Giovanni: The Last Supper

 Deceitful, seductive and corrupting - The Followers of Set have always been regarded by other vampires as serpents through and through.

They writhe together in the darkness of their underground temples, scheming against the other clans and reveling in anything that is indulgent and debased. Even their very spirituality seems evil to most - the idolatrous worship of the Cult of Typhon-Set, a known fratricide and traitor of ancient mythos.

Set was one of the chief Gods of the Egyptian pantheon. The God of the desert and storms, he was a harsh lord for a harsh land. Then the Ptolemies came, and the Romans after, and they twisted the myths to suit their own purpose. Ptolemaic influence turned Set into a God of violence and chaos whose worship was gradually forgotten in favour of the gods of the Abrahamic faiths.

And so the rest of the world remembers Set as an evil God best abandoned. The Followers of Set remember the truth. Set, not Caine, was the progenitor of all vampires. The myth of Caine is lies and propaganda, designed to Christianize vampires. Even the timing of the so-called Antediluvians and First City makes no sense historically. Though Set disappeared from the world, it remains the duty of his faithful to spread his word.

Followers of Set actively seek to undermine Christian and Islamic rule in Europe. They do this not out of a love of chaos, which is anathema to Set. Instead, they seek not only the restoration of worship of their god, but to spread it across the known world. More than anyone, the Followers of Set know that religions are living things — they are born, flourish, and die. By working to eliminate the invasive influence of Christianity.

As for the Followers of Set themselves, they embrace the epithet of serpent for its associations with wisdom and secret knowledge as well as its allusions to their unique gift of their blood: The Discipline of Serpentis. If one is sure enough in their own strength of will to overcome their fear of corruption, any Setite would be willing to explain why the hatred towards their brood reveals more about the other clans than it does about their own. Rather than the arch deceiver of rumour, the Setites regard themselves as the only clan who know the truth of what it is to be a vampire and most are only too happy to share this revelation.

These vampires value individual autonomy and rebel against dictatorship/totalitarianism of any kind.

Unlike Clan Brujah however, the ranks of this clan have a very different agenda to their activism. Most of the eerie Followers recognise Set as their God and progenitor and believe that by pushing individuals to embrace the darkest desires of their soul, all weaknesses can eventually be overcome and an individual can ascend closer to Godhood. Therefore, most Followers of Set are strongly against organised religion outside of their own Cult of Set. They actively facilitate the debasement and debauchery of others, sometimes slyly, sometimes brazenly, because they believe in salvation through freedom - which can only be achieved by breaking free from the shackles of restrictive, false religions that do not serve their goal of apotheosis. The only God worth following is a God who can make you a God. All else in time is ash and bone.

Followers of Set have historically been very insular, concentrating on maintaining control in Egypt and eventually North Africa. The Christian Crusades brought the power of Europe to their attention and even the Elders of the clan had to admit that it was worth keeping an eye on the European vampires as they don’t want to be caught unaware by their schemes. The Children of Haqim are the only clan that the Followers of Set have had constant interaction with. The morals, principles and approach to controlling the Beast  are diametrically opposed between the two clans and they have been in and out of open war for millennia.

Clan Beliefs and Enemies

Aeons and Maat

• Setites believe in ‘Aeons’ who are Gods who serve Ra. They represent a sort of dictator-like control of vampires and men through control and order that Setites see as slavery. This has its origins in the order and control exerted through the priests of ancient Egypt, the Aeons being the Egyptian Gods.

• The control that the priests exerted was called Maat which is like a web - The Order of Things. Setites believe that Maat makes beings live in placid obedience without any independence. They believe that more chaotic emotions like rage, lust, craving and ambition are Set’s gifts to be used to overthrow Maat and challenge the Aeons. Some Followers of Set just see this as a metaphor for fighting again institutional control, and hence are called Children of Rebellion.

the Renaissance

“The merchant cities of Venice, Genoa and Pisa beckon to us from across the Mediterranean, promising opportunities to extend our influence into the heart of Europe and beyond. Nobles hungry for the exotic goods of the East welcome our ships, and in Genoa, several merchants have followed their own greed into Set's presence and provided us with a foothold in the Levantine trade.”

In the Renaissance, the Setites are becoming more powerful through trade routes to Egypt and North Africa for rare spices, silks and riches. They also have strong interests in clandestine trades such as sex trafficking and opium smuggling; The Inquisition have cracked down on the use of opium but it has always thrived in parts of Africa and the Middle East. The Followers of Set are fascinated by treasures and artefacts as they have so often been at risk of losing all of their own due to the constant conquering of Egypt - this alongside the potential to destabilise Christianity and spread word of the Cult of Set has drawn them to the bustling cities of Renaissance Europe.

As a result, the Followers of Set are beginning to Embrace more European mortals as they learn to connect with the continent. Some Elders have disagreed with this practice but word soon spread that they received dreams and portents from Set warning them not to interfere; these Embraces must occur. The vampires of this clan have less discord between their Elders and Neonates than many others, but even they, if push came to shove, would throw their neonates under the proverbial cart if it meant hurting their old enemies: The Children of Haqim. 

Any advantage the Followers of Set could take in the shadow war against this clan, they would, given how high resentments are between them. The Children of Haqim declaim the tyranny of Elder vampires subjugating the young; the Followers of Set don’t usually care to do anything of the sort, but they just might, if it would ire the proud Banu Haqim. The Followers of Set would support even the Elders of another clan in a conflict to disadvantage their eastern rivals. 

Cults of Set in the Renaissance age prepare the world for a time when Europa and even the world can be remade in Set's image. Mortals the clan  exploits have lost all semblance of restraint, as they are often secretly addicted to the substances, services and degenerate activities Set's childer provide. Set cults guard temples hidden in darkness where the old names may be spoken and the true ways preserved. As the nests of these snakes spawn, they strive to recover holy antiquities that have been stolen, to undermine the religious that defy their God, to replace Italy’s neoclassical resurgence and to reclaim the world for Set's glory.

“The market fairs of Champagne, Rouen and Paris are the far limits of our influence in Europe at present, where nobles from across France gather to partake of our wonders and carry them home to their kin. Fine silks and spices arouse the avarice of lord and lady alike, while knights riding the tourney circuit come seeking potions from the East that promise to increase their strength and vitality. Unlike our homeland, here the seductions are more patient and deliberate, making acquaintances and learning their desires, then returning in a year's time with wondrous gifts that set the recipient on the path to truth.” 

“Currently, though, our strange features and customs mark us clearly for the local lords, and our comings and goings are treated with intense suspicion and hostility. In some places the Cainites treat us no better than their herds do the Jews, seeking to blame us for their every misfortune. But Europe is the heart of Cainite power, as I am sure you will agree, locked tightly in the tyrannical grip of the Church and noble fealty. France, Germany and England cry out for the wisdom of the gods, and it is here that our youngest childer are sent to push the darkness outward, one step at a time.”

Clan Opinions on...

The Embrace

There is no worse offence against the god than to share his essence with one who is unworthy. A Follower of Set cannot be chosen; the recipient must be seeking the dark God already. It is a gift that must be asked for, never offered.

Followers of Set tend to recruit from within the ranks of the secret Set cults that they establish. Through these cults, they identify mortals with the cunning and charisma needed to survive and spread the worship of their God. Potential recruits often serve as ghoul retainers to their vampiric masters. Those with real promise are selected for the Embrace, while the weak remain as servants to their betters. The Embrace itself is a secret ritual that serves as the new childe’s initiation as a priest of Set in their own right.

Despite that many of their adherents are European, most new childer are of Egyptian, Nubian, or Arabian descent, as many elders of the clan look down on the colonial aggressors who destroyed their way of life. As the Followers of Set expand further into Europe, however, they invite more Europeans into their ranks particularly Gauls and Franks, as they are more likely to have red hair - associated with Set by the Setites.

The Auction

The only bad thing about a house stuffed full of mystical, shining, untapped human innocents - all powered, apparently, by a solar enigma - is for the Setites the sheer range of choice they suddenly have. Setites have an intense interest in astrology and ‘fated’ individuals. More still they are drawn to mortals who have the potential for charisma, persuasion, seduction and manipulation. But raw power never hurts. They are highly political in this era and would love to observe what the other clans value.

Overall, the Setites have remained quite contained within Egypt and North Africa until recently but they are beginning to venture out towards Europe and this auction is an opportunity to sow some seeds of corruption, learn about the goals of other clans and maybe win a juicy childe or two.

There are even some very Christian-esque Setites, warped in their faith, who often lead Christians astray, off the beaten track and on toward Set - but these Setites genuinely still follow Gnostic traditions. These worshippers are rumoured to believe in a line of mortals descended from Christ (or Jesus-Seth) and they whisper of the Black Sun. They tell of a descendent of Christ who lives among us now, born to the fold of the Children of the Sun.

Constantinople

Problematic. Setites saw the rule of the Triumvirate as another awful flex of Maat wherein Michael, Antonius and The Dracon were Aeons. Setites contributed to Michael’s madness in a big way, encouraging his delusions and helping bring an end to The Dream. The Children of Judas was a faction of Setites in Constantinople who were behind a lot of this.

Islam and Holy Wars

The Crusades convinced the Setites to play closer attention to events outside of Egypt. It was Arabic rule in Egypt from 624CE, and some Setites used this new religion to overthrow Coptic Christians but they ended up hating this new religion just as much. Eventually this project bit them in the arse with the Purge of Baybars in the late 13th CE.

Gnosticism and Cults

Useful! Setites used Gnosticism and Gnostic Cults as a method to spread the Cult of Set through Christianity. The Ophites were early Setite Gnostics that deliberately identified themselves as the enemies of the Old Testament God and they glorified the Serpent of Eden as a great en-lightener. Meanwhile the Sethians proposed that Jesus was a reincarnation of Seth, the third son of Adam and Eve. All these Cults were suppressed with the formation of the Roman Catholic Church. Canon divergence: The Church of the Black Magdalene is still active - they believe in the bloodline of Christ - because the Inquisition has not yet hit the vampiric species and so this particular cult hasn't yet been wiped out. (Interesting concept perhaps for those who want to view the auctioned humans in a religious Gnostic light.)

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