Followers of Set

Followers of Set

Followers of Set
Pseudonyms	Serpents; Setites; Snakes; Typhonians
Sect	Independents Laibon
Disciplines	Obfuscate Presence Serpentis
Bloodlines	Daitya Damballahns Glyconites Gorgons Vipers
Rarity	Uncommon

The Followers of Set (also referred to as "Setites") are a shadowy and mysterious clan, and none of the other Kindred clans are too fond of them. Dedicated to the ancient Egyptian god Set, a lord of storms, chaos, and implacable violence, the Setites are steadfast believers in the ancient Egyptian religion; they believe that Set is dead but only in an impermanent sort of sleeping death, and that when the world is appropriately ripe he will be awoken to reign again. To that end, they intentionally spread chaos, corruption, and hedonism among everyone they meet; they can think of no more perfect world for Set's return than one already in the chaotic turmoil that is his calling card, and no better victims to present than those who are being fully, unrepetantly themselves, no matter how horrific that might be.

Not every Setite is Egyptian - in fact, most younger Setites are not, with only the elders retaining concrete ties to their homelands. No new Setites are indoctrinated without being fully initiated into the religion, however, and while a few of the younger ones see it more as an excuse to do whatever they want rather than taking their ritual duties seriously, most are dedicated at least to the ideals of the clan's goals, if not the actual beliefs behind them.

It is notable that many Setites reject the rest of vampire society due to believing that they aren't part of it; they argue that they are descended from Set, not Caine, and thus unrelated to the other clans and bloodlines. In the modern day, most younger Setites simply assume that this is religious fervor cloaking a description of Set as the Antediluvian grandson of Caine, recognizing their similarities to other vampiers, but the most ancient of die-hards will admit to nothing less than being the descendants of a true god.

History

The Setites were originally based in Egypt, where they occupied an enviable place as go-betweens between the fractious European vampire clans and the ancient African powers of the Laibon, neither of whom took their claim to descend from the god himself very seriously but both of whom respected their versatility and dedication. Strong adherents to their religion no matter how unpopular their patron god became, they believed that Set had finally killed his rival Osiris only to be abandoned and betrayed by the unfaithful who had wanted to side with the other god. Various Setites claim that Set was evil (and should have succeeded), that he was actually protecting the kingdom from Osiris' machinations, that some other power killed Osiris and he heroically took the blame, or even that Osiris is still alive and still waging a smear campaign against their Antediluvian. All these stories are considered at least somewhat true; the Setites as a whole believe that multiple points of view can be simultaneously true, and that only a hidebound mind pretends that there is a single "truth" in any given situation.

In the year 33 CE, however, Set vanished, much to the consternation of his followers, who had been secure in the knowledge that their ancient founder would take matters into his own hands if they were threatened or their rivals gained too much power. The clan's ancient Egyptian tombs, many of which housed elders in torpor rather than mere human pharaohs, were damaged in the intervening centuries by earthquakes, storms, and looters, and by the Middle Ages there were few of them left to be found, lost perhaps forever beneath the sands.

Amusingly (to some, anyway), Set's disappearance coincided with the rise of serpent imagery used to describe him, something that only began to appear with Greek influence in the early centuries CE; prior to that, snakes had always been considered enemies defeated by Set, not minions working beneath him. Some older Setites are themselves confused about this, but most embrace the useful symbol where they can for branding reasons, if nothing else.

The Middle Ages

The Middle Ages saw a severe split in the clan, as vampires who held the traditional view that sowing chaos was in service of preparing the world for Set's return clashed with new upstarts who embraced a philosophy of chaos and nihilism for their own sake. While the clan's elders were able to keep the original philosophy's tenets alive and healthy in Egypt, the exiled childer who were determined to become devotees of chaos spread out into Europe, in many cases becoming the only scions of the clan any European vampire was likely to meet during their lifetime.

During this time, the Setites also began to suffer from increasing skirmishes with the Assamites, who considered their religion blasphemous and were no longer content to share their territories with sowers of discord. Several treaties were reached and discarded, while many of the Egyptian bloodlines refused to take sides, leaving the Setites far less defended than they had first expected. Many disappeared into Egypt's tombs, the better to protect them against modern interlopers, during this time, and those that remained in Egypt's major cities became elusive ghosts.

Advantages and Weaknesses

Advantages

Setites are the only clan other than the Tremere that can learn the secret powers of Thaumaturgy, by virtue of their connection to the ancient magical rites of Egypt. Only a few Setites are ever given this honor, and their magics, although they often boil down to the same types of abilities as those of the Tremere, are flavored with the secret rituals of the ancient Egyptian priests that have passed them down. Setites are not guaranteed to learn these powers, but if they can prove their worthiness to their elders, it is possible.

Disadvantages

Setites are creatures of darkness and are exceptionally sensitive to light. They have a hard time functioning anywhere that is bright or well-lit and often have to take precautions to shield their eyes, and they suffer even more painful damage if exposed to sunlight than do other types of Kindred. Even in normally-lit places, few Setites can see pain-free without wraparound sunglasses and dim areas protecting their sensitive eyes.

Setites also have extreme difficulty denying themselves pleasure or indulgence, especially if it is something shocking or generally considered inappropriate; they know that they are charged by their divine progenitor to create a world of corruption and chaos, and toeing the line or behaving themselves runs counter to that. Like Brujah who cannot control their tempers, many Setites cannot control their appetites and throw themselves into temptations even when they know that they will come out worse for the wear.

The Followers of Set in DC

The Setites maintain a large temple in the sewers beneath DC, out of sight and knowledge of the city's Camarilla, who would assuredly wish to root it out if they were aware of it. The Nosferatu are aware of the temple's location, but tolerate it in favor of the extra information they can sometimes glean from the Setites (although they are likely to break this uneasy truce if they start to feel that the Setites encroach too much on their territory). Although they stay out of the public eye as much as possible, the Setites control much of the underground drug trade in DC, and more than a few street-savvy Camarilla Kindred have wondered why it's so difficult to get a foothold in the underbelly here.

Setite Player Characters

Arianna	Cadrian Ikth	Eve	James Bedlam	Jimmy

Julian St. Cloud	Justine Barrett	Lilly Rosengeld	Nakhti	Santiago	Sobek

See Also

Children of Damballah
Daitya
Glyconites
Gorgons
Vipers

Template:African Clans