Category:Serpents of the Light

Independent and proudly heretical sect of the Followers of Set. Its pride lies within its adopted independence from the Setites; the Serpents have no affiliation with their parent clan. While many Setites trace their history to ancient Egypt, the Serpents claim they originated in the West Indies.

The Serpents of the Light came into being when the Sabbat moved into Haiti in the 1960s. Before then, the group that became the Serpents may have been a rogue cult of Setites, studying voodoun and how its mysticism could be used to its undead advantage. Until the 1970s, the Sabbat was too disorganized to pay much attention to the Caribbean, despite some degree of presence there - Sabbat activity simply lay dormant. In fact, the Sword of Caine had no idea that this "lost tribe" of Setites even existed in Haiti. Once the sect became aware of the cult, however, the Sabbat recognized the ruthless strength in the group and gave protection to it in its infancy. It is possible that the first Serpents were younger Setites, who agreed with the political philosophy of the Sabbat. When the news of the Sabbat's discovery reached the Setites' ears, their elders forbade their childer's interaction with the Sword of Caine. Citing the Sabbat's "intent to destroy the god-king," they sent emissaries to Haiti who insisted that the cult disassociate itself from the Sabbat.

Because the Serpents chose to ally with the Sabbat, they have earned the enmity of the Followers of Set, and vice versa. Hatred between these two now-separate bloodlines runs deep, and the Setites consider the Serpents traitors to their clan. Indeed, the Serpents of the Light consider Followers of Set to be abominations intent on destroying the world via the resurrection of their undead vampire god. The two groups spare no effort in antagonizing each other, playing out a deadly holy war across the distance of continents. Serpents of the Light also oppose the other Antediluvians for similar reasons, citing a Haitian Voodoo prophecy similar to the Gehenna foretold in the Book of Nod. As Sabbat, their ideology fits perfectly.

Manipulation by seduction is the tool of choice for the Serpents of Light, who play a dangerous game of attack and counterattack against their Setite rivals with mortal pawns. Members of the bloodline wield the weapons of addiction and decay. They are expert at discovering a target's weakness, and using that tool - be it drugs, sex, power or whatever - to gain control of the target. They relish the opportunity to bring down a prince's city from the inside out, like any dedicated Sabbat. A few Serpents set loose in a major metropolis can magnify the drug-trade substantially, entice many innocent victims into prostitution, and much more. They prefer to operate behind the scenes, extending their control through human and Cainite underlings, without becoming an obvious target themselves. Rooting out a Serpent of the Light from a city is much like peeling an onion - you must slice away many layers before you get to the core. They maintain an attitude of "fight fire with fire" when it comes to foiling the plans of the Setites and, to a lesser degree, the Camarilla.

Weaknesses: The Serpents of the Light share the same weakness as the Followers of Set. They both bail from primordial darkness, and thus they react identically severely to light. Serpents suffer two additional health levels of damage when wounded by sunlight. Serpents of the Light also subtract one die from all dice pools when subjected to particularly bright light, artificial or otherwise (sunlight, spotlights, chemical flares, etc.).

Clan Disciplines: Obfuscate, Presence, Serpentis.