Mesu Bedshet

The Followers of Set represent another crude racial stereotype. Described in Vampire: The Masquerade’s 20th Anniversary Edition as being “mostly Egyptian or North African in origin”, the Followers of Set were a clan of devious drug dealers with a secretive cult religion and a compulsion to corrupt the innocent. This orientalist view of North Africans originated in the medieval Spanish depictions of the Moors, who were seen as a corrupting influence on Spanish ‘purity’, religion and society. In canon, the Followers of Set do not take part in the Anarch Revolt, as they have their own conflict to focus on, involving the Ashirra in general and the Banu Haqim in particular. As such, we have taken the decision to allow them as player characters only from the small European branches of the Clan. We have also renamed them “Mesu Bedshet” (Children of Rebellion) to distance them from these roots.

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Policy
  • The bulk of this Clan is in Egypt, fighting a war against the Banu Haqim
  • The few Mesu Bedshet in Europe are not formally part of the Anarch Revolt, though some might be involved undercover
  • Heretic or orthodox, they share a commitment to undermine existing power structures and morality
  • Any player character would need to be either one of the Children of Judas or a member of the Cult of Typhon Trismegistus, and should be aware that this is a high-risk character choice

Most Clans would tell you that the “Followers of Set” are all Egyptian or north African; that they are evil incarnate, spreaders of disease and dissolution, and venal corruptors of the innocent.  But then, they would also tell you that the Followers of Set are besieged by the Banu Haqim and have fled Europe to fortify their home in the lands of the Ashirra.  That the Followers of Set are not a factor in the Anarch Revolt.

They are wrong.  Or, at least, they are not entirely right.

Virtually all the loyal Mesu Bedshet (their name for themselves, meaning “Children of Rebellion”) have indeed forsaken Europe and returned to Africa, where they war with the Banu Haqim.  They keep to old ways that the Ashirra sect of Muslim vampires want to stamp out; they want to restore the worship of great Set, and spread it across the whole world, while their enemies want to bring an end to what they see as unacceptable pagan beliefs.  The Mesu Bedshet are fighting a battle for their very existence, and it is a close-run thing.  Those few that remain in Europe are split into three main groupings: the heretical Children of Judas, the orthodox-but-weak Cult of Typhon Trismegistus, and the syncretic, secretive Hall of Jörmungandr.

All three branches share their common origins among the Children of Rebellion, and it shows in their philosophies: they seek to corrupt, subvert and destroy whatever is good, noble, safe, or beautiful within both Cainite and mortal society. They are plotters without peer, with an unequalled genius for misdirection and temptation. Their favorite weapons include drugs, sex, money, power, and vice in all its aspects.

But for the orthodox Mesu Bedshet, this corruption is just a means to an end. They believe in a radical split between the divine, eternal soul and the corrupt, transitory world and body. The laws of their faith say that deep down, the soul knows it does not belong in a prison of matter. Anything that distracts the soul from this knowledge and ties it to the world must be a trap – and if the world is a prison, then the gods (Aeons) must be its jailers. To achieve liberation, a soul must shed all the false doctrines, cravings and habits that bind it and blind it. Such self-awareness cannot come from mere argument or faith. Only direct experience of the most extreme sort can break the hold of the gods over the soul and allow liberation. Through these experiences, the Children of Rebellion believe they can achieve truly divine power over the world and liberate themselves from every physical and spiritual constraint, as they already have taken the first steps out of the prison when they received the Embrace.

Sobriquet

Serpents

History

While the Children of Judas often subscribe to the traditional European story of the curse of Caine and the literal truth of the Bible, the Cult of Typhon Trismegistus and the Hall of Jörmungandr both keep to a very different origin story, one much more in line with the orthodoxy of their Clan.  This story claims that the First City was Annu, citadel of the Aeons – false gods whose goal is to enslave humankind, reducing them to a state of senseless obedience – ruled by Atum-Ra.  Set came into conflict with his brother Osiris, and killed him, but was banished by his nephew Horus and cursed by Ra.  Set then gathered twelve disciples around himself and instructed them to oppose Ra – these are what other Clans mistakenly refer to as “Antediluvians”.

The Children of Judas were born from an argument between Michael, Patriarch of Constantinople, and Khay’tall, a Mesu Bedshet Hierophant, about the necessity of evil.  They were heavily focused on vice and depravity for its own sake, corrupting and subverting the works of other Clans within the city.  They are seen as heretics by the bulk of their own Clan, and denied entry to Egypt.  Once Constantinople fell, and both Michael and Khay’tall with it, the Children of Judas dispersed across Europe, building cults to encourage mortal vice.  They revel in chaos and sin, seeking to undermine Cainite and mortal power structures at every opportunity – some lean very heavily on the apparent coincidence that Set vanished from the Earth in the same year as the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. They aren’t intrinsically allied or opposed to the Anarch Revolt – they might be persuaded to help the Anarch cause for a little while, but would rapidly become a liability in the aftermath of a victory, never mind defeat!  And, of course, overt Christian heresy is an excellent way to draw the Inquisition’s attention, especially given the overlap between the Clan’s serpentine signature discipline and the story of the Garden of Eden.

Much more orthodox is the Cult of Typhon Trismegistus, who conflate Set with Typhon – the serpent-dragon born from Gaia and Tartarus to lay siege to Olympus and strike down the gods (specifically, all gods except their true god, Set – the ultimate progenitor of all vampires).  They have a hidden Temple near Naples, and their power is much-diminished since the fall of the Western Roman Empire, though they are starting to see a return to some level of strength.  They operate secretly, through cults to Bacchus, Mars, and Pluto, leading acolytes through successive layers of initiation until they can devote themselves to Typhon (and, ultimately, Set).  Given their religious imperatives against Christianity and Islam, and to sow chaos among the enemies of their Road, they might well be persuaded to assist the Anarchs against the elders, but at what cost?  And would the Banu Haqim permit such a thing?

The Hall of Jörmungandr was founded over 600 years ago by a Norse merchant who joined a blood cult in Alexandria on a trading visit, and was Embraced before returning to Oslo.  He founded his own cult, seeing the World-Serpent as another aspect of Apep, the god Set himself had worshipped.  They are small, and cut off from the bulk of their Clan, but have spent the centuries disguising themselves as members of other Clans and amassing great wealth.  Their founder, Arnulf Sæmundsson, is accepted as a Toreador and is a Primogen of Oslo.  He is a vocal supporter of the nascent Camarilla, and it is hard to imagine any of his Hall siding against him.

The other European branch of the Clan, the gnostic Church of the Black Magdalene, preached that any act performed with joy and love was holy, never mind what law or decency might say, and loudly prayed for Christ to free them from shame.  They were among the first organisations of Cainites to face the direct wrath of the Inquisition, and were scoured from Europe.  None now remain.

While the Children of Judas often subscribe to the traditional European story of the curse of Caine and the literal truth of the Bible, the Cult of Typhon Trismegistus and the Hall of Jörmungandr both keep to a very different origin story, one much more in line with the orthodoxy of their Clan.  This story claims that the First City was Annu, citadel of the Aeons – false gods whose goal is to enslave humankind, reducing them to a state of senseless obedience – ruled by Atum-Ra.  Set came into conflict with his brother Osiris, and killed him, but was banished by his nephew Horus and cursed by Ra.  Set then gathered twelve disciples around himself and instructed them to oppose Ra – these are what other Clans mistakenly refer to as “Antediluvians”.

Organisation

The Temple of Typhon Trismegistus in the Cave of Apples near Naples is led by a Prophet and three High Priests (one for each distinct sub-cult).  Beneath those are various Priests, ghoul servants and retainers, and mortal cultists.

The Hall of Jörmungandr is led by its founder, Arnulf Sæmundsson, who is supported by his childe Valdis Hel-Blár.  They meet only rarely with their fellow Hall-members, seeking to maintain the fiction of their membership of other Clans.

The Children of Judas are a solitary lot, a patchwork of small isolated cults pursuing chaos and evil for its own sake.  Some of them even turn to infernalism, framing Set as just another demon in the service of Satan.

Usually From

Children of Judas might be from anywhere in Europe; the Cult of Typhon Trismegistus is very narrowly-focused on Naples at this time; and the only members of the Hall of Jörmungandr hail from Scandinavia

Preferred Roads

Haven and Prey

Most Mesu Bedshet like to make their lairs underground, to ensure safety from the sun.  They build their temples in abandoned places of worship – Christian for the Children, Roman or perhaps Greek for the Cult.  They tend to feed from the lowest rung of society, hoping to avoid drawing the attention of the authorities.

The Embrace

Mesu Bedshet of all branches Embrace almost exclusively from the cults of mortals they create.  This allows them to identify candidates with the cunning and charisma needed to survive and spread their doctrine.  It is not uncommon for such a recruit to serve as a ghoul retainer for a while before the Embrace.  The Embrace itself is another ritual, part of the mysteries of the cult.  Like all Mesu Bedshet, the European branches favour red hair where possible.

Clan Disciplines

Obfuscate, Presence, Serpentis

Weakness

Mesu Bedshet react negatively to bright light.  They receive 1 additional point of damage when exposed to sunlight, and all test pools are reduced by 2 for any challenges attempted while in bright light of any kind.  Note that defensive tests are not subject to this penalty.

Clan Merits

  • Bane of the Aeons (1)
  • Personal Cult (1)
  • Shedding The Snake’s Skin (2)
  • Addictive Blood (3)
  • Akhu (4)
    • Sorcery is a gift granted only to the most faithful, and Set’s children revere this ability as a mark of faith among their kind. When you acquire this merit, you gain the discipline Akhu. You can purchase The False Heart and one other sorcerous path of your choice. These paths are learned without a teacher and are considered out-of-clan powers for all purposes (including purchase costs).

Clan Flaws