After some thought, you decide to break the silence by presenting a question to the group. "What made the Salubri different from the other clans?"
You gesture to yourself. "Take my clan, for example. The Nosferatu got to join the Camarilla because we had eyes and ears everywhere amongst those that human society overlooked: beggars, lepers, and other kinds of outcasts. How did the Salubri contribute to Kindred society?"
"I can answer that question, Mr. Delacruz," Forge says, stroking his mustache. "According to records predating the Camarilla, the Salubri were healers and peacemakers who could use the power of their vitae to mend the wounds of other Kindred. I suppose that's why many were willing to stand back and watch as the Tremere wiped the Salubri out. Their existence as one of the Damned was simply too good to be true.
Erichtho speaks up next. "Even today, members of my clan have standing orders to slay any Salubri we come across, and hardly any Prince would knowingly permit one to reside in their domain. Even Anarchs tend to want nothing to do with the Salubri. That said, only a few, if any, of Saulot's progeny are left standing these nights."
"I find it hard to believe that an entire bloodline could face extinction in just a few centuries. I mean, it's not like sires have to worry about pregnancy or carrying childer to term. Besides, it's not like they couldn't pretend to be Caitiff, right? It's not great, but better than being trapped in some Tremere prison."
"Well, when you think about it, it makes sense that there aren't a lot of Salubri running around, even without the Tremere launching a pogrom," Bobby speaks up. He leans forward eagerly, gesturing with his hands as he talks. Either he's enthusiastic about the subject, or the Blue Blood arrogance just wants a chance to show off his reasoning. "The Salubri pursued Golconda to control their Beasts, right? Why would they want to inflict it on others unless they were certain the new fledgling could grapple with it night after night?"
"Mr. Weatherbottom is quite right," Forge says, nodding with approval. "The Salubri were never the most numerous of Kindred, which is why they were known as 'Unicorns.' From what I understand, their focus was on helping other vampires come to terms with their existence. They only Embraced childer who they knew could aid them in that endeavor as fellow healers and teachers in the achievement of Golconda.
"As for why they didn't go to ground after the Tremere's purge began, it's because each Salubri possessed a third eye in the middle of their foreheads." Forge taps the center of his forehead for emphasis. "Supposedly, the third eye was a trait inherited from Saulot and his achievement of Golconda. According to my research, when one of the Cyclopes used their Disciplines, their third eye wept uncontrollable tears of vitae, making it impossible for them to pass as a member of another bloodline for long."
"I see…". A thought then occurs to you. "So if Tremere diablerized Saulot and grew closer to the original vampire, does that technically make him an Antediluvian?"
Erichtho shakes her head no. "No, for two reasons. One, Tremere's diablerie of Saulot postdates the Biblical Flood. Two, he was never a childe of Caine's childer: Enoch, Irad, and Zillah. Tremere may have become part of the third generation of Kindred upon devouring Saulot's soul, but he was never an Antediluvian."
You hum in thought. "You know, all this talk of Salubri being soul-sucking fiends makes me wonder about what might be waiting for us after Final Death. I don't know about the rest of you, but the time between my last breath and me waking up as a fledgling shovel-head is a big ole blank."
The others shift in discomfort. Discussion of the afterlife can be a touchy subject among mortals, let alone people who call themselves the Damned. Eventually, Kathy musters the courage to break the awkward silence. "I've spoken with the Banu Haqim who came from the Middle East. The Ashirra believe that Muslim vampires who lead righteous un-lives will come back to life alongside the mortal faithful when the Day of Judgment arrives."
Erichtho rubs her chin in thought. "I've read reports of Kindred necromancers interacting with the spirits of the departed, though I cannot say whether those wraiths are truly the people they were when they were alive or simply pale imitations of the deceased's personality and knowledge."
"In medieval times, many faithful Kindred walked the Via Caeli - the Road of Heaven - and attempted to control their Beasts through religious devotion. They believed that by obeying God's will, they would still be allowed entry into the heavenly kingdom. The Tremere claimed that the Salubri secretly consorted with demons, though whether those claims were anything but anti-Salubri propaganda created to justify their usurpation, I cannot say."
"Those are all interesting theories, but none of you have offered any real proof," Bobby says. "In the end, no one knows what will happen to us once we meet Final Death."
You nod, digesting the information laid out before you. "Alright, then back to the topic of Golconda. What does it take to reach Golconda? Is it only a matter of achieving a mental equilibrium with your Beast? Or does enlightenment require more unsavory methods?"
"If you're implying that Golconda means devouring the souls of other Kindred, we might as well call it a night and give up our search." Even without the Blush of Life properly animating his features, Bobby looks positively revolted by the idea. So are Kathy and Erichtho. The former looks horrified, mouth hanging open, while the latter restricts herself to wrinkling her nose and grimacing.
Only Forge seems unaffected by the thought that Golconda may require diablerie. Instead, he speaks up. "As I stated earlier, much of the knowledge surrounding Golconda was lost alongside the Salubri. For all we know, achieving Golconda could be treacherous, if not outright impossible."
"Couldn't we look to Hindu gurus for insight, just like Saulot did?"
Forge hums in thought, absentmindedly stroking his mustache. "Perhaps, but I suspect that approach would only lead to dead ends. Contrary to popular belief, religions are not unchanging monoliths whose beliefs, practices, and traditions are immutable. For instance, the Old Testament forbids the mixing of meat and dairy. However, these nights, only a few faithful Christians see a problem with having cheeseburgers for dinner. The ascetic practices which might suit a mortal believer of Krishna may be wholly incompatible with the necessities of night-to-night existence as an immortal predator."
"We also run into problems if we try to learn from Saulot's contemporaries. It is important to remember that Saulot's return to the West predates widespread literacy by hundreds of years. The vampiric Hindu tradition practiced by the Salubri's progenitor may have died out ages ago with the last of its practitioners and no records testifying its beliefs and practices."
You nod, contemplating Forge's words. "One last question then. If walking a path to Golconda can influence the relationship between the Beast and our Humanity, could other schools of thought have a similar effect?"
At this, Forge positively beams. It is not a pleasant night, for Forge's fangs are out for all to see. "I'm so glad you asked that question, Mr. Delacruz. Over the years, I've studied Kindred philosophy in search of a way to reach enlightenment. After much study and research, I've concluded that to achieve Golconda, one must accept the role of the ultimate predator and only feed from the perfect prey specimens."
The door opens behind you, and the four vampires not named Zachary Forge look on in shock as Emma nervously wheels in another human bound by leather straps to a hand truck. "Ah, excellent timing, Ms. Smith! As you can see, I have conditioned one of my assistants to become a vessel possessed of rarefied, tempered blood."
"Conditioned? You mean tortured. Look at him!" Kathy hisses. Scars and unhealed wounds line every inch of the ghoul's exposed flesh. Not even the Blood Bond can hide the madness and agony apparent in the eyes of Forge's assistant. Bobby leans back in horror, and even without the Blush of Life, Erichtho looks green.
Forge, for his part, looks unperturbed by what he's done to his servant. Instead, he picks up the Bowie knife from his desk and walks over to the still-bound ghoul. You're half-hoping and half-afraid that Forge will kill the poor man. However, your host simply cuts through the leather straps binding his assistant. Emma barely has time to leap out of the way before the now-freed ghoul bolts out of Forge's study, shrieking his way shrilly through the halls.
Forge turns to the four other Kindred in the room with the grin of a mad scientist who's just flipped the switch of his latest invention. You force yourself to gaze into his eyes and see the last scrap of self fall away into nothingness - into the embrace of the Beast. "Come! Whoever lays the prey low and tastes the dyscrasia in his blood will be brought to enlightenment! Let the hunt commence!"
The monster that used to be Zachary Forge doesn't even bother to look over its shoulder as it bolts out of the room, baying for blood. In its wake is a stunned silence that fills the room. Then Bobby lets out a strangled gasp. "What the fuck just happened?"
"I believe our host just fell into wassail," Erichtho answers. "There is not a drop of Humanity left in Zachary Forge. Only the Beast and its thirst for blood remains."
You force yourself to take a deep breath through your nose and let out a loud exhalation through your mouth. It looks like Courage was right about this accursed place. "Okay, so we have a wight running around the estate. Emma, you know this place and Forge better than any of us. How long until the wight manages to catch its prey and comes after us?"
It takes a half-stunned Emma a second to respond to your question. You feel tempted to lay into her for her involvement in Forge's "research" into Golconda, but the regretful expression on Emma's face abates your anger. Besides, you have bigger and hungrier fish to fry. "U-Uh, the estate's pretty big. We'll only have a few minutes if we're lucky."
"Then we need to get out of here and put as much distance between us as possible," Bobby hisses. "If it means surviving to see the next night, I'll gladly let the other Kindred in the domain sneer at us for running away."
"But what happens after we escape?" Emma speaks up, her voice trembling nervously. "I've already let one person suffer at Forge's hands. I don't want more innocent people to die if I can do something about it."
"What do you suggest, then?" You ask.
Emma's back straightens as she breathes in deeply. When she speaks, her voice betrays no uncertainty. "There's a safe room in the mansion containing the controls to the security system. If we're smart, we can use it to level the playing field and kill Forge right here and now."
You nod. You have some experience securing a haven against intruders. During your early nights in the Camarilla, before Annabelle made you part of her entourage, you spent much of your time in the Nosferatu warren, helping your fellow Sewer Rats build bigger and better defenses. It's been a while, but you still recall some of the construction know-how from those nights.
Still, you'd like to face a wight with more than just the pistol concealed on your person. "What about guns? Forge used to be a hunter, so there's gotta be a gun room somewhere."
"The safe room has a few, but Forge keeps the deadliest weapons on the other side of the manor. We probably won't make it to the safe room before he returns."
Finally, Erichtho speaks up. "If I may, I suggest we go on the offensive and chase down the wight and its prey. Wights are dangerous, but wights on a full stomach are even more so. If we can deny the wight blood with which to fuel its rampage, we stand a greater chance of denying it our vitae."
"Even if we manage to put Forge's ghoul out of his misery, we'd still be fighting the wight on its home turf, though. There's a good chance it'll ambush us while we're stumbling around in the dark." As much as you want to save Forge's ghoul, you suspect that he's too far gone after what his domitor did to him in the name of advancing the study of Golconda. The kindest thing you can do is end his torment.
"No plan is without risk, Artie," Kathy replies. Her dark gaze is firmly on you. "Damien trusts you, so I'm counting on you to make the call. If getting us all out alive means fleeing into the night, I'll be right behind you. If we stand a better chance by digging in here, I'll stand alongside you. If you want to go out and face the danger before it gets a chance to kill more people, well…I can think of worse ways to meet Final Death. So what's the plan?"
[] [REACTION] Our top priority should be getting out of here. Numbers mean little when the Beast controls your foe.
Automatic Win
[] [REACTION] We need to lock this place down fast. "Lead us to the safe room, Emily."
-[] I'll rouse my vitae to add two dice to my roll. More successes equal mightier fortifications.
-[] I'll spend a point of Willpower to reroll up to three dice unaffected by my Hunger.
Wits + Craft (Difficulty: 3)
[] [REACTION] If we want even a snowball's chance in hell, we'll need guns. "Where does Forge keep the armory?"
-[] I'll rouse my vitae to add two dice to my roll. They might help us find weapons more suitable for destroying a wight.
-[] I'll spend a point of Willpower to reroll up to three dice unaffected by my Hunger.
Resolve + Awareness (Difficulty: 4)
[] [REACTION] We can't allow Forge to sate his Hunger. "Time is of the essence. We go after Forge now."
-[] I'll rouse my vitae to automatically succeed in putting Forge's ghoul out of his misery.
-[] I'll spend a point of Willpower to reroll up to three dice unaffected by my Hunger.
Composure + Firearms (Difficulty: 3)
