How do cult members live night to night? 
  
  A discussion or exploration of answers to these can turn a whisper of an idea into a three-
  dimensional organization with previously unimagined motivations. With each added layer of 
  detail infused into the creation of a religious organization, storylines, chronicle hooks, and 
  coterie possibilities emerge on their own.  
  This can also help Storytellers create a framework that remains consistent despite the questions 
  or challenges characters encounter. The more specific players are in their answers, the easier it is 
  to understand what is and isn’t acceptable and who does or doesn’t call the shots in any given 
  situation. 
  How to Build a Cult 
  Like any stable group, a cult requires three things: people, money, and time. In order to have a 
  flock of fanatical worshipers, you need people to convert. You need time to convert those people, 
  and rewrite their thought processes to be more in line with your doctrine. Finally, you’ll need 
  money in order to house, feed, and clothe those people, and advertise your new group. It’s a 
  lengthy process, and many find themselves without enough of one of the three resources listed 
  above to complete it. 
  Vampires, however, have access to as many people as they can get their hands on, all the time in 
  the world, and plenty of ways to get money. Most don’t tend to play nice with others, but some 
  decide to spread their reach and form cults, both to gain more mortal and Kindred followers, and 
  to genuinely worship. A Vampire is a selfish creature, and so if she is devoted to an entity 
  worthy of worship, others should be too. After all, who better to judge the situation? 
  Vampire cults are often stereotyped as the flock of blood dolls and ghouls eagerly awaiting their 
  turn on the St. Andrew’s cross or the operating table, opening their veins and wallowing in 
  depravity. While this is certainly true for some vampiric cults, others are not quite so gauche. 
  Some Tremere chantries manage cults of eclectic occult practitioners, who they use to do 
  research they don’t have time for and groom new members of the clan. Ventrue host cults of 
  superstitious tech developers, fostering atheist discussion circles and solstice rituals without a 
  focus, channeling that energy into themselves and their projects. There are dozens, maybe 
  hundreds of iterations of the cult model all across the world. 
  The Basics 
  Whatever the cult’s use of money, people, and time ultimately looks like, there are several 
  characteristics that all cults share. These are, according to the International Cultic Studies 
  Association, in no particular order: 
  The leadership dictates what members do, where they go, who they marry, and more. This 
  may be small, such as recommending members only live in a certain part of town or telling them 
  not to get involved with another race, gender, religion, or tax bracket. On the other end, it may 
  involve arranged marriages, communal housing, disposal of all non-cult items, and scheduled 
  mealtimes and meetings.  
  The group claims an exalted or privileged status in the world. Cults often claim to offer 
  secret knowledge, the key to happiness, immortality of various kinds, and a place to belong. 
  Humans, ghouls, and Kindred who feel lost, abandoned, or spiritually hungry are drawn to cults 
  by these inducements. Some even receive what the cult promises.  
  
  Everything is presented as “us versus them.” The cult’s dialectic resembles battlefield 
  strategy. It’s a way to get one over on those outside, those who don’t understand and who 
  persecute the cultists because of it. A cultist is convinced she knows “what’s actually going on” 
  and she has to keep that secret from the undeserving. The cult defines the in-group, or the people 
  inside, and the out-group, the people who are not members of the cult and therefore are evil.  
  Doubt, dissent, and questioning are discouraged, violently if necessary. In mainstream 
  religions, there are ministers whose job it is to counsel the doubters among their faithful. If 
  someone is a member of a cult, however, she is right, with a capital R. Questioning is not normal 
  in a cult, it’s a sign of weak faith. Weak faith means the cultist has the potential to defect, and 
  that cannot be tolerated. Leadership makes use of shame, withholding food or sleep, physical 
  punishments like beatings or kneeling for hours, emotional abuse, and other methods to keep 
  everyone in line. Anyone who questions is part of the out-group, and might poison the in-group. 
  This cannot be allowed. 
  The cult is the cultists’ world... Long-term members of a cult cannot think of a life without it. 
  All their time and energy goes into the cult’s activities: promotion, worship, work, punishment. 
  Even leisure time is spent doing cult-approved and cult-related activities. The outside world is 
  full of sin and suffering, so why go out there when you can just stay in here? Even if all of her 
  money and time is going toward the cult, a cultist sees it as a necessary sacrifice for whatever the 
  cult promises her. 
  ...but not so for the leadership. Leaders of cults often hold some sort of mystical, even 
  messianic, standing among the membership. They hold all of the wealth and power of the cult in 
  their hands, and it’s not long before they’re using it to fuel their own vices. Some cults have true 
  believers as leadership; some Bahari cults, for example, channel that centralized power into 
  acquiring more knowledge and better teachers for their fellow cultists. Others, especially in more 
  famous mortal cults, spend their followers’ money on drugs, booze, seventy-bedroom mansions, 
  swimming pools, and all sorts of other luxuries while their flocks live in squalor, seeing it as a 
  divine hardship. 
  Cults do not think of themselves as evil. It is easy to judge a cult from the outside, to say that 
  they’re all brain-damaged or pathetic or sadists. The truth is, cults are as complex as any other 
  group of people, living or otherwise. Recruiters prey on the lost, the damaged, the lonely, and the 
  depressed — what they, themselves, once were. Cults are insidious in that they build a space for 
  people to feel accepted and part of something greater, a feeling they might not have had before. 
  All the work they do, all the crimes they commit, everything they sacrifice is for this group that 
  has shown them love and acceptance. That’s just human nature. 
  This is a difficult mindspace to get people into, especially in Western societies. Many American 
  and European cultures have a strong thread of individualism running through them, and in any 
  “normal” religious relationship, telling a devotee she can’t leave the church home except during 
  certain times or she can’t speak to her family any more sparks outrage and backlash. There are 
  some exceptions to this, monastic orders for example, but in that case the power relationship 
  with the religion is consensual and up front. 
  Cults recruit using a technique called “love-bombing.” Essentially, they find people who are 
  struggling, lost, lonely, or grieving, and provide them with a space that unconditionally affirms 
  them. As the potential cultist is drawn further in, this affirmation slowly gives way to rules, 
  demands, and punishments. The cultist craves that love she had been given, and so she acts in 
  
  accordance with the cult’s rules, hoping to receive it once again. When she is in this space, she is 
  the perfect adherent: fanatical, refusing to care for herself, and sublimating her needs into serving 
  the greater whole.  
  It’s important to note here that, once again, cults do not think of themselves as evil. While they 
  may very well be, their members see love-bombing and punishments as necessary steps. Many 
  cults use terms such as “religion,” “faith,” and “order” to reassure followers and themselves. 
  Very few people want to be the next Charles Manson, nor do many people want to join the next 
  Manson Family. New cultists are shiny and innocent and should be treated with kid gloves, but 
  members who have been in the cult for weeks or months and still manage to commit 
  transgressions against its doctrine, leadership, or other members need to be shown the error of 
  their ways. It’s just a necessary cycle of love and punishment. 
  Cults and Religions 
  As mentioned in the text, there is little to no difference between a cult and a 
  religion beyond the veneer of respectability and accepted practices. The public see 
  cults as groups of brainwashed fanatics in service to some esoteric or violent 
  purpose. The public see religions as groups of individuals who have made the 
  choice to commit to faith, and while they may not understand the faith, they might 
  respect the choice to follow it. 
  This chapter makes some rigid definitions of what a cult is or could be, but those 
  definitions can apply equally to many religions. While many find comfort and 
  cause within belief, others find control, deceit, and horror. We use the word 
  “cults” because to some vampires, when freshly Embraced, these faiths represent 
  exactly those horrifying, alien belief systems they’ve heard about. But one 
  vampire’s cult soon becomes another vampire’s religion, faith, or church. 
  Belief 
  At its core, a shared system of belief binds a group together. Be it religious, ideological, or 
  philosophical, this belief defines the identity of the organization. While mortal society may claim 
  a difference between saintly churches and deviant cults, Kindred society makes few such 
  distinctions. When it comes to “churches” and “cults,” the terms are largely interchangeable.  
  Ancestral Worship 
  The vast majority of Kindred cults worship a specific methuselah. Some followers seek to 
  emulate these blood gods, while others commit themselves to the role of useful pawn. In general, 
  Kindred suspect they are unknowing tools in a greater Jyhad, but members of an ancestral cult 
  are voluntary tools, working on behalf of a single, ancient Kindred. Such cultists offer patronage 
  to their church, hoping to appease their god and earn their attention. The most common list of 
  deified methuselahs include: 
  • 
  Banu Haqim: Mancheaka, Tegyrius, Ur-Shulgi 
  • 
  Brujah: Altamira, Menele, Uga Dugud  
  • 
  Gangrel: Enkidu, Matasuntha, Mictlantecuhtli, Odin the All-High 
  • 
  Hecata: Augustus Giovanni, The Baron, The Capuchin, Japheth, Lamia, Lazarus 
  
  • 
  Lasombra: Boukephos, Montano, Sybil 
  • 
  Malkavian: The Eater, Malakai, Nissiku 
  • 
  Ministry: Nakhthorheb, Set 
  • 
  Nosferatu: Azazel, Gorgo, Yima 
  • 
  Toreador: Amarantha, Beshter, Helena, Michael 
  • 
  Tremere: Goratrix, Meerlinda, Tremere 
  • 
  Ventrue: Hardestadt, Mithras, Artemis Orthia, Tiamat, Tinia 
  Secular Values 
  Some churches center less on a specific individual and more around a particular concept. The 
  Amaranthans hunt down diablerists. The Eyes of Malakai believe madness is the only way 
  toward absolute truth while the Nosferatu Cleopatras of Yima attempt to regain their beauty. 
  There is no founding blood god to guide these churches, but rather a prime value crucial to their 
  identity and unique to their organization. 
  Heresies 
  Even among Kindred society, tolerance has its limits. Many circles tolerate cults like the Bahari 
  or the Church of Caine. But other cults, especially those Gehenna cults who preach the end of the 
  world, are too radical in the opinion of these same circles. At best, Kindred discourage these 
  cults, or purge them outright at worst. Such organizations exist on the fringes of vampire society. 
  They gather in secret behind closed and guarded doors. When discovered, these heresies suffer 
  swiftly and publicly, though more than one Prince has persecuted a local cult less on grounds of 
  security and more out of political expedience. 
  Mandates 
  Religions have commandments. Governments have laws. Sects have the Traditions. Every major 
  organization, religious or secular, has a specific list of rules or forbidden actions to solidify their 
  character.  
  You Shall… 
  A well-crafted cult has at least one mandate which helps define who they are, what they want, 
  and what they represent. These rules are very personal, and players should customize them for 
  their cult. A good rule of thumb is to ask what each faith believes in and why. The cult of 
  Mithras, for example, has deified the most powerful and famous Ventrue Prince in Kindred 
  history. As a result, Mithraists place the honor of the lineage, or the greater community, above 
  their own. Meanwhile, the Meneleans honor the memory of Carthage and have sworn vengeance 
  against the Toreador whom they believe betrayed them during the Punic Wars.  
  You Shall Not… 
  By contrast, a cult should have at least one sin or prohibited action, but may have many, many 
  more. A cult succeeds based on the amount of control it has over its members. So, a cult likely 
  has a long list of “do’s” and “don’ts.” Some of these rules can be minor infractions requiring 
  repentance and absolution if transgressed. Violating other rules might be impossible to forgive 
  and demand the ultimate retribution. These directives may or may not conform to the sins of a 
  
  given sect, so part of the fun in creating a cult is the Kindred involved may need to tread very 
  carefully when navigating these two worlds at the same time. 
  The First Rule of Vampire Club 
  The first rule of Vampire is don’t get caught. A Kindred can get away with anything they want 
  until someone else catches them. That’s when consequences come knocking. Do they list this 
  rule explicitly in the vampire handbook? No. Or at least, not as such. This is an implicit rule or a 
  cultural norm, meaning there can be completely unwritten rules for a cult as well.  
  These unwritten rules are mandates everyone seems to know, but usually have no idea where 
  they came from or how they got started. Phrases like “it’s always been this way” and “we don’t 
  do that here” are good indicators of cultural norms based on tradition rather than anything to do 
  with faith or doctrine. 
  Hierarchy 
  The following groupings only serve as an example because terminology may change from cult to 
  cult. But, most have roughly the same hierarchical structure. A single leader commands and the 
  masses follow. Those masses are part of a ladder leading ever upward, elevating members based 
  on merit, devotedness, seniority, education, charisma, gamesmanship, and other manipulations. 
  Some churches focus on dedication of faith while others honor ability. Regardless of what 
  promotion is based on, which is usually a combination of factors, the further someone climbs the 
  ladder the more they are able to peek behind the curtain. Through their elevation, they gain 
  greater understanding of the cult’s inner workings and, at times, its hypocrisy. 
  Laity 
  Laity are members of a religious group who are not an ordained part of it. “Lay members” often 
  refers to people who participate in a field without being professionals in that field. This can 
  include volunteers and hobbyists.  
  In relation to cults, these are the outermost ring of involved individuals. Time and circumstance, 
  along with their doubt, misfortune, or naiveté has led them to it. Laity may still have misgivings, 
  questions, or reservations with one foot in and one foot out, but for the moment, they are curious 
  enough to contribute. For them, the cult represents a chance at peace, purpose, and community. 
  There must be appeal or advantage to their participation for people who the cult often tasks with 
  the most menial chores and obligations. 
  These members are the weakest links in regard to security and secrecy, but are often the best 
  vectors for pulling more people into the cult. They participate because of their love for the deity 
  or passion for the espoused ideals of the organization, and their enthusiasm draws others in. 
  Keeping these members happy (or seemingly so) with real or imagined benefits is important to 
  the success of the cult.  
  Initiate 
  Inducted Initiates are the general rank-and-file within the cult. They understand the basic tenets 
  of the faith and are both able and willing to carry out the commands of their superiors. Initiates 
  have committed themselves to the cause, and while they may have lingering concerns or 
  questions, they are generally smart enough not to voice them openly. Initiates focus only on the 
  positive aspects of the cult and tend to ignore or deny any doubts voiced by others. 
  
  Initiates who have committed to the cult’s agenda usually perform essential nightly tasks to keep 
  the belief machine running. Some function as preachers and messengers, traveling between cities 
  in order to recruit new members and pass along communiqués from their superiors. Others 
  participate in internal ceremonies, assisting leaders in their religious services. Finally, Initiates 
  may serve as soldiers tasked with guard duty, city patrols, or offensive attacks. 
  Acolyte 
  Acolytes are the most fanatical members of the cult. They have followed its precepts, 
  participated in its rites, and have been rewarded for their devotion. They spearhead short-term 
  missions or coordinate some aspect of the cult. When a cult needs to get its hands bloody, an 
  Acolyte tends to lead the charge. They are the first to volunteer their services and the first to put 
  down dissent. For them the cult is their entire identity and the only real source of purpose in their 
  life.  
  Specialized Acolytes take on specific positions ranging from shock troops to secretaries. They 
  are the bread and butter of the cult. These people support the cult because they have tied their 
  lives and livelihood to it. 
  Clergy 
  Clergy are leaders. They are the shepherds to the sheep. They can perform all of the major rites, 
  handle internal disputes, and conduct religious services. Smaller cults may have a single 
  Clergyperson who serves as the right hand of the highest authority. Larger cults may have more, 
  with each focusing on an aspect like financial, organizational, or spiritual matters.  
  They can also function as an advisory council to the cult leader. Given their role and their 
  understanding of the cult’s inner workings, they are also the most likely to use it for their own 
  personal agendas. A cultist who is the equivalent of Clergy likely has their life and the lives of 
  others dependent on the successful execution of the cult’s objectives. Because of this, they can 
  be enforcers of doctrine, the secret police, or propaganda artists who maintain the status quo.    
  Prophets 
  Prophets are the people at the top. They are the charismatic cult leaders, the CEOs of the brand, 
  and the visionaries who inspire a movement. Unless there is a particularly wily member of the 
  cult or the structure is something other than a hierarchy, Prophets set the agenda for the cult. 
  They can inspire or manipulate their followers because they are the heart of the cult and control 
  the power it can wield. And, they use everyone underneath them. They make the decisions or set 
  the goals those lower in the hierarchy execute. 
  Whether a rousing preacher, an inspirational thought leader, or the Pater of a blood cult, often 
  they are the cult. Likewise, when something decapitates the cult by taking out the head, the 
  whole organization can crumble. This is why cult leaders surround themselves with true 
  believers and people who would give their lives to save them.  
  Cult Practices 
  Strict rules often govern the night-to-night practices of a cult, but this is not always the case. A 
  sense of community and rigorous indoctrination might be all anyone needs to remain dedicated 
  to a cause. Indoctrination can come from techniques like brain washing and induced dependency, 
  but followers can also come together because of the culture or lifestyle the cult provides. 
  
  Religious practices are the building blocks of a cult’s culture and community. To some extent, 
  everyone in the cult participates in its practices. From the prayers they recite to the clothes they 
  wear, these aspects create a group’s spiritual identity. 
  Scripture 
  Not every religion has a single holy book, but many have stanzas, prayers, and songs. Scriptures 
  capture key occasions, either developed over centuries or recorded by the faithful in the presence 
  of their god. They can take the form of ancient tales passed down to form a kind of living 
  history. Cultists may, for example, base their prayers, what they do or don’t eat, or what they do 
  on a particular day on such historical manuscripts.  
  Scriptures are for teaching, but the documents themselves can become holy relics. Holy books, 
  sacred texts, and ancient tomes can become as important for their pages as for what those pages 
  say. A cult that venerates knowledge might preserve books simply because they are books. 
  Another cult might protect a letter written by the founder because they believe it has magical 
  properties. 
  Relics 
  Along with sacred texts, objects and artifacts can become holy relics. The ashes of a great 
  Kindred, a sword once wielded by a blood god, or the home of a founder are all examples of 
  relics. The most prized are the most protected. For many, being in the presence of a relic makes 
  their worship feel more real. In a cultist, an object can inspire a feeling of connection to their 
  leader or god and remind them of their faith.  
  Services 
  While some more devout members may actually live in the temple, others may be more 
  infrequent visitors, only attending on holidays or during major events. Determining when the 
  church gathers helps determine how active and cohesive its membership is. A regular worship 
  service every month or every week creates a dependable schedule that followers can rely on. 
  Nightly activities, such as recruitment drives, training, and social events may not be religious 
  services, but they do help solidify a group and assist in the overall growth of the cult. 
  Meanwhile, weekly feasts may become formal occasions, with an additional half dozen holidays 
  to augment the year. 
  Apparel 
  Not every cult has strict mandates when it comes to clothing. Some churches need to blend in 
  with their surroundings to avoid drawing unwanted attention to themselves. Others are quite 
  brazen in their faith, traveling together in groups wearing the same garments or color scheme. 
  Clothing (or the lack of it) can easily become another one of those unwritten rules. But mostly, 
  for the purposes of the cult, wearing the same clothes or having particular vestments adds to the 
  overall indoctrination of followers.  
  Rituals 
  Acts of adoration, veneration, and homage are the cornerstones of any faith. To believe in a deity 
  is one thing, but to properly express belief is something else. Cultures throughout history have 
  developed intricate methods of worship and Kindred cults do the same. Rituals can be small 
  
  nightly actions cultists take, like saying a prayer or lighting a candle, or larger ceremonies 
  combining the magical will of the group to perform massive feats. 
  Blood: The primary ingredient in the rites of most Kindred cults. Consuming blood during feasts 
  and sacrifices isn’t uncommon, nor is painting sigils of protection, baptism, or curses in blood.  
  Fire: Given the destructive nature of fire, Kindred cults tend to use it only on rare occasions. 
  Conversely, the use of fire can be a punishment for wayward followers. 
  Incense: Burning something to honor the gods is no new concept. Most use it as a means of 
  purification, suffuming a room or person with smoke from frankincense, myrrh, and benzoin. 
  Construction: Creating works of art or feats of engineering are common enough shows of 
  worship. Faith inspires many cultists to use their talents.  
  Sacrifice: To prove their dedication to their ancestor, many cults conduct blood sacrifices. But 
  sacrifice doesn’t have to be bloody. Rumors suggest the followers of Helena create works of 
  exquisite art only to sacrifice them to her. 
  Holidays 
  Nights set aside for religious observances, holidays serve specific customs within a given cult. 
  Used to celebrate or commemorate an event, holidays hold traditional significance. For 
  vampires, holidays and religious observances come in several different forms. 
  Lunar 
  In many vampire cults, holidays are associated with the lunar calendar. Given their nocturnal 
  connection, the moon not only represents shifts in time, but also has specific meanings 
  depending on its given phase.  
  The New Moon: As the sun shines against the far side of the moon, new moons represent 
  moments of renewal.  
  The Waxing Moon: As the moon grows each night, so too do intention and preparation to act. 
  Nights under the waxing moon are about growth and building. 
  The Full Moon: Full moons are powerful, ceremonial, and climactic. Kindred cults might use 
  the full moon for Embraces, coronations, and initiations into the cult. 
  The Waning Moon: Sliding back toward the new moon, waning moons represent times of 
  healing, self-reflection, and the end of something.  
  Historic 
  Some cults might center holidays on key events. As many practice some form of ancestral 
  worship, the majority of these historic events focus on the progenitor’s birthday, death day, or in 
  rare instances, their true death day. Other holidays celebrate key milestones such as praxis 
  seizures, founding dates, and major victories. 
  Birthday: Kindred largely ignore mortal birthdays. Ancestors tend to have little connection to 
  their mortal mother or father, placing their vampire sire above their blood parents. Some 
  methuselahs are so old they pre-date even the Julian calendar, making their actual date of birth 
  difficult to pin down. But, without birth, no Kindred would exist. 
  
  Death Day: Dates of Embrace are more impactful the older the Kindred. The Embrace can be an 
  occasion of celebration as much as horror, but it is a defining night for any Kindred. 
  True Death Day: Methuselahs do not die often, but when they do, it reverberates throughout 
  Kindred society. Such true death days can be solemn occasions, marked by commemorations, 
  sacrifices, and remembrances.  
  Major Events: The most common kind of historic holidays commemorate major events. The 
  blood cult of Ur-Shulgi marks the moment Haqim created Alamut, home of the Banu Haqim. 
  The Meneleans remember the date Carthage fell to the Romans. 
  Seasonal 
  Those Kindred cults closely tied to nature often use seasonal festivals to highlight their beliefs.  
  Midwinter: The winter solstice is the longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and 
  the shortest in the Southern Hemisphere.  
  Vernal Equinox: The spring equinox takes place in March in the Northern Hemisphere and in 
  September in the Southern Hemisphere. During the equinox, day and night are of equal length.  
  Midsummer: The summer solstice is the shortest night in the Northern Hemisphere and the 
  longest in the Southern Hemisphere.  
  Autumnal Equinox: The fall equinox, like the spring equinox, is when the day and night are 
  equal. It takes place in September in the Northern Hemisphere and March in the Southern 
  Hemisphere.  
  Methods of Recruitment 
  With a combination of charm and intimidation, a recruiter taps into a person’s fears, hopes, and 
  dreams, and lures them into a belief system. Be they the desperate, the driven, or the indulgent, 
  vampire cults capitalize on those in search of something more than a solitary life provides. 
  The Desperate 
  Kindred existence is often a lonely affair. Ennui grows, causing a vampire to become bored, 
  listless, and disillusioned. After someone has fallen in love with someone or something, only to 
  see it die with age, repeatedly over centuries, it’s understandable for a vampire to fall into 
  despair. It’s a muted existence wrought with atrophy.  
  For these individuals, a Kindred church can provide new meaning, purpose, and a family. It’s an 
  appealing prospect to a Kindred in pain. The leader who can take away pain, even for a moment, 
  earns true loyalty in return. 
  The Driven 
  Some Kindred join cults not out of desperation but out of drive. They seek to join a group larger 
  than themselves either for protection, camaraderie, or power. They play the game and they play it 
  well, rising high enough in the ranks of the cult to use it for their own ends. Drawn more toward 
  dominion than dogma, they must strive to stay atop the proverbial ladder. 
  The Indulgent 
  Finally, Kindred with beliefs, tastes, or indulgences considered too deviant for polite society 
  conduct themselves in secret far from prying eyes and always with one glance over their 
  
  shoulder. They are often lonely creatures, angry at the world, or view themselves as morally 
  superior. For such hedonists, certain cults represent a welcome release and an opportunity to 
  express their true selves. These groups can also delve into the darker aspects of Kindred society, 
  performing blood sacrifices and worshiping creatures deemed heretical to the undead 
  community.  
  Places of Worship 
  While the internet has allowed individuals to come together in massive numbers without actually 
  ever being in the same room, cults require direct contact. Though they come in various forms, a 
  physical place is necessary for meetings, religious services, and emergencies.  
  The Temple 
  Those who choose to call a place their temple gather in a safe building, using it to pray, 
  commune, or perform their religious rites. It’s a secure location, purchased outright and free 
  from outsiders. Most cults utilize remodeled buildings or churches large enough to house their 
  flock but small enough not to attract unwanted attention. Cults usually want to keep their 
  prayers, blood rites, and other practices discrete. Temples also often serve as hostels for the cult, 
  requiring multiple sleeping quarters and daytime security systems. 
  Historic Site 
  A historic location connected to a cult’s deity is of personal value to the parishioners especially if 
  it’s a place of ancestral significance. Perhaps it’s the place where their methuselah was born, 
  Embraced, or killed. Perhaps it’s the former home of their progenitor or where they won a great 
  battle. Cults can view such locations as vital to their identity, going to great lengths in order to 
  financially secure them. 
  Anywhere and Nowhere 
  Not every church needs a permanent location. Some transient cults are more nomadic. Rented 
  spaces or temporary ones fill this need. Some examples might be a high school gymnasium after 
  hours, a rented mortuary, the backroom of a bar, or a converted slaughterhouse complete with 
  folding chairs and linoleum floors.  
  [LAYOUT: THE FOLLOWING IS A LETTER FROM PERSON A] 
  A Letter from Laylah Froud of the Bahari 
  Khal, 
  I’ve been thinking a lot about last week’s discussion on the differences between a witch and a 
  priest, how each has different duties and methods. While I agree with you that the witch grows 
  and prunes and the priest codifies, I think there’s a great deal more fluidity between the two roles 
  than you allow. I am well aware that the Church of Set requires, well, set roles for all things, but 
  there is no reason a priest couldn’t receive visions or a witch couldn’t set canon.  
  I suppose it’s our difference in upbringing, so to speak. I know the Church has the Order of 
  Taweret, what I would call a Bahari sect within the Church itself. As a follower of Lilith, I find 
  myself at home with your witches in the Order, the Kindred who mix growth and law. In a sense, 
  you could say they are the counterbalance to the larger church, the life to your god of death. 
  
  (Let it be known, of course, that I do not revile Set in any way. Set is simply a new frontier, held 
  by a masculine-presenting force, that I have yet to explore!) 
  I look forward to hearing more of your thoughts on the subject. I know you’re busy, so take your 
  time in getting back to me. 
  Yours sincerely, 
  Laylah Froud 
  [/LETTER] 
  Grooming, Love-Bombing, and Disciplines 
  If you and your fellow players decide to tell a story about your coterie being 
  inducted into a cult, be sure everyone knows what they’re getting into. Read over 
  the rules for considerate play in Vampire: The Masquerade and use them as 
  needed. Be ready to pull back on scenes if they are too much. Love-bombing is 
  similar to partner grooming, and can be part of abuse patterns. 
  If you do decide to play a game like this, consider how Disciplines could be used 
  to assist in love-bombing new members. Presence and Dominate are the obvious 
  ones, but what about Animalism to win over their pets or Auspex to sense their 
  motives before they realize them? Give it some thought — and again, be mindful 
  of your players’ boundaries and desires. 
  Quick Cult Creation 
  Below are tables for rolling up your own cult. Use these for random rolls, or pick what you like 
  from the tables and use them as inspiration. There is no wrong way to use these resources. 
  Backgrounds 
  Cultists all need certain Backgrounds to make sure their cult is functioning as it should. Below 
  are suggested uses of the some of the Backgrounds within a cult context.  
  Allies 
  • A cult recruiter who is willing to take care of you when you’re hurting, but needs you to also 
  recruit new members of the cult. 
  • One of the cult’s cooks who has access to the food supplies and knives. 
  •• Two mortal cult members with whom you’re close. 
  •• A landlord who is a new member of the cult, who lets the cult get away with not paying the 
  rent in exchange for free counseling and protection from their shady past. 
  ••• A new member of the cult, who has a certain amount of influence within the local city’s 
  politics. 
  ••• An established cultist, fanatically loyal to the religion but less than functional in the outside 
  world. 
  •••• A ghoul or prestigious mortal within the cult who would die for you. 
  •••• The cult’s elite members who will defend the organization to the hilt. 
  
  Contacts 
  • A cultist from another branch of the order. 
  • A new member in the cult with a decent grasp of the occult. 
  •• A police dispatcher in a town unfriendly to the cult. 
  •• A ghoul researcher with a sizable library on the occult, willing to look things up for you. 
  ••• The leader of another branch of the cult, or a second-in-command of the local cult. 
  ••• A cultist well-placed in the city emergency services. 
  •••• A celebrity who vocally supports the cult in a way that doesn’t damage the Masquerade. 
  •••• A cultist with impressive influence over the running of the city. 
  Influence 
  •  (Church) The cult holds meetings at a local house of worship, claiming to be a self-help group 
  like Alcoholics Anonymous. 
  •  (Street) The local gangs leave the abandoned home the cult squats in alone, unless they need 
  something. 
  ••  (Bureaucracy) The cult can get forged IDs once every couple of months for members who 
  have gotten in trouble with the law. 
  ••  (Transportation) Some of the cult members work as taxi drivers for extra money and don’t 
  charge fellow cultists fare. 
  •••  (High Society) Several celebrities are members of the cult and promote it whenever the cult 
  tells them to. 
  •••  (Media) The cult has contacts in several local (or one national) news outlets that allow them 
  to run ads, and also be interviewed in special segments, on the regular. 
  ••••  (Industry) The cult makes and sells a product that has made them a formidable force in the 
  market. Several high-up members of the cult are also infiltrating competitors to try and either 
  force a merger or drive them out of business. 
  ••••  (Police) The cops look the other way when the cultists drive drunk or people and animals go 
  missing near the compound. It’s too much trouble to get involved. 
  •••••  (Politics) One of the members of the cult is a regional governor or involved in the country’s 
  legislative branch. They push really hard for legislation that benefits the cult, and manage to get 
  funds directed to the cult. 
  •••••  (Underworld) The cult has designated hitmen who take out their enemies, as well as money 
  launderers, spies, and other criminals at their disposal. Some of them may even be members of 
  the cult. They control the equivalent of a big mafia family’s territory. 
  Haven 
  •  An abandoned house in an inner-city block. No running water or electricity, but room for all of 
  the cultists. 
  •  Tents in the woods of a national park, moving whenever you’re discovered. 
  
  ••  A nice two-bedroom apartment with crash pads on the floor and a futon for cultists, and the 
  beds for leadership. 
  •• Rented space at a campground, held indefinitely. 
  •••  An apartment building full of studios, with the cult’s sanctuary on the ground floor. The 
  building is managed by the leadership. 
  •••  A full campground owned by the cult, with a lodge and tents. Most of the space is rented out 
  to families and backpackers, who you try to indoctrinate. 
  ••••  A suburban development owned by the cult, with the cult’s center of worship either in the 
  community center or housed in its own building. 
  ••••  A mountain lodge with cabins. Full amenities, so long as the members of the cult behave 
  themselves. 
  •••••  A massive house of worship situated downtown in a major city. There are public spaces, of 
  course, but the private spaces are heavily locked down and controlled. 
  •••••  A network of comfortable safehouses throughout the country, all heavily decorated with 
  cult iconography and things that can be used as weapons. Each safe house has an alarm system. 
  Mawla 
  •  A Kindred cultist, one step above you in the order. 
  •  A vampire who has been studying the cult from the outside. 
  •• A vampire well-practiced in recruiting for cults. 
  •• A vampire who holds title in the cult and the local Kindred government. 
  ••• A Kindred member of the cult who has magical aptitude and has taken a shine to you. 
  ••• A vampire who used to belong to the cult, and still knows many of its old secrets. 
  •••• A Kindred member cultist with wealth, influence, and magical aptitude who will teach you 
  some of the mystic secrets of the cult. 
  •••• A vampire Osiris who can find you teachers, allies, contacts, and other useful people and 
  things in and connected to the cult. 
  ••••• A vampire within the inner circle of the cult, who has taken you on as a special project. 
  Their combined resources and connections are formidable. 
  ••••• The Kindred behind the cult, who sees more use for you than others do. 
  [LAYOUT: THE FOLLOWING IS A LETTER FROM PERSON B] 
  A Letter from Khaled al-Fakhani of the Church of Set 
  Honored Laylah Froud, 
  As much as I appreciate your views on the Walid al-Set, I think you lose something from not 
  having a formal education within the ranks of the faithful. There is much to be found within the 
  exploration of pain, but you are not bringing your work to the great scholars and either letting it 
  stand up or watching it crumble. To be frank: you have no network of orthodoxy to fall back on, 
  
  no one to objectively say that your communications with Lilith have been, indeed, with Lilith. 
  That is why you don’t understand the priesthood. 
  I don’t mean to say, of course, that I disbelieve in the Typhonic Mother. Quite the opposite. One 
  would be a fool to think that an entity called Lilith does not exist in some capacity. It would also 
  be foolish, further, to think that this entity has not been speaking to you through some means. 
  Looking at you with enough Auspex clears that up immediately. This letter is not about 
  diminishing your own faith within the Order of Taweret, but you did ask for my thoughts, and 
  unfortunately they come with a preamble. 
  Let us look at the largest religions in the world as of right now: Christianity and Islam. Within 
  Christianity, the largest denomination is the Roman Catholic Church. In Islam, the Ahl as-
  Sunnah, or the Sunni Muslims, are almost 90% of the population of the faithful. Why is that? 
  I posit to you it is the strong network each denomination possesses. You were raised in the 
  United States, so perhaps Catholicism will be an easier comparison for you. The priest guides the 
  spiritual well-being of his flock. The bishops guide their flock of priests. The cardinals guide 
  their bishops, and the Pope is the Shepherd of all Shepherds, the throne of God on Earth. 
  Doctrine is passed down from hand to hand, solidified and codified through the repetition of the 
  faithful. There is, of course, personal gnosis, but you know when that revelation comes from 
  your god — there are hundreds of texts and mountains of theology to look to. 
  This brings me to my second posit: a priest is a link in this network. To keep the faith strong and 
  stable, to express the faith outwards and help others seek the truth — that is the duty of a priest.  
  This of course does not mean that witches don’t have their faith. A priest is meant to pull from 
  the theology and canon set down by other priests before him. So it is in Catholic Christianity 
  with the Bible and papal letters and bulls, so it is in Sunni Islam with the hadith and the Quran. A 
  priest is a conduit for the faith as it is. A witch goes into the spirit of the faith itself and pulls out 
  new meaning for herself and others. She may not always be listened to — she may even be a 
  heretic, and burned for it, as so many were — but a witch wields the power of the faith and 
  grows it, whereas a priest tends to the faithful and the doctrine. A faith that is all witches is a 
  philosophy, a faith that is all priests grows stagnant. 
  I hope this helps with your confusion. I remain, as always, your faithful friend. 
  In Set’s shadow, 
  Khaled al-Fakhani 
  [/LETTER] 
  Cult Names 
  Naming things, especially groups, can be extremely difficult for even the most experienced 
  storyteller. Below is a mix-and-match table of cult names. Add or remove prepositions and 
  conjunctions, and pluralize as necessary. 
  [BEGIN TABLE] 
  Church of 
  The Light 
  Journey 
  Congregation of 
  The Darkness Pilgrims 
  People’s 
  The Garden 
  Service 
  
  First 
  The Three Angels 
  Slaves 
  Heaven’s 
  Caine Servants 
  Children of  
  Lilith Bound To Serve 
  Family Arikel Worshipers 
  Temple of 
  Ishtar Disciples 
  Dominion of Absimiliard 
  Faithful 
  People of 
  Haqim Apostles 
  Garden of 
  The Crone 
  Witches 
  Tree of Veddartha 
  Saints 
  City of Tremere 
  Citizens 
  Earth’s Zhao-lat 
  Corpses 
  Death’s 
  Saulot Spirits 
  Servants of 
  Enoch Freedom 
  Slaves of 
  Irad 
  Revolutionaries 
  Lilith’s Zillah Lovers 
  Caine’s 
  The Lovers 
  Warriors 
  The Abyss’s The Martyr General Soldiers 
  Repentant 
  Ennoia Children 
  Penitents of  Malkav 
  Literalists 
  Precious 
  RavanaScholars 
  Community of Set 
  Gardeners 
  Songs of 
  Troile Singers 
  Order of 
  Brujah Dancers 
  Local Ilyes 
  Teachers 
  Disciples of 
  Al-Mahri 
  Warlocks 
  Fundamentalist 
  Nergal Of the Garden 
  World Ninmug 
  Of the Abyss 
  Unification 
  Loz 
  Of the Light 
  Mission of 
  Lucian Of the Undying 
  At the Heart of 
  Mekhet 
  Of the Word 
  Fiat 
  Laodice 
  Of the Umbra 
  Fidelity of 
  Dracian 
  Of the Roses 
  International Society of 
  Temple 
  Of the Mother 
  
  Yearning for Group Home Of the Father 
  Foundation for  
  Candlelight 
  Of the Blood 
  Ancient Mystical Order of 
  Vigil Prayer 
  Apostolic 
  Malakai 
  Guardians 
  Brethren of 
  Insight Of Enoch 
  Darkness 
  Song Of the Second City 
  Cyber- Blood Of the Third City 
  Esoteric 
  Promise 
  Of the First Garden 
  Insight Sin 
  Of the Second Garden 
  Monastic Order of 
  Redemption 
  Of the Third Garden 
  Movement of/to 
  Prayer Devotions 
  Moral Worlds  
  Fundamentalists 
  Blood of 
  Martyrs 
  Community 
  Hands of 
  Thorns Church 
  Nation of 
  Knives March 
  The New 
  Ashur 
  Promises 
  The Promised Immortality/Immortal Secrets 
  House of  
  Spirit/Spiritual Coven 
  Pilgrims of 
  Saint Covenant 
  Saint Purity/Pure 
  Circle 
  Shepherds of Mourning/Mourn 
  Rebirth 
  Dancers of/in Morning 
  Sect 
  Blessing of 
  Evening 
  Religion 
  United Midnight 
  Union 
  One  
  Daybreak 
  Consecration 
  Two  Resurrection Bond 
  Three Open Healers 
  Four 
  Special Brethren 
  Five 
  Chosen 
  Fraternity 
  Six 
  Sacred Sorority 
  Seven Holy In Silence 
  
  Sunrise 
  Royal In Suffering 
  Sunset Imperial 
  In Love 
  Valley of 
  Suffering 
  In Truth 
  Society of 
  Empathic 
  In Beauty 
  Holy Service/Serving 
  In Knowledge 
  The Way of 
  Kingdom 
  Triumphant 
  Sacred Principality 
  Princes 
  Consecrated 
  Nation Saints 
  Bound Shining 
  In Blood 
  Happy Repentant 
  Family 
  Neo- Wild Blood Brethren 
  Cainite Raging Movement 
  Kindred 
  Untamed 
  Philosophy 
  Ghoul Fallen Army 
  Shadow of 
  Silent Heathens 
  Covenant of 
  Reborn Heretics 
  Traditional 
  Welcoming 
  Proclaimers 
  Traditions of Warm Believers 
  Syncretic 
  Cold 
  Society 
  Heretical 
  Golden Anonymous 
  All 
  Silver Order 
  Circle of 
  Scarlet Identity 
  Alliance of 
  Dark Theism 
  Reformed 
  Pale 
  Anchorites 
  Saints Crystalline 
  Mystics 
  Council of 
  Final Mediums 
  Marriage of 
  Apocalyptic 
  Psychics 
  Gateways to Starlight/Starlit 
  Celebrants/Celebration 
  Final Umbra/Umbral 
  Thought 
  Beginnings of Singing 
  Universal 
  Home of 
  Quiet Academy 
  Antinomian 
  Still 
  Reason 
  
  High Low 
  Transcendence 
  [END TABLE] 
  Symbols 
  While not every church has a symbol, many do, and the following tables offer some basic 
  meanings for colors, objects, and creatures. Storytellers and players can use them in combination 
  to create a quick flag, crest, or icon as well as incorporate them into rituals and practices. For 
  example, a cult dedicated to peace and integrity might use a combination of doves in blue and 
  white, while a cult dedicated to war and victory might showcase a ram and arrow in black, red, 
  or gold colors.  
  Colors 
  [THIS IS A TABLE] 
  Black Authority, Darkness, Death, Elegance, Formality, Power, Sophistication, Strength 
  Blue 
  Coldness, Emotion, Honor, Integrity, Loyalty, Melancholia, Peace, Trust, Water 
  Brown Confidence, Earth, Endurance, Nature, Reliability 
  Gold Achievement, Success, Triumph 
  Green Balance, Calm, Growth, Honesty, Money, Nature, Relaxation, Safety 
  Grey Intelligence, Neutrality, Seriousness, Tradition 
  Orange Communication, Creativity, Optimism 
  Purple Elegance, Imagination, Magic, Mystery, Royalty, Sophistication 
  Red 
  Action, Ambition, Anger, Courage, Determination, Energy, Love, Passion, Romance 
  Silver Emotions, the Moon, Mystery 
  White Innocence, Peace, Perfection, Purity, Winter 
  Yellow Comfort, Cowardice, Energy, Impatience, Intellect 
  [/TABLE ENDS] 
  Objects 
  [THIS IS A TABLE] 
  Air 
  Communication, Imagination, Intelligence, Perception, Travel 
  All-Seeing Eye 
  Higher Knowledge, Inner Vision, Insight, Spiritual Sight  
  Apple Immortality, Knowledge, Luxury, Peace, Sexual Awakening 
  Arrow Flight, Knowledge, Masculinity, Mortality, Power, Swiftness, War 
  Bell 
  Signals, The Expansion of Consciousness, The Mind, The Voice of God 
  Book Education, Faith, Knowledge, Learning, Secrets 
  Caduceus 
  Authority, Harmony, Health, Infinity, Medicine, Supernatural Forces 
  Candle Benevolence, Life, Light, Truth, Vigilance, Wisdom 
  
  Chalice 
  Communion, Femininity, Forgiveness, Sacrament, Sharing, Water 
  Circle Femininity, Magic, Perfection, Protection, Sacred Space, Unity, Wholeness 
  Compass 
  Balance, Direction, Perfection, Spirit, Time 
  Crescent Moon 
  Dreams, Intuition, New Beginnings 
  Crown Authority, Loyalty, Power, Royalty, Superiority, Wealth 
  Earth Dependability, Material Wealth, Orderliness, Prosperity, Sustenance, Wisdom  
  Egg 
  New Life, Resurrection, The Moon 
  Feather 
  Air, Balance, Communication, Flight, ice, Truth 
  Fire 
  Anger, Creativity, Destruction, Knowledge, Transformation 
  Fruit 
  Earthly Pleasure, Overindulgence, Sexuality, Temptation 
  Heart Charity, Compassion, Love, Mercy 
  Horseshoe 
  Fortune, Good Luck, Protection 
  Hourglass 
  Death, Rebirth, Time 
  Key 
  Access, Freedom, Initiation, Spiritual Knowledge 
  Ladder Ascension, Fulfillment of Potential, Transcendence 
  Lotus Flower Beauty, Enlightenment, Purity, Reinvention 
  Lightning Bolt Boldness, Energetic Action, Power, Salvation, Strength 
  Mirror Awareness, Gateways, Reflection 
  Scepter 
  Authority, Control, Royalty, Wealth 
  Scythe Collection, Death, Harvest, Loss, Ruin 
  Shell Journey, Pilgrimage, Resurrection 
  Star 
  Fame, Inspiration, Majesty, Spirit, Triumph 
  Sword Defense, Protection, Safety, Security, Strength 
  Water Intuition, Life, Purification, Reflection, Transformation 
  Wheel Change, Destiny, Fate, Luck, Motion 
  Wings Flight, Release, Weightlessness 
  Wreath Conquest, Success, Triumph, Victory  
  [/TABLE ENDS] 
  Creatures 
  [THIS IS A TABLE] 
  Bear 
  Healing, Introspection, Strength 
  Buffalo 
  Courage, Endurance, Sanctity 
  
  Butterfly 
  Hope, Resurrection, Transformation 
  Crow Death, Prophecy, Wisdom 
  Deer 
  Gentleness, Nobility, Power 
  Dove Peace, Tranquility 
  Dragon 
  Luck, Nobility, Power, Strength 
  Eagle Divinity, Integrity, Nobility 
  Elephant 
  Loyalty, Power, Stamina, Strength 
  Fish 
  Fertility, Purification 
  Fox 
  Agility, Cunning, Intelligence 
  Griffin Boldness, Courage, Strength 
  Lion 
  Leadership, Nobility, Strength 
  Mermaid 
  Emotion, Independence, Mystery, Perceptiveness, Seduction, Untamed Emotion 
  Mouse Innocence, Scrutiny, Survival 
  Ouroboros 
  Continuity, Eternity, Motion, Purity, Rebirth, Renewal, Wholeness 
  Owl 
  Fertility, Magic, Mystery, Wisdom 
  Phoenix 
  Immortality, Resurrection, Victory 
  Rabbit Fertility, Serenity, Virtue 
  Ram 
  Force, Glory, Innocence, Power 
  Scorpion 
  Death, Protection, Transformation 
  Snake Creation, Death, Power, Transmutation, Wisdom 
  Sphinx Guardian, Riddles, Wisdom 
  Spider Construction, Divinity, Femininity, Patience  
  Tiger Power, Protection, Royalty, Unpredictability 
  Unicorn 
  Harmony, Innocence, Integrity, Purification, Truth, Wisdom 
  Wolf Education, Guardianship, Instinct, Loyalty  
  [/TABLE ENDS] 
  Basic Cult Descriptions 
  Use these as the basis of a cult and build from there. These descriptions do not include any 
  mechanics, so feel free to customize them as you like. 
  •  
  A Bahari cult. They grow urban gardens and provide job education for mortals, but they 
  are also notorious for their less-regulated “education.” 
  •  
  A heretical Ministry sect. They believe that Set’s murder of Osiris was not necessary, but 
  is something that needs to be atoned for. This cult has its fingers in various funeral homes and 
  performs strange rituals on the dead. 
  
  •  
  A Gehenna cult. They believe the Red Star event is a reminder of things to come. 
  •  
  A cult of Arikel. Consisting of Toreador and their loveliest ghouls, this cult dedicates 
  itself to physical perfection, reasoning that the struggle to attain the highest form of aesthetic 
  attraction reflects itself in the soul. 
  •  
  A cult of Oblivion. They practice various shadow arts and blindfold themselves to 
  worship. 
  •  
  A cult of vampiric reason. Based on the writings of Dr. Netchurch, they seek out the 
  scientific explanations for vampirism and vampiric Disciplines, and perform horrific experiments 
  on nonbelievers. 
  •  
  A cult of the Typhonic beast. They run underground fight clubs and sell highly-trained 
  human combat ghouls, but also rescue dogs. 
  •  
  A cult completely made up of humans who worship a Ventrue elder. They take “business 
  acuity” classes and dress in rigid business formal every day. 
  •  
  A teenage cult. They talk a big game about sacrificing animals to Satan, but honestly they 
  love their cats too much. Their leader is very disappointed. 
  •  
  A cult that runs a vegan pop-up restaurant to find clean blood for their rigorously health-
  conscious undead members. 
  •  
  A sex cult with regular masked orgies. 
  •  
  A cult of Ravana. Its members practice strange uses of Presence and Obfuscate alongside 
  other Disciplines in the hopes of finding a way to bring him back. 
  •  
  A cult of ghouls who take a blood sacrament. They are all unbound to any one Kindred 
  and swear allegiance only to each other. 
  •  
  A cult of singers who meet in unlit places at night to placate Oblivion with their songs. 
  •  
  A cult of elders who only drink blood from those with True Faith, in hopes this will cure 
  their curse. 
  •  
  A cult dedicated to the three angels who visited Caine: Michael, Raphael, and Gabriel. 
  They hope to be forgiven one day and raise their Humanity as high as possible in order to do so. 
  •  
  As the cult of the three angels above, but they seek to destroy or diablerize the three 
  angels. 
  •  
  A cult of personal transcendence that is really just a front for seeking out ideal candidates 
  for the Ministry Embrace. 
  •  
  A Brujah cult based on the Cult of the Supreme Being, with Troile as the Supreme Being. 
  Virtues include honesty, physical prowess, and purity of intent. 
  •  
  A cult that seeks to corrupt society at the highest level through needless things and 
  billionaires’ fear of the poor. 
  •  
  A UFO cult that believes the antediluvians were beings from another planet or a higher 
  dimension and not the childer of the biblical Caine. 
  
  •  
  A cult of news nightcrawlers who sell the information they gather to flood the media with 
  material to help fill time and distract from vampire life. They obsess over the coverage they get 
  and feel touched by humanity from the stories they share. 
  •  
  A cult of former sun worshipers who miss dearly the light they once loved so much. They 
  work to recreate their precious sun-soaked days with white linen outfits, bright lights, and 
  sandals. 
  •  
  A cult of personality around a single vampire. He gives his worshipers occasional 
  blessings or gifts, but mostly the cultists serve him in any capacity he desires. 
  •  
  A group of vampires obsessed with eating (in the mortal sense) even in unlife. They go so 
  far as to willingly make themselves sick eating normal food just to get the taste. Less extreme 
  members mix alcohol and herbs with their blood, or deliberately feed off people who have been 
  fed strong-tasting food. 
  •  
  A cult of neonate vampires who worship the thrill of the hunt. They dress impeccably and 
  treat feeding like British nobility treat foxhunting. 
  •  
  A cult of vampires who worship the 1950s nuclear family and go so far as to have mock 
  wedding and birth ceremonies. They’re extremely gendered and insist they draw power from that 
  binary. 
  •  
  The Patmostine Order believes the Gehenna event was the evangelical Christian Rapture, 
  and that no one was found worthy. They work to prepare Kindred society to be saved, whether 
  they like it or not. 
  •  
  The Diamond Thunderbolt is an all-Kindred order that practices self-sacrifice and self-
  abnegation to bring forth a rain of “spiritual nectar” to bless and uplift the souls of humanity. 
  They are divided as to whether or not this will extend to vampires. 
  •  
  A mysterious Nosferatu cult that believes it is their mission to mutate humanity to a 
  higher state of being through disease and culling of weakness. Some of their more fanatical 
  members also create blood plagues. 
  •  
  A cult of blood dolls who dress modestly and bleach their skin. They believe they honor 
  their undead gods by doing so. 
  •  
  An Anarch cult that tries to find the common thread in all human religions. They seek to 
  free themselves from the Beast by rigorous study and unlocking the riddle of unfettered 
  spirituality. 
  •  
  An offshoot of the Church of Set, populated mostly by members of the Clan of Death. 
  They perform elaborate rituals which follow the journey of Osiris and Sutekh through the 
  underworld, sometimes even sailing on literal rivers in total darkness on flimsy barges. 
  •  
  A wild, hedonistic mystery cult of blood dolls and ghouls who dance themselves into 
  unconsciousness so their regnants can feed on them. They say they have visions from the 
  ecstasy. 
  •  
  A Gangrel cult whose members sacrificially and nonfatally immerse themselves in sand, 
  the ocean, swamps, and other natural features to meditate. 
  
  •  
  A cult that only has one member in every city. They are meant to represent Caine, 
  wandering in the wilderness with no friends. 
  •  
  A Bahari cult that follows the Revelations of the Dark Mother to the letter. They believe 
  Lilith wants the unworthy dead, and so they steal knowledge and kill those who held it. 
  •  
  A Banu Haqim cult that focuses on hand-to-hand combat. Their philosophy suggests that 
  is the only way to truly grapple with your demons. They diablerize everyone they kill. 
  •  
  A Clan of Death cult whose members spend all of their time preparing mortals to become 
  powerful wraiths once they are inevitably destroyed by outside forces. 
  •  
  A vampire cult that ghouls only children to keep them in their state of innocence. They 
  almost exclusively feed off these children. 
  •  
  A cult of Tremere who worship Thaumaturgy as its own entity. They feel blessed to be 
  chosen by the god they channel. Other Tremere think of them as fanatics at best. 
  •  
  A cult of twelve vampire elders who believe themselves to be the fallen twelve gods of 
  Mount Olympus. Their servitors worship them with mystery rituals and blood. 
  •  
  A cult of Malkavians who view trauma as the only true method of growth, and so 
  regularly perform nonconsensual exposure therapy on themselves and others. They have keen 
  Auspex senses that reveal strange beings. 
  •  
  A ghoul cult within the Church of Set that practices snake-handling. 
  Sample Cult Members 
  Below are a smattering of potential members of your cult. Whether human, ghoul, or vampire, 
  they are all devoted to the cause. 
  Mortals 
  •  
  A ghoul who does the cult’s laundry and is privately a deep fanatic. 
  •  
  A human blood doll who wears his multiple sacrificial scars with pride. 
  •  
  A human who manages the weapons storage for the cult. She says she’s former military, 
  but the branch keeps changing. 
  •  
  A ghoul who tortures misbehaving human cultists. She’s very pleasant to talk to when off 
  the job. 
  •  
  Members of a revenant family who act as sextons and housekeepers for the cult. 
  •  
  A human celebrity who talks up the cult on daytime TV. Somehow he maintains his 
  charisma. 
  •  
  A single middle-aged human woman who flirts with all of her fellow cultists and then 
  shares their secrets with the leadership. 
  •  
  A grandfatherly type with a violent streak. 
  •  
  Children of human cultists. They have wide eyes and are constantly on alert. 
  •  
  A human who keeps a vampire’s schedule, drinks blood, and only eats raw meat. Their 
  hair is falling out and their scalp is swollen, but they seem happy. 
  
  •  
  A former teenage runaway who has become a prize ghoul. 
  •  
  A ghoul with a “sacred familiar”: a snake, a raven, or something else. 
  •  
  A blood doll who plays at being modest and shy to be seen as worthy of being fed on 
  more. 
  •  
  A cultist at any stage of life or undeath who refuses to leave the compound, citing that 
  “they” will get her. 
  •  
  A human cultist who feels that the cult justifies the conspiracy theories she clings to. 
  •  
  A human member of the cult who ran away, came back, was punished, and holds her 
  faith closer than ever. 
  •  
  A ghoul and a vampire who are deeply in love. It’s unclear who was in the cult first, but 
  one of them pulled the other in. 
  •  
  The cult’s online recruiter who is not particularly good at his job — he uses too much 
  jargon. 
  • 
  A human who holds down odd jobs when she’s not working for the cult for free. She 
  doesn’t get enough sleep and her eyes are bloodshot. 
  •  
  A ghoul who “collects” foster children to induct into the cult. Some of them go missing. 
  •  
  The human Sunday school teacher who takes care of the children and liaises with the 
  adults. 
  •  
  The ghoul chef who cooks for the humans of the cult and looks down on them. 
  •  
  The human former therapist who constructed the cult’s regimen of love-bombing and 
  gaslighting. 
  •  
  The former investigator who tried to remain detached but fell into the cult’s arms. 
  •  
  A human who claims to be a psychic and medium. Maybe she is, maybe she isn’t. Her 
  “channeling” is always incoherent and esoteric. 
  •  
  A ghoul who always seems to get blamed for the problems in the cult. 
  •  
  The husband of a human cult member who seems terrified of everyone else in the cult. 
  He takes great pains to be seen as a “normal” cultist. 
  •  
  A ghoul who only wears clothing she’s made and will only eat raw food. 
  •  
  A blood doll who resents anyone the leadership talks to and jealously guards her access 
  to them. 
  •  
  A human cultist who was born into another cult, and as a consequence, clings to this one 
  as part of her adult identity. 
  •  
  A wild-haired, wild-eyed older human cultist who cheerfully explores the darker beliefs 
  of the cult and talks about them as though they are normal and fine. He occasionally has seizures, 
  though whether those are “normal” or supernatural, no one seems to be able to tell. 
  
  •  
  The animals of the cult. They are very suspicious of newcomers and seem to have minds 
  of their own. Some might be ghouls, some might not be, it’s difficult to determine with the naked 
  eye. 
  Vampires 
  •  
  An ancilla cultist who recently joined after escaping their abusive sire, she has all the 
  desperate zeal of a new convert. 
  •  
  A neonate who was Embraced into the cult and knows nothing else. 
  •  
  Twin Malkavian neonates who refuse to be farther than ten feet away from each other at 
  all times. 
  •  
  A Toreador who has taken a vow of silence. 
  •  
  A Tremere ancilla who only believes in practical research, not theory. 
  •  
  A former teenage runaway who is now an ancilla with a youthful face and a saintly 
  disposition. 
  •  
  A vampire neonate who keeps notes on everything everyone says. 
  •  
  A vampire from the Clan of Death who is always playing with tarot cards, ouija boards, 
  pendulums, etc. 
  •  
  A Toreador who makes the cult’s sacred icons in exchange for blood and spiritual 
  counseling. 
  •  
  A neonate who struggles with the cult’s doctrine even though she truly believes in its 
  mission. 
  •  
  A vampire ancilla who uses the human members of the cult as personal servants. 
  •  
  The childe of the vampire who founded the cult. She is less devoted, maybe even 
  heretical, but she is still part of the cult and she is treated either like royalty or with resentment. 
  •  
  The former Primogen who struggles with letting go and letting her faith carry her along 
  with the cult’s practices. 
  •  
  The cult’s resident vampire pyromaniac and fire-dancer. 
  •  
  A member of the Ministry who seems to link the cult to the story of Sutekh at every 
  opportunity. Leadership tolerates him. 
  •  
  A vampiric spiritual counselor who practices Oblivion to lend an air of legitimacy to her 
  sessions. 
  • 
  A self-abnegating neonate who strives for both physical and spiritual perfection in odd 
  and concerning ways. 
  Sample Cult: The Order of Taweret 
  Description: The Church of Set is one of the single largest (perhaps the largest of) Kindred 
  faiths, spanning clans, age categories, and political groups. It is a wealthy institution and a 
  powerful one, and some groups attach themselves to it out of convenience, safety, an agreement 
  in doctrine, or a mix of the three. As a result, there are, of course, disagreements with the 
  mainstream stance. 
  
  The Order of Taweret are one such group. Founded by a Ba’ham who fled to the Church of Set 
  for protection, the Order are nominally followers of the Church’s doctrine — but they focus on 
  Lilith as Set’s progenitor, and not on Set himself. 
  In Egyptian mythology, Taweret is a goddess of childbirth (specifically of the struggle and pain 
  of childbirth) and funeral rites. She is a liminal goddess, and one who guides humans through the 
  two most potent transitions in their short lives. Taweret is also represented as a hippo-woman, 
  and the mother of various Egyptian gods, including, in some cases, Set. Her links to growth, the 
  Underworld, the river Nile, and children make her an obvious avatar of Lilith — at the very least 
  for the hybrid Bahari who revere her in this form. 
  The Order of Taweret is an odd construction. While they do keep the Oath of Lilith as described 
  in the Revelations of the Dark Mother, that is about the extent of their adherence to “typical” 
  Bahari doctrine (if anything can be described as typical when it comes to the followers of Lilith). 
  Order devotees keep urban gardens, usually on empty lots or in their apartments. They assist 
  their Church of Set fellows in judging the ethos of humanity — but through this harsh and 
  unforgiving judgment, they find those who have been chosen to walk the Path of Lilith. This is 
  their strongest divergence from Church orthodoxy, the idea that those who suffer in their own 
  imperfection can find a way out, instead of dying in it.  
  Order members are spiritual midwives, torturers, shepherds, and psychopomps. Pain and love are 
  both gifts to be given, and Order members only offer them to the genuinely willing and able. 
  They offer spiritual counseling to members of the Church of Set as well as unaffiliated vampires, 
  keep tabs on the Church’s targets to see if any of them are worth rebuilding, and tend gardens, 
  both physical and emotional. They also shepherd the Embrace, encouraging it, grooming kine for 
  rebirth into undeath, and making the entire process ritualistic. 
  It is extremely rare to find more than one member of the Order of Taweret in any given domain. 
  Sometimes they meet in person, but most often they leave markers on sites related to maternity, 
  such as hospitals and orphanages, to say whether they’re present in the city or when they 
  departed. As Lilith and Taweret walked their paths alone, with brief respites for company, so too 
  do Order members.  
  Concepts: Undead midwife, dictatorial project manager, urban gardener/farmer, fanatical Harpy, 
  ceremonial Elysium Keeper, graffiti artist, millennial burnout hungry for more 
  Recommended Backgrounds: Mawla, Influence (High Society), Influence (Politics), Influence 
  (Bureaucracy), Mask, Status, Haven 
  New Coterie Types 
  Over the last two decades, Kindred society has experienced unprecedented tectonic shifts. As 
  Anarchs are routed and as Camarilla cities fall, the Second Inquisition makes short work of 
  wayward Kindred who travel on their own. In response, Kindred have found strength in 
  numbers, forming coteries for the purposes of self-interest, shared beliefs, and mutual survival. 
  Within those Kindred communities of faith, cohorts and coteries have taken on additional 
  functions. Cerberi, Champion, Nomad, and Watchmen coteries are common, as are the examples 
  below. 
  Envoys 
  
  “We may view the world differently, and we may worship different gods, but working together, 
  we have a chance at survival. I want to turn our differences into collective strengths.” 
  This group serves on diplomatic missions, functioning as negotiators and mediators between 
  disparate parties. Most often, envoy coteries form in the wake of conflicts between warring 
  factions. When two or more cults come to a compromise, they sometimes task their younger 
  members with forming such a coterie so shared service and common causes can transcend old 
  grievances. 
  • 
  Domain: Chasse (•), Lien (•••) 
  • 
  Contacts: (•••) (mortals from diverse backgrounds and professions) 
  • 
  Resources: (••) (pooled cash and assets) 
  • 
  Status Flaw: (•) Suspect 
  Possible extras: Mask (cover identities for different domains), No Haven (always on the move) 
  Think Tank 
  “Okay, but I’m gonna have to see the books.” 
  Consisting of old and more established Kindred, think tank coteries are advisors, strategists, and 
  researchers for a given cult. Preferably, they are a small group of individuals who are part of the 
  membership, but leaders sometimes hire think tanks when they are trying to take their faith to the 
  next level. 
  A think tank can take a small cult and grow it into a powerful entity through their expertise. They 
  tend to research the best ways to recruit in a particular city, how to disseminate information, and 
  how to use the local laws to the cult’s advantage. They have almost unlimited access to the 
  logistical aspects of the church so they can create new procedures or policies for the benefit of 
  the leadership. 
  Most think tanks are long-standing allies who have spent years working together, but some come 
  together for a specific task and dissolve once they complete their goal. Members of think tanks 
  are often procedural specialists, efficiency experts, former bureaucrats, marketing geniuses, or 
  experts in a subject critical to a cult’s interests. 
  • 
  Domain: Chasse (•) and Lien (•••) 
  • 
  Allies: (•••) (analysts, bureaucrats, soldiers, etc.) 
  • 
  Haven: (•) (small office as base of operations) 
  Possible extras: Resources (profits made from selling their services), Retainers (librarians, 
  scholars) 
  [LAYOUT: THE FOLLOWING IS A LETTER FROM PERSON A] 
  An Accord Between Faiths 
  Khal, 
  I admit, it took me three fucking readings of your letter to read it without getting pissed. Being 
  told I don’t know what I’m doing is a good way of getting to me — but I think you knew that 
  
  when you wrote that letter. I would expect nothing less from a Priest of Set, especially one who 
  knows I prefer to learn through, shall we say, visceral methods. 
  I agree with you that a religion which is all witches is more of a philosophy. Some people who 
  read Dolium’s Revelations of the Dark Mother mistake the Bahari for an organized religion with 
  pointlessly sadistic methods. Those people are fools. Each Ba’ham is a witch and a religion in 
  her own right, her own temple and pope and sacred scripture. To destroy that is to destroy a 
  precious resource. A cult of Bahari is like several different sects trying to work together on a 
  long-term interfaith project. It can work, of course, but eventually we will leave to seek friends 
  elsewhere. There is only so much one person can teach us — luckily I have a lot more to learn 
  from you! 
  There is gnosis to be had here, and to be had elsewhere as well. A human can never fully know 
  themself and their own depths — but as vampires, we have infinite time. I mean to learn and 
  learn and learn until my very body is torn away and all that remains is the glory of the garden of 
  knowledge that I will become. I understand that priests cannot have this experience, and for that I 
  pity them.  
  A priest must be solid and stable. I cannot follow that route. I have never been able to follow that 
  route, and I do not look nor hope to at any point. If I am to take on an apprentice or an acolyte, I 
  might do that, but then they will change in their own way, and their faith will not be the same as 
  mine. To see you with your childer is to watch you shaping clay, and while that is beautiful, I 
  would much rather be planting and growing a tree. I want to see that life that they take on 
  without me, without my name attached. 
  As always, thank you so much for allowing me a position within the Church of Set to continue 
  practicing and discussing my faith in safety. It means so much more to me than you know.  
  I look forward to seeing you again next Elysium. 
  Yours sincerely, 
  Laylah Froud 
  [/LETTER ENDS] 
  
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 5 (V5).pdf