Unknown to the majority of vampires, there are a few Tremere antitribu who do not bear the Betrayer’s Sigil. Long ago, a splinter bloodline of Tremere faked their deaths and fled the Clan, allowing their superiors to believe the cabal had been utterly destroyed. These Telyavelic Tremere had significant differences in their vitae, and the capacity for native Presence instead of Dominate (see V20, pp. 438-439). These differences in their blood allowed them to avoid the mark that other Tremere antitribu must bear. However, this means each Telyavelic Tremere antitribu has a choice. Most choose to fake the Betrayer’s Sigil and use magic openly, pretending to be just like any other Tremere in the Sword of Caine. Some few claim instead to be members of other Clans, offering elaborate excuses

for their knowledge of magic. The bloodline knows that if the Camarilla Tremere discover the Telyav still exist, they will be made a part of whatever vengeance the Clan is planning. Therefore, they must hide their true lineage even from other members of the Sabbat.

These Tremere antitribu utilize a more natural form of magic, based on ancient pagan beliefs instead of the more philosophical Thaumaturgy of their peers. Adaptive and cunning, they specialize in fitting incongruent parts together to make a whole. However, their lineage flaw can be problematic, as it causes them to have a disdain and even revulsion toward True Faith, making Telyavelic Tremere seem just a bit infernal. In the Sabbat, any hint of demonic leanings can risk a vampire’s unlife to the fanaticism of the Inquisition.

There are many different types of Setite sorcery, from voudoun-like wanga to the Egyptian-based akhu. The Serpents of the Light, and their parent Clan, the Followers of Set, have put a great deal of energy into the practice of magic, creating a number of radically different theosophies concerning conjuration and enchantment.

The Serpents of the Light reject Theophidian (Set-based) doctrine in all forms. They accept Caine’s place as the first vampire, rather than adhering to their parent Clan’s beliefs that Set did not descend from the Dark Father. Serpents of the Light believe that through death, one can become a god. If they grow powerful enough, they believe, they can rise to seize rulership of the earth, and control of the spirit-world as well. When a group of militant Egyptian Setites (more than half of whom were Warrior Setites) tried to force New World serpents into accepting their Orthodoxy, they drove a great number of Afro-Caribbean Setites into the Sword of Caine. Because of this schism in doctrine (both magical and theosophical), the Serpents of the Light have a great bitterness toward the Followers of Set, and often seek their parent Clan’s destruction.

The sorcery of the Serpents of the Light requires many levels of initiation. A seeker passes through circles of mystery and learns more with each step along the path. The four Serpents of the Light who hold the highest initiation are called the empereurs, and these vampires are receptacles of a majority of Cobra wisdom and knowledge. Because of the nature of their initiatory tutelage, Cobras are even more jealous of their magical secrets than most other thaumaturges within the Sect, refusing to share knowledge of their ritual practices even with other Cobras – unless those adherents have passed the proper initiation rites.

Assamite sorcery began in the time of the Second City, and the first derivatives were mortal shamans and magicians from Mesopotamia: Persian, Assyrian, Sumerian, Akkadian, and Babylonian cultures. Although Assamite Sorcery can have similar end results as Hermetic Thaumaturgy, there are vast differences in philosophy, spirituality, and practice. Most Assamite sorcerers see magic through their spiritual and cultural belief, using trance and meditation to pierce the veil of truth and climb the Ladder of Heaven to magical enlightenment.

The sorcerers within the Sabbat are of a specific splinter of philosophical practice, having fled the Mountain together. They descend from the same small lineage, and thus their magic is unified by dint of having a singular teacher and point of origin. They call themselves Al-Aziz, choosing as their surname the Arabic term for god “the Purifier.” These few Assamite sorcerers are also trained to use the drug kalif, a hashish mixed with Kindred vitae, to fuel their magic. Whether through ecstatic dance, the ecstasy of pain, or prayer-filled ceremony, transcendent experience is always an integral part of their sorcery.

There have never been many Assamite sorcerers within the Sabbat. They are few in number, and most members of this caste are deeply loyal to the Mountain. The few Al-Aziz must, therefore, be as independent as possible. They grow and hoard reserves of kalif. This also means that the Al-Aziz have difficulty teaching magic, as there simply isn’t enough kalif to go around – and very little to waste on unenlightened.

There are very few necromancers in the Sword of Caine. The Harbingers of Skulls, though powerful, are fairly rare. Never particularly forthcoming, these ancient vampires rarely join packs and do not share their magic willingly. Giovanni who turned traitor against their Family during the formation of the Sabbat were almost non-existent, and the presence of the Harbingers has curtailed the recruitment of others.

One of the most prominent Paths of Enlightenment in the Sect, the Path of Death and the Soul, encourages knowledge of Necromancy. The followers of that Path are fanatic about the study of death, and are willing to do anything necessary in order to acquire such information. Despite the Sect’s strict interdiction against associating with those who do not believe in Caine (or who serve their Antediluvians), there are plenty of practitioners on this path who are willing to go to great lengths to acquire Necromancy.

This Assamite Sorcery ritual is native to the lineage of Al-Aziz, and only known to these Sabbat practitioners. It is said that the first member of this lineage created it to assist in her flight from the Mountain of Alamut, and taught it to her childer thereafter. It is a corruption of the ritual “Infusion of Kalif” (pp. 162-163).

This ritual constitutes a powerful hex, causing its target’s spirit to deteriorate slowly while under the effect of this spell. Other magical casters can feel when this ritual is in effect, and receive instinctive knowledge of the general direction and distance to the caster.

System

The Al-Aziz must spend an hour in ecstatic dance, chant, and meditation. Using the birth name of her victim and a small token belonging to that individual – a lock of hair, or some item of personal significance – she targets her spell upon that person. The caster must make a Wits + Occult roll (difficulty 7). For each success, she reduces the target’s level of Thaumaturgy in their primary path by one dot. The effects of this ritual lasts until the next sunrise, or until the caster releases the spell or is destroyed.

Some members of the Sect go so far as to kidnap and blood bind Giovanni, forcing them to teach Necromantic Paths. This is a tremendous danger to the Sect, as Clan Giovanni does not suffer such abuses lightly, and never stops hunting for its missing members. When the Clan discovers that the Sabbat is responsible, the grievance usually escalates into city-wide conflict.

Other practitioners of Necromancy, in an effort to avoid such violent entanglements, make deals with non-Sabbat to learn these powers. Learning Necromancy in this manner risks both accusations of heresy and, potentially, destruction. Among the Sabbat, the study of Necromancy can be dangerous indeed.

Although the Lasombra are a pragmatic Clan, some Keepers delve into the occult mysteries of their power over shadow. They have learned that Obtenebration rises from a realm at the center of creation — a darkness known as the Abyss. Abyss Mysticism is an important tool, but it is also a dangerous one. These mystics are ever in search of dark secrets, terrible truths, and philosophical answers, attempting to unlock the depths of the Abyss. Those who practice these mystic arts are called “The Shadowed,” and their prestige among the Lasombra Clan suffers due to their studies. It is not unknown for members of the Kiasyd bloodline to practice Abyss Mysticism, although the Lasombra Clan makes every effort to keep such knowledge away from their curious “cousins.”

Abyssal magic summons spirits from another dimension, one which resembles a form of dark purgatory. Such practitioners are enslaving and controlling spirits, but those spirits are unlike anything else in creation, and seem to have no memory of or association with true demonic entities. Nevertheless, the Inquisition has noted their existence, and the practice of Abyss Mysticism. This causes the Lasombra to keep their Abyss Mystics out of the limelight and their abilities unknown to the majority of the Sabbat. The elders of the Clan have seen the suspicion placed on Tzimisce kolduns, and fear the Inquisition’s capacity to declare Abyss Mysticism heretical.