Setting:Setite

This article was written with an in-character perspective

Playable, Restricted 3’’

Clan	Followers of Set
Nickname	Setites, Serpents
Sect	Independent
Disciplines	Obfuscate, Presence, Serpentis
Canon Flaw	Double damage from sunlight, discomfort under bright lights
Dark Prospects Flaw	Light averse - Exposure damage from sun sets in after 10 seconds.

Who are the Followers of Set?

We are the Followers of Set, or Setites, an independant clan of vampires hailing from Egypt and claiming to descend from Set, the god of storms, violence, disorder, etc. Admittedly we don’t have much to do with what survives and is understood of the myths of Egypt these days, but what do they know? It is shocking how flawed and incomplete mortal - and immortal - understanding is, especially where we are concerned.

Of course, many of these misunderstandings are our own doing. Better to be spoken of in hushed, feared whispers. People find all of that so terribly alluring.

Organization

Our home is Egypt and it always will be. Unfortunately, it cannot be denied that others have been encroaching on our lands in recent times. We still rule, but suffer their presence. It’s not so easy to banish them all as we did the Lupines, especially since the disappearance of the Dark God so many years ago.

These days we are actually very spread out. With the Camarilla clans and the Sabbat claiming whole regions and countries, localizing their power, we have found it more useful to spread out. With small pockets of influence spread out all over the world we have our hands in literally everything. We do tend to prefer Camarilla and unclaimed territories of Sabbat area. I’ll explain that later.

Fuck it. I’ll explain it right now.

The Antitribu

Did you know that we were invited to join the Camarilla? Oh yes, I hear it was a subject of much debate but eventually the vampires of the Camarilla invited us to join their club. For the most part we ignored their invitation. It just didn’t interest us.

Some of us did respond to the call though. Even now some of our people continue to pledge themselves to serve this coterie of Kindred - to preserve their precious masquerade and uphold their Traditions. We are united in our feelings to those Followers who break rank and join the Camarilla. We don’t care.

Honestly, we really don’t. The Camarilla Settites still serve the Dark God and it’s not as though we are completely unappreciative of the work the Cainites do to protect all of us. No organization has been so successful at keeping us out of site from the frightened mortal masses as they have been. We have our own goals, but the goals of the Camarilla don’t conflict with ours, so if you want to join them go ahead. We won’t stop you. Be sure you know what you’re getting yourself involved in though. Theirs is an organization setup to keep those with power in power for all eternity and none among their rank will ever trust you. If you’re clever though you could use that to your advantage.

Now...what about that other group?

The sabbat. They’re...not any good. They believe fully that they are descended from Caine and that one day he will return and they will fight in his army against the antediluvians. Unfortunately they see Set as another Antediluvian and are just as fanatical about destroying him as they are the others. Consider any Sabbat Settite you meet a filthy traitor of our people.

(Note that the Serpents of the Light, the typical Sabbat Settite group, does not canonically exist at this time. There is a group of Haitian Settites at this point but it isn’t until the 1960s that they make contact with the Sabbat and join their ranks.)

Daitya

These odd ones came about in India as some Settites moved into the subcontinent. Over time they lost their way and now they worship Shiva for some reason. Now they demand independances as their own clan.

Tlacique

We found them in Latin America, proudly ruling openly over the native peoples. Now they are all but extinct. Some of us deny any relation to them and honestly who knows? They have presence and obfuscate, but instead of Serpentis they manifest Protean, usually taking the form of a jaguar rather than a wolf. Or at least they did when they were still around.

Ghouls and Servants

As you spend time with other clans take note of how they treat their servants. It’s unfortunate, isn’t it? So many of them look upon their ghouls and others as tools and blood bottles, but they are so much more than that. They are the people who care for us in the day, guard our temples and our homes, choosing to serve Set of their own accord. Some other vampires may force people to serve them using their blood to turn them to slaves. We can do that too, of course, but the first thing any respectable sorcerer priest learns is to create Typhon’s Brew, a magical beer brewed with our own blood that sustains our ghouls without blond-bonding them. Slaves are nice and all, but it’s better to be served by those who actually want to be there.

Now, that is not to say that we [i]never[/i] use our blood to enslave or punish others. We just tend to reserve that for those who earn our wrath. Just ask me sometime about Kemintiri or the Babusti.

History

There are different stories about our origin. All accounts are true as far as we’re concerned, even as they conflict and seemingly contradict each other.

In the beginning all of creation was one beautiful thing. The living and the dead commingled easily and people were free to do whatever they desired. It was the world as it was created and meant to be.

Unfortunately this sweet, perfect world was not enough for some. Set’s father Ra plotted to claim the afterlife for himself. With the help of Set’s brother Osiris, Ra tricked the people of the world into accepting the Deceit of Civilization (the lies of culture and law). Set was banished to die in the desert, but he lived...in a way. As he lay dying in the sand he drank of the dark river. He died, but only his spiritual essence (ahk) traveled to the afterlife (the du’at). His life essence (ka) and personality (ba) remained behind in this world in his body. And now you have our vocabulary!

It’s important to know that we are not vampires. We share some similarities with them, but that’s to be expected with their own close connection to death. We were chosen by Set to share his blood and bring the world back into the state it is meant to be. Vampires are just a sad product of a broken world.

In the beginning god created life and stuff. Then some other things happened. Eventually Caine killed his brother and vampires were a thing. Set was born in ancient Egypt but banished by his brother Osiris. Shortly thereafter he was sired by, becoming one of the first vampires with twelve siblings in the 3rd generation. They lived together for a time in Enoch and then the second city, until eventually Set was banished from there as well and returned to Egypt to get revenge on his brother Osiris and Osiris’ son Horus. Osiris is destroyed and Horus is killed but returns as a mummy to continue being a thorn in our side.

Two stories of literally dozens or more. In some we’re vampires, in others Set is a literal god. I encourage you to seek out the various histories and learn them all.

In more recent history, we all agree on the event of Set’s departure. Around 33 AD Set vanished from his resting place and his followers at the time were inundated the Prophecies of Set for seven nights. No two accounts are identical and much of it has been lost over time. Some scholars dedicate their unlives to collecting as much of this knowledge as they can, seeking to use it to resurrect Set so that he may show us the path to restore the world to its proper form and bring about Eternal Night, a time when the dark river separating the worlds of the living and the dead would run dry and the two worlds would be as one.

Following the disappearance of Set our great city of Tanis fell to ruin at the hands of our enemies, first the romans and later the Lupines. For this insult we sowed the seeds of destruction in Rome, gently guiding them down the path of ruin. To the lupines we unleashed a terrible curse that would haunt them and their descendants for all time.

Paths of Enlightenment

We have several options available to us for pursuing the divine. Honestly though, you’re new at this. Stick with humanity, at least for a few more decades and especially if you plan to be around people much. It requires a bit more patience and dedication to follow anything else and you’re still learning the ways. When you’re ready, you can choose from the following:

Path of Typhon: Dedicate yourself to the pursuit of arcane knowledge, the worship of Set, and corrupting others to bring them into our fold.

Path of Sutekh: Very similar to the Path of Typhon. In fact many outsiders can’t tell the difference. Essentially this one focuses more on breaking down moral taboos and freeing oneself of the influence of the material world than it does on bringing others to our cause.

Path of Ecstasy: Focus on your own personal corruption, rather than corrupting others. Wallow in decadence and indulgence.

Path of the Warrior: Not as common, but still a path you can take. It strays from the Typhonic teachings and returns to the Dark God’s origins. As Set was a great warrior and hunter, so too shall you be. Develop your powers, push yourself to the very limits of your ability, ready yourself for the final battle and Set’s resurrection.

Opinions of Others

Camarilla: Be grateful they exist. They actually do much to calm the conflicts between all vampires and protect all of us from being discovered by our enemies. Don’t concern yourself with learning the ins and outs of this society, you won’t need it. Introduce yourself to the prince and always be polite. Do learn the specifics of your local Camarilla government. Learn the rules they will expect you to follow and what desires hide in their hearts. For the most part you can usually content yourself with sitting back and watching their absurd drama play out before you. Together over time they will reveal everything with much need for prodding.

Toreador: The Toreador do an excellent job of seducing and corrupting themselves, so our role with them is redundant. You will find no one easier to corrupt than a Toreador. A competent one would actually rival our own skills at manipulating Cainite and kine and could wield social power as a greater weapon than any discipline. A shame then that so many are chosen for their looks or for some pretty painting they created.

Ventrue: Despicable creatures. Their pride is the key to their seduction, destruction, and perhaps liberation. Discover their desires and help them indulge and they will be yours. Take care not to allow them to bend you to their own will as you do, however.

Tremere: They took power for themselves and wield it better than any true childe of Caine. We once hoped to ally ourselves with them but that ultimately did not work out. Still, we do see a slow trickle of them into our ranks, lured in by the ancient knowledge we can offer, and they do maintain a deal of independence and secrecy from the rest of the Camarilla. Perhaps not all hope is lost on them.

Brujah: More aggressive than the Assamites with even less cause. They think themselves philosophers and you will find Brujah minds laughably easy to lure. The Brujah we see these days are actually from a bloodline spawned by one of the original antediluvian’s childer, having stolen even the clan name in time. Others not descended from this childe hide and call themselves “True Brujah.” They are very few in number but several claim allegiance to us now.

Malkavians: They are mad and perhaps the most difficult of the clans to share our wisdom with. Not a very reliable sort.

Nosferatu: The are strong. They are cunning. They are ruthless. Do not jest about the Nosferatu. Work with them if you can, and never against them if it can be helped. Cultivate them as informants, if not disciples.

Gangrel: These beasts tend to avoid the urban areas favored by so many other vampires. Don’t let their wild ways deceive you though, they are not fools.

Sabbat: Their lack of structure makes them harder to subvert and corrupt as a whole, but we work with them on occasion just as we do the Camarilla. Be wary of any fellow Setites who have joined their ranks, however. They have a tendency to turn their backs on the Dark God and some even call for his destruction.

Lasombra: The are ambitious and laughably easy to exploit. Let them believe they are exploiting you and when the time is right you may break them and mold them into something more useful to serve the Dark God’s purposes

Tzimisce: The Tzimisce are simply wonderful. They dedicate themselves to pursuing the divine as we do, though they seek godhood in this world rather than looking beyond it.

Independents: They’re independent, obviously. We count ourselves among the independent clans and there is no real inherent bond or trust between any of us. Treat them all appropriately for their given clan.

Giovanni: Once the Cappadocians, now the Giovanni. We enjoyed closer relations with the original clan, but these days we can still lure the younger Giovanni into our ranks if we know how to manipulate their avarice and ambition.

Ravnos: The power of illusion hints at the truth of things. A shame such power is wasted on a people who seem devoted to living their lives as tricksters and thieves, never aspiring to be more. They can be useful partners but rarely can anyone actually break them and bring them into our own.

Assamite: Loyalty is their defining trait. That and their inescapable bloodlust. The tremere long ago cursed them so that the blood of vampires would be poison in their mouths. I hope that curse never ends. Stay away from the Assamites.

Other clans and bloodlines:

Daughters of Cacophony: Who?

Baali: Demon worshipers. I don’t really know anything about them but everyone seems to hate and fear them.

Samedi: Descendants of the Cappadocians and distant relatives of the Giovanni. They thrive in the Caribbean. Another clan with powers over death.

Gargoyles: If they are real then I don’t know anything about them.

Salubri: Some still live, but most were killed and devoured by the Tremere. They are healers and demon hunters. The clan has not done well at all since the loss of their founder. They have three eyes. Something about enlightenment and the east. I don’t know, they were always very weird even before their fall.

Caitiff: Sometimes an embrace doesn’t go as expected and you get one of these. It can happen to any vampire and has happened throughout our history. It seems to be happening more often these days and with greater frequency among those of higher generation. It is a shame when it happens to us but even a Caitiff can serve Set as well as any other vampire. Some even manifest Serpentis.

Other supernatural:

Shifters: Lupines are our natural enemies. We don’t know why they hate us as much as they do, but over the years much blood has been spilled between our kinds. Do not show them any mercy and do not expect them to show you any kindness. Some may try to corrupt them but those who do are the greatest fools.

Mages: Don’t know much about them. Mortals with special powers, perhaps they can be lured in with promises of hidden knowledge. The tremere supposedly came from a clan of these.

Wraiths: Poor, unfortunate souls who for too long have suffered under Ra and his minions. They live in a society more structured and oppressive than any of the living world.

Gaian Spirits: No idea.

Changelings: Not sure these exist, but if they do I’m pretty sure they have nothing to do with us.

Faith Mages: With time and care, the faithful can be some of the easiest and most satisfying targets. Once corrupted they will serve the Dark God with as much faith and fervor as our oldest priests.

Hedge Mages: Not sure about these ones. They do love their toys.

Psychics: Someone with such natural power could be useful servants.

Mortals: Poor saps, living in a world of crushing rules and regulations. Show them the truth and bring them into the darkness.

Converts: Anyone can become a Follower of Set. We welcome in other vampires and supernaturals who no longer are able to be turned by our blood and we celebrate their joining. We show them our paths of enlightenment, teach them Serpentis, and teach them our sorcery. Should you meet any, treat them as you would any other Setite for they too are our brothers and sisters. They have undergone the same trials as any other and spent much time earning their place among our ranks.

Written by Pohizzzle