To be human is to act human. This is the simplest philosophy that any Cainite or kine has ever come across when they first began to reflect on what humanity means and what it is. To be a human you must do as a human does, be among those who are human, think and breathe and do as those around you do. For the Cainite, though, this simple idea must be taken a step further. In fact, to be human may mean to be better than man, or at least, be more mindful of those casual cruelties humanity might be forgiven for, but causes a Cainite to suffer due to the Beast.

To do this, a Cainite cannot extract herself from humanity and lead a cloistered, thoughtful existence. Philosophizing, those on this path believe, is not the same thing as doing, and so to breathe as humankind does, you must do and be and see.

To take it a necessary step forward, Cainites on this Path believe that they must honor humanity’s foibles while abstaining from them, and shoulder humanity’s burdens with their terrible strength to make their existence valid. Simply not stealing is not enough to these Cainites. Instead, you must enrich a downtrodden child’s life to give your Embrace purpose. Simply not killing is not enough on the Path of Breath. Instead, you must save a life and show that you are more than just a monster. Sin is unforgivable, but it is just as unforgivable to not act when you have the strength to do so. Other Cainites may see those on this path as self-righteous meddlers who impose their ethics on imperfect humans who cannot possibly resist Cainite might. To the Cainites on the Path, while that may be a balance to be struck, it is not a conflict. If a Cainite was not meant to better the kine (according to their understanding of “better”), why would they be able to do it?

Why would they feel such a profound sense of peace and hope in the act if it was a wrong thing to do? Being selfless without becoming self-righteous is the struggle of many on the Path of Breath, but not all.

Additional Ethics

• Not shouldering your cousin’s burden is as bad as burdening them in the first place
• Accepting that your nature is evil makes it true
• Isolation leaves you alone with the Beast, so that it may overpower you easier
• The company of Cainites is less preferable than the company of mortals

Level of Sin	Description
1*	Allowing yourself to think or act as a vampire; minor selfish acts (including feeding from mortals!)
1	Physically injuring another
2	Knowingly letting a human suffer; accidental violation of the boundaries and well-being of another
3	Wanton destruction; impassioned violation of the boundaries and well-being of another
4	Planned violation of the boundaries and well-being of another
5	Casual violation of the boundaries and well-being of another; spending a night without human contact

*: only for someone with Road rating of 6