(HAPTER, TWO:
Che WAYS
OR KINGS
Honorall men, Love thébratherhood. Fear God.
the king,
— Peter 217
The followers of th
tradition. Tradition is what holds the Road dot King
the Scions their strength and autheunderstanding of mortal men. Did he inow everything Hans
thought or dreamed about o hoped for?
‘Do not be afraid,” Vermore sad, as if he could read Ha
thoughts. “I understand and approve of your ambitions. I ne
is. There is a pla
ed beter
men with ambition, with fire, ata time lke
forlessermenamong the ranks onthe batelfild, but
amen tole
A small hope blossomed in Hans’ heart. He dared to lookup
at his lord and master. "My liege, 1...” he began,
remaining words died in is throat as Vermaet bared his fangs and
bhnged athim. He fll
he was far too slow, He
{to seramble away, but
himper as Vermot’s
fang sp into his neck, which ewmed into a sigh asthe
‘ecstasy ofthe Kiss spread through hs body lke sweet poison. Tt
was slouly replaced by a growing cold tha limbs,
then his heart, Hans sank hack onto the floor, his sight growing
above him.
snd coum co whis
dim as Vermont reared u
The wampire lord
bbe from He
nis easeal's ear
“Should your ambiaons ever make you consider beraying
‘me, my dear Hans, I want youto recall this moment. Ifyou serve
‘me well, you need never experience death again.
Scions choose their vasals — both mortal and Cainite
carefully. Unlike the kings ofthe mortal world, Cainite
princes and lords do not fall victim to illness or age. Their
domains can only pass ftom them if dhey choose to st—p
down, of if they ate careless and allow their ambitious
underlings tooverthrow hem. Therefore wise Seionschoose
sals carefully and keep a close eye on them (while
quickly culled from the ranks)
their
tunvise Scion:
Princes and lords control the right to sire offspring
with good reason, since uncontrolled Embracing might
allow a rival within the prince's own domain to gather a
large number of Cainite followers
Je. Most Scions take the tradition of progeny
quite seriously, and violations are reason enough to have
the offender and the childe
are always on the watch for signs of unlawfal Embracing
quickly to deal with it when
challenge the
prince's 4
destroyed. A ruler’s vassals
within the domain, and ac
i crops up.
Scions tend to be cautious and conservative about
hey Embrace. Afterall, their blood is noble, of the
aine. It isa gift that should be given only
are worthy of it, not simply to any peasant or wastrel
line of » those
A childe reflects on the reput
wonsible for the childe’s actions, so siring is not some
to be done lightly
is not to say that noble blood isa prerequisite for
ns (although some cruly arrogant
T
the Embrace among
Cainites do consider it so)
Scions keep theie own counsel!
to serve, to be give
vitae and, finally, co be given the gift of the Embrace. Some
find diamonds in the rough among the most rude and
common of folk, needinga guiding hand to shape them and
bring oar their potestial. Other Scions are beguiled by a
ssionshsp into giving the Embrace to the
‘wrong person, something that has led to the downfall of
about a potential vassal’s worthi
Although the choice of vassals is ultimately person
and subjective decision, a Scion tends to look for certain
things in a potential vassal, qualities that separate the
wheat from the chaff. These desermine whether a va
;o remain asimple servant or may hecome something m
in the vampire's service
The most important is the balance between of
ence and personal initiative. It is important thatthe
vassal obeys the lord's commands, but few Scions want
»nly mindless thralls and fawning sycophants in thei
service. Their servants must be able to handle mot
snall matters without attention from theit liegelod,
particularly while the vampire rests during the day
Indeed, the ideal servane is duriful and demands litle o
the Scion’s attention because most matters are dealt
with long before they requite it
‘The problem isthat too much initiative may combine
with a dose of ambition and lead vassals to betray thei
caths of loyalty in order to secure power for themselves
Any ruler who depends too much upon his advisors a
underlings to handle matters may soon find himself not
ingmore than a figurehead, che eal reins of power in other
hands. When that happens
and may be replaced. Soa va
must be balanced against any ambitions and possible be
trayal in che fur
Other qualities that Scions look for include physical
ngth and a sharp mind. The former is more important
for soldiers and vassals expected to defend their lord
holdings, while the latter is more imporcant for advisor
nts of the Scion
cemissaries, and other ser
ualities after loyalty, drive, and com
and
influencessuchasclan. The Ventruesre more likely toseek
petence depend largely on the individual Scion
‘out thase of nable blood, particulaely when se
potential protégé. The Toreadorare drawn to a,
while the Brujah want free
thinkers and philosophers, and may seek the company of
like-minded mortals.
Training
Oncea Scion has chosen:
period of tra
the talented, and the tr
potential newchilde, chore
ing before the sire decides that the
pec iene coer ope
sort of training
snoctal is ready to receive the Em
the Road of Kings. The
individual Scion. Some receive litle
before they are brought into the nighttime world ofthe
i up to the
10 education
Children of Caine. Others are carefully groomed and
taught by their vampiric mentors before they are consid
cred ready
On the one hand, some Cainites feel a sense of
urgency to Embrace a suitable candidate immediately to
censure that they won't be taken from the world by
disease or injury, to capture their essence as
also to bind them to their sire. On the o
easily than vampires do, so there
‘and teach!
learn and change more
s something to be said for miMen " Inthe
Borer n A eaeeretT
Seer err
thinking fr long
Preconceived notio
ices ti
perpective, thata maleone's,
eaten Scene een ecu ee
amass power as any man, and so male Scions undetesti-
mate their “sisters” at their own perl
Ae ae Se Re
Retest
fee eer eee erewor eae
easy
eee
g until the deed is done and th
ofa potential Scion is much like that
able. In fact, with the rise ofthe Path
Chivalry, knightly training has bec
ans, even thane nat-an the path, They
cithertotheir future sire or with a knightly order ofCa
(orone with Cainites in its ranks). [n some cases, asire m