(Dark Ages V20) Exploring the Roads in-character

[Spacedigger]

Hello everyone,

recently I was reading the Chapter about Roads in Dark Ages V20, which I adore very much, and, as I understand it, the Roads, as they are presented, are in many cases like small communitys among the Kindred with teachers and pupils and the like, rather than a personal creed to keep the beast in check. While I think they were kind of like that in other versions of the game this presentation seems to me like they could be used as a great source of philosophical discourse on unlife. Of course not all Roads seem appropriate for this as some dont encourage the company of others.

I had an idea of exploring this topic in a future chronicle if my players are interested.

So I wanted to ask a little bit around if anyone here did something similiar in one of their chronicles and could share some experience on that?

Edith: I was furthermore inspired by reading about Kindred who defined their one Road, like Tanitbaal-Sahar via the Road of Sin in a successful way or Arcadius who is mentioned in the Bath Chapter of the Dark Ages Compendium who unsuccesfully tries to creat his own Road centered among Mithras worship while silencing all other who try the same but different.

[pang4]

I'm playing in a DAV20 chronicle right now, and I can give some insights into how we've handled it.

My first character, a Setite searching for purpose and a place to belong, found a place on the Road of Sin. The Road of Sin was a very loose community - mostly loners and people searching for their own brand of freedom. However, we all shared in a sense of superiority over the cattle who willingly chained themselves down. On larger gatherings, like Tourneys or on the eve of battles, we would find each other for wont of better company and share in earthly delights. Searching for teachers and mentors on the road is dangerous business, but quite rewarding if you can convince your potential mentor that you'd be interesting enough to teach.

The Road of Humanity is much more philosophically bent. We can best be described as a book club or study circle. We make active efforts to stay connected and meet up. When we meet, either on organized meet-ups or , there is instant kinship between us since we both know how the other struggles. We regularly share moral dilemmas, challenges, and try to work out strategies to mellow out our more extreme contemporaries.

[Spacedigger]

I'm playing in a DAV20 chronicle right now, and I can give some insights into how we've handled it.

My first character, a Setite searching for purpose and a place to belong, found a place on the Road of Sin. The Road of Sin was a very loose community - mostly loners and people searching for their own brand of freedom. However, we all shared in a sense of superiority over the cattle who willingly chained themselves down. On larger gatherings, like Tourneys or on the eve of battles, we would find each other for wont of better company and share in earthly delights. Searching for teachers and mentors on the road is dangerous business, but quite rewarding if you can convince your potential mentor that you'd be interesting enough to teach.

The Road of Humanity is much more philosophically bent. We can best be described as a book club or study circle. We make active efforts to stay connected and meet up. When we meet, either on organized meet-ups or , there is instant kinship between us since we both know how the other struggles. We regularly share moral dilemmas, challenges, and try to work out strategies to mellow out our more extreme contemporaries.

Well hello there!

Thank you for sharing your experience. Did not think someone would be interested in this topic after all this time

Very interesting.

May I ask where your chronicle takes place ? How connected was your Setite to the rest of his clan?

By not following the Road of Set I imagine they would be branded a heretic, like the followers of the road of apep if someone would find out. Although I imagine it would be easy to mask yourself as a follower on the road of set, given some similiarities. Probably only a true master of the road might see the difference.

Does everyone in the coterie follow the same path or is it mixed? How are the dynamics between them?

[pang4]

Couple of questions to answer there:

We play in eastern Europe, a very Tzimisce focused chronicle. The Setite clan is very rare in these parts, and what few exist are split between the roads of sin and heaven. Road of the Serpent setites, the Walid Set, are generally believed to be heretics and insurgents, and hunted down on sight. They do exist, and act in secret, but their reach is limited in our chronicle and and they usually masquerade as other roads. Our ST wrote a new lore for European Setites, to ensure they weren't so restrictive to play.

The coterie is mixed between Humanitas, Regalis, Bestiae and Peccati. Tbh isn't road nearly as much a concern as the highclan/lowclan divide. Still, the Regalis folks are the ones assuming leadership roles, and the rest of us are okay with them taking the blame for our mistakes ^^