[WIR] Beckett's Jyhad Diary - The Big book of Metaplot

[CTPhipps]

It was long a sore spot with me that the Salubri Antitribu never had any discernible impact on metaplot. In hindsight, maybe futility was the point, that history had left them behind and they were too stubborn to acknowledge it.

The Salubri Antitribu were an idea that I think looked decent on paper but just didn't fit for anything we knew about the Salubri.

Salubri as part of the Ashirra or Anarchs would have worked much better.

[Grumpy RPG Reviews]

The Salubri Antitribue didn't really have time to develop in the old game. They were introduced in a Sabbat book, and then a couple of years later the setting world ended. Further, the density of the existing meta-plot by that point made it difficult to do anything with them in a short amount of time. But they still exist in BJD - some of them are backing one of the candidates for Sabbat regent.

[CTPhipps]

The Salubri Antitribue didn't really have time to develop in the old game. They were introduced in a Sabbat book, and then a couple of years later the setting world ended. Further, the density of the existing meta-plot by that point made it difficult to do anything with them in a short amount of time. But they still exist in BJD - some of them are backing one of the candidates for Sabbat regent.

I admit I missed that part.

[Grumpy RPG Reviews]

Radu Bistri, Cardinal of the Midwestern United States, is the only other Fiend actively pursuing the position,though he does have the fanatical support of the Salubri antitribu.

So, the Salubri antitribu at least exist by this point in the BJD timeline. However, I worry that this kind of dispute will lead to the traditional Sabbat dance off.

Edit: Another reason to support Lucita as regent - I bet she would be down with dance competitions as a form of monomancy.

[CTPhipps]

Some notes of canon for my games (if anyone cares)

CT Phipps Answers to the World of Darkness

The Children and the Earthbound

Are one in the same. Yes, it moves them to a somewhat monotheistic view but I immediately swirl on that myself.

The God who cursed Caine and other cosmologies

Is identified with the Sun (Helios) and may just be one of the Celestines ("just" being a pretty big understatement here). This is a very Laibon view of the matter, though. Honestly, Garou and The Fallen flat out just do not understand each other and even mages are just straight up confused. Some mages speculate that The Fallen are just products of the Spirit World like Changelings who BELIEVE they're angels but are no different than the sidhe fundamentally (stealing bodies the same way) but have taken on the beliefs of Judeo-Christianity. The Fallen may actually also be spirits who are mostly framing their cosmic incomprehensibility through what their mostly-Western brains understand it as.

At some point, the cosmology becomes beyond human comprehension and is only of interest to philosophers, Dreamspeakers, and the Order of Hermes.

Lilith

Was either the first woman or a Defiler-Demon who inhabited a human vessel that was later Embraced by Caine as the Crone. Learned true magic from Lucifer or had her own and taught it to Caine. She is 2nd Generation and still around. Possibly mother to the Lupines if you don't buy the idea they were created directly by the gods but might have started as magic users worshiping them. Mortal ancestor to Toreador, Gangrel, and Brujah. Utterly and completely irrelevant save as a religious figure to any sane Chronicle.

Who Sired the Baali?

In my games, Saulot was the one who sired the three Baali progenitors at Ashur. However, this wasn't part of some dastardly evil scheme by Saulot. In fact, it was him attempting to curse them for their evil deeds and fucking up royally Imhotep-in-the-Mummy style. Because giving a bunch of monstrous proto-Nephandi the powers of 4th generation vampires is an idea so stupid it could only have come from someone who thought themselves righteous. The Salubti Warriors and later the Tremere were both used by Saulot to battle against the Baali threat.

Ur-Shulgi and the Baali

Ur-Shulgi is actually the third Baali progenitor in my games but, again, this is not actually part of a stereotypical EVIL plan to mislead the Assamites. Ur-Shulgi is a Baali but he's utterly and completely devoted to Haqim as his savior. His hatred of religion and religious symbols is partially due to being Baali but he's also 100% on the idea that Haqim is the messiah of vampiredom. It's just he's an Old Testament (irony) Caananite who is overcompensating for the darkness he comes from.

Haqim would not be pleased but Ur-Shulgi is actually under threat more from Nergal and Moloch. In my game, he's buried by U.S. missile fire with the Web of Knives scattered after the destruction of Alamut.

What's up with The Worm under Vienna

Saulot compelled Tremere to diablerize him because he knew that he needed magical soldiers to fight against the threats in Transylvania and help stabilize vampire society. Tremere and Saulot merged their consciousnesses over the centuries but had to fight an attempt by Kupala to take over their body through their Tzimisce blood. Kupala eventually won, driving out Tremere-Lot and forcing him to take Goratrix's body.

Kupala the Antediluvian assumed the shape of a giant dragon-worm for the apocalypse but was buried by the Second inquisition and been forced back into slumber. Yes, it was Tremere-Lot who lowered the defenses.

Who is behind the S.I.?

Marcus Vitel is actually the guy who sparked it off as the 2000 year old Lasombra believed it was a better alternative to nuclear war and he could use his government contacts to manipulate it. He is actually right and pretty much the reason that the Masquerade is intact. The Technocracy was actually blindsided by this but has been outfitting them with Paradigm-edge tech (and some that violates it) to help the fight on the margins. So have the Celestial Choir, Order of Hermes, and Knights Templar by fighting on the front lines.

Marcus can't control the SI now but he can steer it well from Washington D.C. but it's own thing now used by a lot of people.

What is behind the Beckoning?

The Antediluvians.

What is Gehenna?

Every 1000 to 2000 years, the Antediluvians awake, drink a large number of Elders to recharge and then send out their childer to embrace a new batch of 4th, 5th, and 6th generation vampires to be there to eat next Gehenna. It's basically the Reaper cycle from Mass Effect.

The neonate vampires of today are the next crop of food that will be eaten in 3500 A.D.

What is Caine up to?

Driving a cab in an homage to Sandman. He has (successfully) figured out the key to life is to not give a shit.

Why did the Followers of Set rebrand?

The Eye of Hazimel chapter explains pretty well but heterodox Typhonism actually proves unpopular when they try and crack down on all dissent. Kemintiri and other Elders also spread doubt whether Set would give a shit about his worship anymore than Cthulhu.

What Averted the Apocalypse in 2004?

It wasn't. It's happening now. Still, the Imbued and renegade Fallen stopped the Demons from ending reality.

[Grumpy RPG Reviews]

What does Caine think of that fact Lilith has become an Uber driver and is cutting into his business?

[CTPhipps]

What does Caine think of that fact Lilith has become an Uber driver and is cutting into his business?

The Jyhad continues!

[CTPhipps]

Chapter Twelve: Planting the Eye

This is a chapter I'm going to kind of gloss over not because it's not good but not sure what to say.

Basically, Beckett needs Hesha's help and tracks him down to Detroit and Ann Arbor which are two cities I'm fond of for using in both my books as well as Roleplaying games. Beckett tries to use e-mail and it's humorous that he has a basic "old person competency" with it but nothing that can really keep pace.

Beckett turns to Lucita for a favor in order to find Hesha and turn her newly acquired Sabbat resources to his advantage. I think this scenario is before the Samedi chapter as Hesha and Beckett are clearly not friends yet dig up an archaeological site at the end of it. I think that makes much more sense after Hesha's "jailbreak." Beckett's commentary, in fact, implies this is after his Chicago and Dixie trip.

Beckett also says that Angelique is going to war with the Giovanni and has the aid of the Mia Watu and Followers of Set. Lucita calls Fatima and I suspect this may actually be why Beckett is going to Dixie and that just confuses the timeline more. We meet Justin Stone who is a self-proclaimed Archon who kills lots and lots of Sabbat, which is a pretty interesting concept. It's also far less ridiculous than "Self-Proclaimed Justicar" like the Gangrel in Washington D.C.

The "life boon" from the Camarilla to the Setites is brought up but Anatole puts that down and says that he was at the Convention of Thorns and no such deal took place. Whether it did or not, the Camarilla clearly didn't bother to honor said deal and that may be another reason the Followers of Set/Ministry decided to covertly support the Anarchs (more on that later).

Beckett finds Hesha's home under his false identity (I choose to believe Hesha abandoned his old identity due to Elizabeth Dimitrios burning it to the ground with her vampire hunter colleague). He's living in a dingy apartment and doing work on the Eye of Hazimel

We also see a Follower of Set Gladiator Ring that is a thing I remember from their original clan books. The Warrior Caste of the Setites are actually as fond of human sacrifice as other Setites but prefer to do it in battle--which is a nice nod to the fact the "real" Set is a warrior god and not a Satan substitute (The Followers of Set, as much as they can make sense, would be better called "The Followers of Apophis").

We get some of Hesha's notes and it's generally him reflecting on the fact the Followers of Set are not really what he signed up for anymore. He's offended by the Children of Damballah being tortured and exterminated by the Orthodox Typhonists. I find this a very interesting thing and will comment on it later. This is the Cohort of Wepwawet We also get some of Hesha's experiments with the Eye of Hazimel and his attempts to gain control of the fantastically powerful object that, nevertheless, turns you into nothing more than Hazimel's insane slave.

Beckett meets with a Kindred named Isra and interrogates Jibabe to find out that Hesha has been nabbed by the Fire Court (sort of the Setite Amis Noctis) in Egypt. Beckett proceeds to hire Fatima to rescue Hesha while he helps--in what is a pretty damn awesome "fuck you" to Setite invincibility.

Beckett intends to take the Eye of Hazimel as payment for rescuing him and information about the Camarilla-Setite negotiations (which we know how they turn out in V5).

Amazingly, the rescue works.

Adventure Hooks

Hesha plans to use the Eye of Hazimel, if he can, not as a personal enhancer but a method to find Set if he can adjust it from the Ravnos Methuselah to his own bloodline. Personally, I think that's already making a ridiculous number of assertions via sympathetic magic. He then plans to use it to find all the other Antediluvians to destroy them. Yeah, I'm going to say this plan is not only impossible to work but really misses the actual benefits of the Eye.

We also get into what I think is an overlooked element of the chapter and the idea that the Cohort of Wepwawet and Fire Court have decided to go on a killing spree of non-orthodox Setites. We know how this works out, like the Camarilla negotiations and it's interesting to draw the potential links.

Thoughts

A decent enough chapter but I think its real meat and potatoes, the Camarilla/Followers of Set and the internal conflicts of the Clan are a bit too far in the back. I think it's much more interesting than the bits in Detroit--however much I love the city. I also think, for a chapter named after the Eye of Hazimel, it's not actually got much space devoted to it.

On the other hand, Hesha and Beckett's peculiar friendship is almost worth the chapter's existence alone. It's sort of Indiana Jones and Belloq if the two were actually friends.

Which is the sort of thing that happens when you're both soulless monsters with the same interests.

[Grumpy RPG Reviews]

I'll write more on this tomorrow - it is getting late here and I have to work tomorrow - but I agree with CTPhipps for the most part. This is a weak, disjointed chapter. Also, there are two "Fitima/h" characters in BJD. One is Fatimah al-Lam, who appears in this chapter and is a Lasombra. The other is Fatima al-Faqadi, the Banu Haqim. Honestly I kept getting the two confused the first time I read this chapter.

[CTPhipps]

I'll write more on this tomorrow - it is getting late here and I have to work tomorrow - but I agree with CTPhipps for the most part. This is a weak, disjointed chapter. Also, there are two "Fitima/h" characters in BJD. One is Fatimah al-Lam, who appears in this chapter and is a Lasombra. The other is Fatima al-Faqadi, the Banu Haqim. Honestly I kept getting the two confused the first time I read this chapter.

Yeah, I was a bit late getting this one up. I was proofing Dark Ages: Malkavian as my first V:TM related job.

[CTPhipps]

Chapter Twelve: Planting the Eye

1. Detroit is the kind of city that straddles Chicago and Gary, Indiana for invoking both the American glory days as well as economic devastation while still being a place that you can run chronicles from. It's why Robocop was set there after all, even though part of that was just Frank Miller being Frank Miller. I recommend Only Lovers Left Alive for vampire stories set in Detroit.

2. Lucita's willingness to summon Fatima is interesting given the fact she's almost certainly one of the Clan Members working to bring her Schismatic faction brethren to the Camarilla. Mind you, I've said I think Lucita will be a terrible Sabbat ad nauseum but I also think this is a good sign that the 800+ Elders of the Dark Ages will always think of the Camarilla/Sabbat as really less important than personal relationships. But yes, not only does she find Hesha for her, she liberates him from the Fire Court.

If ever a vampiress has proved her bonafides, it's here--ironic given she's probably a Web of Knives member who defected if not the ONLY member.

3. Hesha's notes here are interesting because he's a Typhonist himself and almost purely evil as Kindred goes. It's a Path that is only mildly to the right of the Path of Evil Revelations after all. However, it's possible Hesha is more to the Road of the Devil than the Sabbat's interpretations of the old roads.

If we go with V5's view of the Ministry, it could well be that Hesha is the basis for their re-branding as he seems to have changed his views a great deal from Setite orthodoxy despite his path. Among other things, he seems to have accepted Caine is the first vampire and the Fire Court is lying about Setites being unrelated (a spurious claim to begin with). Hesha also seems far more comfortable with polytheism than his fellows.

While it's pure speculation, I think it's possible that his investigations have provided Hesha proof that Noddism is probably more inclined to be accurate to Kindred history than the Followers of Set's viewpoint. Basically, the Creationist who finds a bunch of dinosaur bones and is unwilling to accept they were planted there by God to test his faith.

4. Personal Anecdote: When Matthew Dawkins first did this book, he was kind enough to provide a lot of information about the process. One of the things he said was that he expanded the Followers of Set section because there was a lot of interest in the idea of them joining the Camarilla. I feel like that's a really good twist that the group that was untrustworthy in those negotiations was the Ivory Tower. I wonder if the Setites rebranding and joining the Anarchs instead was his idea.

Don't quote me on this because it was a year or two ago.

5. I like the idea of the Followers of Set, essentially, having a religious crisis that breaks them apart due to the desire for the traditionalists to reign in all the other groups. Damballah isn't evil (quite the opposite) so the idea that the Followers of Set would be repulsed by them is a pretty good twist. However, when you start going after one group for being un-Setty enough, you're likely to go after another.

One theory I have is the Ministry turned out to be what happens when one solidly powerful group (The Church of Set as their Loresheet calls them) turns out to be not nearly as powerful as they think and everyone else breaks away. The Church of Set being their Web of Knives so to speak. Hesha is the Fatima in this, being a Typhonist who is on the "liberal" side of things or many roads to Du'at if you will.

6. I've always felt the Eye of Hazimel is pretty much a directly adapted version of the Eye of Vecna. It's an interesting artifact that can lend its wielder the power of Vicissitude, Chimestry, and whatever else a 4th Generation Ravnos can pull off. However, it requires you to give up your sanity to the Dominate of said being. I've always felt it was designed to give Hazimel a way to have an agent while in torpor.

A smart person (well who is dumb enough to try it out) might try to gain the power of the Eye without becoming Hazimel's meat puppet. However, I feel Hesha's plans for it are about as effective as a four leaf clover for what he wants to do with it.

My inclination being that it's not even able to find the Ravnos Antediluvian because, well, he's the only one who is actually dead.

Note: Ironically, the Ravnos Antediluvian's death may mean the only time the Antediluvians are vulnerable is during their "temporary wassail."

[Reasor]

I love the development of the Setites undergoing their religious schism, if only because it finally humanizes the last of the "brown skinned and Middle Eastern in stereotype, and also coincidentally a monolithic evil" clans.

6. I've always felt the Eye of Hazmiel is pretty much a directly adapted version of the Eye of Vecna. It's an interesting artifact that can lend its wielder the power of Vicissitude, Chimestry, and whatever else a 4th Generation Ravnos can pull off. However, it requires you to give up your sanity to the Dominate of said being. I've always felt it was designed to give Hazmiel a way to have an agent while in torpor.

I remember my initial reading of Leopold's Eye-enhanced rampage in the Gangrel clan novel of the late 90's as being that the Eye could draw upon or imitate the Disciplines of any sufficiently powerful vampire within its range. I don't recall whether Hesha was the one to drop this tidbit of information, or whether it was ever stated outright in any text; I may have just been connecting dots in my mind between the upstate New York location of the battle and the knowledge that the Tzimsce Eldest was still canonically in torpor on a Zantosa family estate in the same part of the country at the time. Leopold does a fair amount of making the earth shift to form dangerous stalactites and stalagmites in that battle, which could have been done by imitating the Eldest's Koldunic Sorcery. If the Gangrel had bushwhacked Leopold in a different location, the Eye might have granted him a different power set or none at all.

[Bluecho]

Beckett finds Hesha's home under his false identity (I choose to believe Hesha abandoned his old identity due to Elizabeth Dimitrios burning it to the ground with her vampire hunter colleague). He's living in a dingy apartment and doing work on the Eye of Hazmiel

Now that you mention it, Hesha's old identity would be in shambles, after having supposedly kidnapped Elizabeth under false pretenses and allowed her to be taken (sold to?) a frightfully uncouth thief and hostage taker. Also something about terrorists? I can't imagine what the Rutherfords think happened, but they can't have that high an opinion of Hesha after all that. Especially since Hesha also dropped off the face of the earth for a while. Sure, WE know that he was rotting in a Nosferatu warren, barely recognizable, but to the mortal authorities it would seem like he went into hiding to evade police investigation.

We get some of Hesha's notes and it's generally him reflecting on the fact the Followers of Set are not really what he signed up for anymore. He's offended by the Children of Damballah being tortured and exterminated by the Orthodox Typhonists. I find this a very interesting thing and will comment on it later. This is the Cohort of Wepwawet We also get some of Hesha's experiments with the Eye of Hazmiel and his attempts to gain control of the fantastically powerful object that, nevertheless, turns you into nothing more than Hazmiel's insane slave.

To be fair, Leopold was a pretty weak-willed and easily lead person. Hazimel didn't have his work cut out for him, bending that boy to his whims. Hesha, meanwhile, is not only a savvy and competent Elder, but a blood sorcerer. Both suggest (or, in the case of blood sorcerer, require) a high Willpower. If anyone could make the Eye work for them, Hesha would be among the stronger contenders.

At least, it wouldn't be odd for Hesha to assume he was strong enough to control it. Whether he actually is would be another matter.

We also get into what I think is an overlooked element of the chapter and the idea that the Cohort of Wepwawet and Fire Court have decided to go on a killing spree of non-orthodox Setites. We know how this works out, like the Camarilla negotiations and it's interesting to draw the potential links.

Now, as demonstrated previously, I'm not a fan of the whole "Ministry" angle, as you all well know. But it would be interesting to see a sort of parallel between what's going on with the Setites and the Assamites.

The Fire Court and the Cohort of Wepwawet serving the same function as the Web of Knives: a faction of religious extremists, dedicated to (their vision of) the Clan founder, trying to exterminate those of "weaker faith". To the point of driving the moderates into the arms of another sect, in the name of protection. In turn, with the voices of reason driven out or killed, the extremists only become more extreme, and take steps towards making war, not only on their moderate cousins, but upon all other Kindred.

[Zorin001]

Chapter Twelve: Planting the Eye

We also get into what I think is an overlooked element of the chapter and the idea that the Cohort of Wepwawet and Fire Court have decided to go on a killing spree of non-orthodox Setites.

This kind of fits into some head-canon of mine, that Sets disappearance in 33AD was actually part of a "Palace Coup" by the Hierophants, who were far more stridently Orthodox than their Clan Founder (who actually believed in rugged self-reliance and non-conformism). Wouldn't surprise me with some of the eldest Hierophants waking up after Topor they see the growth of Heteodox beliefs and say "Nope"

[CTPhipps]

I love the development of the Setites undergoing their religious schism, if only because it finally humanizes the last of the "brown skinned and Middle Eastern in stereotype, and also coincidentally a monolithic evil" clans.

I kind of like the idea the Setites are abandoning, or at least some are, the whole "We are willfully religiously evil because evil is our good!" I mean, that is a hard sell even if you are the smartest philosophical people about it you can get. Which the Setites generally are. I also actually prefer the Anarch guide's name for them, "The Ministry of Love" even if that sounds even more like a Pro-Wrestling stable.

The Church of Set is still a Loresheet in V5 and very powerful but it's now only one faction and I wouldn't be surprised if it's alienated the rest of the Clan that, even by Revised, had very large non-Setite factions like the Cult of Isis, Children of Damballah, and probably a bunch of Noddist Kindred. With the Sabbat's recent transition I wouldn't be surprised ifthe Serpents of Light would be willing to be Ministry of Love members en masse as long as it DOESN'T require them to give up their Voudon faith.

I remember my initial reading of Leopold's Eye-enhanced rampage in the Gangrel clan novel of the late 90's as being that the Eye could draw upon or imitate the Disciplines of any sufficiently powerful vampire within its range. I don't recall whether Hesha was the one to drop this tidbit of information, or whether it was ever stated outright in any text; I may have just been connecting dots in my mind between the upstate New York location of the battle and the knowledge that the Tzimsce Eldest was still canonically in torpor on a Zantosa family estate in the same part of the country at the time. Leopold does a fair amount of making the earth shift to form dangerous stalactites and stalagmites in that battle, which could have been done by imitating the Eldest's Koldunic Sorcery. If the Gangrel had bushwhacked Leopold in a different location, the Eye might have granted him a different power set or none at all.

I admit, I'm only past Clan Novel: Lasombra in my re-read and while it was weird to have Leopold fleshcrafting as a major power--I just assumed that was one of Hazimel's disciplines.

I also note that he did seem to also use Koldunic sorcery so you may be onto something.

To be fair, Leopold was a pretty weak-willed and easily lead person. Hazimel didn't have his work cut out for him, bending that boy to his whims. Hesha, meanwhile, is not only a savvy and competent Elder, but a blood sorcerer. Both suggest (or, in the case of blood sorcerer, require) a high Willpower. If anyone could make the Eye work for them, Hesha would be among the stronger contenders.

At least, it wouldn't be odd for Hesha to assume he was strong enough to control it. Whether he actually is would be another matter.

It's a bit obvious a parallel but it's like the One Ring in that respect with Leopold being our Gollum. Hesha might be able to coax the power to make himself more like Saruman but, ultimately, it still is Hazimel's power he'd be channeling. Though if we're doing a Tolkien deep dive, Hesha would be more interested in making an eye of his own.

Mind you, I remember an amusing incident from our games where the PCs came across a library of an ancient Blood Mage and the ST was bemused to find out my scholarly character was much more interested in his Noddist literature than Thaumaturgy texts. Direct power is not always what a competent Elder goes for.

Now, as demonstrated previously, I'm not a fan of the whole "Ministry" angle, as you all well know. But it would be interesting to see a sort of parallel between what's going on with the Setites and the Assamites.

The Fire Court and the Cohort of Wepwawet serving the same function as the Web of Knives: a faction of religious extremists, dedicated to (their vision of) the Clan founder, trying to exterminate those of "weaker faith". To the point of driving the moderates into the arms of another sect, in the name of protection. In turn, with the voices of reason driven out or killed, the extremists only become more extreme, and take steps towards making war, not only on their moderate cousins, but upon all other Kindred.

Agreed.

Hesha strikes me as the kind of vampire who is aware that there's something fundamentally wrong being dedicated to a God of Evil who exalts in breaking all rules, boundaries, and the Gnostic prison of the soul -- and then having a fundamentalist cult murdering everyone who doesn't do it one specific way. He's one of those religious philosophers who "gets" the themes of his faith over being blind to them.

Even if his faith is evil.

I kind of like the idea that he realizes the Anarchs are uncouth, uneducated (despite the Brujah beginnings), and rabble-like but they're the kind of clay his faith is supposed to be based on and can work with.