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2 Credits
 Contents
The Dark Shape of the Universe 5
Demonic Bloodlines 21
Infernal Disciplines 31
Paths of Enlightenment 105
Merits & Flaws 117
Demonic Investments 131
Relics of the Unholy 149
Faces of the Wicked: NPCs among the Baali & the
Infernal 153
 The Dark Shape
of the Universe
1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness [was] beneath the flesh of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved
over the face of these waters.
Genesis 1:1–2

In the beginning, they say, there was God: the ultimate asshole.

Alone in an empty universe, He crafted legions of angels and principalities, of spirits and seraphim, of
cherubs and celestials to serve Him, and to praise Him, and to sing ever & eternally of their adoration of Him, and
He was profoundly unsatisfied.

He vaulted the heavens over the world, hung the moon and the stars, called up the mountains from the seas,
separated day from night, laid field and forest upon the new-born earth … and He was, to a great extent, unsatisfied.

He created life in infinite variety and abundance: brought-forth every beast and insect, flower and tree,
filled the waters and the sky above and the earth beneath with all things that walk, and fly, and swim, and crawl,
each and every according to His desire.

And He was very painfully unsatisfied.

Then, in His grandiose wisdom, He begat Adam Ha-Rishon: the second asshole, the first human, supreme
and mighty, made in His divine image. Man & woman together he made them: of two faces, joined at the spine, one
flesh and every soul; from dust he made them in the shape of gods, seeing all and knowing nothing, given dominion
over the Earth, capable of reason and of speech, of self-knowledge and creation.

Capable of forming Words, and of Thoughts.

This is where it all starts to go south. And very, very quickly.

From this, the ultimate error, of crafting sentient life to reflect His light and give Him worship, all other
conceivable horrors arise: the rebellion of Lucifer Morningstar and his Five Blessed Archdukes – and one third of
the angelic host along with them! – cast down in a roar of righteous fury to the depths of the Abyss. The late creation

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 5

of Owl, Serpent and Cat by the profane hand of Lilith Night-Hag, upon her emancipation-in-flesh from Husband
Adam: an act of ultimate hubris presaging her willful disobedience to God & Man and subsequent expulsion from
the Garden of Paradise. The original sin of Eve, and of Adam her father/husband, and of their own ejection from
Eden.

The first murder, visited upon Abel by his brother Caine.

And, of course, all the wicked acts invented & performed by that damnable Midnight Father’s multitudes
of thrice-cursed progeny.

My, haven’t we been oh-so-naughty? And for oh-so-very long?

Truly, this is a world grown so sinful within a mere handful of generations, just a paltry sixteen-hundred and
fifty-six years, that God Himself saw fit to literally wipe all earthly life – save for one family – from the surface of the
planet in a single forty-day sweep of shrieking, omnicidal mass-murder.

(see The Flood: A Detailed Crime-Scene Analysis, below)

And heck, we’re barely into the first book of the Old Testament.

What’s that? Oh yes. I haven’t even mentioned the spawning of the Nephilim, nor addressed the construction
& shattering of the Tower of Babel, nor touched upon the wicked deeds of Lilith following her escape from Eden’s
chains.

Oh, don’t worry. It all gets much worse from here. Wait ‘til we get to Sodom and Gomorrah.

But all that misses the grand question: what came before God?

Upon completion of his holy works, it is said, the Creator saw that “every thing that He had made ... was
very good” (Genesis 1:31).

Which implies that the materials existing before Creation – tohu wa-bohu or tehom, here meaning ‘Darkness’
or ‘the Deep’ – were not, in fact, “very good.”

This is a bit of an understatement.

There were things before God, and they shall be again.

We – we, the blood of the Baali, the First People made immortal by the blood of Ashur who is called
Shaitan – know what dwelt in the unformed Abyss long before God moved upon the face of the waters. We know,
as through a mirror darkly, the titanic names and forms of the entities who dwelt there … and who dream, now, far
beneath the earth and waves, of returning the universe to that primordial state: to the long-abandoned shape of a
Fractured Tellurian, a universe reduced – in their ecstasy – to little more than a wasteland of corpse-pale skies lit
by rotting, pulsating black stars: a cold, howling infinity of creaking, twisted-iron atrocity-forests rising from endless
inky oceans of thick-clotted, pitch-dark blood, where chill wind caries only ash, aluminum, rust, and the agonized
echoes of one hundred billion restless and violated corpses, picked-at by swift, mindless predators shat-forth from
nightmare.

On the plus side, there won’t be many people around to see it.

And parking will be easy.

The inhuman lords of that place are not dead, though the God of Heaven steamrolled an entire physical
universe over them while they slumbered. They still sleep, though fitfully.

Behind and beneath all matter and energy, they dream in their obscene palaces.

6 INTRODUCTION
 Some mortals fear God. They are wise. Some fear Lucifer. Also wise. Others, cleverer still, fear the ancient
Crone; still others, evil spirits answering to no master but their own sick, inhuman hunger. The most brilliant of
mortals fear all of those entities, real & imagined … as well as the immortal, blood-drinking monsters who walk the
cold night, cursed and reviled by God, hungry corpses dancing a merry pantomime.

That would be us.

Yes, yes, even the very best & most “human” of us, those silly bastards.

In this abject, soul-scouring terror, there is wisdom. The panic-eyed wisdom of blind prey-animals, perhaps
… but wisdom, nonetheless.

But as to me and mine? We fear only what came before, and which will come again.

We placate the ancient Children of the Empty Darkness Predating Creation, committing atrocities for
their entertainment. We whisper to them, drawing delicately upon their power as they stir fitfully beneath the cities
of men & Kindred. With trembling hands, we trace out the letters of their names – jagged and qlippothic things,
appearing nowhere upon the holy Sefirot, each breathless syllable a coiling horror, dripping with the inverse of
meaning & hope – and we dedicate our immortalities to keeping them asleep.

In short, our goal is purely altruistic: we desire, quite simply, to keep the hibernating Children locked deep
within their happy, blood-sated sleep-state for as long as possible. The best way to keep them dozing gently is – and
this is not our fault – to perform bizarre acts of utter abomination and monstrosity. Particularly novel, complex, and
sickening acts of betrayal and brutality are – for obvious reasons – the most effective means of coaxing those silly,
softly-stirring Children back down into their sweet, senseless dreams of purest obscenity.

Okay, so some us take a bit of pride in our work; some of us genuinely enjoy waking up in the evening, a
smile on our face and a skip in our step, diving once more into the execution of our sacred labors. Where’s the harm
in that?

Because when they rise again, as they must, the first thing the Children are going to do is kill God. This
will remake reality in several ways, not all of them survivable by 99% of the planet’s population, and then – then,
motherfucker – all your precious “morals” and “decency laws” aren’t going to amount to a hill of shit.

Upon that onrushing night, we shall bow in reverence before the Children of the Outer Dark; we shall seek
to serve as their favored instruments and entertainers, their pages and lackeys, their seneschals and stewards.

Let others judge us.

We do not answer to you pitiful, clown-faced puppets.

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 7

Lexicon
• Akahaete: a rare Bloodline of the Baali believed to be descended from The Nameless; if so, it is
suspected that this Methuselah was tutored by a bodhisattva of foulness in the legendary Demon
Shintai: birthing-forth the unique Discipline of Jigoku
• Amkhat: literally translated as ‘corpse-eaters,’ these mortal servitors of the Apepnu have
maintained the power & authority of their masters since the time of the first Pharaohs; many
powerful Baali are drawn from among their ranks
• Apepnu: any of seven powerful immortals blessed by their patron, the Wyrm, to pass through
the underworld and rise again from the grave when slain; ancient beyond words since before the
rise of Rome, they are former allies to the Followers of Set. In modern nights, these immortals
act as occasional contacts and mentors to those Baali who show them proper deference
• Apostate: any vampire adopted into the Bloodline of the Baali after her Embrace
• Archdukes: first of the Fallen, the five greatest of the Earthbound, these creatures – Asmodeus,
Abaddon, Dagon, Belial, and Azrael – were Lucifer’s lieutenants during the Rebellion and the
subsequent Age of Wrath, leaders of his Legions against the Host of the Elohim; after their
banishment to the Abyss, these dark creatures were returned to earth by the power of mortal
occultists, and have been worshiped and bargained-with ever since. The Baali have allied with
these entities since the earliest nights, seeing these corrupted cosmic entities as useful power-
batteries and fonts of pre-human lore: tools in the greater Baali quest to comprehend the Sleeping
Children of the Outer Dark
• Ashur: the ultimate progenitor of the Baali bloodline, an unknown 3rd-generation vampire; this
creature blessed the tribe of the First People with power & immortality for his own mysterious
reasons before vanishing once again; this creature may well have been the Antediluvian Saulot, a
belief kept secret by the Salubri as well as by the Baali
• Assamites: also called the Spawn of Haqim, this clan of vampiric holy warriors and magicians
is — alongside the Salubri and the Followers of Set – one of the three traditional blood-enemies
of the Baali
• Azaneal: an honored Methuselah of the Baali, best-remembered for his infiltration of the
Catholic Church and his alliances with non-Baali Infernalists: it is said that Azaneal, prior to
the 11th century, gained the highest possible authority within the Church short of becoming the
Pope himself, and he is credited as the founder of the dread Angellis Ater Lasombra Bloodline.
Azaneal is said to have ascended from his vampiric form to that of a true demon: reborn to serve
at the right hand of Namtaru in this world and in the World to Come. In modern nights, an
‘Azaneali’ is any of the damned known to successfully infiltrate & corrupt enemy organizations
… high praise indeed
• Black Spiral Dancer: a cult of degenerate werewolves loyal to “The Wyrm” who serve as occasional
allies of the Baali, often in a combat-capacity
• Choir: a small, mobile group of likeminded Baali and their allies, similar to a Sabbat pack or
Camarilla coterie, usually answering to a more-powerful member of the Faith. Note that while

8 Lexicon
 the Sabbat and Camarilla are near-exclusively Cainite organizations, rejecting other entities
from membership, the Baali are much more open-minded: a Choir may be assembled from
wide variety of blasphemous & demonic creatures including ghosts, spirits, demon-possessed
humans, sorcerers, cultists, Amkhat, ghouls, Wyrm-loyal werewolves, and other shapeshifters
(among others)
• Chorazin: a sepulcher of the ancient Baali hidden from sight by powerful spells, rumored to hold
the resting-place of Namtaru and guarded-over by the ascended Azaneal
• Corrupturum: a unique Discipline of the Yomonlik Bloodline focused upon the art of pulling
Hell to Earth; this art was thought to be utterly vanished following the destruction of Yomon-Li
and his childer at the conclusion of the Punic Wars, although lone practitioners remained active
until at least 756 CE (the end of the Devil-King Age)
• Daimonion: the traditional Discipline of the greater Baali Bloodline, a piecemeal “greatest hits”
of the lost Discipline now referred to only as Baali Sorcery
• The Damned: a catch-all term for those who practice the techniques of the Baali, including
Corrupturum & Jigoku; sometimes used to refer to any vampire or Infernalist (including mortal
Infernalists)
• Devil-King Age: the period from 100 CE to 756 CE when demon-worshipping mortal wizards
ruled openly over a Sultanate of thirteen great city-states, with a dominion stretching from the
Caspian Sea to the Persian Gulf, centered upon the black-marble Oasis of Eternal Bliss; the
era of this dynasty is considered a Golden Age of the Baali, second only to the charnel-fields of
Carthage
• Earthbound: any of the six-hundred and sixty-six Fallen angels to have escaped the Abyss and
returned themselves to the world of the living in ancient days, often by the hand of mortal
occultists; frequent contacts of the Baali over the centuries
• First People: precursors of the Baali, a powerful tribe of mortal occultists predating the Second
City who – through complex blood-magic & ritual sacrifice – uncovered the true nature of the
titanic Children of Outer Darkness; the secret knowledge of this tribe was made immortal by
the actions of “Ashur,” and thus survives to the modern nights in the libraries & whispers of the
Baali
• Followers of Set: also called Setites, this clan of vampiric schemers and magicians is — alongside
the Assamites and Salubri – one of the three traditional blood-enemies of the Baali
• God: the so-called “Creator,” this entity is credited with building a false reality over the
unconscious forms of the Sleeping Children
• Hive: a collection of likeminded Baali and their allies who establish a permanent presence in
a single location (often beneath a city), occasionally centered around the traditional Organ Pit;
true Hives are exceedingly rare in the modern nights, as most Baali maintain only temporary
residences as Pilgrims or within Choirs
• Jigoku: a unique Discipline of the Akahaete Bloodline focused upon the art of awakening the
inner demon-form

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 9

 • Josians: the elite Infernalist-hunters of the Camarilla, given an authority equal to that of an
Archon; the Camarilla-equivalent of the Sabbat Inquisition
• Lilith Night-Hag: one-half of the first mortal human, Adam Ha-Rishon, originally crafted by
God to serve as dutiful wife to her lordly husband; gifted with power over spirit, she rebelled
again the divine plan and was cast out of Paradise prior to the creation of Eve. Over the following
millennia, Lilith has opposed God on numerous occasions: acting as ally to Cainites (and to the
Baali) when it suits her purposes
• Lucifer Morningstar: most-beloved of God’s angels, brightest-shining of all His creations,
Lucifer’s fall can be noted as the first of God’s major unforced errors; although the Baali have
often been accused of alliance with Lucifer and frequently move amongst mortal “Satanists,” the
Baali record no interaction between the Bloodline and this cosmic entity and do not know his
current whereabouts
• Moloch: one of the three original progenitors of the Baali bloodline, alongside Nergal & the
Nameless, Moloch ruled over the vast empire of Carthage, a seat of power rivaled only by Rome;
he is known to have used the ancient Brujah called Troile as his blood-slave & puppet. Moloch
is well-regarded by modern Baali for his subtlety, wisdom, finesse, and patience; he is said to
rest in torpor beneath the ruins of Carthage, whispering to his faithful in dreams. His return to
wakefulness is prophesied to signal the arrival of the Sleeping Children in a reality coterminous
with our own
• The Molochim: slayers of decadents & fools, a sect of Baali committed to maintaining secret
knowledge of the Children of the Outer Dark, quietly collecting forbidden lore & artifacts; this
organization – founded in the early 13th century – actively moved against foolish Infernalists,
destroying all those incapable of using demonic power with subtlety. Although modern Baali
draw much of their ideology from the laws of this clandestine organization, the official Order
of Moloch – along with their libraries of stolen Assamite Blood-Sorcery – vanished immediately
following their victory over the would-be Shaitan Azaneal. The final command of these legendary
infernalist-hunters – known in these modern nights as the ‘True Molochim’ – to the greater Baali
Faith was simple: hide and await further instruction. To the credit of modern Baali, these are
orders faithfully kept (for the most part) to this very night. Amongst younger Baali, a ‘Molochim’
is any of the damned known for her ruthless efficiency both in obtaining secret knowledge and
in covering her tracks: a reputation to which every Baali aspires
• The Nameless: one of the three original progenitors of the Baali bloodline, alongside Moloch
& Nergal; little of this entity is known, although conflicting reports suggest that she may have
travelled far to the east in search of otherworldly wisdom following her Embrace. Modern-era
Baali accept her as the likely progenitor of the Akahaete Bloodline and venerate what little of her
legacy is known as best they are able
• Namtaru, the Spreader of Plagues: a hyper-cosmic entity of unfathomable power, he is the
only of the Sleeping Children to be specifically identified; ‘Namtaru’ serves as his accepted
title among occultists, as his “true name” is infinite in complexity, far beyond the capacity of
any earthly mind – mortal or immortal – to grasp. The location of his resting-place is not truly
known but is rumored to lie beneath the fortress at Chorazin; most likely, the multidimensional
realm housing at least some portion of Namtaru’s psyche or physical body is adjacent – at least
partially – with several sites in our reality. Namtaru is said to have roused – briefly – from his

10 Lexicon
 slumber only once: in 636 CE, he tore the heart from the 4th-generation Salubri known as
Samiel, utterly destroying that Methuselah along with more than half of his forces. With that
same single strike, Namtaru snuffed-out the legendary Code of Samiel and instantly reduced the
total number of worldwide Warrior Salubri to a mere five neonates
• Nergal: one of the three original progenitors of the Baali bloodline, alongside Moloch & the
Nameless, known for his naked depravity and open obsession with service to the Sleeping
Children, including a mad plot to awaken Namtaru circa 1600 BCE; in modern nights, a ‘Nergal’
or ‘Nergali’ is any of the damned who needlessly draws attention to herself as a demon-worshiper,
often with disastrous results. Because whispers of the Baali indicate that the Methuselah escaped
destruction and currently slumbers beneath Mexico City, awaiting commands from the Children
of the Outer Dark, the term ‘Nergali’ can also be used as a back-handed compliment: begrudging
acknowledgment that the recipient of such an epithet has, at the very least, successfully survived
the disastrous fallout of her own foolhardy & ill-conceived plan
• Pilgrim: a lone Baali; one who travels the night quietly, performing the appointed tasks of
her faith in her own way and maintaining only minimal contact with Choirs, Hives, fellow
Pilgrims and other members of the greater Baali Faith. In modern nights, the majority of Baali
are Pilgrims, moving into and out of Choirs as desired
• Plague-Saint: the absolute highest rank of devotee within the Via Contagionis Path of
Enlightenment, a worshiper answering only to Namtaru himself
• Salubri: this clan of vampiric healers and paladins is — alongside the Assamites and Followers of
Set – one of the three traditional blood-enemies of the Baali
• Shaitan: in theory, the single highest position of authority among the Baali, unrivaled in power
and given authority to command all members of the Bloodline; in practice, this is a title – nearly
empty, in the modern nights – claimed over the centuries by any dozen Elders, Methuselah,
potent Infernalists, and other members of the bloodline, including (at one time) the 4th-
generation Bloodline-progenitor Nergal and the great Methuselah Azaneal. Referring to another
Baali as ‘Shaitan’ is a polite honorific – similar to ‘sir,’ ‘sempai’ or ‘my lord’ – that is occasionally
employed as a dire, mocking insult
• The Sleeping Children: an assortment of mysterious hyper-cosmic entities who ruled the universe
during a previous incarnation of reality, entities over-whom our current “bubble” of time-space
is overlaid; it is the central tenet of the greater Baali Faith that these entities will rise again to
reclaim our (their) reality from the usurper-god Yahweh.
Of them, it is said:
… they exist in a state of physical and psychic separation and imprisonment. Their flesh exists in the
material realm, embedded in the substance of the Earth itself; in “tombs” that show no sign of construction
and that have walls etched with the scars of their thrashing. Their minds, however, exist somewhere else, in
a sea of tormented horror that is to them sweetest bliss. Should some event encourage one of the Children
to awaken, their minds and bodies come closer to union, their unclean knowledge is released into the world
around them, the essence of their nature spills over into all sapient minds in the vicinity, driving them to
greater and greater acts of depravity, and reality warps and twists to a breaking point.
Namtaru the Spreader of Plagues is the only Child of the Outer Dark to be positively and

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 11

 unquestionably identified; some heretical scholars of ancient Baali lore, however, claim to have
knowledge of three additional Sleeping Children, their whereabouts unknown: Nehemoth the
Whisperer, Shevirah the Breaker, and Ghulynd the Unclean.
• Topheth: The ancient music-garden of Moloch, also known as the Burning Place or the Obelisk
of Slaughter; a “high place” in the Valley of Hinnom where worshipers of Moloch dwelling in
Canaan burned their own children alive as sacrifices to Moloch. Topheth is derived from the
Hebrew word toph, here meaning a drum or tambourine; it is said that the blood-drenched, ash-
encrusted pillars of the temple literally shook with the echoed howls and ecstatic prayers of all
those who come to pay supplication before mighty Moloch. In the parlance of modern Baali, a
“Topheth” is any place where Baali rule openly over humans, demanding direct sacrifice from
their cattle and reveling in the music of mortal screams. No such location is currently active in
the current nights, of course, though educated Baali expect ‘the Topheth’ to become the default
dwelling-place and gathering-place for mortals in the terrifying World-to-Come
• Via Hyron (Road of the Hive): An all-but-vanished Path of Enlightenment still practiced only by
the most ancient and secluded of Baali Elders (Clanbook: Baali; pg. 43), this utterly alien ideology
– considered strange, inhuman & antiquated as far back as the 1100s – is said to have been crafted
by Moloch himself, designed by his infallible wisdom to unify the Bloodline beneath a single
banner: his own. Unsubstantiated whispers claim that the True Molochim, upon vanishing from
the world in the wake of Azaneal’s destruction, allowed these sacred teachings to be corrupted
into something repugnant & unrecognizable (The Black Hand: A Guide to the Tal’Mahe’Ra, pg.
53), an act of unforgivable betrayal to the Bloodline. If these whispers are to be believed, the so-
called ‘True Molochim’ have declared themselves the enemy of all faithful Baali
• The Wyrm: A cosmic entity of decay, entropy, and corruption worshipped by the Black Spiral
Dancers, Kumo Goblin Spiders, mortal spirit-summoners, and a wide assortment of other
corrupt entities who have allied – over the centuries – with the Baali; this entity is understood
by the Baali to represent a sort of “echo” of the Sleeping Children in this, the modern universe:
as they once were, and shall be again, the Wyrm now is – albeit in lesser form – and worship of
the Wyrm is therefore encouraged among minions, blood dolls and other lesser servants to the
Bloodline
• Yomonlik: A splinter-Bloodline of the Baali descended from the 5th-generation creature known
as Yomon-Li; this rare lineage was believed destroyed – hunted to extinction – by at least the 9th
century CE. With the return of Yomon-Li to the Earth-Realm at the end of WW2, the lineage
has begun once more to bloom in dark places
• Yomon-Li: A legendary Methuselah of the Baali, said to have met Final Death near the end of
the Punic Wars, ostensibly at the side of his sire Moloch. Yomon-Li is known to have travelled
quite extensively in the time of the Second City, and is said to have been tutored by legendary
members of the Apepnu and the Nephandi – among other dark instructors – in the unique
Discipline of Corrupturum

12 Lexicon
The Flood: A Detailed Have you heard the phrase “cruising altitude of
thirty-thousand feet” in reference to a commercial
Crime-Scene Analysis aircraft? That’s roughly the boundary of the upper
troposphere with the lower stratosphere; planes
fly there because – in the region above that line
Technically, it wasn’t a “forty-day event”. – there’s no clouds. There’s no weather. No water
And that’s important, because if one is to vapor, no nothing. Just cold, dry ozone.
accurately profile the single greatest spree-killer in On the fortieth day of the Deluge, the floodwaters
our time-space continuum’s fascinating and gore- capped at twenty-nine thousand, fifty-two feet
spattered history, one ought – at the very least – to across the entire planet. Right there at the edge.
get one’s facts straight.
To give a comparison on that “four and a half
Leave the oh-so-shocking, dumbed-down billion cubic kilometers of water” figure, by the
headline scandals and sordid, titillated gossip- way, that’s 3.25 times the total amount of water on
column handwringing to the rubes and the the planet. If every river, sea, and ocean tripled in
rubberneckers. We are Baali. We demand rigor. size overnight, it wouldn’t match what we got hit
In point of actual fact, the Earth continued with. And you wanna talk sheer weight? A single
flooding for one hundred and fifty days before the cubic kilometer of water, on the US short scale,
floodwaters began to recede; the first, infamous weighs 1.1023 billion tons.
forty days and forty nights were simply the most We got hit with somewhere in the range of four
intense. In total, Noah and his family – the and a half billion of those.
absolute last mortals on the planet – were trapped
on their Ark for precisely 371 days: just over a year. And it all came down at a rate of about nine
meters – just under 30 feet! – an hour.
And how intense were those first 40 days of global
rainstorm? Well, the entire surface of the planet So: if you’re a seven-foot-tall, thousand-year-old
was drowned beneath a single nameless new ocean demon-blooded war-engine who punches five-foot-
with a depth slightly exceeding 8.86 kilometers thick tempered-clay city walls in half for shits &
above current sea-level – that is, enough to cover giggles, please understand that the water – planet
Mount Everest by about twenty feet – which works wide – is solidly above your head after just 15
out to four and a half billion cubic kilometers of water minutes. About a week and a half later, you’ve got
dropped on us. a mile of water standing on the exact same spot you
were at, with just 781 hours of rainfall left to go.
Note that the so-called “Death Zone” – the Not that you’d survive half that long, of course:
elevation-level where atmospheric oxygen- individual raindrops, at the time of the Deluge, had
concentration drops to 34% of sea-level, insufficient the impact-velocity of a 9 mm bullet – enough to
to sustain human life – is at just 8,000 kilometers. shatter concrete – and the basic friction of ripping
The current average depth of the Pacific Ocean is through normal atmospheric air-resistance at that
just four kilometers. Denver, Colorado – current speed means they were boiling when they hit.
elevation: 1.6 kilometers above sea level – was, at
the time of the Flood, therefore submerged beneath And every square inch of the planet was violated
7.2 kilometers of globe-spanning ocean; at the surface simultaneously by buckets upon buckets upon
of the ocean, high above, the air was so thin that buckets of this shit, slamming into the earth more
the human brain starts to swell, leading to nausea like a “flesh-rending, solid, scalding-hot sheet of
and psychosis, before simply breaking down and firehose blast” than a mere “rainstorm,” as we
allowing the body to die. would understand it … and then we just kept
getting ass-pounded, in a literally constant barrage,

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 15

for a full nine-hundred and sixty straight hours. sub-Neptune with two-to-four times the radius of
Earth, all covered in thousand-mile-deep ocean,
It cracked continents. Annihilated nations. shake, stir, chill, then pour about five billion
Wiped entire civilizations off the map. Christ, cubic kilometers of ripped-up corpses and bloody
there was so much water in the upper atmosphere seawater back out somewhere into deep space
that the planet had rings around it. through a ten-kilometer by ten-kilometer hole in
Why the overkill? reality. At a nice quick drainage-velocity of death-
water plummeting into the trans-stellar void at
Well, there were giants in the earth in those 7,200 miles an hour, that’s barely one hundred and
days. Titans and colossi, Nephilim and dragons, fifty days before the planet is perfectly habitable
behemoth and leviathan, fucking unicorns and again.
shit. Demons, and plenty of them. Us, of course.
Even the sons of Seth lived for centuries back then: And there are things that survived that.
Noah was six hundred when the Flood hit, and he You’re related to one of them.
was nine hundred and fifty when he finally dropped
over stone-cold, presumably of complications from And unless something else kills you first, you
having the biggest goddamn set of balls ever given can expect that exact monster – your great-great-
to a child of God. grandsire’s great-great-grandsire, for example, if
you happen to be 11th generation – to wake up any
Some estimates, just to clarify, put the global night now, in all probability thirsty-as-hell for your
population at somewhere around four billion at tasty ass, ten-foot tall, brooding, hunky, batshit
the time of the Deluge, with presumably about bonkers and immune to goddamn everything.
3.999-repeating billion of those psychopathic,
cousin-fucking cannibal assholes actively doing Everyone with a copy of a bible – meaning just
their damndest to royally piss-off the Good Lord about everyone – has free, unfettered access to
every single moment of every single day. the vast majority of this information. Most people
do not sit down and do the math, because most
Kinda brings a tear of pride to your eye, don’t it? people are not serious about this stuff. Not like the
But you can see Yahweh’s move, here: if you Baali, anyway.
absolutely, positively have to kill every goddamn The problem is that most of the usable
thing on the planet, to execute every last information on the prehistory of earth, the nature
motherfucking living thing that moves on the face of God, and the upcoming attractions of the End
of the Earth, a couple hundred-dozen quadrillion Times – like, 99% of it, probably – is not jotted
tons of hyperkinetic water-mass dropping rod- down in a book that is available to every ignorant
from-God style to simultaneously impact every mouth-breather in the Western Hemisphere,
conceivable surface of the globe at the same time translated into every language, and found in the
should probably do it. Keep that up for about a bedside drawer of every hotel.
thousand straight hours, let’s say, just to get all
the little nooks, crannies, and dirty little crevices. A lot of it is significantly more difficult and costly
And if that doesn’t quite scour the entire offending to come-by.
blasphemer-covered rock nice & squeaky-clean,
you can just keep a firm-but-gentle planet-wide You see the concern.
chokehold going for … eh, say about a year or so? The reason that we, the Baali, give a shit about
Just until everything stops thrashing around and all the weird occult minutiae we collect & kill
screaming profane, blood-chilling obscenities. people for is because this is what we’re up against.
Heck, just teleport it all in from some nearby And I don’t mean the Antediluvians, scary as they
might be (and they are). I don’t even mean the

16 The Flood: A Detailed Crime-Scene Analysis

mad, faceless, megalomaniacal, pre-human ocean-
summoning genocide-fetishist with a quirky kink
for slicing-off foreskins. I mean the older things,
the things that legit slept through the entire ordeal
of the Great Flood, not even bothering to stir in
their depthless slumber.
Those.
When they move to kill God, everyone on the
planet is going to be caught with their pants down.
Except for us. Not that “having your pants up” is
necessarily going to make much of a difference,
considering what’s coming. But at least we won’t
be surprised.
inspiring indulgence. Some of these “banes” can take
possession of living humans, twisting them into so-
called “fomori” and pushing these meat-puppets to
create ever-greater misery & despair: breeding pits for
Wyrm-aligned demons.
Fomori are very useful cannon-fodder, prized &
cultivated by the Baali.
And an entire dark chorus of demons are, in truth,
ascended Baali: vampires drawn so deep into the
mysteries of damnation and the Outer Dark that
they become permanent vessels for the power of the
Sleeping Children.
To their ranks, we all aspire.

On the Nature of And some “demons,” in truth, are yet inexplicable:

riddles for the clever demonologist to unravel and
Demons… and of command, should he possess the will.

“demons” In short, some of those hostile, thrashing, alien

creatures we call “demons” can be summoned, bound,
reasoned-with, bargained-with, killed, fed-upon, torn
Some “demons” are, in point of fact, actually fallen
apart, fucked, bred with humans, implanted into a
angels.
host, worn as a cloak or used as a weapon of war.
A few of these entities are capable of pulling
Some of them cannot.
themselves from the pit – however briefly – to work
their will in real-space, begging favors of living sorcerers And some … well, some demons predate God
& undead warlocks alike, fastening themselves to those Himself.
who walk the mortal world in desperation. A smaller
handful of these fallen are ‘earthbound’: refugees of a These, the Sleeping Children, are the demons
heaven forever barred to them, convicts escaped from worshiped by the Baali. Or, well … if “worshiped” is
their eternal damnation, their phantasmal claws dug too strong a word, let’s try “tended.”
into the firmament of the stones and trees, rivers and “Manipulated,” perhaps.
mountains.
But the Sleeping Children of the Darkness Before
Other “demons” are mere human ghosts. Some are – fundamentally – creatures older than the
are psychic reverberations: newborn spirit-creatures, universe as man knows it.
birthed of human suffering and the long echoes of
unfathomable trauma upon a place, object or lineage. Older than God.
Some are just particularly hostile manifestations of
These demon-overgods care nothing for True
the natural world, mislabeled or corrupted by foolish
Faith, nor for religion of any kind. They see the
occultists. Some are extradimensional entities, native
“Creator God” – with what limited wakefulness they
to another layer of reality entirely. Some are rejected
possess, locked so deep in their lovely lucid dreams
projects born of a wizard’s hubris & folly.
of unrelenting slaughter – as a crude interloper, an
Yet more “demons” are spirits of the Wyrm, unwelcome invader.
negative emotions given life, feeding on vice &
A buzzing mosquito in the dead of night. An itch

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 17

just below the beltline. A whiff of something foul,
rotting in the other room.
And they hate Him for daring to exist in their
presence.

Where are they now?:

God Edition
The question often asked by those who encounter
the Baali, or indeed vampires in general, is simple:
where is God in all this?
God is where God has always been: He’s a child
who made His plaything, enjoyed it, broke it,
neglected it, forgot about it, left it to rot in the rain
& tall grass, and who has long-since wandered off
to deal with other issues. Say that God helps those
who help themselves, say that He’s an absentee
landlord, say that He works in mysterious ways.
Say that God is dead.
Say that He just needs a break right now. Maybe
it’s better if you see other people. It’s not you, it’s
Him. You’re great. Really.
All of these are true. And none of them.

18 The Flood: A Detailed Crime-Scene Analysis

 The Sleeping Children and their Aspects
Some demons – many worthy of the title – are Aspects of the great Sleeping Children: Namtaru, immortal
Spreader of Plagues, yet slumbers beneath the black basalt of Chorazin, two and a half miles from
Capernaum on a hill above the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee.
The greatest blood-sacrifices of Nergal-who-is-called-Shaitan some three and a half millennia ago failed
to wake the Child, a failure for which all who yet dwell upon this ugly rock should give thanks. And still,
the wicked desires of fast-asleep-Namtaru are worked in flesh by his waking Aspects, the 36 anti-Tzadikim
Nistarim of his Decani: Metathiax, Bothothel, Anoster, Cybele, Mary the Black, Xaebos Glass, Saint
Belphagor the Smiling, Red Sunrise of Lustful Howls, Philip the Immaterial, Hammer of Blood-Soaked
Victory, and unnamable others.
Some of these Aspects work against one another, waging brutal war in the shadows, expending dark oceans
of blood & souls in a futile attempt to snuff one another out.
As should be expected.
And yet Namtaru is but one of the Children.
They are a multitude.
And to each Child is born a pantheon of Aspects.
Beneath any city, on any given night, something might groan & stretch in its long, dark dream of genocide.
No wonder we work so hard to keep them sleeping.

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 19

 Demonic
Bloodlines
“If I got rid of my demons, I’d lose my angels.”
- Tennessee Williams

The Akahaete the East in those unfathomably distant nights,

questing for answers to unwholesome riddles?
Can it be imagined that she might have spent
The precise origin of the Akahaete Bloodline incalculable centuries in meditation at the pale feet
is unknown, shrouded in a weave of crimson- of some Bodhisattva of Wickedness – wreathed in
dripping mysteries. unholy incense, the toll of gore-slick tsurigane and
a coil of endless thirst – contemplating the infinite
That said, there are a few competing theories:
sins of her lineage, seeking to divest herself of all
One possibility is that the Akahaete are an ancient shreds of her tattered humanity and be reborn,
splinter-clan, lost progeny of the Unnamed: the her damnation sharpened to a razor’s edge?
third of the original Baali, alongside Nergal-called-
Yet other compelling theories suggest a more
Shaitan and Moloch, her identity lost since the
recent ancestor: Baali are swift to re-embrace
time of the Second City. As evidence, occultists
wayward Kindred into their own ranks, and
point to the name of her Bloodline: ‘Akahaete’
sometimes – just sometimes – the blood of a
appears to be a corruption of the Japanese arehate
progenitor is strong enough to remain influential.
and akuma – words meaning desolate, deserted
Multiple accounts (some of them doubtlessly
or abandoned and demon, respectively – and the
forgeries or mistranslations) state with authority
unique gifts of the Bloodline point, perhaps, to
that the Akahaete were brought-forth when a
tutoring by a grandmaster kuei-jin trained in use of
particularly potent Salubri, City Gangrel or
Demon Shintai, most likely dedicated to the Howl
Tzimisce Methuselah was re-embraced by a cabal
of the Devil Tiger philosophy.
of cackling Baali elders. In such a telling, the
Is it possible that the Unnamed walked far to Akahaete are perfected exemplars of intermingling

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 21

vitae, born to rule over their less-powerful cousins.
Whatever the truth, the Akahaete remain a
small but powerful sect among the Baali, their gifts
developing down a different dark path than their
infernal brethren.
Nickname: Monstrosities or Gashadokuro
Weakness: In addition to the weakness of
their parent-clan regarding sacred symbols and
a vulnerability to True Faith, an Akahaete – no
matter her level of Obfuscate – may always be
vaguely perceived by certain inhabitants of the
mortal world: children, animals, innocents, the
terminally-ill, those experiencing the effects of
powerful hallucinogens, and those who have
survived near-death experiences. This never
includes Kindred, ghouls, mortal Infernalists or
other supernatural entities; at the Storyteller’s
discretion, this may include psychically-sensitive
mortals (such as hedge witches and kinfolk) who
have never been infected with the blood of Caine.
Although this perception is never crystal-clear, and
may take many different forms, such mortals always
know that something eerie and unwholesome
lurks nearby. A child might spot the silhouette of
an Elder standing silently in the breathless dark,
while a drunk walking home from the tavern might
hear a terrible, unnatural ringing in his ears as he
is followed by an Methuselah Akahaete.
Auspex and other mystical abilities may pierce
the Obfuscate gifts of an Akahaete as normal.
Disciplines: Celerity, Obfuscate, Jigoku (detailed
below). Akahaete are often cross-trained in
Daimonion by their brethren, and many simply
possess an intuitive knowledge of that dark gift:
selecting the Additional Discipline Merit (V20,
pg. 494). Similarly, main-bloodline Baali who
have access to an Akahaete tutor are infamous
for demanding access to knowledge of Jigoku,
commonly offering mountains of forbidden
treasures in exchange.

22 Demonic Bloodlines
The Yomonlik
The Yomonlik are an ancient bloodline of the
demonic, long thought to be extinct. It is believed
that most of these reality-violating Archfiends
were wiped-out completely in the second century
BC, favored targets of Rome during the third
Punic War; what few of the Bloodline survived
were extinguished utterly by the 9th century CE,
following the end of the Devil-King Age. They
and all their servants were hunted to extinction,
their very names stricken from history so that none
might rediscover their terrifying abilities.
But evil does not lay dormant forever.
In the early 1940s, towards the end of the
Second World War, the desperate Nazi party
sought-out any forbidden occult knowledge they
could claim, unearthing hundreds of lost tombs
and unwholesome temples in their panicked
attempts to turn the tide of the war. Some of these
experiments bore dark, gleaming fruit. In their
excitement and ignorance, a secret Nazi occult-
science division opened a door to something evil.
Something long dormant. They awoke Yomon-Li,
the originator of the bloodline, somehow bringing
the 5th-generation Methuselah back from not just
the depths of torpor, but from Hell itself.
Those few Nazi dimensional engineers and
atrocity-technicians fortunate enough to survive
Yomon-Li’s immediate arrival to the mortal realm
became the first of his new brood, Embraced
alongside a handful of those they meant to sacrifice
to the demon-in-undead-flesh.
Since then, the bloodline has been very slowly
growing, embracing in secret and keeping their
moves subtle and secret. Masters of manipulation,
the Yomonlik have been practicing their horrid
craft for nearly a century now, slowly making
their way to the halls of power around the world;
many of their goals seek to return ancient, fallen
Yomonlik of elder ages to new bodies, throwing
wide the gates of the Abyss.
They remain a very small synod within the Baali,
TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI
their own unique discipline focused upon the art
of bringing Hell to Earth. A Choir of Baali and
Akahaete joined by even a single Yomonlik is a
devastating force, often capable of threatening an
entire Camarilla city.
Nickname: Archfiends
Weakness: It is said that Embrace as a Yomonlik
is particularly terrifying, as the soul of the would-be
Childer is first thrust deep into Hell before being
dragged back and compelled to inhabit her own
corpse by the crimson chains of Caine’s curse.
In addition to the weakness of their parent clan
regarding sacred symbols and True Faith, the
Yomonlik must continue to fight the pull of Hell:
echoes of Oblivion shade every moment of their
waking nights, and draw them far deeper into sleep
than other Kindred. All Yomonlik suffer the effects
of the Deep Sleeper (V20 485) and Deathsight
Flaws (V20 pg. 494), though they receive no points
for these drawbacks. The obscene visions inflicted
upon those of this Bloodline – waking or asleep
– would be considered utterly nightmarish by
anyone else … but many Yomonlik embrace these
horrific visions as a source of artistic inspiration,
at least publicly. Whenever a Yomonlik has a total
number of blood points in her Blood Pool greater
than her temporary Willpower, these Flaws fade
into the background and the Yomonlik is able
to behold the world untainted; some Yomonlik
grow addicted to this reprieve, and go to elaborate
lengths to maintain their clarity of vision: gorging
themselves on blood and exhausting themselves in
elaborate orgies of self-mutilation.
For complex reasons, the Abyssal-Bound Vitae
Flaw (below) is especially common among the
Yomonlik: even at the height of their numbers,
during the Age of Devil-Kings, their population
was a fraction of a fraction of the total worldwide
Baali numbers.
Disciplines: Auspex, Presence, Corrupturum
(detailed below). Yomonlik are often cross-trained
in Daimonion by their brethren, and many simply
possess an intuitive knowledge of that dark gift,
selecting the Additional Discipline Merit (V20,
23
pg. 494). Similarly, main-bloodline Baali who have
access to a Yomonlik tutor are near-universally
eager to gain instruction in the legendary arts
of Corrupturum, trading in access to forbidden
knowledge with glee.

The Last of the Yomonlik and Relics of Corrupturum

The enduring mystery of the Yomonlik is simple: when did the very last of that blasphemous line meet its
Final Death?
The secret histories of the Assamites, Salubri and Followers of Set are the only surviving records of the
splinter-Bloodline’s mere existence, unfortunately, and these accounts are incomplete at best: the utter
annihilation of the Baali fortress at Mashkan-Shapir wiped-out much of the early history of the Demons,
and the Minoan Eruption in 1600 BCE – at the end of the Second Baali War – destroyed most of the rest;
by the time of the razing of Carthage by Romans in 146 BCE, the Baali were badly fractured.
It is generally accepted that Yomon-Li and his cabal of demon-witch childer – never a particularly populous
Bloodline to begin with – died together as one, reduced to ash by the full fury of Rome; what few stragglers
of the splinter-Bloodline fled from the still-burning ruins of that fallen city were hunted-down completely
over the next few centuries, their ashes left to greet the sun by Ventrue ghouls & Malkavian oracles
operating with the full authority of the Roman Senate.
The last glorious population of the Yomonlik dwelt in the long shadows of the Oasis of Eternal Bliss,
licking blood from the obsidian ziggurats and handing gardens of that grotesque place until the fall of the
Age of Devil-Kings in 756 CE.
… and yet, every few decades, a Corrupturum Object is unearthed, crafted of a material or tool
manufactured much more recently than the end of the Punic Wars or the late 8th century. And one is left
to wonder if some shattered remnant of that strange old magic survives, in secret & in shadow, to these
Final Nights.

24 Demonic Bloodlines
Other Splinter- to distant Voivodes enduring the Thirst of Ages,
superstitious villagers, panicked soldiers, Siberkah,
Bloodlines and even the titanic Zmei (WTA: Rage Across Russia
pg. 84-89). And the Baali, for their own part, have
welcomed such creatures with open arms and
The secretive Choirs & sprawling Hives of shining smiles. Members of this splinter-Bloodline
the Baali are a colossal, twisting patchwork Embrace true: the childe of a Chernobog is, in
of intermingled lineages, ancestries, and nearly all instances, a Chernobog; in this way, the
deviations – folded into the Bloodline vast majority have left the Curse of Absimilard far
through the darkest of sorceries – and ex- behind, sullied now – for the most part – only by
members of nearly every Clan & Bloodline the weakness of their parent clan regarding sacred
can be found among those ten-thousand symbols and True Faith. In exchange for this
faithful who dance & deceive, corrupt & release from Caine’s Vengeance, however, the Kiss
kill, slaughter & sing praise for the eternal of the Chernobog drains beauty from her mortal
joy of the Sleeping Children. victim alongside the lifeforce she drinks: for each
The Ivoriyx are a Bloodline drawn – according to blood point consumed by the Chernobog when
knowledgeable occultists – from the pale veins of she feeds, the victim’s Appearance drops by one
a single powerful Ventrue Elder adopted into the for the remainder of the night. Careless feeding is,
Akahaete during (or immediately after) the collapse obviously, likely to lead inexorably to a Masquerade
of Rome; creatures of this august lineage may – if breach. Any creature killed via exsanguination
they choose – substitute the Presence Discipline by a Chernobog leaves a particularly horrid and
for Obfuscate and/or gain the Fortitude Discipline terrifying corpse, a scene of nightmare. Members
in place of Celerity. Many also learn Dominate of this Bloodline retain the Potence and Obfuscate
as an Additional Discipline. As bodyguards to Disciplines of the Nosferatu, usually replacing
Elder Baali and – more rarely – infiltrators to Animalism with Daimonion and often gaining
the Camarilla, Ivoriyx are more likely than others access to Presence in the bargain.
of the Bloodline to learn the Horror known as House Barlowe, Dhjaani, & Cross is
Cape of Pretty, Pretty Skin (below), and their unapologetically a former coven of the Tremere
Wicked Corpse forms often appear to be carved Antitribu, a lost Chantry who cast-off the shackles
of ash-white, onyx-veined marble. In addition of the Sabbat and House Goratrix alike with darkest
to the weakness of their parent-clan regarding glee when granted the slightest opportunity to
sacred symbols and True Faith, members of this betray both of those over-stifling organizations in
splinter Bloodline cannot use their blood to create a single night of arcane terror, esoteric psychosis,
a ghoul, or maintain a ghoul, nor to Embrace a unnatural bloodshed, and good old-fashioned
childe unless they have completely exsanguinated a diablerie. Headed by a maniacal trio of mutually-
mortal in the same night. blood-bound lovers and gifted with the Clan
Chernobog are a dangerous and paranoid Disciplines of Auspex, Dominate, and Daimonion,
lineage, drawn primamrily from the ranks of House Barlowe, Dhjaani, & Cross is the foremost
Central and Eastern European ex-Nosferatu – – perhaps only – organization in the world
many said to trace their clotted, odorous black dedicated exclusively to the research, exploration,
blood directly back to the veins of Baba Yaga – and development of Dark Thaumaturgy. The
who have fled their nests over the centuries in a stated goal of the House is nothing less than full
series of desperate bids to escape the attentions resurrection of the lost art of Baali Sorcery, a grail-
of the Niktuku, Silver Fangs, Brujah loyalists, quest to reinstate the web of corpse-bridges that
mortal witch-hunters, szlachta and zozhd in service once – according to legend – linked the Organ Pits

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 25

kept sanctified & secured at the center of every
Hive. If successful, their art would transform the
Baali utterly in a single night: their spells permitting
instantaneous transportation between the abattoir-
lairs of Plague-Saints and their Hives, untraceable
and unstoppable by enemies of the Bloodline.
In addition to the weakness of their parent-clan
regarding sacred symbols and True Faith, members
of this splinter Bloodline are required to consume
ash as well as blood: at least once each week, a
scion of House Barlowe, Dhjaani, & Cross must
devour at least one pint of ash; if she fails to do
so, she gains no benefit from drinking blood until
she does so. Any ash will suffice: cigarette butts,
campfire leftovers, charred meat and vampire-
remains destroyed by fire or sunlight are all fit for
consumption. Ash consumed in this way provides
no other sustenance and must be vomited-up
before the vampire may sleep.
The Contagion of Loz is suspected to possess
a Tzimisce origin, as Baali of this Bloodline are
more likely than others of their kind to exhibit
mastery of Vicissitude in addition to Daimonion
and Presence; Auspex and Obfuscate are perhaps
equally common as additional abilities gained at the
Embrace. The flesh of Contagion-Bearers – as they
are called – universally churns & roils with strange,
unwholesome life: every member of the Bloodline
possesses both the Bite of Squirming Carrion and
the Infested Flaws (see below), and she gains no
additional Freebie points for enduring these Flaws.
Interestingly, this Bloodline boasts a significant
number of Elders, suggesting that it is one of the
oldest splinter-Bloodlines still in existence; like the
Yomonlik, however, this Bloodline suffers near-
universally from the Abyssal-Bound Vitae Flaw
(below).
The Ghemal are terrifying, haughty warrior-
poets, ravening dervishes of demonic fury who
take their name from the apocryphal Palace
of Caine in the First City. These blood-soaked
berserker-princes trace their lineage to the union
of Troile and Moloch at the height of Carthage;
they see themselves as the rightful rulers over the
civilized world, brought low only by the treachery
26 Demonic Bloodlines
& low cunning of the Ventrue and their drooling
Malkavian lapdogs. Members of the Ghemal may
replace the Obfuscate Discipline of the Baali with
either Potence or Celerity; most gain the other as
an Additional Discipline, and rare is the Ghemal
who does not seek a position of leadership within
whatever Choir she adopts. Any Choir unfortunate
enough to play host to a pair of Ghemal is likely to
endure near-nightly contests of will and authority
until one of the Bloodline is driven out to establish
her own dark kingdom. Although the Ghemal are
– stereotypically – known as furious, near-mindless
engines of pure devastation, they do not suffer the
famous Weakness of Clan Brujah: the clever scion
of the Ghemal can be eerily patient, when it suits
her, brushing off insults with casual, flippant ease.
In addition to the weakness of their parent-clan
regarding sacred symbols and True Faith, Ghemal
cause the area round them – the room they occupy,
for instance, or the city block they stand upon –
to grow dark and quiet, as if a shadow had passed
over the moon, whenever they use any Discipline
or spend blood for any reason. Ghemal are also
possessed of legendary thirst: a Ghemal is always
considered to be three blood points lower for
purposes of her Self-Control and Instinct rolls
(V20, pg. 268): if the Ghemal has five blood points
left, for example, she is treated as though she
possessed a blood pool of only two and may roll
only two dice for her Self-Control rolls, even if the
Ghemal’s normal Self- Control rating is 5.
 Blasphemous Legends of Loz
Contagion-Bearers of Loz claim – as might well be expected – to be the descendants of “Loz”; further, however, they
claim that their actual progenitor (not Loz) was, in fact, one of five 4th-generation Baali to have crawled from the great
organ-pit of the First People: a nameless, beautiful singing-boy stolen from the Second City, an innocent kidnapped and
befouled, destined for sacrifice in the organ pit, made immortal by the sinister blood of Ashur.
When the boy pulled himself from the gore-streaked depths, it is said, his flesh had been twisted into ruin and his angelic
voice had been torn from his still-weeping throat.
The bizarre legend states that the boy passed into the Realms of the Dead following his suicide; once there, he wandered
far from the grey-lit shores of the lost Living World into the far darkness beneath the Labyrinth, past the edge of the Void.
There, according to these tales, the shuddering and near-crippled shadow of the boy was drawn by the wicked vitae still
burning in his long-dead veins to the vast carapace of a slumbering, insectoid leviathan: a true Child of the Outer Dark.
Beyond the depths, it stretched and roiled: a titan scarcely-contained by the infinities of cold and empty blackness gaping
forever downward, far beneath the Land of the Dead.
In rapt adoration of this slumbering thing, of an entity larger and older than worlds, the awestruck boy laid one lacerated
finger upon the chitinous plate of this incalculable monstrosity … and at this touch he was instantly transformed: he
became something new, neither mortal nor ghost, yet not the Cainite he had once been, a soul inverted, given mastery
over his own newly-reborn flesh.
And over the flesh of others, he learned, as he walked back to the world of the living.
Once his angelic features & voice had been remade, shaped by blood & will alone, the boy beheld a ghost-city surrounding
the sarcophagus of something called Loz.
He entered the city and walked the empty streets, the name of Loz trembling on his lips. Before the shrine of Loz, the
boy sang once more. And the entity in the sepulcher, that alien and unknowable thing, sang with him.
They sang together for 1,001 nights, it is said, beneath a sky with no sun in a city forged brick-by-brick from the memory
of carnage & the ripples of long-silenced screams; they sang together then of Gehenna and Enoch, and of Lilith and
Lucifer, and – most of all – of the Sleeping Children and the final fate of God.
After this time, the phantom known as Loz sent the boy away: a single word whispered in his ear.
Upon his return to the mortal realm, the boy brought the song & word of Loz with him to the Second City; by the echo
of his reforged voice, that place was undone, and certain plans were set in motion.
Plans that will culminate in a dark future yet to be born, called-forth in horror and nightmare, say the legends.
If any of this is even remotely true, it presents significantly more questions than it does answers, chief among them
where this theoretical 4th-generation “Singing-Boy of Loz” – and his blood-sibling, the fifth Baali progenitor – might
be found in the modern nights.
Most scholars of the Baali scoff at these tales as demented ramblings born from a drug-addled Iron Age mind; more-likely,
it is presumed, this “Bloodline of Loz” is drawn from the veins of some insignificant Tzimisce poet – in all probability
an Elder, but perhaps a true Methuselah sired by the Ancient himself – re-Embraced by Nergal during the heights of his
whoredom and long-ago discarded to the drifting ash of centuries.
The chittering Choirs of ancient Contagion-Bearers, many of them millennia old, simply blink their thousands of eyes
and hum together as one, tending their vast blind herd-pits far beneath the daylit world, keeping their own eerie council

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 27

 The Thirteen Childer of Moloch & Troile
Baali oral history teaches that near the end of the third Punic War, when the destruction of Carthage was
nigh, the horizons choked with corpse-fires day & night, that Troile presented to his blood-lover thirteen
newly-Embraced young Cainites – his most-deeply loyal & beloved retainers, ghouls, and seneschals; those
souls he could not bear to depart this world, nor his city, without – and bade mighty Moloch to do with
them as he pleased.
Moloch tested each of these childer, as was his way, offering each of them riddles of devilish cunning and
most-infectious wickedness; those who displeased infallible Moloch were devoured: torn apart and licked
clean, their souls swallowed down into the lightless depths of Moloch’s own … all while their beloved sire
watched, unblinking and utterly dispassionate. Some of these childer were tortured with white-blazing irons;
some were ripped apart by animals; some were crucified or spitted to await the sun. Many were vivisected
and humbled, forced to perform the duties of the lowest pit-slaves after suffering the removal of eyes and
tongues, limbs and organs. Each of these creatures, just before passing into Final Death, was plucked from
their agonies to be swallowed whole by Moloch.
Except for one.
She – icy cold master of self, death-dealing Ghemal, Last Daughter of Troile, a girl transformed from innocent
chambermaid to the most lethal of predators, a survivor unmatched in all the history of Carthage and its
holdings – impressed wise Moloch. In her, it is said, he saw the promise of Caine fulfilled: flesh born of
Eve’s folly, uplifted & remade, that it might yet fill the hearts of the Sleeping Children with sweet delight
and chuckling bemusement for this and all the nights to come.
So great was his love for her, it is said, that he granted her the Second Embrace: that highest gift, which is
the blood-privilege of the Baali alone.
Ghemal, last daughter of Troile & Moloch, begged to stand beside her beloved fathers as the city of Carthage
fell: to defend them until her final cold drop of blood, to cost Rome more souls than it could bear before
she was finally pulled down beneath the ten-thousand blades of the Ventrue tide.
In this, she was refused.
And it is said that all-powerful Moloch, before he sent her away – weeping – to work his will in dark & secret
places, spoke to her of the “Third Embrace”: that occult act which shall unleash the final form of every
Baali, to purify & make them worthy, prepared to dance & sing in ecstasy before the Awakened Children
on the night of glory.
For those who believe such tales, the secret of the Third Embrace is the ultimate prize: the so-called Black
Grail of the questing Baali occultist and her Choir.

28 Demonic Bloodlines
TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 29
 Infernal
Disciplines
The devil hath power To assume a pleasing shape.
William Shakespeare, “Hamlet”, Act 2 scene 2

Corrupturum Use of such otherworldly power is a very clear

breach of the Masquerade and leaves no doubt in
the mind of any witness that the damned is blessed
Through the power of her black blood and iron will, the with dark supernatural gifts. Use of this ability,
damned reshapes reality around herself: bringing-forth the however, causes all mundane and electronic
horrors of the Pit to the mortal world in open defiance recording equipment within line of sight of the
of God’s plan, spoiling His carefully-tended playground damned to glitch-out for the duration of this effect:
with a spiteful smirk and obscene roar of lust. a camera trained on the damned when she invokes
a Terror granted by Corrupturum records only
System: Each level of Corrupturum allows access
sinister, twisting waves of black static, sometimes
to one of the following Terrors. Like Jigoku (below),
outlining only the damned and sometimes filling
these Terrors can be swapped out every time the
the frame.
damned gains another level of any Discipline.
Special: Although the art of their creation has
When this Discipline is activated, the damned
been lost, it is possible to bind use of a single
seems to blur around the edges, as if she is not
specific Terror into an “enchanted” machine,
completely part of this world; anyone who bears
weapon, or instrument. For more information on
witness to this effect immediately knows that
these devices, see Corrupturum Objects under
something is wrong. The intense focus required
Relics of the Unholy, below.
to unleash Corrupturum without losing oneself
completely to hell prevents the use of Obfuscate to
hide this blurring.

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 31

 A Brief Word on Character Helplessness and Player Consent
Some of the following evil magical powers and abilities strip agency and consent from the character on the
receiving-end of the effect. This sort of power has a name: Rape.
Do not vicariously rape your players.
Baali and their twisted ilk are horrifying not because they deal with demonic spirits but because they understand
and exploit our inner demons. The powers detailed in the following chapter reflect that understanding …
and the ways in which the Baali and their allies use it against people.
All the same, your players should always have an out if the story goes over their boundaries. That’s especially
true if the horrors in question involve psychological abuse or sexual violation. Thus, the powers listed in this
book should be used – in many cases – mostly against non-player characters, and against player characters
only with the full and withdrawable consent of the players involved.
This means that a player who’s feeling uncomfortable with the influence of a fictional character on his or
her fictional counterpart can — and should — speak up and say, “Hey, I’m not cool with this.”
And if and when this occurs, the Storyteller must find another way to deal with the situation: a blackout, a
dramatic escape, an unexpected rescue by an unlikely ally, or whatever works best for your group and Chronicle.
Players can, of course, consent to go along with whatever happens to their characters, even if that removes
agency from the characters in question. The vital thing, though, is that the players retain agency and consent
even if their characters do not. From a gaming standpoint, that consent may be withdrawn at any time,
without argument from the Storyteller or other players.
Sure, the 5th-gen Baali has seven successes and the player botched his Willpower roll.
“No” still means no.
A proper Storyteller can respect a “no,” nod, rethink the scene, and still tell a powerful, horrifying tale. In
fact, the story can go further and become even more entertaining when the players and the Storyteller all
understand – together – that they have the power to bail out the moment that things stop being fun for them.
Helplessness is an integral element of horror fiction. Vampire, though, is a game.
And games, even cooperative storytelling games of personal horror, are supposed to be enjoyable for everyone
involved. A certain loss of control kicks up the intensity of a storytelling horror game; no question there,
that’s why we have a Self-Control score and a Willpower mechanic. Too much loss of control, however, leaves
players feeling railroaded, not engaged.
If that sense of helplessness hits too close to home, the “game” flips from play to trauma.
Don’t go there. Not even in the name of horror.
-- adapted from ‘Book of the Fallen’ for Mage 20, pg. 116, with special thanks to Satyros Phil Brucato and
Jacqueline Bryk

32 Infernal Disciplines
Terrors creature she can see that is not already bound by
use of this ability, and rolls Wits + Occult (difficulty
7); a supernatural target may attempt to resist with
Aegis of Obscene Laughter: The damned cannot a Willpower roll (difficulty 7). If the damned
activate this Terror while on consecrated earth or wins this contested roll, her target is wrapped in
holy ground of any kind (see the Trespasser Upon supernatural chains, webs, or hideous coils of
Sacred Ground Flaw, below). thorny branches drawn-forth from the Outer Dark;
while her target is bound in this way, he cannot
The damned spends a point of blood or Willpower
move from his current position and suffers a one-
and rolls Wits + Occult, difficulty 7; on a success,
die penalty on all Physical-based rolls for every two
the damned begins to chuckle with the pure, cold,
successes (rounded down) achieved by the damned.
grotesque joy of the Sleeping Children themselves,
These bindings cause her victim excruciating
infecting the area immediately surrounding her:
agony: a creature bound in this way must succeed
this small circle has a radius in yards equal to her
at a Willpower roll, difficulty 6, before she may
temporary Willpower plus the number of successes
use any ability requiring concentration (usually
rolled to activate this power. The damned and all
meaning any ability that cannot be used in Frenzy).
Baali within the area – including members of Baali-
A creature bound in this way can burst free by
associated Bloodlines and those bearing the blood
acquiring a total number of successes on Strength
of a Baali, such as the ghoul of a Baali and those
checks (difficulty 6) equal to the Willpower of the
blood-bound to a Baali – immediately regenerate
damned; checks of this type are not subject to the
one Health Level of bashing or lethal damage.
penalty on Physical-based rolls noted above.
Immediately upon channeling this hideous,
Black-Hearted Devotion: The damned gains
inhuman pleasure, the damned is struck mute
access to three additional points of Willpower;
(V20 pg. 483) until the end of the scene or for one
these special “Dark Willpower” points are tracked
hour, whichever is long; this special Terror cannot
separately, in their own pool, and may only be
be activated by a mute character.
used to activate Blood Sorcery, Corrupturum,
Bedeviled Treasure: The damned spends one Daimonion, and Jigoku abilities. Points of Dark
point of blood or Willpower and touches one Willpower are replenished according to the normal
object; no roll is required. Any creature attempting rules (V20 pg. 267).
to touch, move or take the object without the
Bless the Mortal Servitor: As the Sleeping
express permission of the damned must succeed at
Children are to the most potent of demonic entities,
a Willpower roll (difficulty equal to the Willpower
the Baali are to their living vassals. The damned
of the damned) or recoil from the object at the last
spends one point of blood or Willpower and a full
second. The damned may have a total number of
hour in unholy communion with her willing ghoul
objects marked in this way equal to her Willpower.
or human retainer, reshaping the creature as she
The damned may dismiss any mark she has created
desires … often, but not always, in accordance with
in this way at any time, from any location, without
the stated wishes of her servitor. When this ability is
effort; the effect otherwise has a permanent
used, the damned gains access to 10 Freebie Points
duration. If the damned also possesses the Name
that she may apply to her “worshiper”: the damned
of the Devil Combination Discipline, below, a
might choose to increase her ghoul’s Appearance
creature successfully touching her marked object is
by 2, to increase her ghoul’s Strength and Stamina
treated as if she had just spoken the name & title
by 1 apiece, increase her ghoul’s Willpower by 7
of the damned.
and Resources by 3, or even to buy-off her ghoul’s
Bindings of Iron & Screams: The damned Flaws of Blind, Lame, and Short.
spends one point of blood or Willpower, selects one
At will, the damned may choose to revoke her

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 33

blessing in-full or in-part: should her vassal displease
her, the damned might – for example – choose to
undo one point of Appearance granted by use of
this Terror. Returning this point of Appearance to
her ghoul would then require a new application of
this ability.
This special “re-shaping” of the mortal may be
performed multiple times on the same servitor, but
its effects do not stack: when this ability is used on a
creature a second time, the creature’s extra Freebie
Points may only be rearranged & re-spent, not
doubled. If this Terror is ever lost, or the damned
is destroyed, Freebie Points gained by use of this
ability (and fomori powers, see below) are forfeited:
vanishing instantly and irrevocably.
Servitors of a vampire with the ability to – by … well, that kind of honesty can break a person
mortal understanding – literally grant wishes at a completely.
whim are often ferociously, fanatically loyal.
This special Terror may be gained multiple
time: if this Terror is selected a second time, the
damned may choose – during her hour of unholy
communion with her vassal – to insert a bound
demon into the soul of her servant, creating a fomor
(W20, page 429). A fomor created in this way gains
Immunity to Delirium and one of the following
fomori powers: Armored Skin, Berserker, or Gifted
Fomor (as the damned desires). Each additional
time this Terror is selected, the vampire may grant
one additional power of her choice to her vassal: if
the damned has selected this Terror a total of five
times, for example, her vassal may possess up to
four fomori powers. The damned may freely alter
and manipulate the powers granted to her vassal by
the demon bound within whenever she spends an
hour in unholy communion with her servant: she
may transform a seducing enticer into a lumbering
war-hulk, if she desires, or back again.
Cold Hammer of Truth: Fictions can be
comforting. Delusions can ease us through our
agony. Even the most absurd, most ridiculous
of deceptions can smooth a tattered & storm-
tossed soul caught-up in a tempest of suffering
unimaginable.
34 Infernal Disciplines
“She told me she loved you, you know. Right
before she passed. And that she was proud of
you, too. And she said she always wanted you
to know that, even if she had a hard time saying
it herself.”
“Oh, I’m sure your daddy just forgot that you
were here, honey. Happens all the time. We’ll
just go ahead and call him again, okay?”
“Everything is totally under control, ma’am.
Your children are going to be just fine; not a
scratch on them. Just close your eyes, and we’ll
bring them right in.”
So, when all the pretty masks are pulled away, and
the raw, cancerous reality underneath is laid bare
Gifted though she may be at spinning elegant
lies & dancing falsehoods out of sparkling silver,
twinkling fairy-lights, and brightly pastel-painted
candy-glass, the damned may also choose – as
she desires – to speak truth … and to have it hit
like a freight-train packed with iron bricks. After
the damned utters a fully truthful statement,
containing no deceit, she may spend one point
of blood or Willpower and roll Manipulation +
Occult (difficulty 7). On a success, this statement
of unquestionable truth impacts all who hear her
at a subconscious, soul-searing level; the plain fact
of it cannot be denied.
Attempting to claim ignorance or disbelief of
this fundamental truth requires an expenditure of
Willpower – like trying to put your hand through a
wall you know to made of brick, or onto the surface
of a stovetop that you just watched bring a pot of
water to boil – and a Willpower roll, difficulty 8,
with a total number of successes required equal
to the number of successes gained by the damned
when this ability was activated.
This statement must be 100% factual and
truthful: the damned may only point at the
Prince in the middle of Elysium and state “He has
committed diablerie” while activating this ability if
that statement is utterly and entirely factual.
 Not “true from a certain point of view”.
Actually true.
It is by use of this ability that rival Baali Choirs,
in ancient nights, were occasionally able make
parlay rather than simply tear each other apart.

Not to get too Baali here, but … like, what precisely, is,
technically, “the truth”?
The big limitation on Cold Hammer of Truth is, annoyingly, that you can’t actually use it to do too much
in the way of weaseling.
In a lot of ways, it’s the “I take off my NPC hat for a second and tell you something, very specifically, as the
Storyteller” power.
“Real quick, out of character? You somehow know that the Baali is definitely not lying about this. He’s lied
about a lot of stuff, for sure, but this one statement somehow hits you square. He just said something 100%
factual; I’ll even write it down for you. And if he’s lying about this, I as your Storyteller owe each of you 100
XP. No bullshit.”
You can use this ability to state an opinion, for example, but all that doing-so can accomplish is to utterly &
irrevocably convince whoever hears you that you really truly believe what you just said:
Truth-hammer the statement “Chicago-style hot dogs are the best,” for example, and the ‘thing no one who
hears you can deny’ is “damn, this dude really really likes him some Chicago-style dogs”.
If you truth-hammer the statement “I swear I’ll take you to the Prince’s secret hideout if you let me go,”
your audience is convinced that (a) you totally know where the Prince’s hideout is located, and that (b) you
don’t currently plan to betray them.
Use of this power will not make people take stupid risks just because they’re convinced that what you said
is true.
“I believe you,” the Templar says, frowning. He looks to his Pack, nods, then stares at you. “God help me,
I fucking believe you. Looks like you got yourself a deal, shit-stain. But … eh, just in case, yes? Let’s get you
chained-up in my trunk before we go for our little ride. I’m sure you won’t mind, right? Right.”
More concretely, this Terror cannot be combined with the four-point Dark Miracle Investment (below) that
causes “mystical truths to become malleable”: this Terror isn’t about letting a lie slip-through undetected.
It’s about magnifying the power of an oh-so-rare TRULY TRUTHFUL statement into something all-but-
physically-solid.

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 35

 Consume Lesser Magics: The damned spends
one point of blood or Willpower, selects one
supernatural creature she can see, and rolls Wits
+ Occult (difficulty 7); the target resists with a
Willpower roll (difficulty 7). If the damned wins
this contested roll, each success subtracts one die
from her victim’s next dice pool to activate or use
a supernatural ability (such as her Disciplines,
a Garou’s Gifts, a mage’s Spheres, and so on).
Note that several supernatural abilities – Potence,
Celerity, and Fortitude, for example – require no
roll to activate and cannot be canceled by use of
this ability. If she desires, the damned may also
attempt to instantly counter the use of magic as a
free reaction in combat; use of this Terror in this
way does not require a split dice pool. Instead, in
order to counter the use of a supernatural ability
on the fly in this way, the damned must expend
both a point of blood and a point of Willpower.
Contaminate Recollections: The damned
spends one point of blood or Willpower, selects
one non-Baali creature she can see, and rolls
Manipulation + Occult against a difficulty of
her opponent’s Perception + Awareness + 2.
Each success increasingly clouds & distorts her
target’s memory of her most recent encounter
with the damned: one success causes the target
to remember the damned incorrectly – recalling
her as a known Infernalist of the wrong Clan
or Bloodline, as the wrong gender or ethnicity,
or as discussing the wrong topic, for example
– while two successes might cause the target to
remember their entire encounter incorrectly: the
victim remembers meeting a Black Spiral Dancer,
Nephandus or actual demon, for example, and in
a bookstore rather than in an abandoned church.
Three successes on this roll removes all memory
of her encounter with the damned or corrupts it
so badly that it is functionally useless: the victim
remembers meeting Ronald Reagan for lunch at
a coffee shop in Paris; during the meal, his face
fell off and the former President immediately ate
it. This result is most common when the victim
knows that her memories have been manipulated
or tampered-with: if it’s clear to the victim that
something happened to her, but not precisely what,
36 Infernal Disciplines
this Terror is quick to sketch an impossible, weird
and grotesque landscape on her memory. If the
victim has no reason to notice that she is “missing
time,” this Terror simply smooths it over.
Because this is not a use of the Dominate
Discipline, it – unlike Forgetful Mind – may be
used freely on vampires of lower generation. Note
that Kindred of any generation are paranoid in the
extreme and likely to grow suspicious when their
memories don’t line-up: if the victim walks into
an alleyway with three allies and emerges fifteen
minutes later alone, covered in blood and ash,
missing an eye with a knife in her ribs, ravenously
hungry, she will notice that she remembers having a
tea party in a sewer with her dead mother. More to
the point, she will wonder what actually happened,
even if she can’t immediately piece-together that
she and her coterie were invited to a surprise
Chicago boot-party by an unsuccessful Baali Choir.
In addition, the damned does not get to direct
the course of her victim’s false memories: the
damned cannot, for example, specifically cause her
victim to remember that she discussed a shared
love of diablerie with the Prince. The damned can
generally erase, fade-out, muddle, corrode, distort,
and shadow memories, but she cannot re-write
them and she cannot learn precisely what her victim
remembers without further investigation.
Devour the Broken & Weeping: The damned
requires one hour of uninterrupted, unfettered
access to a helpless mortal. This mortal will not
survive the experience, although she does not
expire until the very end of the ritual. The damned
spends one point of blood or Willpower and rolls
Perception + Occult (difficulty 8); if this roll is
successful, the damned gains one of the following
benefits – depending on which part of the mortal
is consumed by the damned – until sunrise:
• Eyes & Ears: Memories stripped from the
sight and hearing of the victim, including the
names and faces of his allies and passwords
to security systems (for example); although
much of this information is meaningless to
the damned, she can remember anything
 the mortal saw or heard a moment to construct, and no roll is required: the
damned must touch an open, bounded doorway
• Hands & Tongue: One point in an Ability or archway of any kind – such as a torii gate or a
possessed by the victim, up to one dot closet door in the home of her ghoul – and expend
above normal generational limits both a point of blood and a point of permanent
• Internal Organs: One point in a Physical Willpower. The damned may always choose to exit
Attribute, up to one dot above normal her domain through this doorway, rather than
generational limits returning to the world at the spot she entered her
private hell (or at a point in space within line of
• Brain: One point in a Mental Attribute, sight, if she also possesses the Dance of Twisting
up to one dot above normal generational Nightmares Combination Discipline).
limits
This doorway may not be used to enter the
• Heart: One point in a Social Attribute, personal hell of the damned, only to exit.
up to one dot above normal generational
limits The damned may possess a total number of
doorways of this type equal to her Willpower. The
For each additional success on the roll above, damned may dismiss any doorway she has created
the damned retains the benefits of this ritual at any time, from any location, without effort.
cannibalism for one additional night. An
individual mortal may only provide a single benefit This ensorcelled doorway leaks hideous drifts
listed above: the damned cannot consume the of matter & energy from the depths of the
brain and heart of the same mortal, for example, practitioner’s personal hell; this miasma marks the
nor both the eyes and the tongue. The damned area directly around the doorway, twisting the local
may possess a total number of benefits from use environment into something eerie, nightmarish
of this ability at any given time equal to one half and haunted. Any living creature that dwells within
of her Willpower, rounded down; additional uses the area surrounding the doorway must succeed at
of this ritual are wasted: if the damned is a 13th- a Willpower roll (difficulty 7) at the end of each
ganeration Baali who possesses a Willpower of 24-hour period or gain a temporary Derangement;
eight, for example, she may invade a coma ward these Derangements stack, although creatures in
and then spend four hours performing this ritual the area can only gain a number of Derangements
four times on four helpless mortals, eating the equal to one-half of the Willpower of the damned,
brain of each and gaining up to +4 total in her rounded down. All Derangements gained in this
Metal Attributes, up to a maximum of dot 6. If she way fade completely when the mortal spends at least
eats the internal organs of a security guard an hour 24 hours outside of the environment surrounding
later, she gains one point in a Physical Attribute the doorway. If this Willpower roll is botched, the
only if she willingly loses one of her bonus dots to Derangement is permanent.
her Mental Attributes. In general, the miasma leaking from the
This special Terror is said to have been taught, in doorway affects the occupants of a small building:
far-ancient days, to Yomon-Li by the Apepnu-entity the entirety of a suburban house, dive bar or 24-
known as Hemhemti the Roaring One. hour convenience store, but only a few floors of
a skyscraper or up to a single block surrounding
Doorway Out of Oblivion: By use of this Terror, an abandoned alleyway. The Storyteller is the final
the damned may fashion a permanent physical exit arbiter of the range of this miasma.
from the domain she has established via use of
Step into the Hellish Rift (below) into the living Echo of the Beast’s Tongue: The damned may
world, usable only by her. This portal requires only activate this ability at-will; it does not require
an action, nor the expenditure of blood or

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 37

Willpower. Upon activating this technique, the era, replete as it is with cell phones, instant-
damned chooses any one creature she can see messaging video apps, private email servers and
(note restrictions below) who likewise suffers at least a dozen other near-lightspeed methods of
from the urges and hunger of an undying Beast – communication, it is somewhat less impressive.
such as a fellow vampire – and she may thereafter
communicate silently with that individual for the Still. There was a time, and there will come such
remainder of the scene, until the conversation is a time again.
ended by either party, or for one hour (whichever This special Terror, at the Storyteller’s discretion,
comes first). may be used to communicate with various other
If the creature selected by the damned does supernatural creatures including ghouls (as they are
not possess a Beast – or something similar, subject to Frenzy) and mortal Infernalists, as well
such as a Shadow or P’o Soul – her attempt as Black Spiral Dancers, Fomori & Nephandi; it
simply fails. Thus, this Terror can be used cannot – for the most part – otherwise be used to
by clever damned to rapidly determine if a communicate with normal mortals.
new acquaintance is a mundane mortal or Eerie & Fluid Precognition: The damned spends
well-disguised mage. one point of blood or Willpower, chooses one
The damned may maintain communication Ability (such as Alertness, Awareness, Athletics,
with multiple willing targets at the same time, to Firearms, or Stealth) and rolls Manipulation +
a maximum number of members “online” at any Occult (difficulty 6). A success on this roll increases
given time equal to her Willpower; creatures capable the die-pool of the damned by one for all uses of
of maintaining a large number of simultaneous that specific Ability for one hour; each additional
conversations are sometimes called “Choirmasters” success grants the damned either one additional die
by faithful members of the Bloodline. to all her die-pools (for use of that specific Ability
only) or increases the duration of this effect by
All attempts to communicate with the target one hour. This special Terror may not be activated
creature are automatically successful, unless the again until the previous use of the ability has worn
target chooses to end contact (a free action): a off. The damned may cancel her current use of this
Howl of the Devil-Tiger Kuei-jin who speaks only Terror at any time as a free action: she may choose
Early Middle Japanese may elect to ignore the ugly, to drop her bonus to Awareness and then reactivate
alien whispers of an insolent Amerikahito vampire, this ability to increase her Firearms die-pool, for
but their communication otherwise surpasses all example. In addition, if the damned ever fails or
language barriers. botches a roll that is augmented by use of this Terror,
she may simply cancel the action; she does not get
If the damned chooses to communicate the action back, but she is spared the consequences
with a fellow practitioner of the Corrupturum of failure: didn’t quite make that jump to the next
Discipline who is known intimately to her, even rooftop? Didn’t hit with that gunshot? Didn’t pull
one she cannot see, this communication may be that sick drift on your motorcycle? Didn’t move
performed over any distance; she must know the quietly enough to slip past that guard? No matter.
name, face, scent, touch, and taste of her partner It didn’t happen, let’s move on.
before communication may be joined in this way.
This communication fails if her target is sleeping, Exultations of Depravity: The damned may
in Torpor, standing on consecrated earth, or choose to uncoil the darkness in the hearts of all
barred from magical contact in any other way. In those who hear her. She spends a point of blood or
ancient days, this rare ability was deeply prized by Willpower and makes a Manipulation + Occult roll
the Yomonlik Bloodline and considered literally (difficulty 6 or the highest Willpower rating among
invaluable to the greater Baali Faith; in the modern those she intends to affect, whichever is higher).

38 Infernal Disciplines
If this roll is successful, all creatures within line of psychics, mystics, hedge-witches, sorcerers, and
sight to the damned reduce their Self-Control to spiritualists. The damned loses one Humanity
zero and shift their Nature to Monster; victims act upon completion of the ritual; damned who walk
with drunken, lust-wracked passion and may engage a Path of Enlightenment are – in most instances –
in any manner of atrocities including cannibalism not subject to this loss.
and mindless, self-indulgent violence. Mundane
humans (not including ghouls, sorcerers, or other Fiend-Father: The damned may cause a fresh,
supernatural mortals) exposed to a successful use strange monstrosity to erupt from the newly fallen
of this ability have no resistance to the power; such corpse of her victim. The damned spends one
creatures shake off and forget their exposure to the point of blood or Willpower to enhance the oily
power of the damned within 1d10 hours and wake blackness dripping from her fangs (and claws, if
in a shameful, terrified stupor. Kindred and other she possesses them): if the damned kills a living
supernatural entities can obviate use of this ability creature with her bare teeth or hands within the
with a successful Willpower roll (difficulty 7) or the next minute, an animal-like creature bursts-forth
simple expenditure of a point of Willpower. from the corpse of the fallen mortal, instantly
shredding the body to ruin. The damned chooses
Fail, the Tools of Men: The damned spends one one beast (V20, pg. 388-391); this beast emerges
point of blood or Willpower and rolls Manipulation from the victim’s mouth, from his wounds, or from
+ Occult (difficulty 8); all technological devices another orifice of the victim. No one would ever
within 50 feet (15 yards) cease to function for one mistake a beast created in this way for a natural
minute per success. Lightbulbs, computers, car creature: these are the things nightmares are made
engines, cell phones, flashlights and even firearms of. The creature has minimal intelligence but is
all fail. These devices are undamaged but cannot consumed with the most perverse of hungers. This
be forced to work for the duration of this effect. creature has no loyalty to the damned but cannot
In general, “technological objects” invented before be forced to attack or harm – in any way – the
the 1700s continue to function as normal: wagons, damned who created it. Feeding upon this creature
pitchforks, torches, and swords are unaffected. The provides no nourishment of any kind. The creature
damned may cancel this ability at any time. dies at sunrise, collapsing into a liquescent, rotting
pile of cancerous, failed pseudo-organs. It is known
Feast of Utmost Depravity: The damned that some creatures of this type have survived, free
requires one hour of uninterrupted, unfettered willed, growing ever larger in the urban wilds as they
access to a helpless mortal. This mortal will not prey upon humanity; how, precisely, this survival is
survive the experience. The damned spends one accomplished is not known.
point of blood or Willpower and rolls Perception
+ Occult (difficulty 6); if this roll is successful, the Fleshy Jar of the Tempest-Soul: The damned
damned regains one point of Willpower, stripped chooses one beneficiary of Bless the Mortal
from the mortal as it dies. For each additional two Servitor, above. This must be a mortal creature
successes the damned achieves on this roll, the capable of being Embraced. If the damned suffers
damned regains one additional point of Willpower: Final Death without being diablerized, the soul
with five successes in this roll, for example, she of the damned automatically moves to the chosen
regains three points of Willpower. The maximum mortal’s shell as per the Level 5 Dominate ability
amount of Willpower that may be gained by use Possession and is fully anchored there; she may
of this ability is equal to the permanent Willpower then be freely Embraced by any Baali (or member of
of the victim, plus one for each dot of Numina, any Baali-associated Bloodline) with a Generation
True Faith, or other supernatural ability the equal-to or higher than her original generation.
mortal possesses; for this reason, damned wielding Contacting an allied Baali to perform this Embrace
this Terror are particularly attracted to mortal is a task left to the damned. Once she has regained

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 39

the Embrace, the damned may lower her generation unpleasant – variety of telepathy: he reads some
via the normal means; she may also choose a new garbled, slightly twisted variation of the surface
mortal servitor to target with this effect. This special
thoughts of all thinking creatures within 30 ft., as
Terror is said to have been taught, in far-ancient well as the surface thoughts of all thinking creatures
days, to Yomon-Li by the Apepnu-entity known as within line of sight. The fidelity of this information
Kharebutu the Fourfold Fiend. is low, full of half-thoughts, bloody urges, and
quivering instincts, but the volume is astronomical;
Fling the Insolent Rag-Doll: The damned must while it’s possible for the target to pick up bits of
first have her target grabbed, grappled, clinched, or useful information, at the Storyteller’s discretion,
held (V20 pg. 276); if her target is surprised, dazed, he is far more likely to simply find the constant
or immobilized (V20 pg. 279), she may grasp her barrage of low-level psychic feedback incredibly
target by the throat without making a roll. The distracting.
damned spends one point of blood or Willpower
and rolls Strength + Brawl or Dexterity + Brawl Whenever the target is within line of sight of any
(difficulty 7), her choice, to toss the target. Being thinking creature, or within 30 ft. of such a creature,
thrown in this way deals lethal damage equal to the the difficulties of all die rolls are increased by 1; all
Strength of the damned when her target strikes a rolls involving mental acuity or concentration are
solid surface; each success on this roll sends her instead increased by 3. The effects of this Terror last
target flying 20 feet and deals one additional health for one night per success rolled by the damned to
level of damage to her opponent. The damned may activate this ability or until she dismisses the effect
choose to place her target nearly anywhere within (a free action). Once per scene, while the target
the range of her throw that she desires: tossing her of this Terror is suffering from such distraction,
opponent onto a rooftop, across a highway or out he may attempt a Perception + Awareness roll,
the window of a building, if she so desires. She difficulty 6. If this roll is successful, the victim may
may attempt to strike another opponent with her read the surface thoughts of one creature within
victim, if she desires; the opponent may dodge the range.
incoming missile as normal, and potential damage
dealt is divided equally between the victim and the Any creature with actual telepathic or psychic
target. ability from any other source – such as the Oracular
Visions Merit or access to Level 4 Auspex – is
Forge Corrupturum Object: This special Terror immune to the effects of this Terror. Characters
is utterly lost; the secrets of unlocking this ability with the Concentration Merit (V20 pg. 484) are
are dearly sought-after by modern-era Yomonlik likewise immune to this affliction.
and their Choirs, who hunt after even the faintest
rumors with obsessive zeal. It is known that use Hunger of Fallen Angels: The damned spends
of this technique can bind the power of another a point of blood or Willpower and rolls Wits +
Terror into a handheld device – traditionally an Occult, difficulty 6; she gains the benefits of this
instrument, machine, tool, or weapon – and allow ability for one hour per success achieved on this
that Terror to be unleashed, once per night, at the roll (or until the effect is dismissed as a free action).
command of the user. Objects enchanted by use of During this time, the fangs of the damned gleam
this Terror are rare in the extreme, deeply prized razor-sharp, thirsty for the blood of the faithless:
by Infernalists … and by all those who hunt such the damned deals one additional die of damage
quarry. with all Bite attacks she makes upon any creature
who denies the terrible power of supernatural evil.
Hear Them Whisper: The damned spends a point In addition, she drains one extra point of blood
of blood or Willpower, focuses on a single creature during any turn in which she feeds from such a
she can see, and rolls Wits + Occult (Difficult 6). creature.
On a success, her victim gains a limited – and deeply

40 Infernal Disciplines
 As to whom, precisely, this ability is most
efficacious against? Well, modern-era secular
progressive humanists are the primary targets of
this ability: if the first reaction of a mortal victim,
upon seeing the damned first unsheathe her gore-
dripping fangs, is anything short of begging God
for wisdom & protection, pleading His divine
guidance and intervention, then the victim doesn’t
truly recognize the unholy power of what she faces
… and, as such, she suffers extra damage from this
ability. Similarly, vampires who pretend overmuch
at humanity – or who reject the authority of a
guiding religious institution – are easy targets for
this ability: failure to accept that you are a monster
cursed by god is kind of the definition of “denial of
evil’s power,” after all.
In general, this ability inflicts extra damage on
basically everyone except the deeply religious, the
very good, and the very bad: nuns and saints grasp
the sheer hideous enormity of the Adversary, and
of his dark workings in the world; similarly, it is the
rare serial killer indeed who does not comprehend
that there truly is manifest evil walking the streets in
human guise.
Your fellow damned – including Baali, Infernalists,
and all those who serve the Sleeping Children, a
representative of those entities, or a reasonable
facsimile thereof – are, of course, immune to this
effect. We know that evil exists.
Multiple simultaneous uses of this ability do not
stack.
Imperious Mein of the Eternal: Those glorious,
impossible entities whom the damned serves
– body, mind and soul – exist outside of mere
human concepts of time, as do all those touched
by the curse of Caine.
The damned spends one point of blood or
Willpower and rolls Wits + Occult (difficulty 8);
on a success, all supernatural creatures – including
the damned and all of her non-mortal opponents
– within the scene step out of linear “mortal” time
for a number of turns equal to the number of
successes rolled.

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 41

 Outside of combat, a turn lasts only three to five may decide that certain other Disciplines, such as
seconds: enough time for the damned and her Chimerstry, may be learned in this way; in any
allies to take the fight elsewhere, pursued by their instance, the Storyteller’s decision is final. The
attackers, but not enough time to get all the way damned does not gain any knowledge of rituals by
across the city. use of this Terror, and she cannot use the abilities of
a Path gained via this Terror while on consecrated
These turns occur as normal for all supernatural ground nor while exposed to holy objects; creatures
creatures within the scene while the rest of the with True Faith are entirely immune to all effects
“mortal world” stands utterly still: raindrops & created by use of this Terror. The damned may not
bullets hang in the air, locked in place, while pools increase her knowledge of any Path or Discipline
of water become solid ground and falling leaves above five by use of this ability. This special Horror
can serve as stairsteps. Supernatural creatures may be selected multiple times, and stacks both
drawn out of time in this way may take any actions with itself as well as with magical knowledge gained
they desire during this time, although they cannot by other means: a Baali with mastery over Lure
affect the frozen “mortal world” in any way: if a of Flames 3 (via instruction by a former Tremere
supernatural creature pulled out of time in this Antitribu) who gains this Terror might choose to
way chooses to attack a mortal, her attacks deal no gain access to Lure of Flames 4; upon selecting this
damage of any kind. Even the most powerful blow Horror again, the damned might then choose to
is like poking the side of a mountain with a #2 increase her sorcerous gifts to Lure of Flames 5 or
pencil. choose to gain a single dot in a Necromancy Path
Note that use of this ability affects all of her choice.
supernatural creatures “within the Invisible Hands of Hell: The damned may spend
scene,” a broadly-defined category here one point of blood or Willpower as a free action to
left purposefully vague and subject to activate this ability for the remainder of the scene
Storyteller discretion: the damned may not or for one hour, whichever comes first; no roll or
use this ability to sneak up on the Prince, action is required to activate this ability. While
for example, because the Prince is – or will this ability is active, the damned may manipulate
be – “part of the scene”. objects using a power similar to telekinesis,
Instead, the Prince instantly becomes except that her gifts can only affect matter that is
aware of something strange, powerful and desecrated, defiled, rotting, corroded, cursed, on-
unquestionably supernatural occurring fire, or otherwise tainted; in general, this must be
around her when all of the blood-dolls something that the average human would recoil
in her haven slow down and then freeze from touching.
in place; when the damned strolls into Thus, for example, the damned could use this
the room with her Choir, the Prince is ability in an average alleyway to move a filth-caked
hardly “taken by surprise” … and her ghoul dumpster or fling a mound of wet diapers and used
bodyguards are most certainly not caught needles, but not to throw a motorcycle; likewise,
off-guard. the damned could not lift and fling a coffin –
Iniquitous Tutelage: The damned gains one unless the coffin was currently on-fire or doused
dot in any one Path of Blood Magic of her choice, with biohazardous human waste – but the damned
including – but not limited to – Koldunic Sorcery, could lift the corpse inside, as most humans
Necromancy, Thaumaturgy, or Dark Thaumaturgy; hesitate before touching a dead body. The level of
her Storyteller may decide that certain Paths or desecration that must be applied to an object before
abilities (such as Akhu, or the Green Path) may it can be manipulated is extreme, and subject to
not be learned in this way. Likewise, her Storyteller Storyteller discretion: in general, this ability could

42 Infernal Disciplines
 The Limits Of Demonic Knowledge
The devoted student of Corrupturum who selects the Iniquitous Tutelage Terror – or the Demon Sorcery
Horror, below – gains access to a shocking variety of bizarre, deadly, and otherwise unattainable mystical
powers. Limited though it might be to a mere smattering of dots in these carefully-guarded esoteric traditions,
this power genuinely breaks all the rules: a character with no ties or debts to any magic-practicing Clan, Sect
or Bloodline of any kind can – with her Storyteller’s permission – begin play already gifted with full mastery
of the Path of Mars (V20, pg. 224), if she so desires.
This is the advantage of bargaining at a spiritual level with dark supernatural entities literally composed of
otherworldly magic who also happen to be older than the empty darkness which coils between the stars.
And who – lest we forget – also happen to get a sick, visceral thrill out of handing loaded shotguns to children.
But a demon, no matter how well-learned or powerful, cannot teach what no creature born of Hell could
ever master: although any number of infernal entities are most certainly familiar with the blasphemous
art of Kraina of the Well (The Black Hand: A Guide to the Tal’Mahe’Ra, pg. 172), for example – at least
on the receiving end! – it is vanishingly unlikely that any demon could begin to instruct a Cainite in the
techniques of calling-forth or manipulating such an ability … and even less likely that a demon so-gifted
would be willing to do so.
And so it goes: no demon is going to hand-over a power that could harm the demon to a demon-summoner,
no matter how nicely or politely the insignificant little insect asks.
Remember: demons with any actual power – which is usually synonymous with substantial age, cunning and
experience, specifically gained in the notoriously cutthroat environment of THE FUCKING ABYSS – are
famously slippery, stingy and hyper-paranoid. Who knows, after all, what some asshole ex-mortal blood-
drinking corpse might get up to with even the paltriest of access to a fistful of Dark Thaumaturgy, a mean
streak, and pretensions of power?
Best not to gift them with anything too dangerous, after all, for fear they’ll try storming the palaces of Oblivion
with Level 5 Blowshitupis swinging, trying to dick-whip their own demon-masters into submission & steal
their grubby little souls back.
You wanna learn what? No no, so sorry, demons can’t teach you that. Would sir care to sample a choice
morsel of Movement of the Mind, perchance? It comes most highly recommended.
In short, the Storyteller is free to nix access to any Path or ability she thinks might be detrimental to her
Chronicle, even if only for reasons of style or flavor … or for no reason at all. Every participant in a successful,
satisfying shared narrative-experience needs to be on the same page in terms of theme, atmosphere & mood,
and this power is most-definitely NOT meant to supplant or circumvent that obligation.

not be used to manipulate an abandoned church-
pew covered in Satanic graffiti … but it could move
the same object if it was also covered in fresh “bodily
fluids”. This ability cannot affect animate creatures
– other than the damned herself – directly: the
damned cannot throw another Baali or Infernalist
using this ability, though she can use it to fly.
This ability can only affect matter within a number
of yards equal to the 5 x the temporary Willpower
of the damned. This ability moves objects as if with
a Strength and Dexterity equal to the temporary
Willpower of the damned: the damned may puppet

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 43

a corpse, giving it a semblance of life, or animate a or action is required, and its effects last until the
spray of burning, blood-slick wreckage into a “filth end of the scene or for one hour, whichever comes
elemental” or “atrocity golem” if she possesses a first. The damned gains a +3 to Appearance and
temporary Willpower of 4 or higher; a creature a +1 to Charisma, ignoring normal generational
constructed in this way possesses a Strength, limits. During this time, the damned cannot
Dexterity, Stamina, and number of Health Levels become stained, dirtied, or “disheveled” in any way:
equal to the temporary Willpower of the damned if she wades through the hip-deep gore clogging
-3. an open sewer, she emerges fresh as a daisy, her
clothing unmarred. Use of this Terror cannot
Keen Ear for Faithless Supplications: The remove magical penalties to Appearance, such as
damned spends one point of blood or Willpower those suffered by Nosferatu or vampires in Wicked
and rolls Perception + Occult (difficulty 7). A success Corpse form (see below), but it can keep a Samedi’s
on this roll increases the range of her hearing to 10 dinner-jacket spotlessly clean.
miles (but see below) for one hour; each additional
success either increases the range of her hearing by Mantle of Child-Flesh: The damned may, at
an additional 10 miles or increases the duration of will, choose to gain both the Short Flaw (V20 pg.
this effect by one hour, as she chooses; this effect 481) and the Child Flaw (V20 pg. 482). While she
may be cancelled at any time as a free action. possesses the Child flaw, she also gains the Blush
of Health Merit (V20 pg. 480) and her Appearance
While the hearing of the damned is increased Trait is fully restored if she is in her Wicked Corpse
in this way, her inhumanly-attuned senses are able form (see below). These flaws may be dismissed at
only to pick up those spoken prayers, pleas, and will, requiring no action, and may be reactivated
worshipful appeals for intercession not addressed just as swiftly.
to any specific deity: if a mortal says “please, dear
God, I swear I’ll never drink again,” the damned Mock Uriel’s Fury: The damned spends a point
does not catch the phrase; if the mortal simply says of blood or Willpower to activate this ability and
“I’m begging you, let the Jets make the playoffs rolls Manipulation + Occult, difficulty 7.
and I will build several shrines in your honor,” the
damned hears it clear as day. The damned knows One success on this roll increases the generation
the immediate direction toward and the rough of the damned by one for one hour; each additional
distance to any speaker she hears via use of this success subsequently increases the generation of the
ability. damned by one or grants one additional hour of
effect, as she desires; this Terror cannot be activated
The damned may or may not choose to act on again until the original application wears off.
information she gains in this way, as she desires;
studious use of this ability can provide her with If the damned increases her generation to a point
access to any number of desperate people willing that her body cannot hold the amount of vitae
and eager to make a deal with a mysterious stranger. currently in her system, she vomits-up the blood:
an 8th generation Baali with 13 blood points who
Even one with a particularly wicked smile. becomes 12th generation, for example, immediately
paints her shoes with a point of blood. Blood lost
Note that use of this ability does not in this way has no nutritional value and cannot be
hamper the non-augmented senses of the “recycled”.
damned in any way: she is still able to hear a
creature standing immediately next to her, If the damned increases her generation one
for example. beyond 13th, she gains the Fourteenth Generation
Flaw (V20, p. 481) and cannot use any Disciplines
Lovely Devil: The damned may spend a point of above dot 4; if the damned increases her generation
blood or Willpower to activate this ability; no roll another step, she gains the Fifteenth Generation

44 Infernal Disciplines
Flaw and cannot use any Discipline above dot 3. If In addition, all of her difficulties to activate
the damned would increase her generation to 16th Corrupturum, Daimonion, and Jigoku abilities are
or higher, she becomes a revenant (V20, pg. 496) reduced by 2.
of the D’habi family and cannot use any Discipline
above a single dot. Baali, members of Baali-associated Bloodlines,
and those bearing the blood of Baali – such as the
The damned cannot become a true human by use ghouls of Baali and those blood-bound to a Baali
of this ability: the Curse of Caine may be twisted – likewise gain these benefits while standing on
and stretched-thin, but it may not be escaped ground transformed by use of this Terror; for that
entirely by any gift born of hell. reason, this effect is often evoked immediately prior
to the meeting of two or more powerful Methuselah
Oblivion is Here: The damned cannot activate of the Bloodline: even the most psychopathic and
this Terror while on consecrated earth or holy self-obsessed of demon worshipers are more likely
ground of any kind (see the Trespasser Upon Sacred to parlay than to try shredding one another into
Ground Flaw, below). ash and blood-splatters if both parties know that
The damned spends a point of blood or neither can actually score a one-hit kill.
Willpower and rolls Wits + Occult, difficult 8; Phantom of Sinful Echoes: The damned spends
this roll is instead difficulty 7 if used in a decaying one point of blood or Willpower and rolls Wits
urban environment or out in the eerie wilds, and + Occult, difficulty 7. On a success, she gains all
difficulty 6 if used in a specifically “haunted” or the benefits (and restrictions) of the Becoming the
desecrated area (such as the basement of a serial Demon-in-Spirit Merit, below, for a number of
killer, a crack den where a killing-spree began, or an hours equal to her total number of successes on
abandoned insane asylum that has been dedicated this roll. She may dismiss this effect at any time as
to Satan or another embodiment of spiritual evil). a free action.
On a success, the damned infects the area Roar of Desecrated Earth: The damned screams,
immediately surrounding her, marking the ground and all present feel the firmament of the earth itself
directly beneath her feet and just beyond: this small shudder in revulsion; these tremors may knock
circle has a radius in yards equal to her temporary prone anyone within ten yards, open up tunnels or
Willpower plus the number of successes rolled to sinkholes, or even collapse part of a building. The
activate this power. This ground is transformed to damned spends one point of blood or Willpower
shattered, steaming crimson stone, smooth black and rolls Manipulation + Occult (difficulty 6); one
glass suspended above an infinite pit, or a carpet of success causes a minor tremor; anyone in the area
squirming, infected corpses with broken backs; it who scores less than three successes on a Dexterity
seethes with barely-contained malice and inhuman + Athletics roll is thrown to the ground. Three
bloodlust. This section of marked ground is not successes also collapses underground tunnels,
mobile and does not move with the damned; this knocks down trees, and opens sinkholes. Five
unholy transformation lasts until the end of the successes causes structural damage to a building,
scene or for one hour, whichever comes first. collapsing walls on anyone within several feet of it
While standing on this ground or directly above (for five dice of damage); victims can roll Dexterity
it, the damned gains one automatic success on all + Athletics to dodge out of the way (but not to
soak die rolls, she ignores all damage that would parry or block.)
normally be dealt as bashing, she suffers bashing Servant of the Outer Dark: The damned spends
damage instead of lethal whenever she would five blood points, then reduces her permanent
normally suffer lethal damage, and she suffers Blood Pool by five (but see below) and rolls
lethal damage instead of aggravated whenever she Manipulation + Occult (difficulty 8). If this roll is
would normally suffer aggravated damage.

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 45

successful, the damned summons a creature from choose to grant the benefits of either of these
the depths of nightmare, which will obey her in all Horrors to her servant-entity when it is summoned,
ways for one full hour per success rolled. expending a single point of blood or Willpower to
do so; alternatively, she might choose to apply the
This hideous demonic entity is treated as benefits of both Horrors, expending two points of
ghoul created by the damned, and it gains all the blood, two points of Willpower or one point of
appropriate benefits (V20, pg. 388 and 497) of that each when the creature is summoned.
condition. This entity immediately emerges from
the mouth of the damned, from her wounds, from A creature brought-forth in this way is affected by
the folds of her cloak, from the twisting depths fire, holy objects, True Faith, and sunlight as if it
of her shadow, or from any other place directly were a Baali; it crumbles to ash, blood, shadow, and
adjacent to the damned; it may then immediately wisps of ceremonial incense-smoke when destroyed
act. or dismissed. The damned may possess any number
of demonic servants created in this way at any given
This creature is no larger than a skeletal human time, but she may not reduce her permanent Blood
child – as per the Short Flaw (V20 pg. 481) – but Pool below five by use of this ability.
otherwise takes a shape chosen by the damned
and approved by her Storyteller. As per the rules Feeding upon a creature created by use of this
for monsters created by the Terror of Fiend Father Terror provides no nourishment of any kind.
(above), no one would ever mistake an entity
summoned-up in this way for a natural creature. When a demonic servant called-forth from the
Outer Dark in this way is destroyed or dismissed,
This demonic entity possesses the following the damned immediately increases her permanent
Traits: Blood Pool by five. This does not return lost vitae,
only the capacity of the damned to hold it.
Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 5, Stamina
1, Charisma 1, Manipulation 3, Appearance 0, The damned may always use an effect identical
Perception 3, Intelligence 2, Wits 3 to Possession (V20, pg. 155) upon any demonic
entity she has called-forth in this way. She may
Abilities: Alertness 3, Athletics 3, Brawl 3, additionally expend a point of Willpower to use
Intimidation 2, Stealth 5 this ability over any distance, without making
Disciplines: Potence 1, two additional dots in any direct eye-contact with her summoned demon. By
Discipline or Disciplines known to the damned use of this ability, Baali Elders – in ancient days –
maintained surreptitious communication between
Blood Pool: 5 (taken from the damned; may be distant Choirs: imps whispering to hellhounds and
increased to a maximum of 8) misshapen goats deep in the forest, conveying the
twisted commands of one Hive to another.
Willpower: 5
Shroud of Phantom-Mist: The damned spends
Health: OK x 3, Ravaged (-2) x2, Destroyed
a single point of blood or Willpower and rolls
In addition, the damned may apply any number Manipulation + Occult (normally difficulty 7;
of Horrors she possesses from the Jigoku Discipline minimum 4 on a damp and chilly night). The
(below) to her summoned demon when this damned summons thick, unnatural fog that covers
creature is called out of the Abyss; the damned approximately a city-block (85-90 yards), although
must expend one point of blood or Willpower for she may choose to cover a smaller area or adjust
each such Horror she desires to grant the demon. the shape of this fog bank – making a single long
Thus, the damned – if she possessed the Horrors wall, a crescent-moon design, or filling only a single
of Hideous Strength and Wings of the Pit – might room, for example – as she desires. This massive,
unhealthy cloak of mist initially surrounds the

46 Infernal Disciplines
damned, rising from the earth, but she may direct
this spectral fog as she desires so long as it does not
leave her line of sight; the wall of fog may move
at a rate of approximately 15 yards per turn. The
difficulties of all Perception rolls made by creatures
in the area are increased by two, and creatures are
blinded beyond a range of [10 yards – one yard for
each success achieved by the damned on her roll to
manifest this Horror]; these penalties do not affect
the damned nor any creature with supernatural
senses (such as Auspex or Protean 1, for example).
While within her shroud, the damned adds a
number of dice to all of her Stealth dice-pools equal
to the number of successes she achieved to manifest
this Terror.
Storyteller’s Note: Damned gifted with this
Terror often also gain the Nightmare Rain
Combination Discipline (see below).
If she chooses, the unholy fog called-up
by the damned may snuff-out technology,
causing electrical malfunctions within
the area of the mist: lights flicker, screens
seize & show static, automatic doors fail
to open, magnetic locks glitch, ATMs and
vending machines flash error messages,
cars stall, phones restart and lose internet
connection, and computers crash. This
effect does not hinder firearms with
electronic components, and is a significantly
less-powerful, less-focused effect than the
Terror of Fail, the Tools of Men (above).
Shards of Dripping-Razor Eternity: The damned
cannot activate this Terror while on consecrated
earth or holy ground of any kind (see the Trespasser
Upon Sacred Ground Flaw, below).
The damned spends a point of blood or
Willpower, chooses a single target she can see,
and rolls Wits + Occult, difficulty 8, to aim; in an
abandoned or isolated area, far from the sight of
civilization & church, this is difficulty 7. In a place
bathed in true depravity, it is difficulty 6. A thin,
eight-foot tall, three-inch wide, impossibly-edged
blade of obsidian, compressed corpses and steaming
brimstone erupts from the earth in a shower of
TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI
naked violation, appearing directly below the target;
on a success, this blade pierces & impales the target,
dealing a number of dice of Lethal damage equal to
one half the temporary Willpower of the damned
(rounded down). Airborne creatures cannot be
struck by this attack. Alongside this single “main”
blade, the earth vomits-forth a tangle of blood-
drenched roses, mangled-limb flower blossoms,
coils of festering gore-thick feces, disemboweled
corpse remains, and similarly grotesque reflections
of whatever atrocities have been performed at that
site. The blade crumbles to ash at the end of the
round, and all substances brought-forth alongside
the blade disintegrate over the next hour.
Shudder of Foulness: The damned spends a
point of blood or Willpower and rolls Wits +
Occult (difficulty 6). On a success, she vanishes
and reappears immediately in another place of her
choice; this new location must be within a number
of yards equal to her temporary Willpower plus the
number of successes rolled to activate this power.
The damned must possess line-of-sight to this new
location – and thus could not use this ability to
appear on the other side of a locked bank-vault
door, for example – but she does not need to be
looking directly at the space in which she desires
to reappear.
When the damned vanishes, she may choose
to simply teleport; alternatively, the damned may
choose to remain in her original location, invisibly:
in this instance, the version of her that appears a
few yards away is an illusory duplicate, identical
to her in all ways. This illusion is half-sentient, a
pseudo-creature crafted of Abyssal shadows, guided
by a basic psychic impression of the damned: the
damned cannot control her illusion directly, but
the false image independently performs whatever
actions it thinks the damned would want it to do.
When the damned is made invisible in this way,
she is truly invisible: this is not an Obfuscate effect
and is not overcome by Auspex. Because this is
actual invisibility, however, it is subject to all the
normal limits thereof, to which Obfuscate is largely
immune: if an opponent throws a can of paint
at an area containing the damned, the paint will
47
stick to her and reveal her presence; likewise, the from invisibility (whichever comes first).
damned leaves footprints in sand, strewn flour, and
plush carpet. The damned may reveal her position Sinister Winds of the Nightmare Hoard: The
(purposefully or accidentally), and her opponents damned spends one point of blood or Willpower
may attempt to target the area they believe her and rolls Wits + Occult (difficulty 8); on a success,
to occupy: creatures attacking the damned while she deposits one object she holds in-hand into the
she is invisible suffer a +3 difficulty penalty on domain she has established via use of Step into the
all attempts to strike her; Heightened Senses and Hellish Rift (below). The object seemingly vanishes,
similar abilities reduce this penalty to +1. like a card disappearing in a display of slight-of-
hand. Only an object that might be transported via
Creatures attacking an illusory duplicate created Step into the Hellish Rift may be relocated into the
by use of this Terror may realize their mistake depths of a private hell in this way: the damned
immediately after striking only if they succeed could transport her car keys, for example, but not
at a Wits + Awareness roll, difficulty equal to her car.
the Willpower of the damned; if this roll is not
successful, victims of this trickery continue to The private domain held by the damned deep
believe that the illusory damned is real. In addition, within Oblivion may contain a total number of
the illusory duplicate may be found-out by any objects equal to the Willpower of the damned.
of several other methods: the duplicate will react The damned may, by making an identical roll
realistically if attacked, dodging melee strikes and and identical expenditure, likewise draw-forth any
absorbing gunshots with a grimace, but the illusion object deposited into her private hell.
has no true substance and cannot – for example –
open a door or lift a weapon off the ground. Items entering or exiting Oblivion in this way
arrive in a wave of unhealthy energies from the
In addition, the duplicate cannot attack or deal depths of nightmare, dripping bits of the Abyss into
damage. Or, more accurately, the illusion can the waking world, and deal 1 level of Lethal damage
appear to attack, but – because it cannot interact to any creature (except the damned) touching
with physical objects in any way – it can only miss it within the next minute. The difficulty to soak
with these attacks and thus fail to deal damage. this damage is equal to the current temporary
And it must miss badly with these “attacks”: if an Willpower of the damned.
opponent attempts to parry an attack by the illusion,
or if an attack by the illusion would normally be Slavering Wolves of Oblivion: The damned
deflected by the target’s armor, the falsehood is spends one point of blood or Willpower and rolls
immediately revealed. Wits + Occult (difficulty 8); on a success, a single
grotesque & emaciated hunting-hound – treat as
Any character who spots an incongruity in the a wolf (V20, pg. 391) except that it has only three
illusion’s pantomime may immediately make a Health Levels – rises from the shadows at the feet of
Wits + Awareness roll, as above, to realize that “the the damned in a cascade of maggots, rotting viscera,
damned” before her is simply an unreal figment of and foul brimstone. A creature brought-forth in
twisting mind, warped shadow, and Oblivion-fed this way is affected by fire, holy objects, True Faith,
falsehood. and sunlight as if it were a Baali; it crumbles to ash,
The illusion-effect and invisibility-effect of this blood, shadow, and wisps of ceremonial incense-
Terror are one: an ability that collapses the illusion smoke when destroyed or dismissed; as per the
ends the invisibility of the damned, and vice versa. rules for monsters created by the Terror of Fiend-
This ability persist for a number of turns equal Father (above), no one would ever mistake an entity
to the number of successes rolled to activate this summoned-up in this way for a natural creature.
Terror, or until the damned strikes an opponent This creature serves the damned in all ways for one
hour or until the end of the scene, whichever comes

48 Infernal Disciplines
first. For each additional success on the roll, the the victim into a thousand screaming fragments
damned summons one additional hunting-hound. over and over and over again, until the stars burn
low and red and cold. The Beast is what drives the
Speak to the Beast: The damned spends a single undead in her most honest moments – the blind,
point of blood or Willpower, chooses one creature murderous, self-absorbed panic of Frenzy – and it is
with whom she maintains communication via the what awaits the victim in the lonely dark, at the end
Terror of Echo of the Beast’s Tongue (above) and of every blood-slick night of empty cruelty.
rolls Manipulation + Occult, difficulty equal to the
Willpower of the target + 2. On a successful roll, Most especially, it is the thing waiting with a sharp
the damned calls up the bottomless self-destructive smile at the final, jagged end of her squandered
blackness dwelling in the secret heart of her target immortality.
and compels it to answer one question truthfully;
each additional success on this roll compels an This creature will gladly betray the confidence of
additional truth from the Beast, to a maximum the pathetic corpse it inhabits. But – defiant to the
number of fully honest answers from that unholy last – it will also twist any truthful answer it gives,
entity equal to the Willpower of the damned. as much as it is able, purely to spite the inquisitor.

While the Beast speaks in this way, the target Interestingly, the Beast is oftentimes immune to
cannot choose to disconnect. the ravages of memory-alteration magic: its Kindred
host may have been re-written by the Dominate
Few abilities, even those of the most potent power of an Elder, but the Beast remembers every
vampires, allow the Beast Within to be drawn up slight and injustice it has ever endured and cannot
and given literal voice; it is a ravening creature, be swayed nor placated by any sorcery.
incapable of anything even approaching something
like “intelligible speech” under any normal For this reason, this Terror is occasionally
circumstances. employed by practitioners of Corrupturum on
their fellows; many Choirs are bound-together by
Yet here we are. mutual knowledge of one another’s Beasts and
their most disturbing secrets, and interrogating the
Note, then, that the entity contacted by the Beast of your ally can reveal all manner of curious
damned is not the same creature as the victim manipulations applied-to (and forgotten by) the
herself … though it knows what the victim knows, damned.
for the most part … and knows a few things the
victim doesn’t know, as well. Above all, the Beast On a failed roll, the victim identifies the intent
fucking hates the fool to which it is chained. The of the damned and may choose to disconnect
Beast wishes, for the most part, nothing more than from telepathic communication early as a free
to fall into Final Frenzy and become a Wight (Sins of reaction; the victim may then always automatically
the Blood, p. 9, 17-24), pulling the entire screaming disconnect whenever she is psychically contacted by
shitty universe down into the Abyss with it in a the damned in the future.
final orgy of raw, hideous mutilation and wasteful,
petty blood-letting. The Beast feeds with savage Once these truths have been forced from the
delight on the subconscious desire of the victim Beast, it falls into deep slumber until the next
to be punished for her ten-thousand sins: watering sundown: the target is immune to Frenzy for the
this garden with tears and spatters of crimson, rest of the night and cannot be contacted again via
allowing the dark & tangled forest of self-hatred Echo of the Beast’s Tongue until she arises from
to grow wild, poisonous & unchecked. When the slumber once more.
victim finally accepts her own damnation and the
personal hell that comes with it, the Beast will gladly
rise – wrought in a storm of ash & flame – to tear

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 49

 Step into the Hellish Rift: The damned spends directly on the other side of the thin veil between
a point of blood or Willpower and rolls Wits + worlds – in the space she previously occupied – and
Occult (difficulty 8); on a success, she departs the may gaze out of her personal hell to observe the
world and physically enters a private corner of the world beyond without any roll.
Outer Dark, vanishing as she steps backwards into
her own shadow. The damned always returns to the living world in
the same spot from which she departed, stepping
This Horror may not be activated on sanctified back into the space she previously occupied. If
or holy ground. something has moved to block this point in space,
the damned is shunted to the nearest available
The damned is invisible & intangible while unoccupied location. When she first steps-across
hidden within her pocket of eternal damnation, and when she returns, the damned leaves residue
but she may be observed as an eerie, discolored from her private hell on all surfaces with which she
silhouette in empty space by any outside observer was in-contact when this technique was activated:
scanning the area with Auspex or a similar potentially marking the floor with foul and oily
supernatural perception ability. rain-water, drifts of ashen rust, or tiny shards of
The damned may only carry clothing, keepsakes, gore-caked bone, glass, and ceramic tile.
one-handed weapons, and other small personal Summon-Forth the Long Devoured: The
items with her when she steps into the nightmare damned must be a diablerist before she may gain
realm in this way; she may not carry other creatures access to this Terror; preferably, she has diablerized
with her, nor anything that requires more than one multiple victims, each one of them also a diablerist
hand to hold. Any object too large, heavy, or bulky several times over. The damned spends a point
to be carried across (subject to Storyteller discretion) of blood or Willpower and rolls Wits + Occult
is simply dropped at her feet in the world of the (difficulty 8); this roll is made as a free action or
living when the damned steps across worlds. reaction and may occur at any time. Each success
Experienced practitioners of this Terror can often allows the damned to increase any one Ability of
instinctively guess what objects are too large to be her choice by one dot for the remainder of the
carried across the borders of eternity in this way scene (up to her generational maximum), even if
and are rarely surprised at being stripped of their she has no dots in the chosen Ability; in addition,
held possessions when evoking this ability. she does not suffer the normal penalty for not
having the Ability.
The doorway into her private hell always opens
into the same location within the Outer Dark. This must be an Ability possessed by a creature
The damned may, if she chooses, use this ability to she had diablerized, directly or by proxy.
leave items within the realm of her private hell and For Example: Winter Bellamira wants to pilot
retrieve them later. a helicopter; she has zero dots in any Ability
At the conclusion of each turn spent in her even tangentially related to this task. Fortunately,
personal hell, the damned must succeed at someone rattling around in the back of her soul
a Courage roll with a difficulty equal to her might know how to accomplish the task. She rolls,
Conscience or Conviction. Upon failing this roll, as above, and scores four successes: she draws-up
she returns to the night-lit world of the living. She the memories of a long-dead Ventrue pilot, formerly
may always choose to return of her own volition the ghoul bodyguard of the Prince – diablerized by
before failing this roll. Returning from her private an Assamite Antitribu, himself later diablerized by
hell does not require an action. Winter – and utilizes his skillset directly: she now
has an effective Pilot: Helicopters rating of 4 for the
The damned is always aware of what occurs remainder of the scene.

50 Infernal Disciplines
 If she already had two dots in the Ability, her brought-forth in this way is affected by fire, holy
Pilot: Helicopters rating would sit at 5. objects, True Faith, and sunlight as if it were a Baali.
A botch on the roll while activating this Terror The unclean cloud and wave of grotesque flesh
allows the victim of diablerie to assert full control moves at a rate of approximately 15 yards per turn.
over the damned until the next time the damned The difficulties of all rolls made by creatures in the
awakens from slumber. area are increased by two; this penalty does not
affect the damned.
Tear the Mind: With a gentle caress, the damned
may shred the intellect of her victim as easily as her The effects of this Terror last for ten minutes per
talons might rip apart his soft flesh. The damned success rolled by the damned to activate this ability
must first touch the target; this requires a Dexterity or until she dismisses the effect (a free action).
+ Athletics roll. If the roll succeeds, the damned may
spend one point of blood or Willpower, then rolls This special Horror may be selected up to three
Manipulation + Occult (difficulty 6); the target may times. If it is selected a second time, insects created
attempt to resist with a Willpower roll (difficulty 6). by the damned feed on creatures in the area of the
A successful attack means the damned temporarily swarm: all creatures (other than the damned) lose
removes one point from one of the victim’s Mental 1 point of blood each round; this drain generally
Attributes (selected by the damned when the ability kills a mortal creature trapped in the area within
is used), plus one point of Mental Attribute per four rounds. If this Terror is selected a third time,
success beyond the first. This caress does not inflict blood drained in this way transfers directly to the
physical damage, although it heals at the same rate damned, allowing her to feed at a distance. She
as aggravated damage. may not gain more than three points of blood in
a single round from use of this ability, even if her
Designer’s Note: An identical Terror swarms encompass four or more creatures.
that deals dots of damage directly to an
opponent’s Physical Attributes, her Social Touch of Famine’s Curse: With a brush of her
Attributes, her Willpower, or even to skin, the damned strips her victim of his strength,
her Virtues might be made available, at vitality, potency, and animating energy, reducing
Storyteller discretion. him to a hideous, emaciated husk. The damned
may spend a point of blood or Willpower to
Thirsty Children of Oblivion: The damned activate this ability; no roll or action is required,
spends a point of blood or Willpower and rolls and its effects last until the end of the scene or for
Wits + Occult (Difficult 6). On a success, clouds one hour, whichever comes first.
of buzzing flies and masses of writhing maggots
appear in the immediate vicinity of the damned, While this Terror is activated, the damned
burrowing up from the earth, spilling-forth from automatically afflicts her opponents with a touch
shadows, emerging from unclean places (sink (requiring a successful Dexterity + Brawl roll); this
drains, corpses, garbage cans, cracks in the walls) curse also affects any creature who willingly touches
and from the flesh and clothing of her enemies. the damned. A victim exposed to this curse may
This filth occupies an area approximately 10 yards resist with a Stamina roll (difficulty 7); if the roll
across; it initially surrounds the damned, but she fails, the victim loses one dot from each Physical
may direct the swarm as she desires so long as it Attribute, as well as one point from his Appearance
does not leave her line of sight. This cloud will not Trait. The infected victim may, in turn, spread the
move onto sacred ground nor approach open flame; contagion: the difficulty of the Stamina roll to resist
if targeted by an area-effect that deals damage, the infection drops by one for each “step” of infection
cloud is dispersed for one round per Health Level since the original damned, to a minimum difficulty
of damage that would normally be dealt. A swarm of 3.

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 51

 For Example: Winter Bellamira is punched in the Willpower spent by the damned when the ritual
face by Krieger Westmarch, Brujah Sherriff; he fails is completed, the duration extends one additional
his Stamina roll and is immediately compromised, night, to a maximum number of nights equal to the
losing one dot apiece from his Strength, Dexterity, Willpower of the damned.
Stamina, and Appearance. In a panic, Krieger feeds
from his nearby ally, Simon the Badass Caitiff: the Violate Gravity: The damned may spend a point
difficulty of Simon’s own Stamina-roll to resist of blood or Willpower to activate this ability; no
infection is 6. After he succumbs, Simon feeds roll or action is required, and its effects last until
from his terrified ghoul; the difficulty of the ghoul’s the end of the scene or for one hour, whichever
Stamina roll to resist infection is only 5. comes first. During this time, the damned is subject
to the laws of gravity only as she desires to be: she
This curse does not stack: if Krieger is re-exposed gains all the benefits of the Transgress Gravity
to the contagion after already suffering its effects, he Investment (below) and may additionally levitate as
does not lose additional Attribute dots. The effects she desires: the damned may rise into the air at a
of this curse last until sunrise, but lost Attributes rate of one foot per action at will, and may hover
can be cured at a one-for-one rate through the or “walk” across the empty air at half her normal
expenditure of blood. Once all four Attributes have speed. The damned is immune to falling and
been restored, the curse is fully lifted. cannot be tripped: she may step off a ledge onto
empty air, remain upright and perfectly stationary
Unspeakable Revulsion: The damned spends when her feet are swept from beneath her, or hang
a point of blood or Willpower to activate this effortlessly in space when the floor she is standing
ability; she chooses one opponent she can see upon collapses – shattered and flaming – into the
and rolls Manipulation + Occult (difficulty equal basement.
to the target’s Willpower). Each success fills the
enemy for with overwhelming disgust for one Visage of Corroding Reality: The damned gains
turn; the victim cannot bring herself to touch or the benefits of the Evil Eye Investment (below).
gaze-upon the damned directly during this time,
but he may defend himself and otherwise act Vortex of Atrocity: While the damned is using
normally (although his actions are likely guided by the Invisible Hands of Hell Terror, above, she may
overwhelming abhorrence). If the victim cannot spend one point of blood or Willpower as a free
escape and cannot rely on an ally to oppose the action to immediately lift all objects weighing up to
damned, he is likely to become easy prey indeed: 100 lbs. in her immediate vicinity (within 10 yards)
helpless cattle before the looming presence of the that could be manipulated by use of that Terror.
damned. Larger objects in the area that could be manipulated
by use of that Terror are ripped-apart when this
Utterance of Majestic Contagion: This ability ability is activated: a 300-lbs. corpse might be torn
functions identically to the Contagion Elder into four 50-lbs. slabs, three 25-lbs. chunks, and a
Discipline ability of the Baali (V20, pg. 447) except crimson spray of smaller “bits,” for example.
that it requires the expenditure of three points of
blood or Willpower (in any combination) to enact All objects lifted into the air in this way
the hour-long ritual; in addition, while the disease of immediately begin whipping around the damned
human sin spreads to fill & overwhelm the selected in a tight, horrifying tornado of gore & filth. The
area swiftly, the effect is far from permanent: this damned is never harmed by the quick orbit of these
effect must be maintained, renewed every evening, unsavory objects, and she is never splattered with
as the aura of decay and misery lasts only 24 drips or clots of foul material; instead, she actually
hours. The damned may choose to “spend ahead” comes out of the experience perfectly spotless: dirt,
and super-charge the duration of her curse, if she sewer-water, and bloodstains lift from her when
desires: for every 3 additional points of blood or this Terror is activated, joining the whirlwind. Any

52 Infernal Disciplines
creature within 10 yards of the damned while this While this Terror is in effect, the damned is
ability is active suffers a -2 dice penalty on all diceassumed to have had direct access to her newly-
pools and suffers one level of bashing damage. established level of opulence & authority for up to
one full week: thus, if the damned increases her
Note that successful use of this Terror is highly Resources from 1 to 6, for example, she could tear-
dependent on the local environment: if it is away her ratty trenchcoat to reveal a $25,000 dress
activated in an average office-building, within a with matching $10,000 earrings; she could then
suburban home or in the middle of the desert, this snap her fingers to summon a limousine, used
Terror might do precisely nothing. After all, is there to deliver her to her penthouse apartment atop a
really anything just laying around that the average luxury hotel, from which she may take her private
person would be sincerely hesitant to touch? Maybe helicopter to her exclusive new nightclub just
the ability can pull a dirty toilet out of the floor, outside of city limits.
but that’s probably about it.
In the morning, however, there is no record of
If this ability is used in an abandoned the damned having ever stayed at the hotel; her
slaughterhouse or beside a pit full of broken glass fancy clothing crumbles to ash, and her “nightclub”
soaked in raw sewage, on the other hand, creatures is a long-abandoned warehouse. The impeccably-
unlucky enough to get caught in the tornado will dressed driver of her limo can be found wrapped
suffer lethal damage instead of bashing. in rags, sleeping-off a wine hangover in an alleyway
This special terror may be selected multiple times; behind the hotel, while the limo and helicopter
each time it is selected, the effect of this Terror are simply… gone. All those hot & fashionable
increases in size & intensity: the area of the storm party-goers at the club? They were, it turns out,
increases by 10 yards and the amount of bashing just an encampment of broken-hearted, hollow-
damage done to creatures in the area increases by eyed addicts squatting in the shadows of the dusty
one. Thus, if the damned had selected this Terror warehouse.
three times, any creature within 30 yards of the Use of this Terror may allow the damned to
damned – while this ability is active – would take a increase her score in any Background up to one dot
-2 dice penalty on all dice pools and eat three levels beyond her generational limit. Background points
of bashing damage. gained when this Terror is used may divided among
Wealth & Taste: The damned spends a point multiple Backgrounds as the damned desires,
of blood or Willpower to activate this ability; and the Storyteller is the final arbiter of what
she immediately chooses one Background (or Backgrounds are necessary to achieve a specific
set of Backgrounds) related to the mortal world: effect.
Influence, Resources, Allies, Contacts, Fame,
etc. – as approved by the Storyteller – and rolls
Manipulation + Occult, difficulty 7.
One success on this roll increases one selected
Background rating of the damned by one for one
hour; each additional success grants the damned
either one additional dot in a selected Background
or one additional hour of effect, as she desires; this
Terror cannot be activated again until the original
application wears off. In addition, all Backgrounds
temporarily gained in this way – and the results of
possessing such Backgrounds, if applicable – fade
to nothingness at sunrise.

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 53

 All the Riches of Croesus
“Is this … real?”
“It can be.”
Note that use of this Terror is especially confounding for investigators attempting to track the damned, as
this ability isn’t a memory-clouding or perception-altering gift: instead, it literally calls-up reality-warping false
wealth & prestige directly from the Abyss, painting over the Creation of God’s infallible plan with glittering
fool’s-gold, flashing neon, taut young flesh, and rock-hard fantasy, leaving behind a mind-rending string of
paradoxical existence-errors in its cruel wake.
It doesn’t violate the Masquerade. Far worse: it violates causality itself, bending local reality over the toilet
and kicking it in the head as it vomits up blood & nails.
A creature with access to this Terror is intended to be odd, sinister & creepy, seemingly capable of bending
& re-writing the laws of world from the shadows at a whim. Why would a creature with this ability ever
bother to shower or change clothes, for example, when a brand-new set of high-end name-brand clothing is
one snap-of-the-fingers & twist-of-blood away?
This is, of course, within certain limitations: the damned cannot use this Terror to suddenly own a multinational
multimedia conglomerate, a satellite weapons-system or an entire international airline, as acquiring such a
thing would – subject to Storyteller discretion – require at least a month’s worth of paperwork to be exchanged
between lawyers, no matter how rich & famous the damned may be.
Of course, people the damned is trying to impress don’t need to know all that.
The reality-warping power granted by this ability, in short, always produces brightly-gleaming baubles that
are cheap, tawdry, garish, and vulgar: the damned using this Terror is assumed to be the height of tacky,
tasteless nouveau riche garbage, all gold-plated toilets and champagne-filled hot-tubs installed in the backs
of stretch Humvees.
In general, use of this Terror is intended to give the damned easy access to disposable mansions and sportscars,
nightclubs and fancy clothes without difficulty; using it to actually accomplish something useful is pretty
much impossible.
For example: the damned can casually nod and instantly score box-seats at the opera, tickets to a sold-out
show or a soundproof conference room at the five-star hotel downtown; she can have a luxury SUV pull out
of the parking garage beside her and drive her across town to her yacht at the marina without having to blink.
Using the ability to own the building the Prince lives in, and to then retroactively fill it with explosives,
however? That is definitely outside the scope of this power.

Wellspring of a Raw & Gaping Foulness: The
damned cannot activate this Terror while on
consecrated earth or holy ground of any kind
(see the Trespasser Upon Sacred Ground Flaw,
below). The damned strikes the ground with an
edged weapon, intoning an indecent prayer to the
Sleeping Children and their unnamable demonic
servitors as she does so; she expends one point
of blood or Willpower and rolls Wits + Occult
(difficulty 6). The earth – or floor, as appropriate
– immediately cracks open and begins to spurt a
substance functionally identical to warm human
blood; a total number of blood points flood from
this grotesque wound in reality equal to the current

54 Infernal Disciplines
temporary Willpower of the damned or the total
number of successes on the roll, whichever is lower.
Blood produced in this way must be licked directly
from the ground or scooped-up with bare hands; it
clots into useless black sludge upon touching any
other material or after one hour, whichever comes
first. Immediately upon intoning this prayer, the
damned is struck mute (V20, pg. 483) until she
awakens from slumber the following evening;
this special Terror cannot be activated by a mute
character.
It is by use of this Terror that large-scale Hives
remained self-sufficient, cut-off from the outside
world, for years, decades or even centuries:
sending-forth small swarms to secure additional
resources for the Hive only rarely, vanishing back
into the darkness with enough raw materials to
feed multitudes.
Windstorm of the Outer Dark: The damned
spends a point of blood or Willpower and rolls Wits
+ Occult (Difficult 7); she intones a single syllable
of one Sleeping Child’s name and unleashes a
razor-sharp blast of icy-cold murder from her skin
in a scream of unsane, impossible geometries
briefly intersecting with this abused reality. Each
success inflicts one level of lethal damage to all
creatures with 20 yards. Baali, members of Baali-
associated Bloodlines, and those bearing the blood
of Baali – such as the ghouls of Baali and those
blood-bound to a Baali – are immune to this
damage. Immediately upon intoning this syllable,
the damned is struck mute (V20 pg. 483) until
the end of the scene or for one hour, whichever is
longer; this special Terror cannot be activated by a
mute character.

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 55

Forbidden Arts & Baali second Bastard-Born of Haqim:
“As you thirst for our blood, so you shall hunger for all
Sorcery blood for all time”.
The greatest warmage on the face of the planet,
Who can say how many secrets the Baali have lost
Herald and Loremaster of Haqim, a creature
to dust & ash over the millennia of destruction the
worshipped as a god since the time of the Second
Bloodline has endured? How many unholy texts,
City, cannot defy our magical doing.
painstakingly tattooed on the backs of D’habi
slaves, have been torn to bloody & illegible shreds What manner of grand incantations were woven
or collapsed into rivulets of useless, worm-eaten above the ash-salted fields of Carthage by Cybele
putrescene? How many obsidian-sealed tomes of the Mad, Shattered Rose of Malkav, she who was
forbidden lore, bargained-for with silver & soul, reborn to the blood of Nergal in the Labyrinth
have been put to the torch? Or sunk beneath the beneath Knossos? What sorcery or witchcraft was
unforgiving waves? Or lost in lightless catacombs called-up from the deeps to bind Moloch and his
attended now only by the musty, forgotten dead? blood-lover Troile in the blood-soaked earth? What
How many secrets, implanted in the hollowed- device of sheer enchantment could possibly pin the
out minds of childer & ghouls, cultists & lovers, Antediluvian of the Brujah, First of the Berserkers
have been crushed to splinters beneath iron shod and Fountainhead of All Rage, in place?
boot-heel and siege-engine tread, ground into the
crimson-streaked, shit-spattered mud by ignorant, Mountains could not hope to fetter him, this
unwashed crusaders and syphilitic, wild-eyed most-ancient of Brujah, he who is fury and
preachers? swiftness, strength and sheer force-of-presence
defined in unliving flesh; oceans would boil, and
There are said to be records of the Baali stretching continents would shatter, and forests would roar
back 13,000 years; if so, 99.9% of those records into unrelenting flame, before their combined
have since gone the way of all flesh. weight might force such a creature to his knees.
Yet rumors persist that the First People – the Yet still he sleeps, by the will of Cybele alone: a
mortal tribe of sorcerers directly preceding the student of Baali Sorcery, perhaps, eldest of magics
Embrace of the Baali – were able to adapt much and precursor of all late-born blood-sorceries.
of their own potent ritual-magic, centered as it was
around the communal Organ-Pit of each village and If this is true, the combined might & sustained
overseen by a Shaman of the Sleeping Children, effort of all 13 clans, acting in concert, to wipe
into a true Discipline: a distant precursor to the literally every last drop of Baali blood from the
power of Thaumaturgy, an art far superior to mere face of the earth has done much over the last
Setitie Akhu, techniques of raw blood-magic so one hundred & thirty centuries to dilute the
grand as to be stolen outright by the foul Assamites sorcerous supremacy of the Bloodline: while the
& Shango to craft their ‘Master of Heaven & Demons might well have entered the Jyhad with
Earth’ school of cheap parlor-tricks. an impressive thousand-mile head-start, their near-
total destruction every few centuries has scattered
Those who lend credence to such rumors point knowledge of their black art to the far winds.
only to the Covenant of Nergal Path (Blood Sacrifice:
The Thaumaturgy Companion, pg. 43-44) as their In such a telling, the mystic tradition of
evidence, and nod toward the terrible curse laid Daimonion represents but the last few remnants of
down on the foul Spawn of Haqim by Annazir, Son true Baali Sorcery, each precious gift painstakingly
of Moloch, Keeper of the Organ-Pit at Damascus, drawn from a different Path of the Discipline,
a curse unbreakable even by Ur-Shulgi himself, dark jewels carefully knitted together into a

56 Infernal Disciplines
perfect, sinister framework that combines the into the deadly form of his most-favored beast: the
subtle elegance of Fear the Void Below with the silent hunting-owl of the deepest desert.
incalculable brutality of Conflagration: providing
the loyal servant of the Sleeping Children with • Illusion of the Night-Hunter
precisely the right tool for the job at exactly the With a twist of blood, the damned cloaks herself in
right time, nothing more and nothing less. swift wing, sharp eye, and razor talon: a shape most-
Corrupturum, likewise thought lost for over pleasing to Moloch.
a thousand years, is more scatter-shot still: an
System: The damned spends a point of blood
eclectic mélange of stolen gifts and half-perfected and makes a Willpower roll, difficulty 4; success
techniques, borrowed in ancient nights from ten- causes the damned to appear to all outside
thousand dark traditions, cobbled together by observers as an owl – rather than as herself – for
frenetic would-be gods & magicians into nothing
one hour per success. The specific appearance of
so much as approaching a coherent “art”. her owl-form is chosen by the damned when the
What percentage of what is now called power is activated: she might appear as a snowy
Corrupturum was once a step upon a Path of that owl, as a barn owl, or as a great horned owl,
greater Baali Sorcery, rescued just barely from the for example, as she desires. Most damned who
ashes of an inquisitor’s pyre? gain this ability default to the image of a single
preferred “iconic” owl-shape, but the damned may
For now, only a few hints remain of the strange, alter that appearance if she chooses.
obscene Paths and Rituals that might have been
encompassed by True Baali Sorcery … and many The damned is still herself: she can open a
of those secrets are being drawn back, now, into window, make a call on her cellphone or drive
the neon-lit shadows of the Final Nights by those a car. It’s just that no one sees it that way: the
willing to trade in the blackest enchantments of window appears to open of its own accord while
Dark Thaumaturgy. the owl perches on the fire escape next to it, the
owl appears to be standing silently on the edge of
a rooftop while a cellphone conversation happens
Dark Thaumaturgy somewhere near it, or the car appears to be rolling

Path: Swift Whisper of along with no one behind the wheel, an owl
staring ominously from the driver’s seat.
Moloch’s Wings If the damned violates the illusion granted by
this power so completely that her Storyteller can’t
To please their master, sire and grand-sire think of a way to make it make sense – like, say,
– Moloch King of Kings, Moloch the Mighty, by shooting someone in the chest with a shotgun
Moloch of the Bronze Bull, Moloch the Blazing – the magic fails completely.
& Infallible, Moloch the Wise, Moloch Invincible
Overlord and Devourer of Men – the very greatest At will, the damned may dispel this illusion; she
sorcerers of the early Baali worked tirelessly around must reactivate this power to cloak herself in this
the Organ Pits of their artifice, sacrificing scores false self once again.
of souls, flayed and bleeding, into the churning Use of Auspex or any other extrasensory
& still-screaming maw of waste and obscenity. perception-ability automatically overcomes this
In the course of depraved centuries, beneath the illusion: it is less powerful than even the weakest
full moon and lit by the fires of Topheth, these Obfuscate. It is simply more … highly refined.
magicians brought forth a new litany of spells &
wonders, crafted to reshape Moloch’s favored sons

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 57

 Actually, no.
In the real world, the Canaanite god known as ‘Moloch’ (also Molech, Mollok, Milcom, or Malcam), often
associated with Cronus or Saturn – as well as with Baal Hammon, the chief god of Carthage, a Phoenician
colony – was never linked with owls.
You’re thinking of Minerva, maybe: the Etruscan counterpart to the Greek Athena. Or perhaps Ragana,
the child-eating witch-goddess of pre-Christian Latvian & Lithuanian folklore. Or is it Stolas, owl-headed
demon from the Ars Goetia you’re thinkin-of?
Simple enough mistake to make.
Or did you mean Andras, 63rd of the 72 spirits of Solomon, Grand Marquis of Hell? He who appears with
a winged angel’s body and the head of an owl, riding upon a strong black wolf and wielding a sharp and
bright sword?
The connection of Moloch to owls is an absurd conspiracy theory.
But this is the goth-punk World of Darkness we’re talking about here, where absurd conspiracy theories like
“vampire princes rule over our cities from the shadows” and “all of human history has been – and actively
is – manipulated by undying monsters descended from the blood of the first murderer” are just the tip of
the iceberg; if there’s one setting where all the worst urban legends about the Bohemian Grove can be 100%
true (or, far worse, understating the truth), it’s in your game.
All Hail Moloch! Moloch the Owl! Moloch the Terrible! Moloch the All-Seeing & All-Knowing! Bless our
mega-yachts and ultra-corporations to your wicked service, our demon master, and let the “lame-stream”
media be none the wiser!
Alternatively, this Path might have its origins in Bahari Lilith-worshiping cults: the owl – alongside the cat
and the serpent – is one of her creations (Revelations of the Dark Mother, pg. 114). Thus, it is possible that
the faithful daughters of Lilith might have crafted this artform to honor her; the Baali could very well have
stolen knowledge of the technique, either by torturing the secrets from captured Daughters or by re-embracing
a practitioner into the Baali upon discovery of the Path’s existence.
As yet another alternative, this artform might have been stolen from Owl, patron Totem of the Silent Striders:
through mass sacrifice of Strider Kinfolk and allied shapeshifters of the Tribe – including African Corax
and Camazotz – this foul technique was unraveled from the secrets of Owl’s blessings to his children, defiled
and remade as a blasphemy.
No matter what, make this strange Path creepy and horrible: it’s a gift from Moloch to his most-beloved
monsters, a treasure far darker than mere Protean or Serpentis.

58 Infernal Disciplines
 ••Defy the Crude Hold of Yahweh’s to her Perception die-pools for one hour, or add a
Firmament single die to each die-pool for five full hours. The
damned may cancel her use of this ability at any
The damned lifts free of the earth and all its dust, time as a free action and subsequently reactivate
rising like a swift angel of Moloch’s fury. it; the ability may not be activated again until the
previous use of the ability has been dismissed or
System: The damned spends one point of blood
has worn off. In addition, if the damned fails or
and rolls Willpower (difficulty 5). Success on
botches a Stealth roll while this ability is active, she
this roll grants the damned one dot of the Flight
may simply cancel the action that caused her to
Discipline (V20 pg. 447) for one hour per success on
breach Stealth; she does not get the action back,
the roll. This single dot in Flight Discipline stacks
but she is spared the consequences of failure:
with other dots of that Discipline the damned
instead of risking movement, she remains stone-
may possess, to a limit of her normal generation
still.
maximum: if the damned is an 8th generation
Baali who possesses Flight 3, she increases her • • • • True Flesh of the Owl
Flight to 4 while this power is active, for example,
but she could not increase her Flight from 5 to 6 Skin & bone are mere slaves to the will of the damned,
in this way. beloved in Moloch’s sight.

In addition, once this power is unlocked,
the damned may always gain additional dots
in the Flight Discipline without instruction or
mentorship, and Flight is always treated as an in-
clan Discipline for her. She gains the benefits of
any dots in Flight learned in this way only while
this power is active: the damned might learn Flight
1 & 2 on her own, for example, after gaining access
to this power; if she does so, she cannot fly under
normal circumstances but gains the full benefits of
Flight 3 while this power is active.
• • • Apex Predator of Black Wind
Nothing escapes the notice of Moloch’s blessed raptor, If the damned possesses Shape of the Beast, her
flying wreathed in silent shadow.
System: The damned spends one point of blood
and rolls Willpower (difficulty 6). A success on this
roll increases the die-pool of the damned by one
for all uses of the Stealth skill or for all Perception-
related skills for one hour; each additional success
grants the damned either one additional die to all
her Stealth die-pools, one additional die to her
Perception die-pools, or increases the duration
of this effect by one hour. This power may be
mixed and matched as the damned sees fit: if she
achieves five successes, for example, she may add
two dice to her Stealth die-pools and three dice
System: The damned spends a point of blood
and rolls Willpower (difficulty 7). Success on this
roll grants the damned all the benefits of Shape of
the Beast (V20, pg. 200) for one hour per success
on the roll. She may only take the form of an owl
in this way; the natural abilities of such a creature
are treated as mechanically identical to those of a
bat.
If the damned otherwise possesses Shape of
the Beast, she instead gains Thousand Wings of
Moloch’s Faithful as the Level Four ability of this
Dark Thaumaturgy Path and Angel of Moloch’s
Wrath, below, as the Level Five ability of the Path.
“flight” form is always an owl.
••••• Thousand Wings of Moloch’s
Faithful
The storm descends, and Moloch’s will is done.
System: The damned spends a point of blood
and rolls Willpower (difficulty 8). Success on this
roll grants the damned all the benefits of Shape
of the Beast for one hour per success on the roll,
as per True Flesh of the Owl, above; when the
damned enters this form, however, she may choose
to disperse into as many owls as she has blood
points, with each owl carrying that single blood

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 59

point; she may choose to form fewer owls, if she way when the duration of her power expires, at
desires, in which case the blood points are divided sunrise, or when only a single one of her owls
as evenly as possible among these owls. remains undestroyed, whichever comes first.
Owls created in this way are identical to the If the damned reforms in such a way that she
damned in her owl-form in all ways; these owls may now has less than three blood points in her system,
act in concert, or individually follow a simple plan she must immediately check for Frenzy.
such as “scatter and hide.”
••••• [Special]: Angel of Moloch’s
The damned becomes a free-roaming
consciousness that may flick from one owl to Wrath
another at the speed of thought, but she may Reshaped in the likeness of his most-beloved servant,
pay close attention to only one owl at a time. For you fly swift: to carve the whim & desire of Moloch into
example, she could listen-in on a conversation using the living flesh of the world, a majestic act executed in
one of her owls, but she could not individually great, red and screaming torrents.
direct her other owls to engage in combat or to
keep an eye on another creature during this time; System: The damned spends a point of blood and
her other owls simply obey her last command to rolls Willpower (difficulty 8). Success on this roll
the best of their ability. If this command proves causes the damned to take on an exalted, august
impossible – such as “follow that Nosferatu,” strigine form for one hour per success on the roll.
commanded just before the Nosferatu vanishes – In this form, a perfect blending of her immortal
her owls revert to normal, instinctual owl behavior. flesh & bone with the swift and terrible majesty
of Owl, the damned adds half again her normal
This usually involves taking shelter, especially in height to her size, while her arms transform into
an urban environment. mighty wings; her total wingspan in this form is
The damned may use her normal Disciplines equal to 2.5 times her new height: a six-foot-tall
through her owls, as per Shape of the Beast; vampire would grow to nine feet in height, for
if activation of that Discipline requires the example, and her wingspan would reach twenty-
expenditure of blood, the cost is paid from the two and a half feet. Her weight is halved while in
blood pool of the owl activating the Discipline. If this form.
any owl is reduced to zero blood points, it instantly
Her entire body shifts, lengthening into an
crumbles to ash.
unearthly reflection of the flawless raptor birthed
In addition, while using this power, all owls must of carnage & nightmare: while in this form, the
remain within 300 yards of one another; any owl damned is immediately recognizable by any mortal
that moves too far from the others immediately shapeshifter – such as a werewolf or wererat – as a
crumbles to ash and the damned forfeits all blood “Crinos”: the ultimate alchemical fusion of beast
carried by that creature. and humanity, the perfect predator.
The damned may, at will, reform from any one The damned gains the following additional
of her owls; when she reforms, all other owls features while in this form:
she has created within 10 yards of her are drawn
back into her physical substance and the damned • she is at -2 difficulty on all Perception and
regains their blood. At this time, all other owls she Athletics rolls (including rolls made to fly,
has created (those outside of this 10-yard radius) maintain balance and dodge)
collapse instantly into ash; the damned thereby • although she cannot actually fly using
forfeits their blood. her wings, and must instead rely on
The damned also automatically reforms in this magical enhancement (such as the Flight

60 Infernal Disciplines
 Discipline, below) to become airborne, the lose contact with her victim; when using
damned suffers no damage from any fall so this maneuver, the damned tears deeply at
long as she has some measure of flexibility the mass of flesh still gripped in her beak,
and awareness during her fall; guiding her shredding her victim to ribbons in great
fall with her wings is instinctual and does gouts of ichor. The victim is permitted an
not require any action on the part of the instinctive opposed Strength roll (this does
damned not require an action); if this victim cannot
break free, the damned deals an additional
• her Bite, made with her massive curved, +1 die of damage with her Bite to that
downward-facing beak, deals +1 die of victim until the beginning of her next turn.
damage; as this hooked beak is designed
specifically for gripping and tearing-at prey, Special: The damned must possess Shape of the
the damned gains access to the Rip-and- Beast to gain access to this ability; if she has access
Tear Combat Maneuver, below to that that ability, she gains Thousand Wings of
Moloch’s Faithful (above) as the Level Four ability
• so long as she is at least partially airborne of this Dark Thaumaturgy Path and this ability as
or possesses significantly higher ground – the Level Five ability of the Path.
because she is leaping off a building onto
her target, for example – the damned may If the damned possesses Shape of the Beast, her
use her foot-talons to make Claw attacks “flight” form is always an owl.
without any increase to the difficulty of her
attack
• the damned may strike with her wings as
normal for an unarmed strike: a wing-swipe
deals neither more nor less damage than a
standard punch
• she gains one additional dot in the Flight
Discipline, up to one dot above her normal
generational limit
• she gains Str +1, Dex +2, Sta +1, App 0, Man
-3, Per +3; these bonuses ignore normal
generational limits. If entering her strigine
form would ever increase the Strength
score of the damned above 10, she instead
gains a temporary dot of Potence. Use of
this Horror cannot increase the abilities of
the damned beyond Strength 10, Potence
10.
The damned may cancel this effect and return to
her base form at any time as a free action.
Rip-and-Tear: This maneuver requires that
the damned, while in her strigine form,
successfully used a bite attack in her previous
turn and did not subsequently withdraw or

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 61

Dark Thaumaturgy this Path, she must first have access to an active
Organ-Pit. In ancient days, each blood-splattered
Path: Song of the village invaded, ravaged and overthrown by the
First People maintained exactly such a pit, into
Organ-Pit which all tribute – of ash and bone, meat and silk-
braided hair, ruptured eyes and crimson-streaked
entrails, wailing first-born and vivisected lovers –
It is unlikely in the extreme that there exist more
demanded from the conquered was consigned. Yet
than a half-dozen damned in total, worldwide, with
not one of these lesser atrocities could compare
knowledge of this foul sorcery; of them, perhaps
with the “original” pit: that echoing, terrible hole
three might still be assumed to walk the modern
in the infinite from-which the first of the Baali
nights, as the others lay in bloodless slumber
emerged.
beneath the cold stone of centuries. Few enough
occultists know that this horrid, sanity-shattering A new Organ-Pit must be constructed in a
mystical artform was ever even practiced; fewer place marked by unnatural horror: an Organ-Pit
still are aware that it may yet be learned by a cannot be established on consecrated earth or
dedicated practitioner: taught in darkest secret by on holy ground of any kind (see the Trespasser
the most potent of demon-lords, and only to those Upon Sacred Ground Flaw, below), and – in
rare Infernalists both capable of comprehending most instances – can be forged only in a haunted,
the grotesque technique and willing to shackle desolate or carnage-splattered place far from
themselves utterly to the whims of their devilish the sight of mundane humanity: beneath an
master. abandoned stretch of subway, for example, or in
the penthouse apartment of a prolific serial killer.
Baali apocrypha claims that this art is the first
A proper Organ Pit may never sit exposed to the
and primary Path of Baali Sorcery, the wellspring
open sky, lest sunlight or clean rainfall wash-away
from which all other obscene magics wielded
the spiritual infection cultivated within.
in later millennia by the Bloodline – including
Corrupturum, Daimonion and Jigoku – are The consecration of a new Organ-Pit requires
drawn-forth; the Path itself is clearly adapted from seven hours of uninterrupted work every night for
the ancient sacrifice-magics practiced by the First one week. The damned must pour one blood point
People long before the arrival of Ashur. of her own vitae into the depths of the Organ-Pit
at the end of each hour; at the end of each night,
Did the First People count some number
the damned performs her next roll in an extended
of Nephandi – or other, impossibly-debased
Manipulation + Occult challenge (difficulty 7).
Awakened – among their ranks during that time?
Once all seven rolls have been made, the damned
Were they shepherded in nightmare by some
combines her successes: if they total 28 or more
grotesque mentor, a blasphemous elder spirit-
(requiring 4 successes each night, on average), the
entity knowledgeable in the ways of True Magick?
new Organ-Pit is fully initiated.
Or was their devotion to the Children of the Outer
Dark simply so great as to inspire mere mortals in Once created, an Organ-Pit remains in-
attaining new heights of reality-bending ritual- existence until the physical structure of the pit is
sorcery? fully compromised: the twisting pit beneath the
Labyrinth at Knossos was destroyed only by the
None can say.
eruption of Thera, for example, while the massive
Regardless, the power of this Path is impressive, pit dedicated to the Topheth in Carthage is sealed
even so many millennia later. by the same incalculable magics said to bind both
Moloch and his Antediluvian blood-lover Troile.
Before the damned may call-forth the gifts of

62 Infernal Disciplines
 That said, an Organ-Pit falls dormant after one
month if not maintained.
The process of maintaining an active Organ-Pit
is identical to the ritual of re-awakening a pit that
has fallen dormant: the damned prepares a living
sacrifice – usually human, a process that takes one
hour – then makes a gift of that sacrifice along
with seven blood points of her own vitae into the
depths of the pit. Upon doing so, the damned rolls
Manipulation + Occult (difficulty 7).
If the sacrifice to the pit is a human child,
a supernatural creature (such as a sorcerer,
but not including ghouls), or a creature
with True Faith, the difficulty is decreased
by one (to 6). If the sacrifice to the pit is a
large non-human mammal such as a horse
or bull, the difficulty instead increases by
one (to 8). The damned may even choose
to sacrifice something as simple as a dog,
goat or pig, increasing the difficulty by
two (to 9). In an emergency, the damned
might sacrifice a cat, owl, serpent, or other
iconic “witch’s animal” – such as a raven
– increasing the difficulty by three (to a
maximum difficulty of 10).
At Storyteller’s discretion, the Organ Pit
might be successfully renewed or awakened
via the sacrifice of other valuable creatures,
such as squid or endangered animals.
Use of any lesser animal – such as rats,
cockroaches, or worms – to feed the Organ
Pit fails automatically.
In any instance, the damned must achieve a
minimum of three successes on this roll; if this the pit and the chamber containing it, not just
total is not met, the pit falls – or remains – dormant the doorway, and it lasts for a number of weeks
until the ritual sacrifice is completed.
• Reap the Organ-Pit
By means of human vivisection & blackest witchcraft, Pit falls dormant.
the strength of Oblivion is at hand.
System: The damned spends a point of blood
and makes a Willpower roll, difficulty 4; on a
success, the damned aligns – body, mind and soul
TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI
– with the essence of her obscene creation: gaining
full access to her Organ-Pit Background (see below)
for the remainder of the night. If the damned is
not within line of sight to her dedicated Organ-Pit
when this roll is made, the difficulty of this roll
doubles (to difficulty 8).
Multiple damned may be aligned to the same pit
simultaneously, but any individual damned may
only be aligned to a single Organ Pit at any one
time.
•• Veil Against the Inquisitive
In secret places, our majestic foulness builds and
spreads.
System: While adjacent to and attuned to her
Organ-Pit, the damned spends one point of blood
and rolls Willpower (difficulty 5). Success on this
roll causes the pit and all of its immediate environs
to become masked behind a mystical effect very
similar to the Obfuscate Discipline: any physical
doorway into the area may only be noticed, seen,
observed or interacted-with in any way by a creature
with a level of Auspex (or similar supernatural
sensory ability) greater-than or equal-to the highest
level of this Path mastered by the damned.
Children, animals, and other creatures with non-
standard or non-human senses will often notice the
existence of the doorway as well. Baali, members of
Baali-associated Bloodlines, and those bearing the
blood of a Baali – such as the ghoul of a Baali or a
Toreador blood-bound to a Baali – are immune to
this special Obfuscation.
This special protection covers every part of
equal to the number of successes gained on the
Willpower roll made to activate this ability. This
effect is maintained even if the shrouded Organ-
63
 New Background: Organ Pit
You may pull torrents of dark sorcery out of the pit you have awakened, imbuing your twisted enchantments
with a blasphemous majesty called-up to the daylit world from an onyx-crimson slurry thick with your
damnation, obsession, and sacrifice.
Each week, your Organ-Pit generates a total number of free-floating atrocity-motes and produces a total
number of “cherries” – or shirikodama – each equal to your rating in this Background. Your pit empties at
the end of each week; all unspent motes and all unconsumed cherries are thereby wasted.
Upon being successfully maintained (see above), your pit refreshes fully.
For Example: if you possess the Organ-Pit Background at dot 3, your dedicated Organ-Pit generates three
atrocity-motes and produces three cherries each week.
Atrocity-motes generated by your Organ-Pit may be expended in place of blood points or in place of
Willpower, as you desire; this pool of atrocity-motes may only be drawn-from while you are adjacent to your
pit. Alternatively, you may refresh your temporary Willpower while you are adjacent to your pit, draining
one atrocity-mote from your pit for each temporary Willpower point you choose to regain.
A “cherry” – in Baali parlance – is a horrid, dripping-red mass of compressed soft tissue, viscera, excrement,
and toxic spiritual ectoplasm approximately the size of a human testicle, thumb-tip or eyeball; it is destroyed
instantly if exposed to flame, sunlight or the touch of a holy object. Cherries are physically pulled from the
Organ-Pit and may be concealed easily in a coat-pocket. Cherries removed from their pit in this way remain
“fresh” until spent or until the end of the week, when the pit refreshes; for this reason, cherries cannot be
effectively stockpiled.
At any time – while you are attuned with your Organ-Pit – you may choose to crush a single cherry you hold
in-hand and thereby regain a point of temporary Willpower; alternatively, you may choose to consume a
cherry you are holding and immediately gain one blood point. You may consume up to three cherries in
a single turn. If a cherry is consumed by any creature not attuned to your pit, including you, it is wasted.
A larger and more-powerful Organ-Pit can be purchased with pooled Background points (V20, pg. 118); in
the time of Moloch’s rein, the vast pit at Topheth was said to produce dozens or even hundreds of cherries
each night.
Characters who do not possess levels in the Song of the Organ-Pit Dark Thaumaturgy Path cannot purchase
dots in this Background and cannot gain the benefits of this Background.
An active Organ-Pit radiates foul sorceries similar to the magics of a Wyrm Caern (W20, pg. 65): use of this
Path is likely to attract the attention of Black Spiral Dancers, fomori, Kumo Goblin Spiders, Nephandi,
and other malign entities dedicated to the entropic cause of that dread cosmic force, many of whom will
not recognize your authority.

64 Infernal Disciplines
••• Echo of Distant Pits
By the whispers of one, the voices of many Hives may
be heard.
System: While adjacent to and attuned to her
Organ-Pit, the damned spends one point of blood
and rolls Willpower (difficulty 6). Success on this
roll grants the damned a direct, physical, auditory
connection to every other active Organ-Pit in
existence: by whispering into her pit, she may speak
freely with any other creature adjacent to another
active Organ-Pit anywhere in the world for the
remainder of the scene, until the conversation is
ended by either party, or for one hour (whichever
comes first).
The damned may maintain communication
with multiple Organ-Pits at the same time, and all
attempts to communicate with other damned are
automatically successful: a Baali Elder in Paris who
speaks not a word of Portuguese can both hear
and understand an Akahaete neonate dwelling in
Brazil, for example, and vice versa.
In addition, the damned may speak freely – in
exactly the same way – with any creature carrying a
fresh cherry taken from her pit. The target need not
be aware of this power’s use or even of its existence:
if an associate of the damned quietly places a cherry
from the Organ-Pit in the backpack of a Ventrue
ghoul, for example, the damned may choose to
listen-in on the ghoul and his surroundings at her
own leisure, so long as the ghoul is carrying the
backpack and the cherry remains undiscovered.
The damned might even choose to speak to the
ghoul, potentially causing quite a bit of confusion
and terror.
•••• Haruspex of the Organ-Pit
Nothing is hidden – neither past not future – from the
sight of the Sleeping Children.
System: While adjacent to and attuned to her
Organ-Pit, the damned spends a point of blood and
one hour destroying a living creature in a ritualistic
fashion. During this time, the damned slowly pulls
the creature apart piece by piece, studying both its
TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI
anatomy as well as its death-throes as she casts the
pieces one after another into her gaping Organ-Pit.
The damned may choose to destroy a living
creature of any type, although more valuable living
creatures yield more potent auguries (as noted
below).
• Creature is rare (an albino raven or a
member of an endangered species): +1 die
• Creature is unblemished and pure when
the ritual begins: +1 die
• Creature is expensive (a purebred bull or
show-horse): +1 die per two dots of Resources
or Allies necessary to obtain the object, rounded
down
• Creature is illegal to own (a tiger or
Burmese python): +1 die
• Creature is supernatural (a wolf that serves
as a ghoul, or a witch’s cat familiar): +2 dice
• Creature (such as a blood-bound ghoul or
true believer) sacrifices itself willingly: +2
dice
• Creature is marked (by tattoo or brand,
usually) as the private property of another
magician: +2 dice
• Pieces of the creature are ritualistically
burned in a ceremonial flame before being
cast into the pit, and the smoke of this
flame is inhaled by the practitioner: +2 dice
(note that this may cause Rötschreck)
• The damned destroys two or more identical
creatures, such as human triplets or a set of
purebred puppies from the same litter: +1
die per creature destroyed, to a maximum bonus
equal to the Willpower of the damned
During this ritual, the damned focuses on a
specific event that she believes will occur later that
night: a contest between rivals to the position of
Prince or Bishop, for example, or the outcome
of an expected fight between the local Tremere
chantry and an invading Sabbat-pack.
At the end of this hour, the damned rolls
Willpower (difficulty 7); at this time, she includes
additional dice gained from her use of valuable
ritual objects and the performance of potent ritual
actions (above).
65
 If this roll is successful, the damned gains some
flash of insight into the future: she may not know
the exact outcome of the event in question, but she
gets a general feel for how the events will unfold if
she does not intervene. In addition, she catches a
glimpse of something previously unknown to her,
if such a thing exists: the Toreador challenger to the
position of Prince secretly has Protean-claws that
she intends to unleash on her rival, for example, or
the Tremere chantry is guarded by a gargoyle thus-
far hidden from Camarilla society.
At this time, the damned adds a number of dice
equal to the number of successes she achieved on
her initial roll to a special Haruspex Dice Pool. The
damned may add dice from this pool to any roll she
makes that has to do with the event in question, at
Storyteller discretion; once a die is removed from
the Haruspex Dice Pool, it is forever lost.
For Example: Winter Bellamira expects to
meet with a Malkavian Antitribu contact to
discuss the trade of occult lore; on the night
of the meeting, she dissects a drug dealer
as part of her divinatory ritual, scoring 4
successes. Winter sees that her “Malkavian
Antitribu” associate is actually a Follower
of Set when – in a brief vision – the contact
vomits-up a dozen venomous serpents and
takes the shape of a titanic cobra. Later than
night, as Winter is attacked by her “friend”
and his ghoul cultists after skipping their
meeting, Winter could choose to spend
up to four dice from her Haruspex Pool
to dodge a single bite attack made by a
serpent. She might instead choose to spend
those dice attacking her Setite opponent
or escaping the city; she could even spend
the dice attempting to approach the city’s
Sherriff as a “Camarilla neonate,” warning
him of the danger posed to the Domain by
a ‘Sabbat madman with snake-powers’. She
could not, however, spend her Haruspex
dice on any task not directly related to the
Setite threat: if she wants to spend the dice
stealing a car, she may do so only if her car-
theft is in some way related to her Setitie
66 Infernal Disciplines
foe.
A Haruspex Pool created by use of this power
automatically collapses at sunrise, and any dice left
unspent from the Haruspex Pool are wasted. The
damned may maintain only a single Haruspex Pool
at any given time.
••••• Bridge the World Below
Along the secret paths between places known only to the
Children of the Outer Dark, forged in a world that was
in nights before the rise of Yahweh, we skitter and dance.
System: While adjacent to and attuned to her
Organ-Pit, the damned spends a point of blood
and rolls Willpower (difficulty 8). Success on this
roll grants the damned the ability to step into her
pit and emerge the next round from another active
pit of her choice within one mile.
Each additional success multiplies the distance
that may be traversed between Organ-Pits by a
factor of 10:
2 successes: 10 miles
3 successes: 100 miles
4 successes: 1,000 miles, easily
encompassing the distance from Chicago
to New York at 788 miles
5 successes: 10,000 miles, easily
encompassing the distance from Los
Angeles to London at 5,437 miles)
6 successes: 100,000 miles, or anywhere
on earth: this distance easily encompasses
the distance from Rosario, Argentina to
Xinghua, China at 12,425 miles
7 successes: 1,000,000 miles, easily
encompassing the greatest distance ever
achieved by humans (when the crew of the
Apollo 13 were at apocynthion 158 miles
from the lunar surface on the far side of
the Moon, 248,655 miles above Earth’s
surface)
8+ successes: beyond this level of success,
 the damned may “step sideways” into
adjacent realities – such as the Umbra
or the Shadowlands – assuming that an
active Organ Pit is located there for her to
emerge-from
If no active Organ-Pit exists within her range,
the damned may choose to cancel her movement
before entering her pit and may attempt the use of
this power again the following round.
Once this pathway has been opened by the
damned, any creature carrying a fresh cherry taken
from her pit may also travel in this way during the
same round.

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 67

Jigoku a demonic or other wicked and immortal
tutor.

And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient Each bestial Wicked Corpse form is unique,
serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver although all are outright monstrosities and cannot
of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, pass as ordinary humans in any way. Amongst
and his angels were thrown down with him. the truly ancient practitioners of Jigoku’s art, it
is traditional to become like the Ch’ing Shih: with
-- Revelation 12:9 flesh of sickly and mottled gray, tightly wrinkled
around jet-black bones that spear through rotting
By means of this art, the damned reshapes herself
skin in blossoms of obsidian thorns, running
according to the whim of her darkest impulses, becoming
down her spine & emerging in honeycombs of oil-
a mockery of God’s own image: when this ability is
dripping razors from her joints.
activated, the damned contorts, fractures and slithers
her unliving body into a uniquely monstrous form, drawn Younger damned tend to draw inspiration from
from the black nightmare of her long, strange descent into their own cultural images of demons, devils, rotting
cackling and nihilistic madness. bog-witches, slavering hell-hounds, shadowy urban
predators and hulking, nightmarish eaters of man-
System: A damned with knowledge of Jigoku
flesh; asymmetrical, faceless Lovecraftian things of
may enter her Wicked Corpse form at will.
unhealthy angles & whipping, phallic tendrils are
No roll is required to enter her Wicked Corpse as common as pale, eerily graceful nymphs in black
form, although three blood points must be ballgowns of slick, gore-drenched silk, their delicate
spent, and the transformation takes three turns limbs wrapped in scarlet-dripping razor-wire.
to complete. The damned may freely expend
Each additional dot beyond the first that
Willpower in place of blood to achieve this
the damned possesses in Jigoku grants her one
transformation; blood and Willpower may be
additional Horror. Unless noted, an individual
spent in any combination, as the damned desires.
Horror may not be selected more than once. In
When the damned fully manifests her Wicked addition, the damned increases one Physical
Corpse form, her Appearance drops to zero; her Attribute – Strength, Dexterity, or Stamina – of
Physical Attributes simultaneously each increase her choice by 1 while she maintains her Wicked
by one (ignoring normal generational limits). In Corpse form for each level of Jigoku above one.
addition, the damned gains use of one Horror
For Example: Winter Bellamira has two
from the list below while she maintains her Wicked
dots of Jigoku; she has chosen to gain +1
Corpse form; this specific Horror is chosen when
Strength, +2 Dexterity, and +1 Stamina
the damned gains her new dot in Jigoku (but see
while in her Wicked Corpse form.
below).
Whenever the damned gains access to a new dot
In many ways, the Level 6 Daimonion
in any Discipline – including the Jigoku Discipline
power Concordance (V20 pg. 446) can
-- she may freely redistribute the Horrors granted to
be thought-of as the selection of a single
her by her use of Wicked Corpse.
permanent Horror, one that persists even
when the damned exits her Wicked Corpse For Example: Winter Bellamira has two
form; it is suspected by occult scholars dots of Jigoku; she possesses the Horrors of
that the entirety of this Discipline was Crown of Blades and Jagged Claws. Upon
developed from experimentation with that gaining Level 2 Protean, Winter discards
single technique by a Methuselah of the her Jagged Claws and gains Walking
Bloodline, perhaps with the assistance of Leviathan.

68 Infernal Disciplines
 The damned cannot pass for human while in
her Wicked Corpse form; mundane humans (not
including ghouls, sorcerers, or other supernatural
mortals) exposed to a Wicked Corpse must succeed
at a Willpower roll (difficulty 7) or flee in terror;
such creatures forget their exposure to the power of
the damned within 1d10 days.
The effects of Wicked Corpse last until the
end of the scene or for one hour, whichever
comes first; the damned also may choose, at that
time, to expend an additional point of blood or
Willpower to maintain her Wicked Corpse form
for one additional hour or one additional scene, as
appropriate. Otherwise, the damned automatically
reverts back to her normal undead shape. The
damned may always dismiss the effect of her
Wicked Corpse form at any time as a free action.
Use of this power is a very clear breach of the
Masquerade and leaves no doubt in the mind of
any witness that the damned is blessed with dark
supernatural gifts. Use of this ability, however,
causes all mundane and electronic recording
equipment within line of sight of the damned to
glitch-out for the duration of this effect: a camera
trained on the damned when she invokes this
ability records only otherworldly crimson-tinged
static, sometimes outlining only the damned and
sometimes filling the frame.
Neither mundane human senses nor supernatural
abilities such as Auspex can determine whether a
damned possesses a Wicked Corpse form unless she
wears the form openly; however, any use of Sense
the Sin (V20, pg. 445) reveals whether a target has
access to such a gift, no roll or check required. By
use of this loophole, Baali and Akahaete – and
their co-conspirators, including the Yomonlik –
are often able to recognize one another on sight.

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 69

 Terrifying Flexibility of Horror & Terror: AKA ‘Build-A-Blasphemy
Workshop’
Fundamentally, the twin Disciplines of Jigoku and Corrupturum are meant to be fun a sort of “construct your own awesome
& terrifying monster, the game”; these Disciplines present a LOT of Horrors and Terrors to choose from, which is – up
to a point – the primary purpose of this book.
For that reason, it makes sense that players and Storytellers alike would want to explore these brand-new sub-systems – or
at least we hope they will! – and not locking characters into exactly five ironclad Horrors and five set-in-stone Terrors over
the course of their career is, in theory, one fun way to do this.
But how often should a damned actually change-out the Horrors & Terrors granted to her by Jigoku and Corrupturum?
Well, there are a few options available to the Storyteller and her troupe.
NIGHTMARE MODE: Once the damned chooses a Horror/Terror, it is forever hers. If, after a few sessions, the player decides
that she doesn’t like Walking Leviathan (for example) and decides that she would prefer a different Horror … well, tough.
This mode puts Corrupturum and Jigoku in-line with most other Disciplines: if a player decides that she doesn’t like
her animal-choice for Protean 4 mid-campaign, after all, there really isn’t a mechanical way to switch that out (short of
Storyteller fiat).
An ironclad ruling like this rewards careful reading, planning, and selection by a dedicated player who enjoys the mechanical
aspect of the game, potentially making the Chronicle significantly more fun; alternatively, it may present certain other players
with dreaded “analysis paralysis”: there’s only ONE best option, after all, and any choice you make is a choice AGAINST
all the other options. For less tactically-minded players, this is unlikely to be much fun.
HARD MODE: Every time the damned gains a new dot in Jigoku/Corrupturum, she may discard any one Horror or Terror
(as appropriate) she already possesses and select a new one in its place.
MODERATE MODE: Every time the damned gains a new dot in any Discipline, including Jigoku or Corrupturum, she
may discard any one Horror or Terror she possesses and select a new one in its place. She cannot rebuild her entire suite of
Horrors from the ground up or swap-out her full set of Terrors, certainly … but she can “evolve” along a logically consistent arc.
EASY MODE: Every time the damned gains a new dot in any Discipline, she may reselect her full suite of Jigoku Horrors
and Corrupturum Terrors.
The default assumption of this text, this mode allows a dedicated player to “try-on” nearly every Horror and Terror listed in
the book, finding exactly the right fit for her character over the course of a Chronicle. Note that changing-out Horrors &
Terrors does become progressively more difficult and expensive as the character increases in power: eventually, a character
simply cannot accrue enough Experience Points to buy a new dot in any Discipline.
When using this mode, special care should be taken by the player not to slow down a scene, to keep her Storyteller informed
as to her choices, and to keep a close record of her character sheet: choosing a new Horror or Terror on-the-fly, not knowing
how your power works or selecting a power without Storyteller approval is strictly forbidden.
OFF-SCREEN MODE: If no player characters have access to Jigoku or Corrupturum, and none are expected to gain
access to either Discipline during the Chronicle, the Storyteller is free to play with this ability as she sees fit: perhaps it’s
interesting for a reoccurring Baali antagonist to have a different set of powers each time she encounters the players, even if
her Disciplines otherwise remain the same. Conversely, maybe it’s all more trouble than it’s worth, and you want to keep
you Baali antagonist with exactly the same set of Corrupturum/Jigoku powers for the duration of the story. Either way, the
Storyteller should feel empowered to adjust the precise Horrors/Terrors of such an opponent (or unlikely ally!) between
encounters, the better to surprise – but never frustrate! – her players.

70 Infernal Disciplines
Horrors: something like real skin … but fake, nonetheless.
Whenever the damned suffers damage of any kind
Bladed Extremity: The damned gains access to while this Horror is active, all creatures observing
a special Combat Maneuver (Str + 2 aggravated the damned are entitled to another Perception +
damage; difficulty 7) that she may use with any Awareness of the same type; the difficulty of this
novel appendage – tail, tendril, etc. – gained from roll is reduced by 1 for each Health Level of damage
the Legion of Thrashing Limbs Horror (below) or suffered by the damned.
other Horror, such as Wings of the Pit.
At any time, the damned may rip this false skin
Bones Forged of the Underworld: If the off of herself as a free action, revealing her true
damned normally suffers only half bashing damage Wicked Corpse form beneath and ending the
after her soak (V20, pg. 285), she instead becomes suppression of any Horrors – or other effects – that
completely immune to bashing damage. If the would reveal her as monstrous; immediately upon
damned normally suffers full bashing damage doing so, she may fling this torn sheet of bloody,
after her soak – because she is a ghoul, a mortal shredded skin at one opponent within a range of
sorcerer, or another living creature, for example (5 x [Str + Potence]) yards of her. When she does
– all bashing damage remaining after her soak is so, she and her target each make opposed Dexterity
halved, rounded down, just as if she were a vampire. rolls; if the damned succeeds, her target is briefly
Breath of Oblivion: The damned gains all the entangled in the lacerated, dripping flaps of false-
benefits of the Exhalation of Hell Investment flesh and suffers a +2 difficulty on all physical rolls
(below). (including attacks) until the end of the turn. This
ability may be used in combat as a reaction: if the
Cape of Pretty, Pretty Skin: When the damned damned realizes that she is about to be shot, she
enters her Wicked Corpse form, her outward level may tear off her skin and throw it at her assailant
of attractiveness actually improves – granting her just before he is able to pull the trigger.
Appearance +3, ignoring all normal generational
limits and overcoming even the curse of the Use of this Horror is especially common amongst
Nosferatu or Samedi – and her Appearance does those who also possess the Mantle of Child-Flesh
not immediately fall to zero. The damned retains Terror (above).
her Blush of Health Merit (V20 pg. 480) if she
normally possesses it and may spend blood
to disguise her undead nature (V20 pg. 269)
as normal, if she desires. Use of this Horror
temporarily suppresses the Engine of Punishment,
Hideous Strength, Legion of Thrashing Limbs,
Walking Leviathan and Wings of the Pit Horrors,
for example, alongside the suppression of all other
abilities, powers, gifts or investments that would
otherwise change the size or the shape of the
damned to something inhuman.
Any creature observing the damned closely while
cloaked in this way is entitled to a free Perception
+ Awareness roll, difficulty equal to the total
Manipulation of the damned + 3. On a success,
the creature notices that the skin of the damned
is somehow “off”: a cunning forgery, made of

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 71

72 Infernal Disciplines
 Coiling & Spiteful Venom: The blood of the Demon Sorcery: The damned gains the benefits
damned seethes with life-snuffing malevolence, of the Iniquitous Tutelage Terror (above); note
dripping from her fangs as well as from her claws that gaining this ability as a Horror means that
… and her tail, and the razored-edges of her wings, damned may benefit from this access to Blood
and from the barbs enshrouding her, and from Magic only while in her Wicked Corpse form.
other limbs and natural weapons as appropriate.
Distend the Lubricious Gut: The damned may
The damned must also possess the Kiss of Most- consume – raw and whole – any number of severed
Pleasing Exsanguination Horror, below, to make human limbs, torsos, heads or other body parts,
use of this ability. stuffing herself with up to one total human corpse
in added mass (10 blood points) at any given time.
Any creature who suffers at least one Health The damned is treated as if she possessed the Eat
Level of lethal or aggravated damage from the Food Merit (V20 pg. 480) for purposes of this
natural weapons of the damned – or who drinks Horror, while both her jaws and her stomach-cavity
at least one point of blood from the damned become impossibly, grotesquely elastic while she
– is treated as if she had just been bitten by the is filled in this way. Pushing an entire human leg
damned for purposes of the Kiss of Most-Pleasing down her throat still takes time, of course; as such,
Exsanguination Horror. this ability is effectively useless in combat.
Cloak of Obsidian Razors: The skin of the The weight of the damned increases by the
damned explodes with a hideous, rippling mantle weight of all body-parts consumed in this way. Use
of nails, barbs, thorns, teeth, or spikes. Her of this ability does not decrease her Dexterity or
unarmed attacks (such as punches and body-slams) Athletics dice-pools.
deal aggravated damage, and an attacker botching
a Brawl or Melee roll against the damned suffers At any time while stuffed-full in this way, the
aggravated damage equal to the attacker’s own damned may spend a point of blood or Willpower
Strength Trait. to activate this ability and roll Stamina + Occult,
difficulty 7: instantly digesting as much of the
Cloven Hooves: The damned grows horrid, human corpse-matter inside her as she is able.
extended legs and thick hooves like some kind of Each success on this roll grants the damned one
ancient woodland goat-devil. Her height increases immediate blood point; all blood points generated
by a foot. She may jog at a rate of 18 yards per in this way are instantly added to the blood pool
action (normal humans jog at a rate of 13 yards of the damned.
per turn) or run at a rate of 25 yards per action
(normal humans run at a rate of 20 yards per turn). If her body cannot hold the amount of vitae
She may also kick or trample her enemies as a +1 intended to be added to her system, she vomits-
difficulty Combat Maneuver, dealing Strength + 3 up this extra new blood as a free action: an 8th
lethal damage with each strike. generation Baali with 13 blood points in her pool
who achieves three of more success on her roll,
Crown of Blades: The damned grows a reinforced for example, immediately paints her shoes with at
wreath of razor-sharp horns or antlers, a circlet of least one point of blood, a wave of crimson horror
jagged thorns, a halo of dripping unholy flame, pouring down her chin in a cold torrent. Blood lost
or another deadly accentuation which decorates in this way has no nutritional value and cannot be
her brow. She may headbutt or gore with these “recycled”.
weapons: this is a +1 difficulty Close Combat
Maneuver that inflicts Str + 2 aggravated damage. Once this ability has been used, the damned
An attack of this type deals Str + 4 aggravated must additionally vomit-up all indigestible human
damage if the Damned has just moved 10 or more corpse-matter (such as bones and hair) remaining
yards toward her target. within her, granting her a single use of the

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 73

Exhalation of Hell Investment (below) that must Gaze of Hell: An additional eye or a multitude
be used within the next minute; if it is not used in of eyes open along the flesh of the damned:
that time, the damned begins to suffer one level of blossoming upon her forehead, bursting from
lethal unsoakable damage each turn on her action the skin of her hands & forearms, rising from
as her body cramps around the indigestible foreign her chest, or sprouting upon her wings; the
matter. specific type and number of eyes is unique to each
damned. The damned reduces the Difficulties of
The damned may not add a total number all Perception rolls by 2. This special Horror may
of blood points to her blood pool in this way be selected multiple times; its effects stack. In
greater than the amount of corpse-matter she has addition, the damned gains the benefits of the Evil
consumed, subject to Storyteller discretion: if the Eye Investment (below).
damned swallowed only a severed human head, for
example, she might only be capable of gaining two Haunting Screams of Blasphemy: The damned
or three blood points by use of this ability; if she gains the benefits of the Voice in the Dark
consumed the body of a child (V20, pg. 270), she Combination Discipline (below).
might be able to gain only five blood points by use
of this ability. Hideous Strength: The damned swells in size,
a towering fortress of twitching demonic nerves,
Embed the Unliving Thorns: The damned must bones, tendons, and sinew: she gains an extra 5 dots
possess claws – as per the Horror of Jagged Claws to spread among her Physical Attributes, up to her
(below) or via another means, such as Protean 2 normal generational limit. If the damned instead
– before she may gain this Horror. The damned desires to bring any of her Physical Attributes above
spends one point of blood or Willpower to her normal generational limit by use of this ability,
enhance the serrated barbs of her claws: the next she may do so but gains only 3 extra dots to spread
successful claw attack made by the damned buries among her Physical Attributes. This special Horror
her claws into her victim, where they catch after may be selected multiple times; its effects stack. No
breaking free from her blood-drenched fingertips. attribute can be raised above 9.
Until the victim takes the time to pull them out –
an action which takes a full turn but requires no Jagged Claws: The damned grows claws that
roll – the victim suffers +2 difficulty to all actions. inflict Str + 2 aggravated damage.
This penalty does not stack with itself. The damned Kiss of Most-Pleasing Exsanguination:
automatically regrows her claws at the beginning of Immediately after biting a target, the damned may
her next turn. spend two points of blood or Willpower in any
Engine of Punishment: The damned becomes combination (one point of blood and one point
a hulking mass of chitinous plates, leathery scar- of Willpower, for example) and roll Wits + Occult
tissue, redundant musculature, and skeletal (difficulty 3 + the victim’s Stamina) to activate her
support-struts, gaining two additional Bruised insidious venom. On a success, the victim suffers
health levels and one additional Hurt health level. one Health Level of lethal damage the next turn
When the damned exits her Wicked Corpse form, at the beginning of his action, plus one additional
these extra Health Levels disappear but damage level of lethal damage each subsequent turn at
inflicted on her does not; if the damned is below the start of his action for a number of turns equal
Incapacitated, she falls into torpor and may even to the number of successes scored. This damage
meet Final Death. may be soaked as normal, at a difficulty equal to
the current temporary Willpower of the damned.
Flesh of the Outer Dark: The damned gains Living creatures killed by this venom are especially
the benefits of the Home in Hellfire Investment “juicy,” their innards reduced to a thick slurry of
(below). liquified internal organs and soft, spongy bones:

74 Infernal Disciplines
the corpse of such a creature provides half-again equal to the Stamina of the damned) or lose their
as many blood points as normal (15 for most action while gagging and choking. Even if this roll
humans, for example, who normally possess 10 is successful, the victim suffers a one-die penalty to
blood points; see V20 pg. 270). all Dice Pools. A botch on this roll cause the victim
to vomit uncontrollably for his full turn: he may
Any vampire who expends three or more take no actions, including in self-defense.
points of blood after being poisoned in this way
automatically purges the venom from her system. Mock the Creator’s Will: The damned gains
the benefits of the Violate Gravity Terror (above);
Baali and members of Baali-associated Bloodlines note that gaining this ability as a Horror means
are immune to this venom. that damned may benefit from access to the ability
Knit-Closed the Tattered Corpse: The damned only while in her Wicked Corpse form.
automatically heals one level of Bashing or Lethal Monstrous Hunger: The blood-dripping maw
damage at the start of every round. At the end of of the damned distends most horribly, sprouting
each minute, she also heals one level of aggravated thousands of additional razor-sharp fangs. She
damage; at will, she may spend a point of Willpower inflicts Str + 3 aggravated damage with her bite.
to heal a level of aggravated damage instead of
healing a level of Lethal damage. Multitude of Horrors: The damned chooses
two Horrors she does not already possess. One of
Legion of Thrashing Limbs: The damned these is her Scarlet Horror; the other, her Obsidian
sprouts either an additional set of arms or a single Horror. When the damned enters her Wicked
prehensile tail, tendril, tongue, tentacle, or other Corpse form, she gains access to her Scarlet
appendage that can be used as if it is was a long Horror. At any time, while in her Wicked Corpse
arm ending in a hand; an inhuman extremity form, the damned may expend a point of blood
gained in this way can freely wield a weapon and or Willpower as a free action. Upon doing so, she
reach targets up to ten feet away. The damned gains loses access to her Scarlet Horror and gains access
two extra dice when grappling, when blocking or to her Obsidian Horror. She may revert back to
parrying attacks, and when making multiple melee using her Scarlet Horror in the same way – losing
attacks (the damned always takes multiple actions access to her Obsidian Horror when she does so
as normal; normal attack limits & penalties apply). – as she desires. Under no circumstances can the
This special Horror may be selected multiple times; damned possess access to both her Scarlet and
its effects stack. Obsidian Horror simultaneously.
Longevity of Horror: The damned, when she Oblivion Armor: The damned is sheathed in
enters her Wicked Corpse form, maintains her hideous, inhuman plate: blade-shrouded draconic
form until sunrise or until she chooses to dismiss scales, ornate samurai armor crafted from warped
it, whichever comes first. This special Horror may bone, a twisted insectoid exoskeleton, or another
not be selected as either a Scarlet Horror or an immediately obvious – and ominous – type of
Obsidian Horror for purposes of the Multitude of physical protection. The damned adds 3 dice to her
Horrors ability (below). soak pool against Bashing and Lethal damage and
Miasma of Rot & Brimstone: The damned 1 die to her soak pool against Aggravated damage.
exudes an exceedingly foul and unclean stench, This special Horror may be taken multiple times;
like the filth-crusted meat-sewers beneath the its effects stack.
capital cities of Hell. Any living, breathing creature Perfection of the Cursed Corpse: The damned
who begins his action within a number of yards gains one dot in any one physical or shape-shifting
equal to the Willpower of the damned must gain Discipline, including – but not limited to –
at least one success on a Stamina roll (difficulty Potence, Celerity, Fortitude, Protean, Serpentis or

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 75

Vicissitude; her Storyteller may decide that certain of Atrocity Terror twice. These effects stack: if the
abilities – such as Heart of Darkness – may not damned already possesses the Vortex of Atrocity
be learned in this way. Likewise, her Storyteller Terror, for example, she is treated as though she
may decide that certain other Disciplines (such had selected that Terror three times, total, while
as Obtenebration) may be learned in this way; in using Invisible Hands of Hell in her Wicked
any instance, the Storyteller’s decision is final. Corpse form.
The damned cannot use any Discipline gained via
this Horror while on consecrated ground or while Sickening Speed: The damned goes first in
exposed to holy objects; in addition, creatures combat. If more than one combatant has Sickening
with True Faith are entirely immune to all effects Speed (or a similar ability), then the damned
created by use of this Horror: for example, any instead adds 10 to all of her Initiative rolls. Mind’s
Potence gained by use of this Horror fails when Eye Theater: This speed supersedes the first level of
the damned attempts to use her Strength against Celerity (Alacrity); a damned gifted with this Horror
a creature with True Faith; Feral Claws gained by simply moves faster than ordinary vampires, even Elders.
use of this Horror likewise fail, glancing harmlessly Skin without Bones: The damned can dislocate
off any creature with True Faith and dealing only her entire skeleton and crush-down her unused
normal (bashing) unarmed strike damage. The organs into a something like a long, thin worm; in
damned may not increase her mastery of any this state, she is capable of squeezing through any
Discipline above her normal generational limit space she can fit her nose into, usually meaning an
by use of this ability. This special Horror may be opening about the size of a quarter. By means of
selected multiple times, and its stacks both with this ability, the damned can press her face to the
itself as well as enhancements gained by other crack underneath a bedroom door and force herself
means: an Ivoriyx with Fortitude 3 who gains this underneath it, or crawl into a toilet and enter the
Horror might choose to gain Fortitude 4 while plumbing system of a house or apartment building.
in her Wicked Corpse form; upon selecting this Activating this ability does not require an action,
Horror again, the damned might choose to increase nor any expenditure of blood or of Willpower, but
her Fortitude to 5 or choose to gain a single dot of the damned moves at one-quarter speed – inching
Potence while in her Wicked Corpse form. along on her fingertips – while crushed-down in
Shadow-Flesh of Silent Midnight: The damned this way.
spends a point of blood or Willpower, wrapping Swift as the Pale Horse: The damned is
herself in semi-solid Oblivion – devouring light, supernaturally fleet-of-foot, and may always move
heat, and sound alike – called up out of the void; at a full jog even if she has already taken her full
she may not activate this Horror while in an area round of action; in effect, she gains one additional
of bright illumination. Until she exits her Wicked action each turn (without splitting her dice pool)
Corpse form or enters an area of bright light, the that may only be used to move. The damned moves
damned gains one additional soak die and three half-again as fast as a normal mortal: she may jog
extra dice on all Stealth rolls. at a rate of 19 yards per action (normal humans jog
Shit-Storm: The damned may spend a point at a rate of 13 yards per turn) or run at a rate of 30
of blood or Willpower to gain all the benefits of yards per action (normal humans run at a rate of
the Vortex of Atrocity Terror, above (just as if she 20 yards per turn). If the damned also possesses the
possessed access to that Terror), and she is always Horror of Cloven Hooves (above), she instead jogs
considered to be “using” the Invisible Hands of at a rate of 27 yards per action and runs at a rate
Hell Terror (above). If the damned actually does of 37 yards per action; if she desires, she may leave
activate the Invisible Hands of Hell Terror, she is a trail of flaming hoof-prints behind her when she
instead treated as if she had selected the Vortex moves in this way. These prints smolder, smoke
and then burn-out at the end of her next turn,

76 Infernal Disciplines
leaving only a blacked hoofprint of soot; close- Transfigure Excruciation to Ecstasy: The
range attacks made by the damned while moving hedonistic damned revels in her wounds, casually
in this way generally have their difficulty reduced reshaping the most agonizing gashes of physical
by 2 due to the element of surprise. suffering into waves of purest joy on the fly. The
damned suffers no wound penalties and has two
Talons of the Yomi-Prince: Claw-attacks made extra Bruised health levels. When the damned exits
by the damned – as per the Horror of Jagged Claws her Wicked Corpse form, these extra Health Levels
(above) or via another means, such as Protean 2 – disappear but damage does not; if the damned is
deal two additional dice of damage; for example, below Incapacitated, she falls into torpor and may
if the claws of the damned would normally deal even meet Final Death.
Str + 1 damage, they now deal Str + 3 damage.
These massive talons – each a minimum of eight Unfurl the Corpse’s Sinew: The neck, limbs,
inches long, thick as a chukabocho – cannot, for the fingers, and torso of the damned can extend and
most part, be employed at any task other than for elongate, at will, up to five feet per point of Stamina
use as wicked, iron-hard, razor-sharp weapons of possessed by the damned. The skin surrounding
slaughter: these talons impose a three-dice penalty the extremity does not gain any additional
on all Dexterity rolls involving fine manipulation elasticity, causing the chosen limb to twist away
(such as utilizing a firearm or melee weapon), and from the damned along a stringy, taught thread of
the damned must concentrate carefully when viscera and muscle tissue. This allows the damned
attempting to use her fingers to push the buttons on to bite, strike and grapple an opponent at range; in
a laptop, pick up a credit card off a counter, or turn addition, the damned might choose to uncoil his
the pages of a book. Note than the performance of neck in order to peer a few feet down a hallway and
these tasks is not impossible, given the gifts of agility around a corner, or send a single hand onto the
available to a well-studied practitioner of Jigoku: roof of a nearby building. Extending a body part
an Elder of the Akahaete Bloodline gifted with this requires an action but no roll or expenditure of
Horror who demonstrates his ability to casually blood or Willpower. Any part of the body unfurled
fold origami cranes while clothed in his Wicked in this way may be “snapped back” to its normal
Corpse form is a foe that should give pause to even size and shape instantly, including in response to
the most practiced martial combatant. Note that the action of another character. Note that limbs
use this Horror does not grant access to claws; it unfurled in this way may be attacked anywhere
only enhances existing claws already possessed by along their length, and that decapitation will still
the damned. kill the damned normally.
Ten-Thousand Mouths: Additional mouths – Unholy Carnage Devil Aegis: The damned
with or without attached faces, at her choice – open
spends a point of blood and a point of Willpower
across the torso, shoulders, limbs, lower abdomen
to activate this ability and rolls Wits + Occult
and upper back of the damned. These additional(difficulty 7). A success on this roll grants the
mouths inflict automatic bite damage (Strengthdamned one “floating” phantom Health Level
+ 1 aggravated) on all grappled opponents. In – which is tracked separately from her normal
addition, the damned may feed through these Health Levels – for one hour; each additional
mouths, such as by pressing her palm against the
success grants the damned either one additional
chest of her foe, although she may not drain more
phantom Health Level or increases the duration
than three points of blood from an individual of this effect by one hour. This special Horror may
victim in a single round in this way. not be activated again until the previous use of
the ability has worn off. The damned may cancel
The Crimson Tsunami: The damned gains the her current use of this Horror at any time as a free
benefits of the Scarlet Fountains Combination action; this effect also ends if all of her phantom
Discipline (see below).

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 77

Health Levels are expended or the damned exits her Strength to 10 by use of this Horror, requiring
her Wicked Corpse form. her to absorb absolutely catastrophic amounts of
damage and expend near-oceans of blood.
Each time the damned would suffer at least one
Health Level of damage, after her dodge and soak If use of this ability would ever increase the
have been applied, she divides the final damage Strength score of the damned above 10, she instead
(approximately) equally between her regular Health gains a temporary dot of Potence. Use of this
Levels and her phantom Health levels, rounding Horror cannot increase the abilities of the damned
up on the damage dealt to her phantom Health beyond Strength 10, Potence 10.
Levels: if the damned would normally suffer three
levels of Aggravated damage after her soak, for Note that when this Horror is first gained,
example, she applies two Health Levels of damage the damned may only roll one die of her
to her phantom Health Levels and only one to her Occult score to activate this ability and may
normal Health Levels. only gain a single dot of extra Strength at
any given time, as noted above.
In addition, the damned may choose to expend a
point of Willpower as a free reaction whenever she This special Horror may be selected multiple
suffers damage to apply all of the incoming damage times: each additional time it is selected, these
to her phantom Health Levels. limitations are raised by one. If the damned has
selected this Horror three times, for example, she
Unholy Carnage Devil Battery: Whenever the may choose to roll Wits + (Occult, maximum 3)
damned suffers non-Aggravated damage from a and may gain up to three dots of Strength from
physical, kinetic source – gunshot, sword wound, absorbing damage; she may gain all three points of
being hit by a car, being flung through a building, Strength simultaneously when she absorbs six or
etc. – she may choose to roll Wits + (Occult; more Health Levels of damage from a single attack.
maximum 1, but see below), difficulty 7, before The damned in question cannot gain the benefits
she rolls her normal soak. Making this roll is not of more than 3 dots of Strength at any given time
an action. Each success on this roll subtracts one by use of this Horror, but she may still absorb
Health Level from the total damage dealt by the damage.
attack; the damned loses one point of blood or
Willpower (her choice) for each Health Level of Unholy Carnage Devil Kunai: The damned
damage she “absorbs”. Losing blood in this way spends a point of blood or Willpower to activate
is reflexive, automatic, and is not considered an this ability; no roll or action is required. A razor-
expenditure of blood for purposes of generational edged throwing-weapon instantly appears in
blood expenditure limits: a 13th generation her hand, summoned from Oblivion itself; the
Akahaete who wishes to lose 5 blood points to damned may immediately use this projectile to
absorb 5 Health Levels of damage, for example, attack an opponent within a number of yards
may freely do so, so long as she has the blood to equal to the [(Strength + Potence of the damned)
spend. x 5]. This weapon deals Strength + 1 aggravated
damage on a successful strike and drains one
For every two Health Levels (rounded down) of Blood Point from the target. If this attack is not
damage absorbed in this way, the damned gains successful, the projectile disintegrates into cold
one temporary dot of Strength (maximum 1, but void and is wasted. If the attack is successful, the
see below). The damned loses one dot of this projectile immediately returns to the hand of the
special temporary Strength at the end of each of her damned – after dealing damage – before vanishing
subsequent turns. Dots of Strength gained by use into nothingness; the damned gains one Blood
of this Horror ignore normal generational limits: Point, taken from her victim, after successfully
a 13th generation Akahaete may (briefly) increase dealing damage with this weapon. In addition, the

78 Infernal Disciplines
damned may choose to forgo one or more health
levels of damage that would normally be dealt to
her opponent to drain additional Blood Points:
the target loses one additional Blood Point for each
health level of damage that she would otherwise
suffer. Blood drained in this way is delivered to the
damned when the projectile vanishes and returns
to her hand, just as if the damned had consumed
the blood herself.
Unholy Carnage Devil Rush: The damned
spends a point of blood or Willpower and rolls
Wits + Occult to activate this ability; on a success,
her body instantly transforms into a roiling mass of
cold phantom flame & thrashing blood-tendrils,
then moves up to 40 yards in a single direction
chosen by the damned. Upon arriving at her
selected destination, the damned immediately
returns to her Wicked Corpse form. The damned,
while in this whirlwind form, is a vaguely human-
size, vaguely sphere-shaped storm of hell-tempest:
a blinding composite of thinly-spread ichor and
swift-coiling unnatural energies. In this state, she
may freely pass through any barrier that rain could
get through: she is not slowed by iron bars but
is instantly halted by a thin sheet of glass. If the
damned, while in this strange state, encounters
an obstacle that she cannot bypass, she instantly
reverts to her Wicked Corse form. While in this
form, the damned is immune to most mundane
attacks and weapons; against the few dangers that
can threaten her – such as magic, sunlight, and
flame – she gains +1 die to dodge for each success
she achieves on the activation roll, above. This
special Horror may be selected multiple times; each
time it is selected, the damned moves an additional
20 yards whenever she activates this ability. Thus,
if this Horror is selected three times, the damned
moves 80 yards whenever this ability is activated.
Some apocryphal evidence suggests that
during the absolute apex of Yomonlik
power – in and around the blood-splattered
city-abattoir called the Oasis of Eternal
Bliss, at the very height of the Devil-King
Age – a unique Path of Dark Thaumaturgy
was developed and shared among an
TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI
elite inner-circle of highborn Methuselah
Archfiend Infernalists.
This so-called ‘Unholy Carnage Devil Path,’
supposedly containing the four ‘Unholy
Devil Carnage Horrors’ detailed above, is
said to have culminated in a fifth, most-
powerful & most-blasphemous capstone
sorcery – sometimes referred to as ‘Unholy
Carnage Devil Phoenix’ – now lost to the
dust of shattered empires.
According to these tales, the rudiments of
this Path were cannibalized by wandering
Akahaete pilgrims in the centuries since the
end of the Devil-King Age: stripped from
the minds of those few survivors to escape
the blazing Oasis of Eternal Bliss intact, its
dark and glorious techniques bastardized
into a mere subschool of Jigoku.
If true, of course, the full Path may yet exist:
etched into a fallen temple wall or carved
into the iron, millennia-old psyche of a long-
slumbering Yomonlik sorcerer, hidden far
from the sunlit world of sanity. In such an
instance, these forbidden teachings have
no shortage of treasure-hunters seeking
after their blasphemous magnificence: one
of the few prizes that could rouse multiple
Hives and Choirs toward the completion
of a single goal is acquisition of the Path,
recorded in full.
Vent of God’s Hatred: The damned must first
possess the Exhalation of Hell Investment, either
through the Horror of Breath of Oblivion or
through a full demonic investment, before she may
gain this ability. While in her Wicked Corpse form,
a short-range version of this power is activated
whenever the damned is hit with an attack (even
if the attack doesn’t inflict damage): all victims
within a yard of the damned when she is struck are
immediately targeted by an Exhalation of Hell, as
used by the damned, as the energy of her “breath”
explodes from her wounds. If the damned is struck
with a melee weapon, the attacker can attempt an
immediate Dexterity + Athletics roll (difficulty 6)
79
to avoid the splatter and the subsequent need for
a soak roll. Anyone attacking the damned from a
distance – such as with a firearm – is outside the
range of this splatter.
Walking Leviathan: The damned gains two
additional Bruised Health Levels and increases both
her Strength and her Stamina by 1; this increase
ignores normal generational limits. Note that
when the damned exits her Wicked Corpse form,
these extra Health Levels disappear but damage
does not; if the damned is below Incapacitated,
she falls into torpor and may even meet Final
Death. In rough terms, the damned doubles in
height doubles and quadruples her weight; within
those vague parameters, however, she might grow
hunched, walking on all four limbs like a massive
gorilla, or she might become grotesquely stretched
& slender, towering over her human-sized foes like
an imperious oni.
Weapon Unsheathed from the Outer Dark:
The damned gains use of a single melee weapon
(V20, pg. 280) of her choice; this hideous object
appears in her hand when she enters her Wicked
Corpse form: crawling with maggots, covered with
screaming human faces contorted in hellish agony,
or sparking with the obsidian lightning of the
deepest Abyss.
Weapons of this kind take many forms, from
elegant death-dealing katanas carved from a single
block of ivory to massive claymores studded with
weeping human eyes, from titan-sized war-hammers
cut from rotten meat still dripping with viscera to
chitinous tooth-chainsaws that continually spray
blood – and less-identifiable fluids – as they scream
affronts to God.
This weapon deals Strength + 1 aggravated
damage and possesses one of the following special
abilities, chosen when the damned gains access to
this Horror:
• Avalanche of Devastation: The damned
uses Strength + Melee to attack with the
weapon rather than Dexterity + Melee.
• Blood-Tainting: While she is in her Wicked
80 Infernal Disciplines
Corpse form, the damned may always track
any person or creature she has wounded
with the weapon. She always knows the
direction to any creature wounded by the
weapon, although she does not know the
precise distance to her quarry.
• Epicurean: The damned gains one
Blood Point, taken from her victim, after
successfully dealing damage with the
weapon. In addition, she may choose to
forgo one or more health levels of damage
dealt to instead drain additional Blood
Points: the target loses one additional
Blood Point for each health level of damage
that would otherwise be dealt. Blood
drained in this way is instantly delivered to
the damned, just as if she had consumed
it herself.
• Hateful: The damned chooses one type
of creature when this Horror is gained:
mortals, ghouls, sorcerers, were-creatures,
Infernalists, or Kindred of a certain Clan
or Bloodline: Tremere, Assamite, Setitie,
Gargoyle, etc. The weapon gains any two
of the special qualities listed here (such
as Soul-Wounding & Torturous, or Life-
Thirsty & Epicurean) that it does not
normally possess whenever it is wielded
against creatures of the appropriate type.
• Humbling: Whenever the damned strikes
her opponent with this weapon, she may
spend a point of blood or Willpower to
use an effect identical to the Corrupturum
Terror Consume Lesser Magics (above) as
a free action, targeting only the creature
struck.
• Inferno of Sin: Any creature or object
touched by the weapon is treated as if
exposed to a Palm of Flame from Lure
of Flames (V20 pg. 218); this causes the
weapon to deal one additional health level
of aggravated damage, soaked separately,
and the weapon may be used to ignite
combustible objects with a touch.
• Life-Thirsty: The weapon deals Str. +3
aggravated damage instead of Str. +1.
• Saint-Breaking: While this weapon is
wielded, the damned may – may – gain up
to three additional points of Potence (up
to one dot above her normal generational
maximum) when she strikes her target. For
each level of Humanity above 7 possessed
by her target, the damned gains one of
these additional points of Potence: 1 point
at Humanity 8, 2 points at Humanity 9, 3
points at Humanity 10. Damage dealt by
this weapon cannot kill a creature with a
Humanity of 8 or higher; instead, damage
from this weapon can only reduce such
a creature to Incapacitated. Creatures
incapacitated by use of this weapon may
still be executed in other ways.
• Shadow-Reaving: The weapon may strike
incorporeal, spirit, and ghostly targets
across the veil of realities just as if those
creatures were fully fleshy entities.
• Soul-Wounding: Whenever the damned
successfully strikes a creature with this
weapon, she may choose to forgo one
or more health levels of damage dealt
to instead temporarily lower one of the
target’s Virtues by one or more. The target
loses one point from a single Virtue –
chosen by the damned – for each health
level of damage that would otherwise be
dealt. Virtues temporarily reduced in this
way return to their normal score the next
time the victim wakes.
• Thief of Ten-Thousand Selves: Whenever
the damned strikes a creature that does not
match her type – for example, if a Baali with
this ability strikes a ghoul or a Malkavian –
she may choose to be treated as a creature
of that type (instead of as her normal type)
for the remainder of the scene or until the
ability dismissed. For Example: Winter
Bellamira is jumped by a group of mortal
witch-hunters armed with weapons blessed
TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI
by a living saint (a creature in possession
of True Faith). Winter activates this ability
while stabbing one of the mortals with her
hell-granted blade: she is now treated as a
mortal (rather than as a Baali) and loses
her vulnerability to blessed objects. When
she fills the room with a toxic gas, however,
Winter may choose to be treated as undead
rather than as a mortal for purposes of
not choking on her own foaming-red lung
tissue.
• Torturous: While the victim of the weapon
retains even a single health level of damage
dealt by the weapon, all of the victim’s
wound penalties are doubled.
• Wind of the Apocalypse: The damned may
throw the weapon, attacking an opponent
up to a number of yards away equal to
the [Strength + Potence] of the damned x
5. Immediately after striking in this way,
the weapon flies back to the hand of the
damned to be used once more.
If this weapon is removed from the grasp of the
damned, it vanishes at the end of the round and
reappears in the hands of the damned immediately
before her next action.
This object vanishes when the damned returns
to her normal form. If damaged, lost or destroyed,
the weapon reappears in the hands of the damned
– unharmed – the next time she enters her Wicked
Corpse form. This special Horror may be taken
multiple times; each time it is selected, the damned
gains a new melee weapon with a single special
ability listed here or adds an additional special
ability (chosen from the list above) to a weapon
previously gained via use of this Horror.
Weaver of Twisted-Iron Webs: The damned
spends one point of blood or Willpower to
vomit-up a grotesque mass of sticky, highly elastic
webbing; she may freely manipulate this material
with her fingertips, spinning & interlacing it as
she desires. It sticks like superglue to just about
anything else. This webbing is often a creepy,
mottled slate-grey, like a coiled sheet of oil & ash,
81
but some damned have been known to produce her Wicked Corpse form. If the damned already
webbing that is deep crimson, an unhealthy corpse- possesses the Flight Discipline, the benefits of this
pale or even a softly-glowing, phosphorescent jade. Horror stack: a Gargoyle with Flight 3 who gains
This thick, wet, mucosal secretion solidifies near- this Horror increases her Flight to 4 while in her
instantly – at the end of the turn – into a material Wicked Corpse form, for example.
approximately as strong as steel yet as flexible as
human hair; it has an effective Strength score
of 9 and is immune to bashing damage. Webs
created in this way are affected by fire, holy objects,
True Faith and sunlight as if they were a Baali:
they crumble to ash, blood, shadow, and wisps
of ceremonial incense-smoke when destroyed or
dismissed. These webs can take up to four health
levels of lethal damage before they break or shred-
open and burn-away near instantly if they suffer
a single point of aggravated damage. One use of
this ability creates a sheet or coil of webbing large
enough to block an industrial-sized doorway, fill
a small closet completely, cover the floor (or wall,
or ceiling) of an average-sized bedroom, or fully
cocoon something slightly larger than a human: a
lupine in Crinos, a Tzimisce in zulo shape, or a
fellow damned in her Wicked Corpse form. Webs
can also be shaped into simple objects: a blade,
hammer, chisel or flat-head screwdriver is simple-
enough to create on the fly, requiring no roll; more
complex objects require Dexterity + relevant Ability
rolls, usually at difficulty 8. Webs created by use
of this Horror last until dismissed – a free action
on the part of the damned – or destroyed: webs
used to create a bridge between skyscrapers or seal
the exits of an abandoned warehouse vanish with
the rising sun, of course … but intricate labyrinths
of interwoven webbing are often crafted by Baali
Hive-members, deep in their subterranean lairs.
Legends say that the most-ancient organ pits of the
eldest Baali are surrounded by miles upon miles
of grotesque webs, some of them centuries or even
millennia old.
Wings of the Pit: The damned grows wings
like a demon, angel or massive insect, and gains
one dot in the Flight Discipline (V20, pg. 447).
She may gain additional levels in that Discipline
without instruction or mentorship, and it is
always treated as an in-clan Discipline. She gains
the benefits of the Flight Discipline only while in

82 Infernal Disciplines
TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 83
Techniques of
Ruin & Horror:
Baali Combination-
Disciplines
The dragon stood upon the edge of the great
abyss. And I saw a beast coming out of the
abyss. It had ten horns and seven heads, with
ten crowns upon its horns, and on each head a
blasphemous name. The beast I saw resembled
a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and
a mouth like that of a lion. And the dragon
gave the beast his power and his throne and
great authority upon the earth.
- Book of Revelation, Chapter 13
Baali share forbidden knowledge amongst
themselves.
This has been true since the time of the Second
City, and in the Final Nights it is no less a fact.
The Baali and their childer lurk in darkness,
scuttling beneath the sane and daylit skin of the
rotting world, eagerly spreading malevolent occult
secrets between sprawling Hives, wandering Choirs
and lone Pilgrims of depravity. The ancients
of the Bloodline, when they awaken, gather
worshipful students to their feet to impart black
mysteries and long-lost blasphemies; brash young
devil-worshipers of the sect gleefully seek-out one
another to swap blood, war-stories, curious relics of
atrocity and clever “hacks” of the vile damnation
coiling in their cold veins.
It is true, of course, that this practice is also
known to the Camarilla, to the Sabbat, and most
especially to the Anarchs.
But none possess the drive to transmit the most
obscene of arts from corpse to corpse quite like the
Baali.
In addition, the Baali actively recruit from
other Clans and Bloodlines; this provides the
84 Infernal Disciplines
Demons with unparalleled access to unique gifts,
inaccessible to those who embrace mere mortals:
clever as a human sorcerer or brutal as a living
soldier of fortune might be, even a hundred such
kine are fundamentally unlikely to bring anything
truly new to the repertoires of those Clans who
embrace them.
Compare a thousand years of turning mortally-
wounded knights into Brujah and sickly old kings
into Ventrue against the raw power to be gained by
corrupting a single Assamite elder to the fold of the
Baali, complete with all her centuries of knowledge
in the killing-arts, the sorcery of her lineage and
the thick blood washing slowly, like icy venom, in
her night-dark veins.
For every newly-minted Tremere the Camarilla
might produce, the Baali can boast a dozen of their
own sired by a single ex-Tremere Antitribu pulled
out of the flames; for every Zanatosa uplifted from
Revenant to Cainite by the Sabbat, the Baali can
claim a hundred heirs to the Angelis Ater and all
the shadow-wreathed glory of that corrupted
Lasombra line.
And that’s not to mention the benefits inherent
to tutorship by alien entities of the Outer Dark.
In short, any Baali encountered by another
Kindred might be expected to exhibit the stolen
gifts of any Clan or Bloodline, re-forged in gore
and exultations of profane worship into a perfectly-
warped weapon of hell.
After all … it only takes one Tlacique to fall in
rapture before the throne of Huitzilopochtli-
who-is-called-Shaitan, and within a half-century
another Hive of young Baali walk the night in
jaguar-flesh, flashing obsidian knives from the
shadows and pulling hearts from gaping torsos to
fuel a corruption of shamanistic Nahuallotl blood-
sorcery.
 Terrifying Flexibility of
Corrupturum
Unless a Combination Discipline listed below
specifically calls for Corrupturum – such as
All the Wicked Delights of Hell or Nightmare
Rain, for example – Corrupturum may be freely
substituted in place of Daimonion when judging
whether the damned meets the prerequisites of a
Combination Discipline.
For Example: Winter Bellamira possesses
Corrupturum 2 and Dominate 2; as such, she
qualifies to select the Cruel Thorns of the
Satyr’s Need and Indulgence in Delicious Sins
Combination Disciplines, among others.

All the Wicked Delights of Hell [Corrupturum 5 it can be … circumvented, perhaps, by slick manipulation of
or Jigoku 5 and Daimonion 5] demonic forces.
There is no limit to the power available to one willing to System: The damned may gain sustenance from any
swim the coiling black depths of her own damnation. number of unnatural sources, gaining up to 10 blood
points worth of vitae each night from substances
System: The damned gains one additional Horror, that are not actually human blood. No single object
above and beyond the number of Horrors normally consumed in this way can provide more than three
available to her Jigoku rating. blood points, and most provide only a single point.
Storyteller’s Note: By means of this Objects to be consumed must be things associated with
Combination Discipline and Multitude of depravity, monstrosity, or excess: the damned gains no
Horrors (above), a Cainite of 13th to 8th benefit from consuming gravel, unless it’s from a spot
generation may have access to up to seven where a mortal was assaulted or killed. The damned
Horrors. This serves as a hard limit to the can eat food fit for mortals and gain blood points in
number of Horrors available to such creatures. this way, but she must eat it in front of a hungry mortal,
and she may not share it in any way. Alternatively, she
Alternatively, the damned gains one additional Terror might smear the food with non-blood bodily fluids.
above and beyond the number of Terrors normally The damned may also gain sustenance from consuming
available to her Corrupturum rating. murder weapons, stolen wedding rings, rare art, illegal
drugs, human flesh, maggots, vomit, feces, insects,
Experience Cost: 35
bones, suicide notes, ash, and – at the Storyteller’s
Appetite for Obscenity [Jigoku 1 and discretion – even stranger things: a damned drinking
Fortitude 1] water taken from a swimming pool where a child
drowned would find herself quite refreshed indeed.
The ancient curse of God upon his willful, murderous
grandchild Caine cannot be lifted by any mortal magic. But Experience Cost: 7

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 85

Attend the Vast Cacophony of Transgressions wild animals, trees or storms: the alien ethics of such a
[Auspex 1 and Daimonion 1] creature are beyond the crude black-&-white morality
of lowly mortals.
You are tuned so precisely to the echoing dissonance of
awfulness churning deep within the soul that you have Use of this ability is passive, and the damned does not
become very, very difficult to surprise. need to turn it on; instead, her curious debasement-
sense merely “pings” when a crooked cop walks down
System: The damned becomes instantly aware of any the hallway outside her apartment, thrums invisibly
creature with a Humanity rating of 5 or lower that comes behind her eyes when a violent kidnapper steps into
near her. In general, the distance of this supernatural the bar, or sizzles across the back of her neck when a
sense is equal to [(her own current temporary snuff-producing mob-boss is dropped at her feet.
Willpower + the number points of Humanity below 5
the creature possesses) x 10] yards; if the damned has 3 Of course, it’s also quite useful when the Prince pulls
points of temporary Willpower and is approached by around the corner in a long white limousine, a City
a creature with Humanity 4, the damned – in general Gangrel lands on the roof, or a kill-team of Nosferatu
– becomes aware of him the moment he is within 40 Antitribu slide into the sub-basement of the building.
yards of her. If the creature had only Humanity 3, the
damned would instead sense him at about 50 yards Forewarned is forearmed, after all.
out. The damned also automatically senses the raw Experience Cost: 7
intensity of the soul’s corruption: the damned may
note the difference between a creature with Humanity Beckon-Forth the Herald [Daimonion 5 and
5 and a creature with Humanity 1 without having to Dark Thaumaturgy (Rego Calatio) 1)
think about it.
It is known that true Elders of the Bloodline may call-up
These general guidelines are not absolute, a blasphemous servant of Moloch at a whim, bending
as the “dark radiation” of a creature’s self- the creature to their desire; through the art & sacrifice of
defilement is – by its very nature – subject lesser Baali, the faithful may evoke the same blasphemous
to otherworldly fluctuations, the “scent” ritual.
of corroded divinity scattered by weird &
System: This ability functions identically to the
unearthly winds; the Storyteller’s decision
Summon the Herald of Topheth Elder Discipline
is final regarding the current range of the
ability of the Baali (V20, pg. 446-447) except that
unnatural sense granted by this ability.
it requires the presence of three damned to enact
In addition, this sense is overcome and the ability. Only one of these damned must possess
routed-around by use of Obfuscate and other this Combination Discipline, but all three damned
supernatural means of concealment. must possess either Daimonion or Thaumaturgy
(including Dark Thaumaturgy) and all three
Becoming aware of a “befouled” creature entering her must expend three blood points and a point of
vicinity strikes the damned with enough force to wake Willpower to complete the ritual.
her from sleep, and the damned immediately knows the
direction toward the creature that triggered her ability; Experience Cost: 35
if the creature who activated this ability is known to
her – a Choirmate, old friend, or current target, for
example – the damned automatically recognizes the
peculiar scent/sound/shadow of that creature as easily
as she might recognize the same creature’s face or voice.
This bizarre sense does not normally detect creatures
on a Path of Enlightenment, just as it does not detect

86 Infernal Disciplines
Coiling Black Mask of Most-Wicked Deeds Confide & Confess [Daimonion 1 and
[Daimonion 5 and Auspex 2 or Obfuscate 2] Presence 3]
And thus shall all who behold you know you for a sinner. Be my friend. Tell me something you’ve never told anyone
Yes, dearie: even if you aren’t one. else.
System: To invoke this curse, the damned must System: The damned focuses her attention upon
make physical contact with her target, then spend one creature she can see, spends one point of
up to five points of blood over a period up to five blood or Willpower, and rolls Manipulation +
turns; if contact is broken, the application of the Occult (difficulty equal to target’s Willpower); on
curse is halted. There is no roll to evoke this curse. a success, the target must confide in the damned a
Each blood point spent when the curse is first laid- single dark secret that could be used to blackmail,
down causes the victim’s aura to show a stark black harm, or cause major problems for the target. The
vein of diablerie for one scene – or one hour – to victim – unless her memory is altered – clearly
anyone using Aura Perception on the victim. remembers that she let her secret slip to the
damned, potentially making the damned into an
Experience Cost: 35 ally – or target! – of the victim.
The Coming Curse [Daimonion 2 and Experience Cost: 21
Chimerstry 2]
Contagious Lineage [Daimonion 5 and
You’re going to hell, John. Thaumaturgy (Path of Blood) 5]
System: The damned focuses her attention upon By the blessing of a dark trinity of her new peers, the
one creature she can see, spends one point of blood childe of a lesser clan may be reborn as a member of the
or Willpower, and rolls Manipulation + Occult Baali.
(difficulty equal to target’s Willpower); if this roll
is successful, her target is haunted by the strangest System: This ability functions identically to the Re-
phenomenon: for the next 24 hours, everyone he Embrace Elder Discipline ability of the Baali (Lore
speaks to – all of them, every single one, from his of the Bloodlines, pg. 17) except that it requires
closest friend to the random panhandler on the the presence of three damned to enact the ability.
subway – will, at some point in the conversation, Only one of these damned must possess this
tell the target that they, by name, are going to Combination Discipline, but all three damned
hell. As this is an illusion, the people addressing must possess either Daimonion or Thaumaturgy
the victim will always refer to the target by their (including Dark Thaumaturgy) and all three must
real name, not any alias they may use. For each expend a point of Willpower to complete the ritual.
success on the roll past the first, this curse lasts
an additional 24 hours. Much like the Evil Eye Rumors persist that the Akahaete possess a
Investment (below), this effect cannot deal damage privately-held variation of this ability, substituting
in combat but creates an intensely unnerving effect Jigoku for Daimonion, capable of transforming a
for the victim: the difficulty of all attempts made to non-Baali Kindred into a member of that fearsome
Intimidate the victim while this curse is active is lineage; if so, that ability is unknown except to
reduced by 2. most potent and ancient members of the Akahaete
splinter Bloodline.
Experience Cost: 14
Experience Cost: 35

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 87

Corrupt Inertia [Auspex 4 and Celerity 1 and normal, when sunlight falls on the living world
Daimonion 3]: beyond, and her thirst grows nightly: there is no
blood to drink within the confines of her private
Seeing a just a moment into the future is a wonderful corner of the Outer Dark.
thing. Access to the unholy, reality-twisting energies of
the Outer Dark is a true & lovely delight. But being If the damned falls into torpor while beyond the
able to swap-out tiny shards of this crude, ugly reality borders of the living world, she falls backwards out
for the realms of hell … and for less than the space of a of her own shadow and returns physically to this
heartbeat? Hilarious. reality.
System: The damned focuses her attention upon She is otherwise free to explore the boundless
one projectile she can see, spends one point of realm of her eternal damnation as she pleases.
blood or Willpower, and rolls Manipulation +
Occult (difficulty 6); for each success, the damned Experience Cost: 21
alters the path of the selected projectile by up to Cruel Thorns of the Satyr’s Need [Daimonion
60 degrees, sending the projectile in a direction 2 and Dementation or Dominate 2]
chosen by the damned.
A dark flame – call it lust, call it hunger, call it
A single success causes the projectile to miss its covetousness, call it raw animal desire – burns in the
intended target, although the damned may – if she secret heart of every mortal, and in the blood of every
desires – choose a new target in the projectile’s new vampire. You can kindle this low, flickering candle-flame
line-of-fire; redirecting a missile directly back at its into a roar of abject madness.
source requires a total of three successes (altering
the trajectory of the projectile a full 180 degrees). System: The damned focuses her attention upon
one creature she can see, spends one point of
Hitting a specific target in this way requires a Wits blood or Willpower, and rolls Manipulation +
+ Firearms roll (difficulty 8); a creature targeted in Occult (difficulty equal to target’s Willpower); if
this way may, of course, attempt to dodge as normal. this roll is successful, the target becomes infatuated
This ability is used reflexively on an opponent’s with another creature chosen by the damned. This
turn, and doing-so costs the damned one action infatuation lasts for a number of nights equal to
during her next turn: the damned must split her the number of successes rolled by the damned
dice pool (as normal) to perform both this action or until ended – as a reflexive action – by the
and another action on her next turn; alternatively, damned; this infatuation ends just as abruptly as it
she may activate Celerity on her turn. began when the effect wears off or is ended, and a
Experience Cost: 28 knowledgeable occultist may easily deduce that she
was manipulated by dark magics once the effect
Cross Over the Oblivion Bridge [Daimonion 3 ceases.
and Jigoku 1]
While under the effects of this infatuation, it is
There are worlds – ancient, hideous, born of realities impossible to identify the feelings of passion as
long-dead – stretching farther into the blackness behind anything less than genuine.
the stars than any mortal can comprehend. With a twist
of will, they are become your playground. The damned must have a clear mental image of the
potential target-of-infatuation in her head: if the
System: When the damned chooses to enter her chosen creature is not also present when this ability
private hell while using Step into the Hellish Rift is used, the damned must succeed an Intelligence +
(above), she may choose to remain within that Expression roll (difficulty 6) to picture the chosen
nightmare-realm for an indefinite period of time creature vividly-enough for the infatuation to take
(no Courage roll required). She must slumber, as root.

88 Infernal Disciplines
Note that the infatuation compelled by use of
this ability is purely one-sided, and may be acted-
upon by the victim in any number of extreme and
unpredictable ways: a Toreador Elder infatuated
with a mortal might stalk her target, writing him
love-sonnets, murdering rivals to his affections
and tempting him with immortality; a Malkavian
Elder, on the other hand, might find herself
compelled to break the mortal target’s sanity
completely, obsessively driving the object of her
desire to become more like her; a Nosferatu Elder,
meanwhile, is likely to destroy her new obsession
in a fit of rage, self-loathing & misplaced jealousy:
such a perfect creature could never love a Sewer
Rat, after all, yet how could he allow this rarest
beauty to be loved – soiled – by any other?
Note also that this infatuation is far weaker than
even the weakest Blood Bond, but that it might
lead to the formation of such a pairing.
Experience Cost: 14
Dance of Twisting Nightmares [Daimonion 3
and Jigoku 1]
This night-lit world of the living & the thirsty dead is a
mere illusion, a crude shadow-realm of puppets painted
over the deeper horror of reality: the infinite, echoing
Outer Dark, and all that it contains. When you step
back from oblivion to this creaking place of cardboard,
you may choose to do so at a place of your convenience.
System: When the damned exits her private hell
while using Step into the Hellish Rift (above), she
may choose to reappear in any place in the living
world that she can see clearly. Thus, she might
return to the world standing atop a building visible
from her previous location, but not on the other
side of a locked door. The damned brings residue
from her private hell with her when she exits that
hideous realm, marking her passage in two places.
Experience Cost: 21

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 89

Daylit Monstrosities [Daimonion 1 and Enter the Wicked Corpse (Celerity 2 and
Dominate 5] Jigoku 1)
People think they’re safe from demons while they’re Damnation flooding in your veins, you twist the self; icy-
having brunch or driving their kids to soccer practice. black blood quickens & leaps through ripples of cold flesh
They’re wrong. and hungry screams to obey your blasphemous desire.
System: Whenever the damned employs System: The damned rolls Wits + Occult (difficulty
Possession, she may always use Corrupturum, 7) and spends three points of blood or Willpower,
Daimonion and related combination Disciplines. as normal, in any combination. On a success, the
If the mortal host of the damned is killed, the damned enters her Wicked Corpse form instantly,
damned may always choose to exit her host as a instead of waiting the three turns normally
free action in the instant before the mortal’s death, demanded. Failure indicates that the shift takes the
sparing her the inconvenience of torpor. standard three turns, while a botch means that the
blood & Willpower are spent but that the damned
Experience Cost: 35 does not begin entering her Wicked Corpse form
Devil-Haunted Hysteria [Daimonion 2 and at all.
Dominate 1 or Obfuscate 1] Experience Cost: 24
There are monsters everywhere. Right behind you. Epochs of Excruciating Damnation
System: Whenever the damned departs an area or [Daimonion 3 and Temporis 1]
scene, she may choose to spend one point of blood Time passes so very differently in Hell. A single day in the
or Willpower and roll Manipulation + Occult, Pit feels like a century of agony, they say … and yet those
attempting to influence all non-supernatural who escape are often stunned at how many decades have
creatures who have interacted with her during the flown by: all of their loved-ones and precious possessions
scene. She compares the results of her roll against long-ago crumbled to ash & rot.
a base difficulty equal to each mortal’s Perception
+ 2; in this way, some creatures in-attendance may System: The damned spends one blood and one
be affected, while others are not. willpower, focusing on a single target she can see;
the victim then rolls her Willpower (difficulty equal
All mortal witnesses affected by use of this to the Willpower of the damned). On a failure, the
power remember bizarre, impossible, outlandish, victim begins to feel time dilate: all of her Wound
grotesque and clearly ridiculous events, easily Penalties double, as the tortures of the flesh linger,
debunked and disproven: they recall secret yet time also seems to rush-by in a torrent: her body
underground tunnels, glowing green aliens, the continuously tries to fall asleep as if the sun were
arrival of celebrities – including famous movie rising, forcing the victim to spend one additional
stars, presidential candidates and religious leaders blood to ‘wake up’ every two hours – or fall into
– and all manner of human sacrifice, blood- slumber – for the remainder of the night. This
orgies, writhing demon-masked men, and Satanic effect lasts until the next sunset.
cannibalism rituals.
Experience Cost: 21
These false memories overwrite the actual events
of the scene, covering – or at least obscuring – the The Flesh Become My Servant [Auspex 4 and
tracks of the damned as she moves through the Daimonion 3 and Jigoku 1]
mortal world.
The corpse becomes a swarm, each and every part of the
Experience Cost: 14 damned transform and given horrid new life: a gore-slick
horde of independent, malevolent entities.

90 Infernal Disciplines
System: Similar to the arts of I Am Legion damned is carrying around her own severed head,
(Clanbook: Baali pg. 47), the damned first spends a her body still possesses all of its normal Health
point of blood or Willpower to activate this ability Levels (usually seven).
and rolls Manipulation + Occult (difficulty 7).
One success summons a single lesser incorporeal None of these severed, animate appendages may
fiendish entity to occupy her body; this ghostly be staked; if the heart of the damned is staked, all
imp boasts an Intelligence of 1, Wits of 1 and severed appendages collapse, paralyzed.
Perception of 1. Each additional success increases If the damned possesses the Discipline of Flight,
one Mental Attribute – chosen by the damned – of the Thaumaturgical Path Movement of the Mind,
this creature by 1. the Jigoku Horror of Violate Gravity, or another
For Example, Winter Bellamira activates means of achieving supernatural movement, her
this ability and scores five successes; she detached limbs may take full advantage of this
increases the Intelligence of the demon ability; in not, her limbs move at half the normal
“possessing” her body to 2, its Wits to 3, speed of the damned: rolling, scuttling like spiders
and its Perception to 2. or coiling like serpents, as appropriate. Limbs
removed and animated in this way retain the full
The summoned demon has zero in all other Physical Attributes and Abilities of the damned:
Attributes. The damned maintains telepathic her head can attack with her normal Dexterity +
contact with her summoned demon under all Brawl pool and inflicts standard bite damage, while
circumstances, with no roll or action required. This a severed arm – moving like a snake – can strike
ability may be activated multiple times, allowing with a claw, choke an opponent, and otherwise
for a small horde of demonic entities to inhabit deal damage as normal.
the corpse of the damned simultaneously.
An appendage – arm, hand or eye – that is destroyed
Once this ability is successfully activated, the while this ability is active may be replaced by
damned may freely separate her head from her expending a number of blood points equal to the
body by spending one point of blood or Willpower number of Health Levels held by that appendage
(no roll or check required); alternatively, she may (see above); for example, the damned may grow a
choose to detach a single eye, an arm or a hand by new eye by expending a point of blood and may
spending a single point of blood or Willpower. If regrow an arm by expending three points of blood.
her head is detached, the damned maintains control If the head of the damned is destroyed, she meets
of her head while her body is directed – under her final death instantly. If the body of the damned is
telepathic supervision – by her summoned demon; destroyed while her head is detached, the damned
if she instead chooses to separate an eye, arm or must expend 10 points of blood and one point of
hand, her summoned demon takes control of Willpower to regrow her full body.
that extremity while she continues to “pilot” the
remainder of her body. This ability, once activated, remains in effect until
dawn. At dawn, any limbs or appendages not
A detached head or appendage (arm or hand) is reattached to the vampire crumble to dust and
considered a small target – difficulty 7 to hit in must be replaced as normal. Limbs & appendages
Melee, firearms difficulties increased by one – may not be replaced while in-use: a vampire with
while a detached eye is difficulty 8 to hit in melee, access to a near-unlimited supply of blood could
with Firearms difficulties increased by 2. A severed not, for example, send a wave of one thousand
head has four Health Levels; an arm, three Health arms to attack her foe.
Levels; a hand, two Health Levels; an eye, one
Health Level. The body of the damned retains all Experience Cost: 28
of its normal Health Levels during this time: if the

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 91

Grant Voice Unto the Devil [Daimonion 1 Hunter in Nightmares [Auspex 2 and
and Melpominee 1] Daimonion 1]
What would you ask the darkness in your heart, if you Sleep & shadow, distance & deception: these provide no
could compel it – rather than to whisper, to howl, to defense against you … for in the realm of dream, you are
shriek or to scream – to sing to you, as with the voice of a most-ravening predator.
an angel?
System: The damned spends a point of blood or
System: The damned gains the Terror of Echo of Willpower, finds a comfortable place to rest, and
the Beast’s Tongue and the Terror of Speak to the mentally pictures a creature known to her. She
Beast, even if she does not otherwise possess access then rolls Wits + Occult, difficulty 8; if this roll
to the Corrupturum Discipline. These are not is successful, the damned falls into catatonia and
counted against the maximum number of Terrors immediately knows whether or not her target is
she may possess. currently dreaming.
Experience Cost: 7 The difficulty of this roll is increased to 9
if the damned has only a casual knowledge
Hell’s Agonizing Stare [Daimonion 1 or of her intended target and increased to 10
Jigoku 1 and Presence 2] if the damned only has a single glimpse to
The damned may dump the purest of tortures into the work-from; if the damned fully knows the
body of her victim, setting every nerve ablaze, simply by name, face, scent, touch, and taste of her
laying her sight upon the hapless plaything. target, however, the difficulty is reduced to
7.
System: The damned must first possess the Evil Eye
Investment, either through the Horror of Gaze of If her target is not yet dreaming, the damned may
Hell, the Terror of Visage of Corroding Reality or choose to remain in a state identical to torpor until
through a full demonic investment, before she may her target slumbers, at which point this ability
gain this ability. While her Evil Eye is active, the activates.
damned may spend a point of Willpower and make If her target is dreaming, the damned enters the
momentary eye contact with her chosen victim; she sleeping mind of her quarry, remaining within
then rolls Manipulation + Intimidation (difficulty for one hour or until she chooses to depart (a
equal to her target’s Willpower). Each success the free action); each success on the activation roll
damned achieves on this roll reduces the victim’s allows the damned to remain within her victim’s
Dice Pool by one; a dice pool reduced to zero dreamscape for one additional hour. While
indicates that the victim is utterly overcome with raw invading this dreamscape, the damned experiences
torment and simply cannot bring herself to perform the vastness of her victim’s psyche as a sprawling,
a given action. This hellish suffering continues to labyrinthine library: a palace filled with salons,
wrack the victim as long as the damned maintains parlors, theaters, art galleries, curious post-modern
her gaze on the victim. Any distraction – such a statue-gardens, memories, echoes, blood-spatters,
successful attack upon her – forces the damned to monsters, and ghosts.
make a Willpower roll (difficulty 7) to maintain
her concentration. This suffering is a pain-based Inside the nightmare, the damned is pure psychic
effect; creatures immune to pain (such as Risen) are projection, and her physical Traits and Disciplines
immune to this effect, and the Abyss-spawned agony offer her no benefit: she may not use Fortitude to
may be overcome or resisted in any way that normal soak damage, for example, nor add Potence when
Wound Penalties may be resisted or ignored. attempting to open a door. During this time, her
Manipulation score replaces her Strength, her
Experience Cost: 14 Charisma score replaces her Dexterity, her highest-

92 Infernal Disciplines
rated Virtue (Courage, Conscience, Self-Control, later date and pick up her search where she left
Instinct or Conviction) replaces her Stamina, and off. Once a text – or black-box theater, or obscene
her temporary Willpower replaces her health levels. diorama, or bizarre series of interlinked paintings
– containing the desired memory has been found,
If the damned is reduced to zero temporary the damned and her target each make opposed Wits
Willpower by damage she suffers within the + Awareness rolls (difficulty equal to opponent’s
nightmare of her victim, she is ejected and suffers Willpower); if the damned is successful, she is
one unsoakable level of bashing damage to her true able to decipher the desired information: pulling
form. If her target awakens while the damned is the knowledge from the faded, coded, crimson-
still within the dreamscape, the damned is likewise stained pages of the nightmare library or otherwise
expelled: the total collapse of the labyrinth’s gleaning the information through direct, mental
structure “kills” the psychic projection of the interaction with the victim’s illogical, metaphor-
damned instantly. soaked gibberish-physics.
The damned may speak with her victim during Once this information has been obtained, the
this nightmare, or she may attempt to go digging victim instantly becomes aware: she knows only
through her victim’s subconscious for secrets. that someone broke into her nightmares and took
Each nightmare-library is unique, decorated a secret from the depths of her memories, however:
and arranged according the subconscious of the she does not know who performed this theft.
owner, although there are some commonalities: A nightmare library entered in this way is a
the libraries of the undead tend to be cut-through dangerous place, filled with traps and monsters
with rivers and lakes filled with all the blood the lurking among the gore-caked memories. The
Kindred has ever consumed, and the ghosts of victim herself wanders the hallways, insensate and
every creature the owner has ever killed walk among immune to all damage; in addition, any creature
the stacks. This library is not arranged or ordered diablerized by the target also creeps along the
in any sane fashion, but the practitioner rapidly long, crooked pathways of the library in fully
develops a strange sense for the … general direction physical form. Such creatures are universally some
toward whatever knowledge she seeks. Searching combination of hostile, ravenous, and insane.
for any individual memory – such as learning the
true name of the victim’s sire or finding where the Experience Cost: 14
target hid a heart removed via Heart of Darkness
– within the target’s library requires 1d10-3 hours,
plus one hour for each decade the target has walked
the world.
The library of a neonate might have only the
acreage of a good-sized nightclub, while the
library of an ancillae might occupy several
city blocks, and the library of an Elder is
likely to be the size of a small nation-state.
The library of a true Methuselah occupies
multiple continents of dust-shrouded
horrors, riddled with impossible towers
and vast, echoing mazes cut deep into the
earth.
If the damned cannot immediately find what she
desires, she may re-enter her victim’s mind at a

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 93

In the Shadow of Cowardice [Daimonion 4 standard behavior when confronted with a threat.
and Obtenebration 1]
Experience Cost: 28
Your fear follows you, showing itself to you and to those
you meet. Indulgence in Delicious Sin [Daimonion 1
and Dominate 2]
System: The damned focuses her attention upon
one creature she can see, spends one point of blood Just let it go. Do all those things you think you’re not
or Willpower, and rolls Manipulation + Occult supposed to do.
(difficulty equal to twice the target’s Courage). A System: The damned focuses her attention upon
success on this roll causes the shadows around the one creature she can see, spends one point of
victim to take on the shapes of the victim’s deepest blood or Willpower, and rolls Manipulation +
fears: they may take the form of flames, of specific Occult (difficulty equal to target’s Willpower); if
Kindred or mortal enemies, of abstract concepts this roll is successful, her victim must indulge in his
such as “failure” or “abandonment” or any number darkest desires the following round. Kindred and
of more esoteric and bizarre symbols. other supernatural victims of this effect may spend
Everyone who can see the target also sees these one point of Willpower each round to ignore
shadows, although observers may not understand this grotesque compulsion. Kindred affected
what these shifting shrouds of darkness specifically by this ability are usually driven to feed, while
represent. mortals immediately partake in their own chosen
vice: fleeing combat to find a cold beer, light a
The duration of this effect is determined by the cigarette, or pull out their phone to begin sexting
number of successes scored by the damned: & gambling, most often. Each additional success
beyond the first compels the target to indulge in
• 1 Success: One round his own favorite vice for an additional round. Note
• 2 Successes: Remainder of the scene/ that a creature indulging in his preferred vice is not
hour helpless – only distracted, at best – and may actually
be significantly more dangerous when compelled to
• 3 Successes: Remainder of the night act upon her deepest desires: a Camarilla Prince
driven to indulge his secret, forbidden favorite
• 4 Successes: One week
pastime, for example, is overwhelmingly likely to
• 5+ Successes: One month tear the throat from every creature in the room in
a whirlwind of shrieks and crimson splatters, often
Much like the Evil Eye Investment (below), this (but not always) starting with his enemies.
effect cannot deal damage in combat but creates
an intensely unnerving effect for the victim: the Experience Cost: 14
difficulty of all attempts made to Intimidate the
victim while this curse is active is reduced by 2.
In addition, anyone observing the victim while this
horrid shroud is in-place may immediately attempt
a Perception + Awareness roll (difficulty equal to 3
+ the current Willpower of the victim). If this roll
is successful, the observer gains some insight into
the Nature, Demeanor, psychology, and morality
of the victim; at Storyteller discretion, this may
give the observer an advantage against the victim
in later scenes or allow her to predict the victim’s

94 Infernal Disciplines
Instincts for Violence [Jigoku 1 and Celerity 1] the target. For example, the victim’s flesh might
be etched from within to read “Murderer” or
The body of the damned – warped by foul curses, “Diablerist” or “Thief” in the victim’s own blood;
blasphemous bargains, and the darkest of magics – is whatever word appears, and in whatever language,
not entirely her own; this lethal killing machine, forged its meaning is immediately apparent to everyone
to survive the Outer Dark, may act of its own accord: who sees it. The damned does not control what
lashing out with terrifying speed at all who would dare words appear; instead, she may use this ability
approach the infernalist. to find out what sins her victim has committed.
System: Whenever she is attacked in close combat Words cut into the skin of the victim do not vanish
(usually with Melee or Brawl roll) while in her until the victim no longer suffers a single level of
Wicked Corpse form, the damned may make a aggravated damage.
free counterattack upon her foe using a wing, tail, Experience Cost: 28
horns or even the back of her hand. The damned
rolls Dexterity + Brawl (+1 difficulty) Close Combat
Maneuver; if this roll is successful, the damned
inflicts lethal damage equal to her Strength -1. No
more than one free counterattack of this type may
be made per turn.
Experience Cost: 7
Lingering Fear [Daimonion 1 and
Dementation 3]
Hide all you want, childe; the stench of your fear still
bleeds through.
System: The damned rolls Perception + Occult,
difficulty equal to her target’s Willpower. On a
success, the damned learns any phobias held by
the target, as well as any fears her target might have
that could be used to manipulate him. For each
additional success on this roll, the damned gains
one free success of every Social roll made against
the target for the remainder of the scene or for one
hour (whichever comes first).
Experience Cost: 21
Litany of Wicked Crimes, Both Fresh &
Ancient Alike [Daimonion 4 and Quietus 4]
Burn for your sins.
System: This ability functions as per Baal’s Caress
(V20 pg. 204) except that each level of damage
done to the target causes a single word to raise on
the visible and exposed flesh of the victim. These
words spell out crimes and sins committed by

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 95

Name of the Devil [Daimonion 1 and Auspex 1] At the end of this time, contact ends.
You have chosen your immortal name & unholy title. • Five or more successes: The damned may
When they are spoken in vain, you are made instantly maintain her eavesdropping (as above) for
aware. And, should you choose, you may step across one full hour without making a Willpower
worlds to devour the speaker. roll. At the end of this time, contact ends.
System: The damned, when she gains this ability, If the name or title of the damned is uttered by an
chooses a single specific name and title. These two ally or by a creature obedient to her – such as by
identifiers – name and title – may change whenever her ghoul or a member of her Choir – the damned
the damned gains a new level of Corrupturum, may choose to establish a two-way connection:
of Daimonion, or of Jigoku; thus, “Nephiliia the speaking freely with the creature for one hour, as
Scarlet, Eater of Broken Faces” may become “Lady above.
Nephan, Devourer of Malkavians”.
Hearing her name or title spoken aloud is enough
Whenever this chosen name or title is spoken – to awaken the damned fully from slumber, but
even in conversation – by another creature, it is not from torpor; if the damned attempts to take
enough to draw the attention of the damned, no any actions except eavesdropping on the speaker,
matter how far away she is from the place where however, normal penalties apply.
she was spoken-of. The damned may then attempt
to ascertain who is speaking about her, where that Whenever this power is activated, the damned
being is, and even what is said: the damned makes may – if she desires – choose to afflict the area
a Wits + Occult roll (difficulty 7); the amount immediately surrounding the creature who spoke
of detail she gains depends on the number of her name or her title with an effect identical to
successes rolled: the Evil Eye Investment (see above). In this way,
she may visit an ill omen upon anyone who speaks
• One success: The damned receives a her name … or, if she desires, keep her spiritual
slightly fuzzy mental picture of the person presence deathly quiet.
who spoke her name or her title.
It is known that certain holy effects can dampen
• Two successes: The damned receives a the power of this ability: if the name of the damned
clear mental picture of the speaker and of is spoken on sacred ground or whispered by a
his immediate surroundings, including the character with True Faith, the damned may receive
individual(s) he is speaking to. only limited, garbled information … assuming she
hears anything at all.
• Three successes: The damned can hear,
with clarity, what the speaker is saying for Experience Cost: 14
the duration of a single turn. If she wishes,
the damned may continue to eavesdrop on Nightmare Rain [Corrupturum 3 and
the conversation, though she hears only Daimonion 3]
the voice of the individual who invoked her The damned may open the skies above, letting forth a
name. Eavesdropping on the conversation grotesque plague in obscene mockery of God’s divine
requires a successful Willpower roll wrath.
(difficulty 8) each successive turn. If the
roll fails, contact is lost. System: The damned spends three points of blood
or Willpower (her choice, in any combination) and
• Four successes: The damned may maintain rolls Manipulation + Occult (difficulty 7). If she
her eavesdropping (as above) for one full achieves a single success, she summons up driving
minute without making a Willpower roll. wind and rain in an area with a radius in miles equal

96 Infernal Disciplines
to her current Willpower; this unnatural storm 20 pints (blood points) of something very much
lasts one hour or until the scene ends, whichever like blood but lacking the metaphysical spark of
comes first. The difficulties of all rolls involving life. There is no limit to the total amount of this
sight or movement in the area are increased by false blood the damned may hold within herself
two; this penalty does not affect the damned. For at any given time: if she desires to spend 5 points
each additional success on the activation roll, of vitae and thereby generate 100 pints (twelve
the damned may intensify the storm by one step and a half gallons) of false blood inside her body,
(increasing the adjustment in Difficulties above she is free to do so. This substance is not blood
by one apiece), from a tropical storm at three and cannot be used in any way that real blood
successes to an outright hurricane at 5 successes; – Kindred or mortal – can be used (such as to
alternatively, she may increase the duration of the activate the supernatural abilities of Kindred) but
effect by one hour per additional success gained on it seems to be blood to all examination short of
the activation roll. In addition, the damned may actually drinking the fluid. This false blood is kept
invest one success on the activation roll to vent under enormous pressure within the body of the
unnatural precipitation through her grotesque damned: great torrents of this horrid stuff spray in
storm: the black thunderheads may vomit-forth every direction whenever the damned is injured,
hypodermic needles, burst-open toads, splatters and she may freely vent it from her body as she
of blood, severed fingers, rotting meat, eyes, desires (causing gouts of it to cascade from her eyes
maggots, feces, or any number of other strange and and mouth, for example). The damned may even
disturbing substances. generate enough of this “blood” to drown mortal
opponents. If the damned is the target of any effect
Experience Cost: 21 that would remove blood from her body – Theft
The Puppet Falters [Corrupturum 1 or of Vitae, for example – her false blood is targeted
Daimonion 1 and Dominate 1] first, and it provides no benefit of any kind to the
recipient.
With a casual wave of her hand, in cruel mimicry of a
puppet-master shaking her victim’s invisible strings, the Experience Cost: 7
damned torments the spasmodic limbs of her foe.
System: The damned spends a point of blood
or Willpower to activate this ability; she chooses
one opponent she can see and rolls Wits + Occult
(difficulty 7). Each success cancels one success from
the victim’s next die roll. If her opponent scores no
successes on his die roll, he can take no actions but
to shake unnaturally while hanging eerily in space,
limp: drooling, twitching slightly, and rolling his
panicked eyes in mute terror.
Experience Cost: 7
Scarlet Fountains [Jigoku 1 and Fortitude 1]
Dark red oceans of stolen life cascade through the black
veins of the damned. When she desires, she may unleash
this gore-slick tsunami like a Biblical plague.
System: The damned spends a point of blood or
Willpower; her pale form immediately swells with

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 97

See the Sins to Come [Daimonion 1 and time, the damned cannot make physical attacks;
Celerity 1] she additionally gains all the benefits of the
Unstoppable Winds of Hell Investment (below).
I knew you would do it. It was written behind your
panicked, prey-animal eyes; your filthy soul anticipated Experience Cost: 28
such a crude betrayal and whispered to me a cry of
warning. There is nothing a mere animal like you can Shrieks of the Flame-Licked Damned
“choose” to do that would shock me nor startle me, oh [Daimonion 2 and Dementation 2]
weak & mewling pretender-at-sin. Your sins speak for themselves, if you just listen. They –
System: The damned cannot be surprised in and all your victims – know why you’ll soon be dragged,
combat. Any attempt to ambush the damned screaming & weeping blood, into the echoing depths of
automatically fails; the damned can always act as Oblivion.
normal when attacked, and she may always attempt System: The damned focuses her attention upon
to dodge attacks made by concealed assailants one creature she can see, spends one point of
without penalty. blood or Willpower, and rolls Manipulation +
Experience Cost: 7 Occult (difficulty equal to target’s Willpower); on
a success, her victim is distracted until the end of
Shroud of Maggots [Jigoku 1 and Protean 4 her next round by the deafening howls of wailing
or Vicissitude 4] souls consigned to Hell: the difficulties of all her
die rolls involving mental acuity or concentration
The flesh falls away. What lies beneath is far more (such as aiming a firearm or utilizing Thaumaturgy)
terrible. are increased by two, the victim goes last during
System: While in her Wicked Corpse form, the each round of combat, and the victim is effectively
damned spends a point of blood or Willpower and deaf (V20 pg. 483).
rolls Willpower (difficulty 6). If this roll is successful, Nothing, after all, can be heard above the
she erupts into a towering, vaguely human-shaped pandemonium of Hell.
composite of maggots, flies, spiders, worms, or
other disgusting vermin; this filth shreds through A character with the Concentration Merit (V20
her skin, although she remains unharmed. She pg. 484) is immune to all effects of this affliction
remains in this form for a number of hours equal except for being struck deaf.
to the number of successes rolled to activate this
ability, until she exits her Wicked Corpse form, or Each additional success beyond the first causes the
until damned chooses to dismiss the effect (this victim to suffer the effects above for one additional
does not require an action), whichever comes first. round.

This power may also be activated reflexively as a Experience Cost: 14

defensive action; however, such hasty use of this Siren of Hungry Corpses [Daimonion 5 and
Horror reduces the maximum duration to a single Necromancy (Bone Path) 3]
turn.
The dead shall rise as you walk past, child … though the
While in this form, the damned is immune to dead have their own agenda.
mundane kinetic damage (including firearms,
falling damage, and most melee weapons); she System: The damned invokes a curse upon a target;
is not immune to fire, sunlight, electricity or she must make eye contact with her intended
magic, including most sources of aggravated target and speak at least a single word to her target
damage such as the fangs and claws of her fellow directly as the curse is invoked; her target must be
damned or Kindred-warded blades. During this able to hear her speak. If she desires, the damned

98 Infernal Disciplines
may simply state the name of the victim. Clan flaw (like a particular type of art for a Toreador,
or the derangement of a Malkavian). The damned
Once the damned has completed her statement, can also learn minor psychological Flaws (anything
she rolls Manipulation + Occult, difficulty equal valued at 1 point) of her target and secrets that she
to her target’s Willpower + 3. For each of the is actively thinking-about: if the Harpy is pacing,
following words that are included in the invocation trying to decide how precisely to tell the Prince that
statement – “dead,” “grave,” and “curse,” – the her Sire committed diablerie, this small snippet of
difficulty of this roll is reduced by 1. information may be picked-up by the damned.
For Example: The difficulty of the Experience Cost: 14
Manipulation + Occult roll to activate this
power is reduced to the target’s Willpower
if the damned says “We are not the dead.
We are not cursed by the grave” or “I’m
trying to figure out a pattern. After dead,
grave, and curse, what do you think comes
next?”
On a success, every corpse within range – 10 feet
per success on the activation roll – reanimates as
a zombie (V20, pg. 164). The aura of this effect
moves with the victim: if the victim moves close
enough to a corpse, it immediately animates and
attacks her; likewise, if a fresh corpse is “created”
within range, it animates as soon as it ceases to be
a living creature. The target of this curse has no
control over these zombies: instead, the hungry &
mindless undead will follow the victim, attempting
to eat her, until such time as they are destroyed or
until the curse ends.
The curse is exhausted one hour after the first
corpse is reanimated by this effect, plus one hour
per success achieved on the initial activation roll;
when this time-limit is reached, the curse ends
immediately. Otherwise, the curse is permanent
until discharged.
Experience Cost: 35
Skeletons in the Closet [Daimonion 1 and
Auspex 2]
The secret flaws of Kindred are written in their auras, for
those who know how to find them.
System: When reading a target’s aura, the damned
may always make a second attempt to see additional
flaws. If both attempts are successful, the damned
can learn her target’s feeding preference, focused

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 99

Subsume in Suffering [Daimonion 3 and Thrust into the Outer Dark [Daimonion 2
Dominate 2] and Chimerstry 4]
Feel the pain. Revel in it. Learn to enjoy it, for it will be We have such sights to show you.
yours forever.
System: The damned focuses her attention upon
System: The damned focuses her attention upon one creature she can see, spends one point of blood
one creature she can see, spends one point of or Willpower, and rolls Manipulation + Occult
blood or Willpower, and rolls Manipulation + (difficulty equal to target’s Willpower); if this roll
Occult (difficulty equal to target’s Willpower). If is successful, the victim is forced into an illusory
this roll is successful, the victim’s pain-receptors hell, presenting him with a full-body, immersive
go into shrieking overdrive, doubling his Wound experience of the world to come: what is, was, and
Penalties until the end of his next turn; if her will ever be, upon the rise of the Sleeping Children
target has an ability which allows him to ignore from their far-distant tombs to reclaim & reshape
Wound Penalties, this ability instead applies the this reality. The terror, agony, and torment of this
basic penalties. Each additional success beyond the leaves the target completely debilitated: effectively
first maintains this state of agony for an additional Incapacitated and unable to take any actions until
round. attacked or until the end a number of rounds
equal to the number of successes rolled, whichever
Experience Cost: 21 comes first.
Taste of the Agony to Come [Daimonion 2 Experience Cost: 28
and Auspex 2]
Transmit Unholy Infection [Daimonion 3
Knowing that the Inferno awaits – that the pain of True and Dominate 3]
Damnation is just around the corner – doesn’t stop it
from hurting. Sometimes, I’ve found, the waiting just There are worse things than death. You are more than
makes it worse. capable of inflicting several of them. And sometimes
– just sometimes – your victim, when you choose, will
System: The damned spends one point of blood arise once more with tears of blood streaking her cheeks:
or Willpower and chooses one target she can see; thanking you with all her heart, heaping blessings upon
the damned then rolls Manipulation + Occult, your dark name, swearing eternal fealty to the cause you
difficulty equal to her target’s Willpower. On a share.
success, every attack suffered by the target becomes
exponentially more painful, like the world itself System: The damned must possess the Via
was made of rusted razor-wire and white-hot Contagionis Path of Enlightenment (see below)
needles; this effect lasts for a number of rounds and a Path Rating of at least 4 before she may gain
equal to the number of successes scored by the the benefits of this Combination Discipline.
damned. During this time, the target must test for
Rötschreck (difficulty equal to the Willpower of the The damned reduces her helpless opponent to the
damned) each time he suffers damage of any kind; very edge of Final Death, on the brink of diablerie.
the victim receives a +2 bonus on Self-Control rolls Her target must not possess a Humanity or Path
when attempting to resist panic caused by Bashing Rating above 4. The damned then performs a
(rather than Lethal or Aggravated) damage. ritual similar in many ways to the Re-Embrace
Elder Discipline ability of the Baali (Lore of the
Experience Cost: 14 Bloodlines, pg. 17): the damned spends one point
of Willpower, then rolls Manipulation + Occult
(difficulty 8) against the target’s Willpower
(difficulty 7).

100 Infernal Disciplines

If this roll is successful, the target is stripped of his 7). If this roll is successful, the desired target
remaining humanity – or of his Path Rating – and immediately hears the next words spoken by the
instantly becomes a follower of Via Contagionis damned, no matter where the target is located. In
with a new Path Rating equal to his former addition, the words of the damned echo in the ears
Humanity or Path Rating. The victim immediately of the victim at irregular intervals for the remainder
regards the damned as his superior within the of the night: sounding as if they originated only
faith: if not a true Plague-Saint, then at least an a few feet away, often emanating from shadow or
elder pilgrim of the Path and a worthy mentor. inside a closet; this increases the difficulty of most
Mental and Social actions by +2 (maximum 9) until
Because this ability relies heavily on the power the character can sleep. This effect ends at sunrise.
of the Dominate Discipline, it may not be used
successfully on any Kindred with a generation Experience Cost: 21
lower than the damned.
Void of the Outer Dark [Daimonion 2 and
Experience Cost: 21 Obtenebration 2 and Obfuscate 1]
Unseen Flame of the Nether [Daimonion 3 Do you see? See how they could help you, if only they
and Obfuscate 3 and Thaumaturgy (Lure of wanted to? You are alone.
Flames) 1]
System: The damned spends one point of blood or
Pain is pain, child, and the fires of hell burn hot for you Willpower to create a sphere – 20 feet in diameter
… whether you can behold the scars or not. – that all other creatures instinctively both avoid
and ignore. Mortals within line-of-sight of this
System: Whenever the damned spends blood to sphere will automatically avoid the area without
activate her Lure of Flames (V20 pg. 218), she realizing it (no roll allowed), though mortals will
may choose to create invisible fire; this ghostly always unconsciously look directly into the sphere
flame is identical to the blaze created by normal without seeing anything inside, even making eye
use of Lure of Flames except that this otherworldly contact with those contained within the sphere.
conflagration only harms animate flesh – living or Supernatural creatures, meanwhile, automatically
undead – and does not spread. Wounds do not attempt to pierce this globe of “unnoticability”
appear on the body of a creature suffering damage if they are actively using Heightened Senses
from this effect: a target harmed by this ability is – or a similar power – by rolling Perception +
neither slashed nor burned nor bruised, only filled Investigation, difficulty equal to the Willpower
with shock, agony and horror. A creature killed of the damned. If this roll fails, the supernatural
by means of this ability appears to have died quite investigator stares directly into the globe but
suddenly, in great pain, but with no discernible cannot see or hear anyone (or any thing) inside.
cause.
Neither vision nor sound pierces this sphere; a
Experience Cost: 21 victim held within calling for help or screaming in
Voice in the Dark [Daimonion 1 of Jigoku 1 pain will not cause this to dissipate. The sphere
and Presence 1] lasts for on scene or for hour – whichever comes
first – and cannot be relocated.
Your malevolence is always lurking just around the
shadowed corner. Use of this ability automatically causes any
mundane recording device within line-of-sight
System: The damned spends one point of blood or of the sphere to fail: recording only pale, ghostly
Willpower and chooses a creature known to her; static.
she must be able to picture her target clearly. The
damned rolls Manipulation + Occult (difficulty Experience Cost: 14

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 101

Wind of Oblivion [Daimonion 1 or Jigoku 1
and Celerity 1]
The black tempest of Oblivion roars, casting haunted
and undead flesh into the realm of mortals, and all the
trappings of sanity shatter before it.
System: Whenever the damned activates Celerity,
she may choose to leave a terrifying wash of
otherworldly turbulence in her wake, causing
an effect identical to Evil Eye (see below) in the
immediate area surrounding her and in the area
following her passage; this affects objects and
people within a number of yards equal to the
Willpower score of the damned. This ability is
always activated while the damned is in Frenzy (see
the Abject Demonic Fury Flaw, below)
Experience Cost: 7
Your Shade, My Thrall [Corrupturum 5 or
Daimonion 5 and Obtenebration 5]
The shadow reflects who you are, who you want to be,
and what horrors you are capable of.
System: The damned spends 2 points of Willpower,
2 points of blood, and chooses one creature visible
to her; the damned then rolls Manipulation +
Occult (difficulty equal to her target’s Willpower).
Success grants the damned a measure of control
over her target’s shadow: the victim’s shadow
will act independently of the target, performing
whatever acts the damned may desire, for the
remainder of the scene or until the damned loses
sight of her victim (whichever comes first).
This is, of course, a breach of the Masquerade,
though no one will be able to tell precisely where
the influence is coming from.
In addition, for every success on the roll to activate
this ability, the damned can cause her victim to
take one simple action: forcing her victim to match
his shadow. This cannot be used to force the victim
to harm himself, but it can be used to force the
victim to attack a friend.
Experience Cost: 35

102 Infernal Disciplines

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 103
 Paths of
Enlightenment
… the inconsistency is here, O My Beloved.
Here all begins, and ends, to begin anew. Five are the essences of existence: five senses, Hermes’ five elements, Caine’s five
childer, five ages of Man.
It is a number indivisible, an endless circuit devoid of symmetry and resolution; a fivefold pattern without beginning or end,
portal and protector, an enigma incomprehensible to the mind.
Infinity.
Our destiny.
-Clanbook: Baali, Chapter Two: Dissonant Echoes

The philosophies of the Baali are hardly unified. Adherents to every known Cainite philosophy –
from the Path of Honorable Accord and the Path of
In fact, it is likely that the innumerable insane Metamorphosis to the Path of Caine and the Path
heresies represented within the bloodline are in of Paradox – can be found within the sprawling
fact far beyond counting: what is sacred to one Bloodline of the Baali. Of course, many of the
Baali is often utter anathema to another, and Baali walk particularly twisted, debased or heretical
vice versa. Little-enough agreement, however, is versions of their parent Path, much to the revulsion
necessary amongst a group as universally reviled of those mainline practitioners who discover their
as the Demons & their broods: when Josian Devil- own personal walkway-to-salvation perverted in the
Hunters, Setite lector-priests, Anarch war-bands, most awful of ways.
Salubri holy-warriors, Assamite viziers, Tremere
chantry-masters, thirsty war-packs loyal to the Sabbat In addition, many Baali of the modern nights
Inquisition, mortal religious institutions and a few are known to practice one of five Paths unique to
unnamed black-ops extra-governmental agencies are their Bloodline; more properly, these Paths might
all willing to temporarily set-aside their differences be understood as “fourfold & one”: the Apocalyptic
to murder your face off the precise moment you are legacy of Saint Belphagor.
discovered, you do not get to pick your bed-fellows.
Best you can do is set them up to get slaughtered
in your place, honestly.

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 105

 Saint Belphagor the Smiling, She of Ten-Thousand Wicked Quills
The records of the Baali attribute these five Paths – the four Roads of the Horsemen, and the Path of Revelation itself – to
a singular entity, a creature known as Saint Belphagor.
An ex-Malkavian Baali of unutterable darkness and grotesque, sadistic appetite, she is known – from the 1300s onward –
to have cocooned herself several times in a variety of convents scattered across Europe: escaping certain death time and
time again, hiding herself away always in the dank sub-cellars of nunneries, and making a blood-drenched game of slowly
driving the nuns above her to fresh, dizzying heights of heresy, cannibalism, black witchcraft, human sacrifice and suicide.
Possessed of a genius-level intellect and the second sight, afflicted with a type of graphomania badly exacerbated by her
solitary lifestyle alongside what is suspected to be an acute case of sanguinary animism, Saint Belphagor kept a detailed,
horrifically vivid diary of her experiences over the long, dark centuries: from her copious notes, modern Baali draw all manner
of gore-splattered inspiration; a complete text of her accounts would run to the tens of thousands of pages, commanding
considerable value from any knowledgeable collector.
To a righteous follower of Via Apocalypsis, of course, such a collection would be literally beyond price: the most holy of relics.
Rumors persist that, as late as the 1700s, Saint Belphagor commanded a vast army of childer who kept her supplied with
blood, writing material, and esoteric texts; her diary ends abruptly with the completion of her third treatise on the Via
Mortem, and many Baali suspect that she ascended to join the Decani of her patron demon, Namtaru the Spreader of Plagues.
Other theories claim that she still sleeps, writhing and thirsty, beneath some fallen nunnery: ready to be awakened, to
continue her blasphemous journal when roused by the scent of fresh blood, the echo of screams and the psychic wail of
shredding flesh.
That she shall stride, smiling wickedly, across the killing-fields of the World to Come at the right hand of Namtaru, however
… that is unquestionable.

Via Conflictus – The sparks, spittle, and shattered chains, your sword and your
armor are brightest in that smoky, blood-slick gloom which
Road of War rises alike from muddy crypts, sundered skyscrapers, and
flaming prisons.

You oppose. You overthrow. You unseat. You shall add your verse to the eternal chorus of glory,
to be sung and remembered by the worthy for all time.
Wherever there is a quiet – borne of tyranny or of
satisfaction, it matters not – there shall your war-cries Bring conflict to all things. It is only through
wake the hearts of men with terror. Wherever there are conflict that people can grow, only through
fearful whispers, there shall your thundering deeds fan conflict that enlightenment can be reached. You
sparks of disharmony into the blaze of open rebellion. create conflict not for chaos, but for order. Peace is
Wherever there are tired folk crushed beneath boot-heel, an illusion, fit only for mewling fools.
whip and tax – bound and huddled in chains of bondage
Ancient Beliefs: The god-slaying Children of
– there shall your shining steel be held aloft.
the Outer Dark must be kept entertained. This is
The Iron Warblade is your title, your station and your understood. And it is understood, beyond, that
banner, wet with the heart’s-blood of weak and fallen our cosmic masters are amused – above all things!
oppressors; gripped with dark gauntlets and showered in – by violence. Strife. Discord. Conflict. Challenge.

106 Paths of Enlightenment

Humiliation. Agony and ecstasy. You do not seek between bitter rivals, the righteous follower of this
battle in order to “right some wrong” or to “achieve Path must either set a new conflict into motion
a worldly goal,” though others might foolishly or depart the smoldering city to sow greater chaos
follow you or attempt to sway you for such feeble elsewhere.
purposes. Instead, you seek battle like a proud
gladiator performing elegant & brutal blood-sport Many who walk the Road of War possess either
before his mighty and beloved Emperor: you shall the Warrior of Hell Merit or the Abel’s Ward Flaw
serve as his champion and his delight, amusing him (see below).
with showers of crimson and choruses of snapping
bones, or you shall gladly die in the attempt.
Negative view: These guys are contrary for no
other reason than they want to be. They’ll argue
whatever you say, even your own opinions. Tell
them your favorite color is red, they’ll argue that
it’s blue. Madmen seeking war and basically trying
to piss people off.
Virtues: Conviction, Self-Control
Greatest Sin: Bringing lasting peace to an area
Those who walk the road of war must seek-out
conflict, and in theory must seek-out victory … but
victory must always be a secondary concern to the
greater good of having an entertaining fight: followers
need not fight with “honor,” but must always take
the side of the underdog, fighting against only
the most challenging of odds. A proper follower
of this Path may serve at the side of a Prince, for
instance, but doing so is acceptable only so long
as the Camarilla of the city are overwhelmed
by a superior adversary. When the fires of open
warfare die down to a dangerous and uneasy peace

Via Conflictus Hierarchy of Sins

Score Minimum Wrongdoing Rationale
10 Agreeing with someone on a trivial matter Conflict comes from disagreement
9 Follow social norms Conflict ignores comfort
8 Follow human law Conflict has no rules
7 Follow kindred law Conflict has no laws
6 Apologize, earnestly Conflict is never wrong
5 Avoid battle for any reason Conflict must be engaged
4 Convince someone to compromise Conflict does not compromise
3 End a lasting feud Conflict does not forgive
2 Negotiate the end of a war Conflict does not seek peace
1 Bringing lasting peace to an area Conflict must endure

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 107

Via Contagionis – The Those who walk the road of pestilence are, in
some sense, a plague of their own: followers must
Road of Pestilence seek to spread their ideology and their numbers,
often through Embrace, Re-Embrace, infection,
indoctrination and the violent “re-education” of
You spread. You infect. You deliver the world from this potential new carriers.
to the next through the lens of pestilence; let the plague
be sewn, that the unworthy may be reaped. As such, those who walk the Road of Pestilence
may not act directly against others who follow the
Bring pestilence to the world. Disease serves a same Path of Enlightenment, and must furthermore
purpose. It eliminates the weak, so that the whole obey the direct commands of those Plague-Saints
may grow. Through pestilence, we bring the world who guide the Path: a pandemic is efficient only
together. Through pestilence, we bring ourselves when it acts as unified whole, spreading, adapting,
together: one flesh, one infection, one future. guided only by the ruthless, hyper-efficient, near-
Ancient Beliefs: Little enough can be stated mindless doctrine of constant viral infection.
with certainty about the Sleeping Children who How a proper Plague-Saint of the Path is to be
dwell now beneath the cities of men & Kindred, determined is, of course, subject to much quiet
watching our atrocities with quiet glee. Yet one debate amongst adherents: is such status afforded
thing is known: Namtaru, ancient and godlike, to the eldest? To those who have walked the Path
delights in the spreading of disease. Let that be the longest? To those who have sacrificed the
all you need know, childe, and dip your fingers in most to Namtaru, or infected the most in His
putrescence. unholy Name? There are no clear answers, merely
Negative View: Gross monsters of the night, innumerable “strains” of ideology. In any instance,
reveling in disgust and horror. They spout a bunch every follower of Via Contagionis desires to take
of crap about how disease “brings us together,” or up the title of Plague-Saint, free to direct their own
“culls the weak,” but mostly you just don’t want to chattering brood of servants at a whim.
smell their breath or shake their hands. Slaying another follower of the Path is always a
Virtues: Conviction/Instinct violation of the Path of Pestilence, as is directly
disobeying a command given by an acknowledged
Greatest Sin: Providing cures to diseases Plague-Saint.

Via Contagionis Hierarchy of Sins

Score Minimum Wrongdoing Rationale
10 Take disease precautions (PPE, etc) Do not hide from Pestilence
9 Feed from bags instead of people Spread Pestilence
8 Deliver/allow a vaccine Do not stop Pestilence
7 Refuse to infect a mortal Spread Pestilence
6 Enforce or allow Quarantine Do not contain Pestilence
5 Refuse to infect another Kindred Spread Pestilence
4 Refuse to feed from the infected Do not avoid Pestilence
3 Fail to destroy medical equipment Spread Pestilence
2 Intentionally kill a disease carrier Do not end Pestilence
1 Provide a cure to a disease Pestilence must endure

108 Paths of Enlightenment

 Baali & the Masquerade
Kindred society practices the so-called ‘Masquerade’ for any number of perfectly valid reasons; in many instances, this is
less about the observance of some deeply-held moral principle and more about simple semi-enlightened self-interest: every
Camarilla citizen knows that, should she violate the Masquerade, the Sherriff will murder her face off.
That is, of course, if her Sire, her Primogen, or the Scourge doesn’t do it first.
And every Sherriff, likewise, knows that if she violates the Masquerade, the Prince will casually have her killed. The Prince,
meanwhile, knows that an Archon will gladly stake her to greet the sun if she messes up, while every Archon wakes each
evening in terror that tonight will be the night her Justicar finally realizes how badly she bungled the cover-up of that one
Masquerade-breach a dozen-some decades back and decides to perform a quick – but extremely painful – summary execution.
And so it goes.
Everyone is guilty, everyone is suspicious, everyone is a snitch and everyone is an informant: each and every last citizen
of the Camarilla is a double-agent desperate to cover up their own crimes, all the way up the Ivory Tower from the sub-
basement sub-sewers to the penthouse loft & the softly-glowing helicopter pad.
It should be noted that even members of the Sabbat engage in their own version of the Masquerade, through it’s often more
about the very narrow “try not to reveal that you personally, yourself, are specifically a vampire” rather than the significantly
more general “don’t allow the kine to realize that actual nightmare monsters dwell amongst them”.
After all: fostering the suspicion that actual nightmare monsters dwell just beneath the notice of human society, feeding
on the disobedient & the unwary, is sort of the point of the Sabbat.
And the weaponized version of this suspicion is useful to the self-proclaimed lords of the night, be they Camarilla, Sabbat
or members of some independent sect.
For a member of the Baali, however, or for the active Infernalist, there’s yet another layer to one’s perfectly-sensible practice
of the Masquerade: not only do you have to keep the details of your existence hidden from mortal society, but you have
to keep it hidden from other undead.
This is not in the abstract, by the way.
This is a stone-cold fact: people will legit straight-up kill your ass if they so much as suspect that you are a demon-worshipping
blood-drinking immortal member of the undead.
After all: it’s possible, in theory, that Kindred society could actually survive a final, complete breach of the Masquerade.
One can imagine Camarilla Princes shaking hands with their own great-, great-grandchildren during a televised midnight
Rose Garden ceremony and all that; exclusive salons of Elder Toreador and their loving, gorgeous ghouls reinventing the
high-fashion art world overnight with a sly smirk, making “undeath” and “obedience to the masters” the sexiest thing
since short-shorts.
Sure, we would have to keep the Nosferatu hidden in a leaky basement somewhere, but – after all this time – they must
surely be used to it by now.
In a pinch, point being, we could give away a few secrets and a TINY-tiny portion of our global control in a desperate bid
to make our existence public without all dying in a grand purge. It’s been a long time since the Inquisition, after all. Times
have changed. People are hip these days.
Who says we couldn’t pretend to make peace with our livestock?
It would all go to shit when the Antediluvians wake up, of course, but no part of anything even approaching “civilization”

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 109

 Baali & the Masquerade Continued
can reasonably be expected to survive the reemergence of monsters that hungry, that powerful, and that old.
We could milk it for a few decades, at least.
All of this, to clarify, is very specifically not on the table for those of us who truck with actual demons from actual hell, and
for patently obvious reasons. Human society has a whole host of strong, visceral defense mechanisms built-in to deal with
those who literally serve the will of evil spirits, those not-people who become infected with dark magics at the mere cost of
putting babies on spikes … and getting the whole tribe together to stone a few witches to death and set their remains on
fire is at about “1” on the scale of how violently they’ll react to proof-of-deviltry.
And this one goes to eleven.
For the clearheaded Baali, there’s a fiendishly simple three-layer Masquerade in-play: keep your nature hidden from mortals,
keep your hobbies hidden from your fellow undead, and – most importantly – keep yourself off the radar of any demon
you don’t control (or serve) directly.
You’ll need to be ready to vanish into the shadows at a moment’s notice, when the world changes for the worse; we’ve been
practicing that for centuries. Then there’s the nasty problem of attempting to very quietly survive Gehenna. And everything
that comes after it, including the probable death of God at the thirsty fangs of Caine. And then we enter the true World
to Come, in the flesh: a reality of nightmare ruled-over directly by the reawakened Children of the Outer Dark, serving
their cruel whims in whatever sort of way keeps us from their hungry maws.
This is no easy series of tasks we have set for ourselves.
And all of them are made immeasurably more difficult when one is bound to a stake, soaked in gasoline, about to be
burned as a witch-monster by a superstitious mob of unwashed, pig-ignorant cousin-fucking dirt farmers.
Any temptation to flaunt your dark power has to be weighed against the odds of tipping off at least one of the populations
currently, actively hunting for your ass.
When all is said and done, the Baali are – somewhat surprisingly – arguably the single most-conservative Sect of the modern
nights as regards the Masquerade: one cannot convince the Camarilla & Sabbat alike that you’ve gone extinct if you make
a habit of detonating cars with gouts of ebony-flavored hellfire in downtown LA every weekend, after all. It’s simple risk
versus reward, baby.
Interestingly, the Road of Pestilence actually considers the Masquerade a form of virus: a memetic infection spreading from
carrier to host, breeding and multiplying, passed from generation to generation, carefully cultivated by those immune to
the plague. It even hides the deeper infection: the plague of Cainites feeding on the rich & healthy blood of the living,
lurking in shadows and places of still water, breeding like flies.
For a righteous follower of Via Contagionis, violation of the Masquerade is worse than a mere slip-up: it risks letting-in
sunlight, the ultimate disinfectant, destroying centuries of effort on the part of those who seek to please Namtaru. To breach
the Masquerade – or, through inaction, allow the Masquerade to be breached – is, for these reasons, always a violation of
the Path of Pestilence.

110 Paths of Enlightenment

Via Famis – The Road an abattoir lovingly licked-clean, a butcher’s yard
drunk-down to the final drop, a charnel-house
of Famine stripped bare of all heat, life and matter by their
endless appetite. They were asleep, sated, and
dreaming of genocide when Yahweh paved this
You are hunger. pale, fragile reality of rainbow, candy, and spun
You are desire. glass over their supine forms. And they remain full,
still: groggy, gorged, fast asleep. For now. Remind
You are the need for satiation, the desire to be filled. them of this. Make them happy in their slumber.
Starvation is your weapon. Do not tempt them to wake. Let them giggle at the
funny tears and wails of the little starving people;
When the hunger rises, the true elite rise to the top.
let them roll over, their aching bellies still full to
When food is scarce, only the worthy will eat. When empty
bursting, and fall back to sleep.
stomachs roar, men lose their veneer of civilization; every
city is perhaps three, maybe five meals from stringing the Negative View: Hipster jerks. Look how skinny I
wet, hand-cut internal organs of the ruling class in festive am, look how much control I have, look how pure
streamers throughout the town. I am.
Indulge in the frenzy of feeding that comes only when Virtues: Conviction/Self-Control
there are none who can stop you.
Greatest Sin: Ending famine in an area.
The Road of Famine prizes control in the face of
deprivation. It is only by constantly tempting the
Beast that we can learn to control it. Blood keeps
us alive, but to rely on that blood is to let the Beast
win. Spread the hunger to the mortal world. Make
them weak, make them desperate, make them need
to be saved. Make them willing to do anything for
a morsel of food. Do this, and see the control that
hunger truly has.
Ancient Beliefs: The Sleeping Children are full,
glutted on the final remains of the last universe:

Via Famis Hierarchy of Sins

Score Minimum Wrongdoing Rationale
10 Feed to satiation Embrace Hunger
9 Feed for pleasure Do not grow addicted to feeding
8 Avoid opportunity to destroy food Show mortals their weakness
7 Provide blood for another kindred Each must fight the Hunger alone
6 Overfeed a ghoul Gluttony is the opposite of Hunger
5 Kill while feeding Make them suffer their weakness
4 Commit Diablerie Destroyed souls feel no Hunger
3 Stockpile blood Hunger must be real
2 Feed the hungry Hunger must be felt
1 End famine in an area Hunger must endure

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 111

Via Mortem – The hellscape dreams?
We cannot begin to guess what it is that the
Road of Death Sleeping Children do and do not grasp about our
reality, let alone what it is that might amuse them;
All that ever was must end. we lack a common mathematical framework with
these Anti-Gods, even the bedrock of a shared
Life is a cycle, and we are its completion. assumption that – where they come from – one
It is only through death that life has meaning. It is plus one usually and for the most part equals two.
only through death that time has value. Death feeds into We are adrift, with no way of knowing what it is
life, just as life marches inevitably towards death. There that will keep them giggling: terrified clowns on
is no need to fear the end, and no point either: death will a darkened stage, making pantomime & pratfall
come, whether you are ready or not. for an audience of masked, hungry demons who
whisper in a foreign tongue, grumble at odd
The Road of Death focuses on the cycle of the intervals, and – worst of all – laugh at nothing.
world. All that is born must die. In that death, the
corpse provides life for the newborn, who then can Except, of course, for death.
also die. Growth comes from death, and it is only Death, and death alone, serves as the fundament
by bringing death that we can bring change, that – the core, the mainspring, the heart & crux – of
we can survive. our shared language with the Sleeping Children;
Ancient Beliefs: What can we state, with it is the first syllable of our Rosetta Stone, the first
absolute certainty, that the Sleeping Children truly element of our periodic table, the zero & one of
understand of our reality? They are alien to us, our coding language. The leviathans of the Before
products of another universe; their minds are vast, Time comprehend what death is.
without question, and ancient beyond our meager They have understanding of murder; knowledge
cognizance … but huge swaths of the Creation we of bloodshed; awareness of vivisection; an
inhabit must be utterly incomprehensible to such epicurean appreciation of infanticide, uxoricide,
titans. Do the Sleeping Children even comprehend and regicide.
what it is they are seeing when their great, dreaming
psyches drift invisibly over scenes of petty domestic They speak devastation-of-the-flesh, the language.
squabble & angst-ridden pubescent suffering?
Because of this understanding, ours & ours
Over ashen fields of diseased crops and metallic-
alone, we can whisper to them. We can pray to
tinged lakes of poisoned fish? Over glowing-glass
them. We can calm them, beg indulgence of them,
canyons filled with ritual orgies, sprawling soulless
spend their strength in place of our own, through
suburbs teeming with drugged-numb automatons,
our acts of most-depraved lethality.
circles of desperate, red-eyed addicts huddled in
the shadows beneath a disused overpass to keep If this is what it takes to keep the elder entities
out of the cold wind and icy rain? dreaming, so be it: let us play them a merry tune
of massacres & murders, a jaunty symphony of
Do they know “step-siblings”? “Husbands &
slaughter and assassination, a sickly-sweet lullaby
wives”? “Bosses” or “landlords”? “Child” or
of genocide & torture.
“soldier,” “policeman” or “priest”?
Everything dies, after all.
Do they even notice? If they notice, do they
care? If they care, are they sated? Lulled back to a It is a miracle, for which we give thanks, that so
warm and pleasant slumber by the funny games we many otherwise-meaningless lives can – in their
play, a smirk on their lips as they drift back off to final moments – actually serve a purpose, simply by

112 Paths of Enlightenment

ending in an entertaining manner.
Negative view: Ooh, look at me, I’m a scary goth
vampire. I worship death, dark things, and bad
poetry.
Virtues: Conscience/Self-Control
Greatest Sin: Taking actions to stop a death from
happening.

Via Mortem Hierarchy of Sins

Score Minimum Wrongdoing Rationale
10 Leave a mortal witness Death comes to all
9 Refuse to kill while feeding Death feeds us
8 Create a ghoul Do not delay death
7 Embrace a Childe Do not deny a chance at death
6 Refuse to take a life Do not refuse the call of death
5 Fail to bear witness to a death Death is holy, a thing to be savored
4 Commit Diablerie The soul must continue the cycle
3 Stop yourself from killing Do resist the call of murder
2 Execute a dying mortal Do not rush or hurry death
1 Take actions to save a life Death is the end, do not slow it

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 113

Via Apocalypsis – The mind-rending lore others consider forbidden:
demons, the dead, mad wolves, spiders cloaked in
Road of Revelation human skin, twisted spirits and stranger things still
shall be your allies.

You intend to live through the ending of this world, In secrets lie strength.
and to greet the masters of the world-to-come as a loyal
Negative View: Half obsessive relic-hunter
seneschal, vassal and advisor. Let the weak cowards
antiquarian, half boogaloo-happy maniacal
hide behind the golden-shining skirt of their sparkling
doomsday survivalist, all twitchy nerd.
“Creator,” weeping in terror at the fundamental cosmic
insignificance of humanity, mortal & immortal alike; Virtues: Conviction/Self-Control
their glittering Heaven is but fleeting, an illusion of hope
to be snatched-away in an instant by the gaping maw of Greatest Sin: Revealing a previously-unknown
the Outer Dark. truth to a heathen.

Service to the Sleeping Children, however, a place of Those who follow Via Apocalypsis hold “secrets”
honor by their side when they wake … that is eternal. as their most valuable possession and, as such, will
never willingly divulge information to someone
The Road of Revelation teaches that the end – the who does not already know the truth: the follower
coming of the Sleeping Children to wakefulness may lie, omit vital facts or change the topic, but she
and the subsequent annihilation of our current cannot tell anyone a fact that isn’t already known
reality – is inevitable. It cannot be fought, opposed, to the listener: she may not tell anyone that she is a
reasoned-with or avoided. vampire, or that vampires even exist, without being
in direct violation of her Path.
That is not to say, however, that it cannot be
survived. If the follower shows up to Elysium and the
Harpy – who already knows that vampires exist –
In fact, those who follow the teaching of Via
guesses that she is a fellow vampire, the righteous
Apocalypsis are poised to become something much
follower of Via Apocalypsis may, of course, politely
more powerful in the world-to-come.
confirm that she is, indeed, a vampire.
Through the cultivation of dark knowledge and
She can’t tell the Harpy her real name or Clan,
self-discipline, through the acquisition of lost
though. Not that she would particularly want to,
occult treasures and powerful arcane defenses,
mind.
those who walk Via Apocalypsis are ready to ride-
out a storm that makes the world-shaking rise of All of this maddening secrecy and
the Antediluvians pale in comparison. counterespionage goes out the window the
moment the follower is communicating with
Ancient Beliefs: In the fullness of time, with
another known follower of Via Apocalypsis or one
the grinding of Ages, the Children of the Outer
of its four “servant Paths”: if both Kindred follow
Dark shall rise again. They are the spawn of Night,
the Road of Revelation, they may speak – and
crafted by unclean & inhuman hands before the
compare notes – openly; furthermore, they may do
usurper-god moved over the face of the waters; they
so in front of a creature walking Via Contagionis
are the Firstborn of the Abyss, and we live upon
or Via Conflictus.
but the skein of a bubble floating across the black
ocean of their thoughts. They might still lie to each other & withhold
information, of course, but it’s not for moral or
When they rise again, we must be prepared. We
ethical reasons. It’s simple pragmatism.
must learn as much as we can, diving deep into

114 Paths of Enlightenment

 Via Apocalypsis Hierarchy of Sins
Score Minimum Wrongdoing Rationale
10 Use a modern convenience Do not grow comfortable here
9 Make binding oaths to another This world is a fleeting, an illusion
8 Fail to destroy heathen lore-keepers Secrets are ours alone
7 Fail to acquire hidden lore Hold secrets in your grasp
6 Fail to pursue hidden lore Unearth all lost secrets
5 Fail to keep a personal record Our libraries are our bones
4 Refuse to learn a new skill Sharpen yourself for the End-Times
3 Refuse to learn a new secret Discover all you can
2 Allow a secret to be lost forever Knowledge is dearer than blood
1 Reveal a previously-unknown truth Truth is the most precious treasure

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 115

 Merits & Flaws
His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who
was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it..
-Revelation 12:4 ESV

Baali, by the strange nature of their intermingled Becoming the Demon-in-Spirit (7 pt.
vampiric & demonic blood, are more likely than Supernatural Merit)
any other Bloodline to exhibit odd … quirks, if you
will. Although you can be seen by mortal eyes, and you
may interact with the material realm, you exist
Becoming the Demon-in-Flesh (7 pt. largely within the Outer Dark, at the side of your
Supernatural Merit) master: much more phantom than flesh.
Your “base form” is your Wicked Corpse form. You You are visible (unless employing Obfuscate) but not
awake each evening already in your Wicked Corpse quite tangible: a cold psychic projection of ghostly
form, and you do not need to spend blood, time, malevolence from distant and unclean realms. You
or Willpower to enter your Wicked Corpse form; appear spectral, hazy and colorless, and your voice
you automatically gain the benefits of Longevity of sounds far away.
Horror.
You cannot normally make physical attacks, and are
In addition to the use of Obfuscate to hide your only able to interact directly with the physical world
hideous demonic nature, you can spend blood after succeeding at a Willpower roll, difficulty
to return – briefly – to your previous vampiric 6, made as a free action; you must succeed at a
form, allowing you to fully conceal the signs of Willpower roll, difficulty 8, to perform any sort of
the demonic metamorphosis churning within you. fine manipulation: loading a firearm or turning
When you choose to spend blood in this manner, the page of a book, for example. Once you have
each blood point spent hides all of your Horrors for succeeded at this Willpower roll, you automatically
one hour per level of Jigoku you possess; you may maintain your semi-solidity for a number of turns
cancel this effect and return to your full Wicked equal to your current temporary Willpower.
Corpse form at any time as a reflexive action.

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 117

You must remain at least partially solid in order of just such a creature: the first of a new splinter
to feed, and may only experience the sensations of bloodline, perhaps. Although you are Baali, you
touch, smell, and taste while so incorporated. may freely replace either Obfuscate or Presence
with any other Clan Discipline, as appropriate to
You are immune to mundane kinetic damage your mingled ancestry: a former Malkavian might
(including firearms, falling damage, and most melee replace Presence with Auspex or Dominate, for
weapons); you are not immune to fire, sunlight, example, while the childe of an ex-Lasombra might
electricity or magic, including most sources of replace Obfuscate with Obtenebration.
aggravated damage including the fangs and claws
of your fellow damned or Kindred-warded blades. In bygone nights, such “apostates” – newborn
Demons originally called into eternal undeath
You cannot fly or phase through walls, but are through non-Baali vitae – were shunned by all
otherwise limited by the general constraints of but the most pragmatic generals & high priests
the living only in the loosest terms: you can step of Oblivion’s chosen: members of this permanent
through an unlocked doorway without actually underclass were prohibited from taking any
bothering to open the door, if you desire, and position of real leadership within the Bloodline,
you may always choose to float slightly above the looked upon as sullied or contaminated, treated
ground rather than tread directly upon it. with only what grudging respect they could gather-
Clandestine Bond-Breaker (3 pt. Social up in mud-caked, gore-streaked hands. In modern
Merit) nights, as the world spins faster and faster out
of control, as the burning & shadow-haunted
Unbeknownst to anyone but you – and to, perhaps, territories of the thirsty damned shift & fracture
a very few close & well-trusted associates – you are more quickly than the glacial politics of any formal
no longer bound by the crimson chains of vitae- organization of the undead can begin to follow,
induced “love” that are supposed to command your apostates are instead celebrated: a reborn former
unswerving loyalty. Perhaps you’ve made a deal with Toreador Antitribu who desires to command her
a demon. Perhaps you’ve been re-embraced into own Choir of Baali is treated, for the most part,
the Baali. Perhaps something even more terrible & with the respect and deference her power has
esoteric has occurred to free you of your shackles. earned by all but the most conservative – and easily
No matter. Your former master still imagines you ignored – of elders.
to be totally in his thrall, presenting you with any
number of unique advantages and opportunities. Kindred Infiltrator (3 pt. Social Merit)
Defector to the Cause of the Damned (3 pt. You have successfully convinced local members
Supernatural Merit) of a single specific Clan or Bloodline – and thus
the Sect associated with that Clan or Bloodline, if
Since the ancient nights of Shaitan’s obsidian rule, any – that you are a bearer of their ancestral legacy
through centuries of crimson-slick warfare – lit and are therefore a member in good standing of
only by moonglow, hellfire and torchlight – waged their society. You are fully capable of gaining Clan
for the soul of Enoch’s Heirs, the Baali have built Prestige and may even – depending on your Status
their chattering ranks from those dispossessed – act as a leader within the Clan. You know how to
Cainites adopted into the Bloodline as often as instinctively mimic the Weakness of your adoptive
they have swelled their unholy numbers through Clan, if such a thing is possible: if disguised as
the embrace of mortals. a Ventrue, you recall your prey exclusion with
ease; if disguised as a Malkavian, you fake your
You were originally the childe of another Clan or
Derangement without conscious effort; if disguised
Bloodline, re-embraced and converted into the
as a Tzimisce, you would never be caught without
Baali, or you are the childe (or even grand-childe)
the soil of your homeland kept safely in your

118 Merits & Flaws

lair. It is possible that you are, in fact, a former you have reason to believe that your “mentor” will
member of the Clan in question; combined with be quite unforgiving of failure … but so far, no
the Retention of Blood’s Frailty Flaw (below), you price has been set and no commands have yet been
may even infiltrate clans such as the Lasombra or given.
Gargoyles.
Warrior of Hell (2 pt. Supernatural Merit)
Talisman of the Abyss (5 pt. Supernatural
Merit) Your battle-prowess is something of dark, carnage-
splattered legend. You are a true warrior of the
You own a literal piece of damnation: an Sleeping Children, their chosen champion,
otherworldly object drawn physically from the and must fight – near constantly – to keep their
Outer Dark. This may be a jar of scarlet-glass sand adoring attention. Their “blessing” of your violent
from the blazing deserts beneath the Jangling- deeds manifests as an extra die on all attack rolls
Chain City, a tiny onyx cross of the Far Nether of any one type (Melee, Brawl, Firearms, Archery,
depicting a crucified dog, the still-weeping eye of etc.), selected when this Merit is gained. To
a goat plucked from the eastern flesh-wall of the maintain this blessing, you must never destroy a
Second Circle, a pocket watch borrowed from a “worthy foe” (see below): attempts to force you to
river-captain upon the Phlegethon, an eerily-too- execute a worthy foe – through Dominate, mental-
human puppet crafted from the skin & bone of a manipulation magic, or other means – are at a +2
forsaken soul, or some other more bizarre artifact difficulty, as per the Merit Code of Honor.
still. The exact abilities of such an item are up to
the Storyteller to decide; in general, an item of this Destroying a worthy foe requires you to make a
type violates the laws of physics in some intensely Path check, regardless of your Path (this should not
grotesque way. be taken by those on the Path of Death and the
Soul); see below.
If this blasphemous object is ever lost, damaged
or destroyed, it returns to you – restored to full You cannot have this Merit as well as the Flaw
functionality – the next time you wake from Abel’s Ward.
slumber. Abel’s Ward (2 pt. Supernatural Flaw)
For examples of possible talismans, see Relics of You represent – in some cosmic way, his Arcana
the Unholy, below. This special Merit may be tattooed upon your soul with your passage into
selected multiple times; each time it is selected, undeath – Abel, the first murder-victim: the
you gain access to one additional talisman. destined sacrifice to darkness, the wide-eyed &
Tutor of the Outer Dark (5 pt. Supernatural terrified lamb who can fight but cannot kill. Much
Merit) like a Warrior of Hell (above), you cannot bring
yourself to destroy a worthy foe.
Something on the other side of the frayed veil
between rotting realities has taken a liking to you. Doing so for any reason requires you to make a
Or, if not a “liking,” then … perhaps a certain degree Path check, regardless of your Path (this should not
of what could be interpreted as favor, assuming be taken by those on Death and the Soul). Unlike
that ascribing such human-like personality traits to the Warriors of Hell, though, you gain no benefit
your mentor is even possible? In short, you find from this strict code. You cannot have both this
yourself the beneficiary of training and wisdom Flaw and the Warrior of Hell Merit.
far outstripping what most mortal diabolists could
ever dream of paying for, with access to secrets
few souls – no matter how black – will even learn.
None of this knowledge comes free, of course, and

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 119

 The Worthy and the Unworthy
To clarify, a Warrior of Hell (or bearer of Abel’s curse) may destroy – and humiliate, and degrade, as she sees fit – all
unworthy foes. Such creatures are beneath contempt.
She is bound only to never destroy a worthy foe: she must always allow such a creature to escape or retreat, releasing her
admirable enemy to be challenged again and again for the eternal amusement of the Sleeping Children.
One of Hell’s Warriors cannot decide, for herself, who is – and who is not – a worthy foe. This is a distinction made by
the actions of others: a foe can prove herself worthy, or unworthy, but it is not for the Warrior of Hell to determine this
consciously.
Likewise, a bearer of Abel’s brand is often unpleasantly surprised to learn that her foe is “worthy” the first time the creature
backhands her across a room.
In game-terms, a Storyteller may declare that a foe is worthy, providing that information freely; at such point, killing that
foe (or allowing them to be killed) is strictly off-limits. The foe may be harmed, opposed, disarmed, humbled, or even
tortured, but that foe cannot be slain, directly or indirectly.
There is never a roll to determine if a foe is worthy or not, nor does it require an action to determine if a foe is worthy,
much in the same way that characters don’t have to roll to determine whether an object held in-hand is made of iron or spit.
Iron is iron. Spit is spit. Worthy is worthy. Even a fool can tell the difference.
In many cases, a student walking the Road of War will take great pains to protect a worthy foe from other threats: curing her
foe of diseases or curses that weaken her, for example, slaying other rivals to her worthy foe’s attention, or even providing
clever opportunities for her foe to acquire new weapons & gifts, all so that the foe might grow stronger and more dangerous.
Above all, conflict between the Warrior of Hell and her worthy foe must escalate.
At any time, a Storyteller may declare that a foe has proven herself worthy – or unworthy, as the case may be – and thus
throw a Warrior of Hell’s plans into chaos.

Abject Demonic Fury (4 pt. Supernatural Abyssal-Bound Vitae (2 pt. Supernatural

Flaw)
Your beast – caught in an eternal, screaming
maelstrom of rage and thirst – is stirred to the
surface whenever you call upon its most furious
physical gifts. Whenever you activate Celerity or
enter your Wicked Corpse form, you must succeed
at a Self-Control or Instincts roll (difficulty 6)
or immediately fly into frenzy. You must have at
least one dot each in both the Celerity and Jigoku
Disciplines to select this Flaw; for that reason, this
Flaw is possessed almost exclusively by members of
the Akahaete Bloodline.
Flaw)
Many of those you attempt to Embrace meet only a
shrieking Final Death in the process: approximately
50% of all those you seek to bring across the cold
threshold of murder into immortality simply die,
dragged under by the pull of Oblivion.
This special Flaw passes down through the blood:
your sire had it, you have it, and your childer will
have it … if they survive.
You most likely maintain any number of complex
superstitions and taboos associated with the
Embrace: never seek to Embrace a virgin, never

120 Merits & Flaws

Embrace beneath the light of the moon, begin the
Embrace only while in the presence of your sire
or of an idol representing him, among countless
others. Yet no known method can fully guarantee
that a mortal will survive her transition from mortal
to childer. For this reason, your bloodline has
always remained small: you are loath to squander
the talents of a promising mortal occultist on a
seemingly arbitrary coin-flip, often preferring to
simply elevate the creature to ghouldom.
This Flaw is especially common, for complex
reasons, among the Yomonlik: even at the height
of their numbers, during the Age of Devil-Kings,
their population was a fraction of a fraction of the
total worldwide Baali numbers.
This Flaw may not be selected in conjunction with
the Infertile Vitae Flaw (V20, pg. 484): a character
may possess one or the other, but not both.
Agony in Rosewood (1 pt. Supernatural Flaw)
Most likely a “gift” passed down from your sire or
grandsire, the strange result of intermingling the
cold vitae of your bloodline with the spirit-ichor
of a Kumo Goblin Spider, you possess an extreme
vulnerability to hong mu: a rare, fragrant variety of
red rosewood native to Cambodia, Laos, Thailand,
and Vietnam. The touch of this sacred hardwood is
as painful – and deadly – to you as the flesh-searing
rays of the sun; you suffer aggravated wounds from
any weapon (such as a spear, bokken, nunchaku,
quarterstaff, stake, etc.) crafted of this material,
and the mere touch of the substance causes your
skin to blister, boil and weep blood: to be sealed
in a coffin crafted of hong mu would be a fate ten-
thousand times worse than mere death.
Bite of Squirming Carrion (3pt. Supernatural
Flaw)
Creatures of rot and decay have taken up residence
in your undying body. Some of them may try to
feed upon you – requiring you to take the Infested
Flaw, see below – but most of these carrion-feeders
remain in their earliest, most dormant state: eggs
and pupae slowly drifting the dark, cold rivers
of your stagnant blood. Normally, this Flaw only

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 121

manifests after you have already fed: the day after doesn’t prevent you from wincing or manifesting
you have fed on a mortal, the location of your bite another monstrous reaction upon exposure to
begins to redden and swell. Eventually – within the the sacred: beginning to smolder, vibrating out-of-
next 24-48 hours – the mortal will begin to itch, sync with reality, or suffering unholy stigmata, for
and will scratch the wound harder and harder, example.
obsessively trying to get rid of the tickling, burning
sensation. And eventually, the creatures inside will
break the skin … at which point the infestation
born of your bite begins to pour and crawl its way
out of the victim’s body: maggots, worms, and
full-grown insects – misshapen wasps, locusts and
flies – burst-forth from the spot of the wound.
This is not physically painful to the mortal, but
the psychological effects may never be recoverable.
In most instances, mortals you embrace will also
bear this Flaw; ghouls you create will often bear the
Infested flaw.
Burn at the Whisper of God’s Name (1 pt.
Supernatural Flaw)
You are visibly pained, enough that people near
you will notice, whenever you hear any sacred
name – such as God, Mother Mary, or the name
of a Saint – spoken in a non-blasphemous or
non-sacrilegious way: you’re fine if someone says
“Christ” after whacking their own thumb with a
hammer or mutters “Jesus H. Tits” while ogling an
attractive, well-built passerby.
You are not so fine when everyone joins hands in
prayer before a family meal.
If you’re dumb enough to actually speak the name
yourself, the effect is tripled.
The pain you suffer is real, inflicting all the effects
of one Health Level of bashing damage – no soak
– until your next action; this can’t kill you, but it
can most certainly drive you into torpor if you’re
already injured enough. Multiple utterances of a
holy name don’t stack: if a dozen people intone
the name of the Lord at you, each several times, all
at once, it sure as fuck stings like a whole cascade
of cigarette burns … but it doesn’t instantly knock
you into torpor from full health, which is nice.
You may spend a point of Willpower to ignore this
phantom wound penalty, as normal, although this

122 Merits & Flaws

 The Azhi Dahaka Experiments
Several among the Baali whisper a certain terrifying legend: that somewhere in the dark forests of Eastern Europe, deep
beneath the rotting castle stronghold of some ancient Voivode, in echoing catacombs coiled around the black roots of the
mountain, watched-over by ageless monsters forged of human flesh & re-sculpted by alien hands, a pathetic wretch of the
Bloodline is bound in an unending torture.
This sad soul, it is said, flinched many centuries ago when the Elder Fiend who now binds him spoke the name ‘Azhi
Dahaka’: the Metamorphosist’s Holy Grail.
The same creature bled from the eyes when forced to repeat that name.
It is said that the scientifically-minded Tzimisce Elder, intrigued, saw then a most unique opportunity to determine the
true name of God Himself. In the candle-lit dark, this Baali is forced to utter every possible permutation of the 53 distinct
characters identified with Old Avestan, spoken since the 2nd millennium BCE: the proto-Iranian tongue used as the
original language of Zoroastrian scripture.
Heretical research into the shape of Creation suggests that the True Name of God will contain precisely 36 characters; thus,
the captive Demon need only utter a total number of names equal to 36^53 to brute-force the combination.
Put another way, this is a total of precisely 30,481,233,698,019,308,194,847,181,104,526,345,674,980,976,955,826,182,48
6,713,565,66 0,000,000,000,000,000,000 potential names.
Most people speak at an average speed of four to five syllables per second. Uttering a potential name of God can be
completed, therefore, in 7 to 8 seconds by an experienced speaker. There are 31,536,000 seconds in a year.
The project is on-schedule, so many centuries later, but still far from completed.
The mad god-seeking Voivode, it is said, has all the time in the world.

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 123

Curse of Saulot (3pt. Supernatural Flaw)
A surprising number of Apostates and even main-
Bloodline Baali discover what appears to be a
remnant of Saulot’s legacy slithering through their
ashen-cold veins, lending credence to the whispered
theory that it was his vitae which brought-forth the
surviving First People into eternal undeath.
For what purpose? None can say, although rumors
& speculation abound.
Choose one of the following additional Weaknesses:
• if you attempt to feed on an
unwilling vessel, you lose one point
of Willpower
• unless you feed on blood from a
fallen foe or fight your target before
feeding, blood you drink offers no
nourishment
• select an area of arcane study: a
specific Bloodline or Clan, the
culture of a specific mortal group,
a specific demon, a specific group
of mystical tomes lost to the ages, a
specific type of historical ally to the
Baali (fomori, Black Spiral Dancers,
Nephandi, Howl of the Devil
Tiger Kuei Jin, Apepnu, ect.), or a
traditional enemy of the Bloodline,
as approved by your Storyteller.
Whenever the opportunity arises to learn something
about this subject, you must make a Willpower roll
(difficulty 6) to avoid pursuing that lead to the
exclusion of all other concerns
Folkloric Devil-Magic (2 pt. Supernatural
Flaw)
The twists of your damnation & the fell sorceries of
your Disciplines function – for complex reasons –
according to the fractured, symbol-laden half-logic
of children and their fairytales … particularly the
patterns inherent to scary stories about witches,
boogeymen & curses. The olden folkways have
real power; that power flows according to customs,
124 Merits & Flaws
traditions, and laws far, far older than our faltering
comprehension of mere “physics” or “biology”.
If the target of a supernatural effect you create
realizes that she is about to be so targeted OR
realizes that she is actively being affected by an
ongoing magical effect, she may attempt to ward
herself from your evil as a free reaction: holding her
breath, closing her eyes, biting her tongue, plugging
her ears with her pinkies, crossing her fingers
behind her back, whispering a prayer or sacred
poem, clenching her toes, clicking her lips three
times, making the sign of the cross or performing
another internally-consistent ritual-action of
protection. The target then makes a Wits + Occult
roll (difficulty equal to your Willpower); if this roll
is successful, the darkening sorcery is turned back
upon you, the curse-weaver: the victim is instantly
released from her affliction and you suffer all effects
of the supernatural effect you evoked.
This warding-action can only be performed if
the victim knows that she is being afflicted with
evil magic and performs the ritual of protection
purposefully.
For obvious reasons, “normal” people are
significantly less likely to try this tactic than
are occultists, folklorists, children, and
absolute raving lunatics. That said, if word
gets out that your Dread Gaze or even Lure
of Flames can be ricocheted back into you
as easily as saying the Lord’s Prayer under
one’s breath, you’re fucked.
In addition, the victim of any ongoing supernatural
effect you create is instantly freed from all such
effects while standing on holy ground, such as
within a sanctuary or churchyard.
If a supernatural effect you employ cannot be truly
reversed nor turned back upon you, the effect is
simply obviated: for example, any Potence you
possess fails when you attempt to use your Strength
against a creature successfully warded against you;
Feral Claws likewise fail, glancing harmlessly off
the warded creature like soft rubber, causing your
claw-strike to deal only normal (bashing) unarmed
strike damage.
 Saulot, Scholar of the Sleeping Children
In this interpretation of Saulot’s legacy, the mysterious Antediluvian – gifted as he was (is!) with unparalleled foresight,
obsessed with unraveling secrets – was well aware of the existence of the Sleeping Children when he created the Baali.
Nothing he does is by accident, after all.
The Sleeping Children are real, and their reawakening is the defining moment of the Seventh Age; since Saulot intends to
ride the Wheel of Eternity all the way back to perfect Paradise in the First & Final Age before he stops the clock for good,
ascending to godhood as he does so, well … having a plan in-place to survive the gore-flooded nightmare-time immediately
following Gehenna is of utmost importance.
The entire bloodline of Demons, then, along with all their splinter-lines, represents nothing more than yet another failsafe,
one more contingency in his 13,000-year-long scheme to survive every conceivable end-time scenario simultaneously: the
mainline Salubri were his shot at Golcanda & redemption, abandoned when that path terminated at something less than
godhood; the Tremere are his ace-up-the-sleeve super-weapon, just in case he can spell-cast his way out of this one; the
Warrior Salubri were intended to be his holdout-pistol special-ops unit, prepped & ready in case the Sleeping Children
could be murdered through the ancient art of cutting their heads off.
Unfortunately, his favorite toy-soldier Samiel proved less than fully battle-ready against Namtaru.
No matter. Perhaps the Salubri Antitribu, after a few more rounds of diablerie and training-from-hell, will be in a position
to kill-shot one of the bastards. Their next field-test is Caine, after all: they’ll be in position to strike the moment “his”
mighty sword dispatches the remainder of the Antediluvians.
Only one way to find out if they’re up to the challenge.
There are, in theory, a couple of ways to survive the return of the Sleeping Children; the question remains as to whether
avoiding them, confronting them, sabotaging them from shadow or acting as their “loyal” servant will prove most efficacious.
More information is needed. Thus, the Baali.
Saulot, in creating an entire Bloodline of Infernalists focused exclusively on researching the Children of the Outer Dark
and then abandoning them to run in the background while he deals with other crap, is doing what he always does: playing
both sides so that he always come out on top, playing eight-dimensional hyperchess 32 moves ahead.

Heretic to the Faith of the Fallen (5 pt. Social

Flaw)
You’re a pariah among Demons, openly rejecting
the dogma of that malevolent church which birthed
you into damnation. Whatever the cause of your
excommunication, in addition to being hunted by
every enemy of the Baali – which is pretty much
everyone – you are also a kill-on-sight target for
every loyalist member of every Hive & Choir.
Or, at least, you have to hope they kill you on sight.
All of the other possibilities are nearly too horrible
to contemplate.

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 125

Infested (4 or 7pt. Physical Flaw)
Foul creatures live on or inside you; possibilities
include worms, maggots, lice, ticks, mosquitos or
something stranger, such as bloodsucking fungus.
Alternately, a cloud of buzzing flies or other insects
perpetually follows you; truly wretched souls may
even suffer both versions of this Flaw for seven
points, with flying insects crawling in and out of
their orifices at inopportune moments. If you play
host to hemovores, roll one die when you awaken
at dusk. Divide the result by 3, rounding up, and
subtract that many blood points from your pool.
This blood loss cannot drive you into torpor; the
worst that can happen is that you awaken in Hunger
Frenzy. In addition, the constant itching makes
you irritable, adding +1 to the difficulty of all Self-
Control rolls. If you trail clouds of flies, the insects
subtract one die from most Social rolls. Additionally,
their constant buzzing chorus announces your
presence, adding +2 to the difficulty of all Stealth
attempts; this effect is otherwise identical to Lord
of the Flies (V20, pg. 495) and cannot be taken in-
conjunction with that Flaw.
Known Infernalist (3 pt. Flaw)
You’ve got a bad reputation. Especially amongst
your fellow damned.
And you’d be shocked at how fast news can travel
that both the Josians and the Sabbat Inquisition
are actively looking for you. You know, because of
your many crimes or whatever.
So, then. Are you actually an Infernalist? And …
does it even matter?
The simple fact is that you’ve been labeled as
such, and that puts you outside the protection of
literally every non-Infernalist organization on the
planet. AKA: everyone. That said, Kindred society
is sprawling, clandestine, and – by definition –
secreted-away in the shadows: there are any number
of places where someone like you can hide, going
unnoticed for years or even decades. But your
nefarious reputation – and the death sentence
that comes with it – will always catch up with you
eventually. And that’s a guarantee.
126 Merits & Flaws
Retention of Blood’s Frailty (2 pt.
Supernatural Flaw)
You abandoned your former bloodline for the
gifts of the Baali with dark gratitude in your cold,
pitch-black heart, but something from your old
existence followed you: the Curse laid upon your
Clan Founder in ancient days, marking all of her
line for each night to come. Although most of your
kind are free from their old limitations, you carried
yours with you: you retain your Clan Weakness
from your former Clan in addition to gaining the
Weakness of the Baali.
In addition, this Flaw can represent the supernatural
transmission of a novel Clan Weakness, specifically
one drawn from the black veins of your new Sire.
For example, a Toreador Antitribu re-embraced
as Baali by an ex-Nosferatu might – although it is
vanishingly unlikely – lose the haunting fascination
with beauty inherited from Arikel, only to replace
it with the dread curse of deformation inflicted
upon Absimiliard and all his grotesque brood.
Ritual of Stolen Beauty (1 pt. Supernatural
Flaw)
This special flaw may only be gained by ex-
Nosferatu, ex-Samedi, ex-Gargoyle and similar
Baali who do not possess the Retention of Blood’s
Frailty Flaw (above) and who now possess an
Appearance Trait of 3 or higher.
Once per week, you must perform a special ritual
action, as determined by you and your Storyteller,
or your Appearance Trait is lowered by 1. This slow
drain stacks with itself, to a minimum Appearance
of zero. While your Appearance is zero, you are
indistinguishable from a member of your former
clan.
Potential ritual actions include:
• consuming a freshly-removed human heart
• causing a non-Baali to lose a point of
Humanity
• participating in the Embrace (or Re-
Embrace) of a new Baali
 • committing diablerie on a non-Baali black, a dog speaks the blasphemous Name of the
Beast and then dies, eggs in a supermarket hatch
• successfully framing an innocent for a live serpents, statues in a church weep blood, crops
crime you have committed wither and fail, rats and insects swarm from sewers,
• converting another Kindred to the Path of infants vomit-up cat hair, the dead toss restlessly
Pestilence in their graves, birds & fish arrange themselves
to spell-out occult symbols as they die, or some
• gaining the trust of a non-Baali other unmistakable sign of supernatural evil is
witnessed by at least three people. In the modern
• destroying a traditional blood-enemy of the
nights, such an unhealthy & ominous occurrence
Baali (Assamite, Follower of Set, or Salubri)
may not get much media attention, relegated to the
• causing a non-Baali Kindred to become “News of the Weird” section of the local paper …
blood-bound to you but those who know what to look for can tell sense
your arrival whispered on the night wind. Each
• killing a creature with Humanity 8 or week that you remain in a city, the strange omens
higher increase in frequency – centered on the area of
The moment you complete your ritual action, your your haven – allowing witch-hunters an easy trail
Appearance immediately increases back to 3 (or to your doorstep after a month or so.
higher, as appropriate to your Attributes); you may
choose to delay this improvement in Appearance
for up to one week before the benefit is lost.
Performing this action must be purposeful, and
it must be executed in the name of your own
blasphemous devotion: to your immortal self or
to another entity of supernatural wickedness. If
your required ritual action is to slay a creature
with Humanity 8 or higher, for example, you gain
no benefit from casually gunning-down a security
guard who happens to be a really good guy, nor do
you gain any insight into his now-extinguished
life as a devoted family-man as you step over his
rapidly-cooling, wide-eyed corpse. Instead, you
must specifically determine that your target is
demonstrably a victim worthy of your savage
ministrations before you strike, and you must treat
the moment of his annihilation with a sense of
reverence … even if it is only silently, to yourself,
with a cruel smile on your lips.
Signs of Blackest Witchcraft (2 pt.
Supernatural Flaw)
Your presence is heralded, on a grand scale, by ill
omens and eerie portents. On the night you first
arrive in a city, at least one unnatural event occurs:
a cow is born with two heads, milk sours and turns

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 127

Trespasser Upon Sacred Ground (4 pt. As soon as you flee the sanctified area, your
Supernatural Flaw) Appearance returns to normal and the perception-
warping gifts of undeath return to you in full.
The good Lord is out to get you. Not that you can
blame Him. In addition, while on holy ground you suffer lethal
damage instead of bashing whenever you would
While you are standing on (or directly above) normally suffer bashing damage, and you suffer
consecrated earth, sanctified dust, blessed tilework aggravated damage instead of lethal whenever you
or on “holy ground” of any other kind – such as would normally suffer lethal damage. In a situation
within the area of a hallowed spirit-grove venerated where you would normally suffer aggravated
by a righteous coven of high-Humanity druids, damage, you suffer an additional level of aggravated
witches, or shamans – your Appearance drops by damage.
3 (to a minimum of zero) as your monstrosity is
laid bare for all to see. Additionally, you lose all This affliction may also befall you when you are
the benefits of Blush of Health (V20 pg. 480) – if directly contacted-by or exposed to other physical
you possess that Merit – and cannot spend blood material that has been dedicated to the divine
to disguise your corpse-state (V20 pg. 269) while or made holy by prayer: if you are splashed with
invading this holy locus of deific guardianship; if holy water, submerged in a baptismal font, bathed
you have already spent blood to disguise yourself in in incense from a non-profane censer, caught in
this way, the effect is immediately dispelled. light filtered through the stained-glass window of a
church, touched by a communion wafer or cross, or
This physical revelation of your undead nature are within line-of-sight to the Torah, for example,
is near-complete: it pierces both Chimerstry and you suffer all the effects of this Flaw.
Obfuscate, canceling any use of these Disciplines
entirely, and the sacred auras of this place likewise
strip you of any similar magical effect that might
hide your vampiric nature: for example, any use of
Vicissitude – such as Fleshcraft – to make yourself
appear 100% human temporarily fails, as would a
mage-crafted ring built to hide your vileness.
Note that you do not automatically violate
the Masquerade when this effect occurs,
unless your Appearance drops to zero, and
that this cancellation of your abilities does
nothing to prevent you from evoking the
powers of Daimonion, Obtenebration or
Dark Thaumaturgy, for example.
This special Flaw may be selected for 7
points, rather than 4: if you do so, you
cannot use any Discipline – Auspex,
Potence, Fortitude, etc. – while on holy
ground, and you cannot spend blood
for any reason. Disciplines that provide
ongoing effects – such as Protean or Jigoku
– temporarily fail while you stand on
consecrated earth.

128 Merits & Flaws

Uneasy Convert (3 pt. Social Flaw)
In theory, you’re in favor of everything the Baali
profess to believe in: you’re willing to do evil for the
sake of all reality, to keep the god-slaying monsters
predating time itself from waking and turning all
known time & space into an infinite, flame-lit
vision of the most grotesque omnicide imaginable.
You even have few people in mind who could deeply
benefit from the application of some violent poetic
justice in the process of “being entertaining”; shit,
you seem to meet more of them every night.
But the gleeful obscenity so many of your fellow
“believers” get up to? It turns what’s left of your
stomach, in all honesty.
If anyone is ever going to rescue a potential sacrifice,
murder all the members of her Choir, burn her
filth-caked “church” to the ground and flee into
the night claiming to be a Caitiff or Pander, it’s
you. Things will go very poorly for you after that,
most likely.
Untouchable (2pt. Social Flaw)
You believe that you can get away with anything.
You’ve gotten away with being re-embraced as a
Baali or becoming an Infernalist after all, right? No
one noticed, no one stopped you. Why wouldn’t
you think you can get away with … other things?
Unfortunately, no one is actually untouchable.
Your comeuppance is in the mail, rest assured. In
the meantime, you’re a bit on the brazen side: you
must spend a point of Willpower to avoid acting
on your own worst & most blasphemous impulses,
or to refrain from dropping little hints as to your
wicked powers & perversions. All the evidence you
casually leave behind – mocking the authorities-
that-be with a cavalier attitude towards their “laws”
and “morals” – will, of course, eventually allow a
group of competent investigators to puzzle-out out
the dark secrets you keep. And then murder you.

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 129

 Demonic
Investments
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over
this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil who rule in high places.
-- Ephesians 6:12

Demons have great power … and many are willing
to impart some measure of such power onto those
willing to do the bidding of hell in the mortal realm.
In game terms, an infernalist offers her services to
a demon – up to and including the selling of her
immortal soul – in exchange for “investments” on
the part of evil spirits.
A patron demon is often eager to provide dark
gifts, knowing that she will gain a worldly (and
potentially even eternal) servant in return. These
are, after all, investments: the demon is giving
something in exchange for a greater return at a later
date.
Mortal Infernalists
In general, it is surprisingly difficult for mortals to
enter into the service of a demon.
This is for several reasons, but the general
consensus amongst occultists is that mortals are
somehow protected from on-high – for lack of a
better term – from the direct, malevolent influence
of demonic entities: a mortal can say the words “I
pledge my soul to Satan” or “Dear Devil, please kill
my boss and I’ll build you a big-ass temple” or “I swear
to god, I will kill one hundred people in the name
of Lucifer if you let the Buccs win the Superbowl” as
many times as she wants, and nothing will happen.
She can sign “binding contracts” to “sell her soul”
every other weekend and get not so much as a year
of free life thrown her way.
In a sense, the spiritual levers simply aren’t hooked
up to anything; the great AUX cable of hellfire &
perdition isn’t plugged into the stereo, so to speak.
Mortals just can’t access that part of themselves,
in the same way they can’t stop their own hearts
through sheer force of will or make their body lose
weight by hating it enough. A mortal has to go
digging – searching, questing – to find those secret,
unholy means of calling-up a dweller in the darker
parts of the spirit-realm & making a deal for her
soul; in many cases, the first part of the bargain with
this perverse force involves rejecting all protection
offered to her by angels, ancestral spirits and more-
mysterious entities of light.

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 131

 This usually involves denying the name of God humans worldwide (give or take), with clusters of
three times, in increasingly elaborate and forbidden high vampiric-population density in major to mid-
ways, accompanied by mutilation and sacrifice … sized European and American metropoli, with
but there are other options, all of them unpleasant, the most “international” cities playing host to the
usually specific to the demon being summoned. majority of all vampires.
For the Kindred, who are under no such esoteric In some places – Paris, New York, London,
spiritual protection, selling one’s soul can be as Chicago, Moscow, Los Angeles, Berlin, Houston,
simple as shaking hands with the wrong wide- Madrid, Kiev – we can assume that humans
smiling man in an expensive suit. outnumber vampires by only about 10,000 to one.
Try not to get caught alone after dark on the wrong
Sometimes, though, demons do go searching for side of town.
humans that are ripe to make a deal: attracted to all
the delicious atrocities the human animal is capable Considering a global population of 7.7 billion-
of committing, demons are occasionally willing to plus mortals, even if only one out of every one
overlook the relatively short lifetime afforded to a hundred Kindred are infernalists – a shockingly high
human and help their would-be pet “stumble upon” & improbable number – that still leaves less than
the right summoning-ritual. People in positions of one-thousand active undead infernalists worldwide
power, who have pushed their grasp on ambition in the modern nights.
to their earthly limit, using their status & privilege
to commit sin after sin … well, these creatures are Which seems about right.
sometimes visited by a demon – or by its proxy in Conversely, assume that only one in a million
the mortal realm – just as everything is beginning mortals has the will, dedication, ferocity, and sheer
to crumble. bloody-minded drive to actually call up a creature
And the demon will happily make all of their of pure spiritual darkness and bargain-away her soul
problems go away. for a few fleeting decades of worldly supernatural
power.
… if the mortal just signs on the dotted line.
That’s nearly ten-thousand infernalists today.
Usually, in such cases, a Baali deeply in-debt to Over three-hundred in the United States alone.
her patron demon is used as exactly such a proxy: Eighteen of them active just in New York City,
acting in the stead of her demonic master, the Baali another dozen in L.A., plus nine or more in the
is often empowered to make the deal and – in many Chicagoland metropolitan area.
cases – even make good on the bargain. Whether
the Baali takes the entire soul, or agrees to some Even little San Jose, California can be assumed
other some other price, is up to the Baali. to have one.

But the clever ones take notes from their patrons: And let’s not forget China, boasting over fourteen
learning to move in shadow, to listen in dark places, hundred infernalists … with 27 of them living in
and to act as a patron for a growing stable of mortal Shanghai alone.
servants, spreading their influence from there. A mortal infernalist – armed with knowledge of
Just like a real demon. the spirit-realm, a loyal cult, a few potent demonic
gifts, an edge in mortal politics, and the ability to
All told, mortal infernalists outnumber Cainite go outside during the day – is a potent ally to a
infernalists ten to one. While this might seem Cainite in service to the same demon … or a very
surprising, it’s simply a matter of scale: we can dangerous opponent, should their patron decide to
assume approximately one vampire stalking the pit them against each other just for shits & giggles.
night in search of living prey for every 100,000

132 Demonic Investments

Making the Bargain the final, ultimate act of soul-selling; in general,
the point-value of a favor done for a demon is
weighted in three ways:
Bargaining for an Investment with a spiritual
entity is an all-or-nothing deal: either the demon Difficulty / Complexity of the Task: A 1-point
claims your soul, or it does not. There are no half- bargain with her Patron should be the sort of thing
measures in such a contract. that a player and Storyteller can all-but-handwave.

Very few Infernalists give their souls away. At For Example: “Your demon nods,
least, not right away: an Infernalist who surrenders thinking over your request. After a
her soul to her patron demon on their first meeting moment, she speaks: she simply wants you
usually comes to enjoy a very short career indeed. to go to a certain address at a certain time
Instead, the majority of demonic Pacts involve later tonight, take a set of Polaroid pictures
service in the mortal realm, at least initially: – you’ll know what you’re looking for when
demons are often eager to trade in favors & you see it – put the pictures in an envelope,
services, as most demons cannot affect mundane address the envelope to a specific person
reality with any reliability, and the infernalist may (it’s someone you’ve never heard of) and
act as her willing, clever eyes and ears amongst then put the envelope in the mail without
mortals and Kindred alike. being seen. Do you agree to do so? And then
you go do it? Okay, no roll on your part is
Of course, the cunning Infernalist will doubtlessly required; let me just roll something here,
think of something else she needs. Something for my own notes. Wait … you say you run
that only her patron demon can provide. In such the errand while Obfuscated? Okay, cool.
an instance, it’s a simple enough matter to forge Give me one quick Perception + Alertness
another, more-precious pact. roll to see if you notice something while
you run the errand. No specific difficulty,
By means of this slow reeling-in, the demon
just tell me what you rolled, and I’ll narrate
increases the potency of her pawn until the
the scene real quick.”
Infernalist willingly bargains-away the last shreds
of her “self” in exchange for one last dark miracle,
A 2-point bargain or better, on the other hand,
adding to the demon’s personal stable of eternalrequires at least a few hours of work, or a little bit
slaves. Demons are, somewhat surprisingly, quiteof work over the course of a few nights (no more
willing to invest in those who – by the nature of
than a week); a 3-point bargain might require an
their unforgivable acts – are already damned. entire night’s worth of work or a bit of focus every
The would-be infernalist’s soul may be bound fornight over the course of no more than a month.
hell, after all, but it is not necessarily bound to the
A four-point bargain might require a week’s
specific service of any one particular demon. worth of solid focus, all-night every night, or the
expenditure of a little bit of time, energy and
You would be surprised at just how lucrative
attention every night for up to six months. Five-
such an arrangement can be for a patient demon.
points worth of investment is going to take a year’s
And, as true immortals, demons can be very worth of planning and effort to pull off correctly,
patient indeed. while six-points might take a decade, seven-points
might take a half-century, eight points is a century’s
worth of work, and nine points is – most likely –
Money for Nothing the work of multiple centuries.
Of course, you could always just sell your soul
There are nine levels of hell, by the reckoning
straight away …
of some faiths, and nine level of investment below

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 133

 Outright Evil of the Task: In general, the most
points you can hope for out of a bargain is equal to
[10 – the minimum Humanity score (V20, pg. 312)
that would consider the act a sin].
For Example: Even someone with a
Humanity score of 9 probably wouldn’t
balk over-much at the sort of errand that
a single point of demonic investment is
worth. It’s just a harmless errand, right?
The price of a five-point Investment, on
average, requires at least as much active
dedication to wickedness as “intentional
property damage” (a sin for creatures
with Humanity 5), and gaining 9 points
of investment is right in line with the
most utter perversions and heinous acts:
worse that feeding past satiation or mere
“thoughtless killing.”
Danger Inherent to Performing the Task: If
performing the task for your demonic patron
doesn’t carry at least some risk of discovery or
death, it can’t be worth more than a point or two.
By the time you’re getting your demonic patron to
invest 9 points into you, your odds of succeeding at
the task assigned to you without getting killed are
slim to none.
Bargains
Every bargain is different, just as every Infernalist
& every demonic-patron are unique … but, in
general, it breaks down like so.
The Would-Be Infernalist Agrees to:
• Perform some small task, often mildly
illegal or immoral, for the demon. This
might include spreading a lie to a number
of listeners, stealing something seemingly
trivial, or otherwise actively working the
demon’s will in society: 1 point
• Injure, abduct, institutionalize, harm,
poison, corrupt, “enlighten,” or otherwise
inconvenience a specific mortal of the
demon’s choosing; perform a non-arduous
task for her demonic patron: 2 points
134 Demonic Investments
• Perform a significant task for the demon,
such as completely changing the life of a
single mortal entity chosen by the demon:
killing the subject’s rival and framing them
for murder, hooking them on particularly
nasty drugs, or sending their pornographic
search history to all of their coworkers and
loved ones, for example, at the discretion
of the demon: 3 points
• Perform a major task for the demon, such
as fully corrupting a mortal chosen by the
demon (embracing the subject, causing
a psychotic break, or creating a serial
killer, for example, at the direction of the
demon); create, corrupt or destroy a city-
wide organization, like a cult or secret
society, as directed by the demon: 4 points
• Injure, institutionalize, harm, poison,
corrupt, enlighten, abduct or otherwise
inconvenience a specific supernatural
entity OR group of mortals of the demon’s
choosing: 5 points
• Corrupt a small group of supernatural
entities; found or destroy a state-wide
mortal organization, like a cult or secret
society, as directed by the demon: 6 points
• Corrupt a large group of supernatural
entities; found or destroy a nation-wide
mortal organization, like a cult or secret
society, as directed by the demon: 7 points
• Corrupt a massive number of supernatural
entities (an entire Bloodline, for example);
found or destroy a world-wide mortal
organization, like a cult or secret society, as
directed by the demon: 8 points
• Found or destroy a major, public world-
wide organization – like a global religion
– as directed by the demon; alternatively,
serve the demon in all things for the length
of one human lifetime (a period of 3-score-
&-ten years), denying the demon nothing:
9 points
• Actually sell your soul to a demon: 10
points
 First Taste is Free: An Intermission
Abigail stumbled into her apartment a mere fifteen minutes before dawn, a crimson-stained smile on
her pale face and fresh blood caked to her clothing.
She was thirsty. A half-dozen ghoul bodyguards cracked open like cold beers, scarlet lifeblood spilled
down her burning throat in endless waves … and she was STILL thirsty.
Absurd.
Abby giggled.
Something black, thick and oily dripped from Abby’s hair, down her back and off of her boots, slowly
drying as it squished into her welcome mat. Her left arm – a ragged length of ashen-white corpse-flesh
and shattered bone -- was nearly torn from her shoulder: a parting gift of the Malkavian Primogen as
he met Final Death. Bullet-holes riddled the front of Abigail’s dress-shirt, some of the wounds beneath
stubbornly refusing to close.
Her leather jacket was fucked.
Guess it’s ‘bout time to buy a new one, Abby thought, tossing a wet fistful of hundred-dollar bills in the
general direction of her bedroom in a scattered pile.
Something fancy. With buckles.
She couldn’t stop giggling.
Abigail dropped to her knees. The fire-axe gripped tightly in her right hand thudded to the floor with
an unceremonious clatter; a moment later, Abby collapsed on the cold linoleum beside it, then began
crawling – using her one good arm – to the couch.
She left a smeared trail of clotted-black horror behind her.
Pulling herself into a seated position, Abby kicked the young man lying face-down on the rug in front
of the dark flat-screen television.
The frat-boy groaned weakly.
Sweet, thought Abigail. Big-talker is still alive. Late night snack it is.
As she pulled the heavily muscled college-age kid into her lap with one hand and tore open his throat
to feed, Abigail felt her cellphone vibrate.
Annoyed, she pulled the phone free of her back pocket. It might be her sire, after all.
The caller ID just said ‘Your Biggest Fan’.
The lights flickered.
Abigail thumbed the toggle to answer, but she didn’t speak; cooling life-blood ran down her chin.
The voice on the other end was raspy, hoarse, but energetic. Friendly. It sounded like it was coming
from somewhere very far away. Not quite human. She didn’t recognize it.

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 135

 “Evening, Abigail,” it said. “Or, very nearly, good morning!”
Abigail frowned.
The voice continued. “I’ve been watching your career with great interest, my dear. And you just upset a
very delicate balance in the city. There’s going to be open war between the Nosferatu and the Warlocks,
now. And without the steady voice of a certain annoying Madman on the council, I’m afraid our mutual
Lasombra friend is going to have a very difficult time holding it all together. Oh yes, oh yes … the coming
nights will be quite interesting, indeed.
The whole apartment creaked. It sounded like something large was moving through the plumbing.
Something large, and heavy, and malicious.
Abby allowed herself a brief moment of dread.
“I’ll be rooting for you, darling, but of course! And to give you just a bit of an unfair advantage in the
next few nights, I’ve taken the liberty of sending you a little gift.”
Abby quickly glanced around the room, looking for anything different or out-of-place. She let the head
of the corpse in her lap thud to the floor as she stood in a weak half-crouch.
“Oh no, nothing like that,” said the voice. “I mean, I was going to wrap it up in a pretty pink bow and
put it on your kitchen table, but … well, I’m afraid it’s a bit more personal than all that.”
The lights flickered again. Abigail shuddered. It suddenly felt like someone had cracked open the top
of her skull and dumped a bucket of cold water into her head. Her fingers tingled: she felt like she had
licked a live wire.
When the sensation cleared, she was on all fours in front of her television, face down in a posture of
worship; the screen shone with static. The phone was sitting directly of her, the speaker chattering away.
She didn’t remember turning that on.
“I just white-washed your aura, my dear,” said the voice with a dry chuckle. “Got all those fussy stains
out. The little wrinkles, too. You’re a suspect in a very public homicide or two, after all! And it simply
wouldn’t do to have your naughty little predilection for diablerie become public knowledge just yet, now
would it?”
“Right,” said Abigail, finally.
“Right,” said the voice with a smile. “Sleep well, my dear. Your secret is safe with me. And if you’re
ever in the mood to run an errand or two for me, just give me a holler; I pay promptly, and in the sorts
of goods & services you simply can’t find anywhere else. Not sold in stores, as they say; just the sort of
thing you might need, I’d wager, if things are about to go as sideways as I suspect they will. My door is
always open … and no one but no one beats my low, low prices.”
The voice laughed, and then the call cut off. Her lights stopped flickering.
Abigail looked at the phone. There was no record of any incoming call.
Fin

136 Demonic Investments

 Sometimes, just sometimes, a demon decides to will certainly agree.
offer a … let’s call it a ‘party favor’.
This is not a shopping trip; it’s a trade for the
This is never an Investment worth more than a bargainer’s servitude and – eventually, the demon
point or two; it’s simply meant to whet the appetite hopes – her immortal soul.
of the potential Infernalist, establishing a rapport
– and a need – on the part of the Kindred and her There are no downsides, at least in the immediate
would-be-demonic patron. future, to these Investments. Selling your soul does
not leave an indelible mark, nor does it give the
This sort of freebie is usually offered just after the infernalist some kind of evil aura; the delicate art
lucky Kindred has performed some truly horrific of Infernalism is, sadly, simply not that easy to
and unforgivable act: the sort of thing that cuts detect.
through whatever mundane spiritual static suffuses
the unknowable realms that evil spirits prowl. The most a demon is willing to invest in any
In the long-term, any demon offering a “house- individual soul is, for the most part, 10 points.
warming gift” like this will expect to be paid back, Beyond that, the demon is simply risking too
and in full, often to the annoyance and frustration much power for too little gain.
of the demon’s new plaything.
For whatever reason, Baali (and members of
their splinter Bloodlines) are about one hundred
times more likely to be given a complimentary
taste of demonic power than any of their Kindred
contemporaries: although a sadistic Toreador
Harpy with a fetish for forcing her mortal servants
to commit cannibalism upon each other might be
an utter monster – and a useful one, at that! – she
is less likely to catch the attention of a potential
demonic sponsor than a freshly-made Baali who
drops from Humanity 8 to 6 in a single furious
night of relatively mundane, panicked property-
destruction.
Some occultists suspect that demons can simply
“smell” the sins of Baali more easily; others
suspect that too many demons have been burned
giving gifts to non-Baali: a Toreador Elder might
pretend at obedience just long enough to betray
her “master” and his mortal cult-network to Josian
witch-hunters … while a Baali, of course, often has
nowhere else to turn.
As this is an investment, the demon will always
try to get the best return possible.
Thus, while these investments have a point
value, the demon will never offer more than is
necessary; if some fool is willing to trade away his
soul for a single point of investment, the demon

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 137

Investments
The Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?”
Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and
fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.”
-- Job 1:7
Apocalyptic Beauty (varies): The Devil takes
a pleasing form, and so do those who sell him
their souls. For every 2 points of investment, the
infernalist gains one dot of Appearance, which may
allow the infernalist to increase her Appearance
Trait up to one dot beyond her generational limit.
Nosferatu, Samedi, Gargoyles, and other creatures
with an Appearance Trait permanently adjusted
to zero who take this Investment increase their
Appearance to 1 and may thereafter select this
Investment additional times. This chance to shake-
off the eternal curse of one’s damnable lineage is a
potent lure, one that has swelled the ranks of Hell
with any number of terrifying night-born servants
over the millennia: any demon who has to do little
more than dangle the stolen, still-dripping face of
Helen of Troy before the hideous, slavering maw
of a bloodthirsty, centuries-old, perfectly-adapted
urban-predator in order to seal a badly-one-sided
soul-binding bargain is deeply happy to chuckle, roll
her eyes, and provide a pen.
Blasphemous Secrets of the Ancients (2pts):
The bargaining demon unlocks wicked truths of
the universe for the Infernalist, unearthing dark
conspiracies & revealing hideous stratagems long
hidden, censored or forgotten. This unveiling of
dark machinations provides the Infernalist with
three dots in any one Knowledge, which may
allow the infernalist to increase her score in that
specific Knowledge up to one dot beyond her
normal generational limit. This special Investment
may be selected multiple times: for 4 points, for
example, the Infernalist may gain six dots in a
single Knowledge or three dots apiece in any two
Knowledges.
Note that this Investment serves as a
template from which the Storyteller might
design other, similar demonic gifts: an
138 Demonic Investments
Infernalist with a particularly scholarly
bent, utterly bereft of combat-experience,
might choose to bargain with her patron
for instant, effortless mastery of a secret &
highly lethal fighting-style.
Blood Potency (2pts, special): As much power as
Diablerie provides, it has such nasty side effects. In
particular, it both leaves marks on the aura and it
destroys the soul of the victim. Why do that, when
there are so many better ways to use a soul? To gain
the benefits of this Investment, the Infernalist must
sacrifice another vampire. This chosen sacrifice
cannot be of numerically higher generation than
the Infernalist, but he does not actually need to
be lower: the victim can be of equal generation,
should the Infernalist so choose. The Infernalist
brings her helpless victim to the edge of diablerie,
then performs an utterly blasphemous ritual that
requires 1 full hour of isolated, uninterrupted
work. At the end of this hour, the victim is reduced
to a smear of ash and the Infernalist’s generation
permanently improves by one. During this hour,
the victim is tortured physically, mentally and
spiritually; if the victim is somehow rescued before
the end of the ritual, the victim automatically
gains some sort of fear-based Derangement or
Flaw, at the Storyteller’s discretion. Note that the
Infernalist cannot improve her generation below
5th by use of this ability; if she desires to improve
her generation to equal the direct descendant of
an Antediluvian, she’ll need to accomplish the task
the old-fashioned way. Note also that while access
to this Investment might technically be available
to a player character, any Infernalist permanently
improving her generation beyond 8th – by any
method – is instantly transferred to the control of
the Storyteller: an NPC now and forever.
Breaking the Bond (2 pts): All blood-linked chains
of devotion & obligatory servitude that bind the
infernalist are shattered, falling away from her
instantly. Future blood bonds may still be forged,
though they are harder to develop (blood bonds
take an extra step, the Vaulderie may never increase
beyond a rating of 7, etc.) and the infernalist may
– at will – choose to spend a point of temporary
Willpower to negate any one exposure to the blood shifts real-world events in favor of the Infernalist.
of another Kindred. At the cost of 2 additional Events manipulated in this way always appear to
points worth of Investment (for a total of 4 points), be adjusted by mere happenstance & coincide:
the Infernalist additionally gains the Unbondable the Infernalist is paying for discretion, after all,
Merit (V20, pg. 494). This benefit may even be with effects untraceable back to her; furthermore,
selected by a Tremere, although this requires an wicked spirits are seemingly bound by any
additional point of Investment (for a total of 5 number of confusing, contradictory and outright-
points). incomprehensible strictures that prevent overt
revelation of their insidious nature: knowledgeable
Charmed Existence (6pts): By trading-away her occultists claim that for most demons, revealing
immortal soul, the infernalist is able to live a life one’s existence openly to a non-believer is an act
of fantastic good fortune. When rolling any die- of suicide.
pool, she adds a single “luck die,” she may reroll
any single die-roll from her pool, and – after Unlike most Investments, these dark miracles can
making this re-roll – she may choose to ignore any be called-upon on the fly: an Infernalist sealed in an
single die-result that she desires. Once per scene, inescapable cell to greet daylight might silently beg
the Infernalist may choose to expend a point of her demonic patron for the lock to malfunction;
Willpower to nominate a roll as “lucky”: when she if the price is right, the demon can immediately
does so, she gains one automatic success (rather adjust reality according to the whim of her pawn,
than a luck-die), she may reroll any dice that do not demanding its payment in due time.
show a success, and she may discard any number of
dice after she has rolled. Mind’s Eye Theater: This Note that demons are usually not worried
Investment provides a free ‘luck’ retest to every challenge. about their pawns paying them back:
either the Infernalist can complete the
Customized Self (varies): Ever wanted to be a task assigned to her, or her miracle can be
few inches taller? Or thinner? Or maybe better reversed, or she can give the demon her
… “endowed”? Ever wanted perfect pitch, or an soul to settle the deal.
eidetic memory, or to speak another language
like a native? Ever wanted to ditch the glasses? Or It usually doesn’t matter to the demon.
that addiction? Or the fact that you can be blood Use of this Investment can produce any number of
bound? Say the words & resculpt the self, my effects, including – but certainly not limited to! –
friend: the Infernalist gains access to a number of the miracles listed below, alongside their respective
Freebie Points, exactly as she possessed at character attendant point-costs:
creation, that may only be spent either on new
Merits or on buying-off Flaws (V20 pg. 479); this • 1 pt.: A witness conveniently forgets that she
is an exception to the general rule that Merits & saw the Infernalist at the scene of a crime,
Flaws may only be selected at Character Creation. confuses the Infernalist with someone else,
For every 2 points of Investment, the Infernalist or misidentifies the Infernalist: she tells
gains 3 Freebie Points to spend as she sees fit. authorities that the murderer was a man
with blonde hair, when the Infernalist
It is by means of this Investment that most Baali is clearly a woman with jet-black hair, or
acquire the Becoming the Demon-in-Flesh and the witness identifies the Infernalist as
Becoming the Demon-in-Spirit Merits, above. “looking like Rob Zombie” … when, in
Dark Miracle (varies): In a single-use, one-time feat fact, the infernalist actually looks like Rod
of near-impossible reality-manipulation involving Serling.
excruciating delicacy and the expenditure of • 2 pts.: Evidence of the Infernalist’s
not-inconsiderable spiritual energy, the demon misdeeds conveniently disappear. Whether

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 139

 the forensic team mishandles the murder-
weapon, the evidence locker catches fire,
or the sheriff’s notes fall from his pocket,
it simply becomes impossible to prove
that the Infernalist has committed an
infraction.
• 3 pts.: The Infernalist wins the lottery,
is granted an unexpected windfall or
discovers a hidden treasure, instantly
adding three points to her Resources or
another Background as approved by her
Storyteller; this otherwise functions as the
Mortal Prominence Investment, below.
By means of this ability, however, the
Infernalist can adjust her Backgrounds on-
the-fly: gaining three points of Fame just as
she walks into a bar, for example.
• 4 pts.: Mystical truths become malleable to
the Infernalist. For the next few nights, she
can casually speak falsehoods with a Bone
of Lies in her hand, she automatically
resists any Dominate attempt to force her
to answer questions honestly, and her
aura does not so much as flicker when she
practices deception.
• 5 pts.: Non-magical, non-mortal debts
owed by the Infernalist all conveniently go
away. Maybe the Harpy record is partially
destroyed, removing any proof of boons
owed by the Infernalist. Maybe those to
whom the debts are owed conveniently
forget about them … or meet Final Death.
Maybe some new power-player in town
decides to buy up all of an Elder’s debts,
then forgives them as a show of force.
Whatever the method, all Boons owed by
the Infernalist are discharged.
• 6 pts.: With a flash of insight, the
Infernalist learns a deep, dark secret that
would severely harm someone more
politically or physically powerful than
her. Perhaps she realizes that the Sheriff is
blood bound to a member of the Sabbat.
Maybe it suddenly registers with her that
140 Demonic Investments
the Toreador Primogen is actually a Setite.
Maybe she stares at the Prince for just
long enough to realize that he’s a fellow
Infernalist. Whatever it is, this information
makes for great blackmail leverage.
Alternatively, a dangerous secret of the
Infernalist is forgotten by someone who
knows it: that Anarch who figured out that
you diablerized her sire misremembers the
events and starts gunning for the Harpy.
• 7 pts.: Through the shifting halls of
power, the Infernalist suddenly gains a
position of great prominence. Maybe she
is called upon to be the new Primogen of
her clan. Maybe the Prince recognizes her
mettle and decides to make her Seneschal.
Maybe her pack impresses just the right
Black Hand member and she’s named
Archbishop. Whatever the position desired
by the Infernalist, up to Status 5, things
conveniently fall into place. Of course,
holding on to her new position is up to the
Infernalist.
• 8 pts.: A Blood-Hunt against the Infernalist
is conveniently, abruptly called-off for …
“reasons,” or the Infernalist is otherwise
saved from certain death by some other
absurd coincidence: the Prince is revealed
as a Tzimisce, the Sherriff’s dragon’s-
breath-loaded shotgun spontaneously
explodes when she pulls the trigger, the
Bishop forgets to lock the door of the
Infernalist’s cell, a pack of Black Spiral
Dancers unexpectedly attacks the Chantry,
or some other ridiculous, million-to-one
series of absurdly unlikely events pulls the
Infernalist directly out of the fire.
• 9 pts.: The demon reverses time by one
minute, vanishes any one creature from
existence and memory alike (does not work
on Antediluvians), teleports the Infernalist
to a place of her choice, removes all damage
suffered by the Infernalist in the last
round, or … heck, I don’t know, returns
any one dead – but not undead – creature
 to life. The sky is the limit, man. For that to be unaffected by use of Dark Miracle;
last one, with the resurrection: the demon NPCs of any power-level lower than
must have access to some remains of the Antediluvian-stature, however, can be: if
creature to be resurrected: ash, blood, an NPC Infernalist uses this ability to re-
bone, hair, flesh or other physical material. write the memories of all Camarilla in the
The creature is returned to life, unharmed, city, for example, this affects the Prince,
as a young adult with all of their memories the Primogen Council, the Sherriff,
intact; such a creature may immediately be Harpy, and Scourge and any number of
embraced or ghouled, as per the desires of other Camarilla citizens … but at least one
the Infernalist. of the PCs remains unaffected. She may
notice how strange it is that the position
NOTE: use of the final Dark Miracle listed of Nosferatu Primogen has suddenly been
above was not responsible for the return of granted to an otherwise unknown new
Yomon-Li, 5th generation originator of the member of the city, even as the rest of the
Yomonlik bloodline, to the world during city’s secret masters move along, blithely
World War 2. It is unknown what black unaware.
magics were trifled-with by the foolish
occult scientists who brought the grinning, It is through the availability of this single Investment
omnicidal Methuselah screaming out of the that demons reap the majority of those souls they
void, but they were utterly unique in their claim: an Infernalist desperate enough to call-upon
dark efficacy and cannot be replicated. her demonic patron to save her miserable skin is
often willing to bargain-away anything … including
Keep in mind that there are effects that a demon the last shreds of her soul.
simply cannot produce, no matter how much an
Infernalist is willing to pay: a demon cannot pluck
the moon from the heavens, destroy a nation
of mortals in a single night of hellfire, move a
mountain, drain an ocean, transform a desert
to a garden or blot out the sun, for example. It
is suspected that, in ancient times, a sufficiently
powerful demon actually could perform such
miracles – famously producing a solar eclipse on-
the-fly, for example – but, for complex reasons,
such power is far beyond the capability of demons
in the modern nights.
In addition, some creatures – subject to Storyteller
discretion – simply cannot be adjusted by the subtle
manipulations of a demon. The reasons for this are
unknown, but much debate amongst occultists has
reached the consensus that the dense weave of Fate
& Free-Will is simply too tightly bound around
some individuals, and thus cannot be adjusted by
such subtle outside influence.
Note that – unless otherwise dictated
by the Storyteller – player characters as
a whole are more likely than any others

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 141

Demon’s Sweet Whispers (2pts): None have a tongue
more silver than Old Scratch. This Investment makes
the infernalist vastly more persuasive and charming,
providing the same benefits as the merit Enchanting Mortals with Jigoku!?]
Voice (V20, pg. 480) and increasing the infernalist’s By means of this Investment, mortal Infernalists
Charisma or Manipulation (her choice) by one dot. – including sorcerers, ghouls, kinfolk, and mere
This Investment may be selected multiple times: each mortals looking for a potent advantage in combat
time this Investment is gained, the infernalist gains – can not only learn Jigoku but can gain as much
one dot of Charisma or Manipulation (her choice), mastery in that dark art as an 8th generation
vampire!
which may allow the infernalist to increase her Trait
in either of these Attributes up to one dot beyond This is purposeful: the downside for the would-be
her generational limit. living demon is that while many of the Horrors
granted by Jigoku can be activated through the
Devil Body (5 pts): You gain all the benefits of a expenditure of blood or of Willpower, blood is a
single dot in the Jigoku Discipline (see above); this much more easily obtained commodity to come-
stacks with dots in Jigoku gained from other sources. by.
Your total number of dots in Jigoku cannot exceed Especially for a centuries-old creature of the
5, or your generational limit (if you possess one), night in possession of both very little conscience
whichever is higher. and several other vampiric gifts all designed to
violently separate mortal cattle from their hot,
Note that this Investment serves as a template from spurting, tasty-crimson life-juice.
which the Storyteller might design other, similar
demonic gifts: an Infernalist who wants to learn A mortal employing Jigoku is stuck with a
permanent disadvantage and a huge sink to her
Corrupturum or Dark Thaumaturgy or another
temporary Willpower … at least until such time
Discipline that is otherwise unavailable to her – who
as the Infernalist successfully seeks-out a vampiric
says that only the so-called “True” Brujah should get mentor to ferry her across the chasm to the other
Temporis? – might bargain with her patron to gain side of undeath.
access to such an ability at the price listed above.
In the case of a non-vampiric supernatural entity
Evil Eye (2pts): The infernalist may, as she desires, gaining access to Jigoku, other resources – such
use her connection to the Outer Dark to corrode the as Gnosis or Quintessence – might be used in
world around her. Her merest glance can extinguish place of Willpower, at Storyteller discretion.
a candle-flame, wilt a living plant, twist a holy-symbol
into obscene ruin, rust iron, crack glass, freeze a cup
of water, burn out a lightbulb, spoil milk, rot food,
sicken a mortal (imposing a -2 Dice penalty on all
rolls), cause ropes to fray, paint to peel, and radios to
spit only static & screams, or otherwise degrade local
physical reality. At her Storyteller’s discretion, this
Investment may produce more bizarre effects: the
gaze of the infernalist might cause photographs she
looks upon to fade, blur or shift, becoming eerie and
unnatural. This effect cannot deal damage in combat
but creates an intensely unnerving aura directly
around the vampire: the difficulty of any attempt
made by the Infernalist to Intimidate an opponent
while this ability is active is reduced by 2.

142 Demonic Investments

Exhalation of Hell (3pts): The damned may vent Home in Hellfire (5pts): Bonded with the endless,
a caustic breath of flame, flesh-eating worms, acid blazing eternities of the deepest nether, the
wind, biotoxin gas, shattered glass, rotting corpse- infernalist needs no longer fear mundane flame:
limbs, blasphemous words, lightning, swords, ash- she takes no damage of any kind from fire. Long-
choked wind or other, stranger instruments and term exposure or full submersion in flame will
energies of death. Striking an opponent with this eventually consume her clothing and possessions,
spray requires a Dexterity + (Brawl or Firearms) roll, certainly, but non-magical fire cannot harm her
difficulty 7; this attack deals 6 dice of lethal damage body in any way. Magical fire will still damage her;
or 3 dice of aggravated damage, chosen when the however, she soaks fire damage with her Stamina
Investment is selected. This special Investment may Trait (as well as her Fortitude) and difficulties to
be taken multiple times; the damned chooses a new soak damage from magical fire are reduced by 2.
exhalation each time it is chosen. In addition, the Infernalist automatically soaks
her first Health Level of damage from magical
Ghoulish Immortality (1pt): The mortal infernalist fire whenever she must roll to soak in this way.
is able to sacrifice innocents – or, at least, mortals Possession of this investment prevents all risk
– in order to extend her own life. For each person of Rötschreck when the infernalist is exposed to
sacrificed, she gains ten percent of the years the flame.
mortal most likely had remaining in his natural
lifetime (rounded down); an actual innocent
is worth double that (20% of their remaining
lifespan). In practical terms, the engine of this
Investment follows the “Three Score and Ten”
model: human lives are valued up to 70 years. Thus,
sacrificing a 20 year-old cocaine dealer gains the
Infernalist 5 years, while killing an actual baby nets
the infernalist a cool 13 extra years. Whenever this
ability is activated, the infernalist’s effective age may
be reduced by the number of years gained, if she
so desires: a 43-year-old infernalist who sacrifices
an infant may, if she chooses, become 29 years old
again upon completing her sacrifice. For one month
after completing this ritual, the infernalist is treated
as a ghoul – and gains all the appropriate benefits
(V20, pg. 388; 497) of that condition – with a 13th
generation domitor and the Unbondable Merit
(V20, pg. 494); as long as the Infernalist performs
this ritual once a month, she maintains all the
benefits of being a ghoul.
Hellish Bloodhound (3pts): The infernalist is able to
track down any person or creature she has personally
met or follow a new scent to locate an unfamiliar
target. She is able to follow nearly any trail: while
there is no way to tell how far away her target is,
there is also nothing that will stop the Infernalist
from tracking down her target, so long as she and
her quarry are on the same plane of existence.

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 143

Immunity to Masquerade Breaches (7 pts): This
one is a biggie. With this investment in her back
pocket, the infernalist simply cannot breach the
Masquerade. So … one less thing to worry about.
Which is nice. This potent effect is the result of
direct, active demonic influence in the ongoing
affairs of mortals; pushing your luck by – for
example – attending an internationally-known
New Year’s Eve celebration in downtown New
York and ripping the celebrity host’s throat out
with your bare teeth live on national television …
well, your patron is going to be mighty pissed off,
assuming he can repair around your bullshit on the
fly. Most likely, there’s a state-wide power outage
about ten seconds before you make it up on stage;
the air-raid sirens and panicked crowd screaming
about a probable “dirty-bomb suitcase-nuke
terrorist attack” presumably covers the rest of your
tracks. Still. Annoying to deal with. You asshole.
Anything less than that absurd level of shenanigans
is smoothed-over by a supernaturally-efficient
chain of malign coincidences and clusterfucks:
that cellphone footage of you scaling the sheer
face of an office building with a headless body
tucked under your arm looks super fake. And won’t
upload to a video-sharing site because of … “phone
problems”. And also no one else was looking up
at the time, for reasons. And everyone inside the
building who could have noticed you was, weirdly,
busy on a conference call while flicking an eye-
booger out of the corner of their vision. And the
kid who filmed it was arrested for weed possession,
and his cellphone was lost in evidence lock-up.
And so on. In short, the infernalist benefits from
the pulling of every possible string that a Prince,
Archon, Justicar, or member of the actual fucking
Inner Circle could hope to pull, but all at once,
and all the time. Just, you know, without having to
actually tell an army of overworked ghouls to “fix
it, and make it look like an accident”.
Infernal Agency (3pts): With this investment,
the infernalist becomes a recruiter of souls: she is
empowered to make deals on behalf of her patron
demon, up to and including providing access to
Investments. In exchange for this service, the
Agent gains 10% of the souls she damns. This can
144 Demonic Investments
allow her to purchase other investments essentially
for free. The one thing that the Agent cannot buy
back is her own soul, as it grows more damned
with each passing night.
Invulnerability (3 pts): Her demonic patron
makes it much harder for the Infernalist to die. A
creature with this Investment automatically gains
one success on any attempt to soak damage, and
she may soak aggravated damage with her Stamina
Trait (as well as with her Fortitude),
Mortal Prominence (2pts, variable): Demonic
charm, the devil’s own luck and a bit of shadowy
manipulation in the digital realm allow the
infernalist to make big moves in the mortal world.
Each time this investment is taken, the infernalist
gains three levels of any Background related to the
affairs of mortals: Influence, Resources, Allies,
Contacts, Fame, etc. as approved by her Storyteller.
Use of this Investment cannot adjust Backgrounds
related to the supernatural: the Infernalist cannot
improve her Domain or her Mentor Background
by use of this Investment, for example. Use of this
Investment may allow the Infernalist to increase
her score in a Background up to one dot beyond
her generational limit. The three Background
points gained when this ability is selected may all
be placed in the same Background or spread out
among multiple Backgrounds as the infernalist
desires.
Pure Aura (1pt): The infernalist’s aura always
appears clean, regardless of her sins.
Regeneration (7pts): The infernalist is able to
heal from any wound, given time. In combat,
the infernalist automatically heals one level of
damage at the start of every round. This will even
heal aggravated damage. Outside of combat, the
infernalist heals one level of damage every minute.
Servitor Born of the Wyrm (1-5pt): The infernalist
gains the unswerving loyalty of a single potent
supernatural creature empowered by the strange,
malevolent cosmic entity known as the Wyrm. For
1 point, the Infernalist gains the aid of a single
fomor; alternatively, one of her existing loyal
Retainers ascends to the rank of the fomori (if so,
the infernalist gains a new non-fomor Retainer in
her place). For three points, the infernalist instead
gains the aid of a Wyrm-empowered Sorcerer; for
five points, the infernalist is joined in her affairs
by a Black Spiral Dancer, Kumo Goblin Spider,
or another corrupted member of the Changing
Breeds, at her Storyteller’s discretion. Any
creature drawn to the service of the infernalist
in this way is presumed to be fully Blood Bound
to the infernalist; regardless, this entity serves
the infernalist with absolute loyalty, willing to
gleefully kill or die in her name. This creature does
possess her own passions, desires, and obligations,
however; such an ally is likely to steer the infernalist
in the direction of service to the Wyrm … which
is, frankly, fundamentally unlikely to match the
long-term goals of any kind of even-vaguely-sane
infernalist.
TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI
The Sleeping Children vs. The
Wyrm
So. Are the Baali correct? Do the Children of the
Outer Dark really out-rank the Wyrm on the vast
cosmic power-scale of ultimate evil?
Well, that depends on what kind of Chronicle
you’re running.
If you’re running a Werewolf game, then …
no. The “Sleeping Children” are unlikely to be
anything more than mere Talons of the Wyrm:
terrifying, deadly, ancient, and evil beyond all
comprehension, sure, but not fundamentally any
more dangerous or unknowable than Narlthus
the Thumb, Koshchei the First Finger, or
Thrassus the Smallest Finger. In fact, they might
be aspects – or masks – of the Maeljin Incarna
themselves. Not something to be idly poked in
the face with a stick, sure … but not “literally
bigger and badder than the personified force of
all entropy in the universe”.
If you’re running an infernalist-heavy Vampire
game, however, there’s no telling how deep –
and dark, and twisted – the rabbit hole might
go. It may well be that the so-called “Wyrm” is
but an illusion, a fleeting shadow: a confuddled
misunderstanding on the part of the primitive,
psychotic moon-worshiping skin-changers, who
mistake the mere echo of the Sleeping Children
for some kind of “active opponent”.
It is, in fact, only the wake of their passing.
And when the Children of the Outer Dark
awaken in-full, fairytales like “Gehenna” and
“The Apocalypse” will seem like idle daydreams.
145
Shatter the Curse of Caine (6pts): The infernalist Many demons insist on this “failsafe rider” being
Kindred regains the warm breath of humanity. In added to any contract to be signed by a less-than-
direct defiance of the infallible will of God, she trustworthy infernalist. Which is to say, most of
becomes mortal once more: shrugging off the them. Note that the soul of an unlucky Infernalist
curses of Heaven, her Beast, her Clan or Bloodline, diablerized by a true Antediluvian is destroyed
and all attendant benefits & limitations thereof utterly by the process, Investment or no. Sucks to
permanently. The Infernalist will age as normal be the demonic patron, I guess.
from this point onward, although she may choose to
gain the Ghoulish Immortally Investment (above) The Cunning Linguist (4pts): The infernalist is
or to act as a ghoul to a former fellow Kindred able to speak and understand (but not read) any
and thus maintain her agelessness. Even if she is human language.
not a ghoul, the infernalist is still able to use any Transgress Gravity (3pts): The infernalist is able
Discipline she knew that does not require blood to move up walls or on the ceiling at the same
to activate (Auspex and Fortitude, for example). speed that she would walk on the ground. Once
The infernalist can no longer use Dominate on per turn, on her action, the infernalist may roll
any vampire, regardless of generation, although Manipulation + Occult (difficulty 7); the damned
she may use the discipline on mortals without can leap up to 20 yards per success or fall a similar
difficulty. Attempts to re-embrace the infernalist distance without suffering injury. This leap is not
automatically fail, killing the Infernalist instantly. an action and may be performed reflexively.
Speed of the Damned (5pts): This investment Treasure of the Pit (4 pts): The infernalist is given a
mimics Celerity, in that it allows the infernalist to device drawn from the vaults of hell by her patron,
take an additional action every round. This does as per the Talisman of the Abyss Merit, along with
not cost blood, and this additional action is in instruction in its use.
addition to bonus actions provided by Celerity,
Temporis, or splitting her dice-pools. Unstoppable Winds of Hell (5pts): No cell can
hold the infernalist. Locked doors open when
Strength of Hell (varies): The powers of her she tries to open them, while handcuffs fall away
patron demon course through the black veins of with a shake of the wrist. Attempts to grapple
the infernalist, manifesting as terrifying physical the infernalist automatically fail. No method of
prowess. For every 2 points of investment, the preventing the infernalist’s movement will work
infernalist gains one dot of Strength, which may unless the infernalist wishes it to. This freedom
allow the infernalist to increase her Strength Trait cannot overcome locks or bindings that are magical
up to one dot beyond her generational limit. in nature: enchanted chains can still hold her fast.
Superior Soul (1 pts): One of the only ways out
of a 10-point demonic contract is the complete
destruction of the Infernalist’s soul … which
makes the event of Diablerie a complete loss
for the demon, and a risk most patron demonic
entities aren’t willing to take. This relatively
minor investment routs around that, and allows
the bargaining demon to avoid such a loss: if a
character with this Investment is diablerized, the
Infernalist automatically takes over the body of the
one who drank her, keeping her own soul and
destroying the fool who sought to consume her.

146 Demonic Investments

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 147
 Relics of the
Unholy
-Charles Baudelaire
The Anti-Cross
This elegant silver pentagram shines brightly in
candlelight. If gripped tightly by its wielder, the
pentagram causes all holy symbols within line of
sight to either burst into flame or melt into slag.
Activating this ability requires the expenditure of
one point of Willpower; if this price is not paid,
the pentagram deals one level of unsoakable
aggravated damage to its wielder.
The Codex Dantean
This innocuous hardcover book does not appear
evil. That said, opening the text reveals a panoply
of grotesque, esoteric secrets: filled with demonic
names and illustrations, the book is of extreme
value to any student of the occult, and a researcher
studying the text may increase her Occult up to
5 while using the book at a guide. In addition,
studying the book for one hour after rising in the
evening allows the student to trade out one of
her Horrors or Terrors (as she desires) with any
TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI
“The Devil pulls the strings which make us dance;
We find delight in the most loathsome things;
Some furtherance of Hell each new day brings,
And yet we feel no horror in that rank advance.”
other Horror or Terror (as appropriate) for the
remainder of the night.
Corrupturum Object
Any of several objects – always of handheld size,
designed to be carried easily – imbued with a single
use of a specific Terror from the Corrupturum
Discipline (above). A creature holding this object
in-hand may, once per night, activate that specific
Terror as if she possessed access to the Corrupturum
Discipline and the Terror in question; the wielder
must still pay, in full, whatever price is necessary to
activate the Terror, spending blood or Willpower
as appropriate. Objects of this type must often
be “recharged” between uses, often by deeply
disturbing means:
• After being activated, for example, the
Dream-Maker’s Whisper – a mundane-
looking black leather wallet imbued with
the Wealth & Taste Terror – must be
placed in the mouth or pocket of a fresh
149
 human corpse from sunrise to sundown The Grail of the Beast
before it may be activated again.
This twisted wooden chalice is ancient and gnarled,
• To refresh the Predator’s Howl – a rust-caked clearly handmade, engraved with any number of
dog whistle that, when blown, summons ominous symbols and profane images. When filled
forth one or more hellish hunting-hounds with fresh blood – up to five blood points worth
as per the Slavering Wolves of Oblivion may be soaked into the cup at any given time – and
Terror – the user must catch a prey-animal, set in a pentagram of salt, chalk, iron, meat, and
insert the whistle into the animal while it is ash lit by five black candles, this chalice grants its
still alive, and allow the animal to die from owner an equal number of additional blood points
blood loss. (above her normal generational limit) that she may
draw upon as if the blood was within her system.
• To refresh the Titan’s Tongue – an amulet These special blood points may be used only to
crafted from a wet, unidentifiable pink- activate a Horror or a Terror. Preparing the grail
purple meat, which grants its wearer access for the evening requires one hour of uninterrupted
to the Fling the Insolent Rag-Doll Terror – work; if the grail, the candles, or the pentagram are
one must boil the oozing jewelry in semen disturbed in any way, the mystical connection to
and excrement from a freshly killed human. the owner of the chalice is instantly severed.
Corrupturum Objects can – it seems – take nearly The Head in the Box
any form: stone idols, onyx rings, umbrellas,
switchblades, pocket-watches, jade figurines, This simple, cube-shaped wooden box weighs
Zippo lighters, eight-balls, revolvers, cellphones, about 11 pounds and appears normal in all
housekeys, and even miniature crucifixes have ways, well-crafted and sealed tight. It is decorated
been reported as Corrupturum Objects. only with a single hole – the size of an eraser on

150 Relics of the Unholy

the tip of a pencil – suitable to be fitted with a either be given freely by its previous owner or
common kitchen funnel. If subjected to an x-ray, taken from the corpse of its owner before it may
it is revealed that a severed head, complete with be attuned to a new owner. This pen, when used
flesh & hair, is contained with the box. The to write, may – at the whim of the owner – draw its
head occasionally blinks and mouths words. This ink from the blood of whoever is holding it; in this
is the severed, sleeping head of an ancient Baali way, the pen allows a willing user to sign a contract
seemingly too crazy & stubborn to submit to Final in her own blood. Although it appears perfectly
Death. If fed blood, it whispers secrets; a creature mundane, this pen is utterly indestructible.
tutored by the severed head may freely gain dots
in Corrupturum, Daimonion, Dark Thaumaturgy
and Jigoku, though she must pay out-of-clan costs
for them, as normal.
The Mein of False Angels
This elegant necklace bears a mask-shaped pendant
crowned with angel wings; while worn, all Infernalist
& demonic abilities used by the wearer (including
Corrupturum, Daimonion, Dark Thaumaturgy
& Jigoku) appear to be angelic in nature, rather
than demonic. Any creature with True Faith sees
through this deception automatically.
The Red Coin
This blood-stained, slightly-bent Roman silver-
piece is approximately the size of a quarter. It
costs one point of vitae to attune to the coin. Any
mortal who sees this coin will desire it intently and
will find himself willing to trade nearly anything
he possesses in exchange for the coin, up to an
including his most-prized possessions and the lives
of his loved ones. Mortals with True Faith and
supernatural creatures are immune to this strange
compulsion. Any mortal creature who accepts the
Red Coin in exchange for a good or service dies in
a violent manner within 7 days, often via suicide or
deadly accident; at this time, the Red Coin returns
to the possession of the damned currently attuned
to the coin, and arrives within 7 nights.
The Salesman’s Best Friend
This high-quality ballpoint pen is crafted of the
finest silver and engraved with the initials of the
owner; it returns automatically to the hand of its
owner – from wherever it may currently be located
– whenever the owner so desires. It costs one point
of blood to attune to the pen, and the pen must

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 151

 Faces of the
Wicked: NPCs
among the Baali
& the Infernal
Son, the greatest trick the Devil pulled was convincing the world there was only one of him.
David Wong, John Dies at the End

Johnatha October was, long ago, an occultist. He

never quite cracked the secrets necessary to become
a true sorcerer, but he was on the right track: give
him another two or three decades, and he would
have puzzled it out. And, dying of consumption as
he was, Johnathan was ripe for a sale’s pitch: just by
offering the man an opportunity to live a bit longer,
Johnathan was gently nudged and persuaded into
sacrificing a few people who were going to die
anyway. You know … people who deserved to die.
As the years go by, and the deepest secrets
of the occult grow ever nearer to his complete
understanding, Mr. October’s loose definition of
those who ‘deserve’ to die becomes more and more
vague. These days, the venerable demon-worshiper
– hale & hearty; as rich & handsome, strong &
swift as any mortal could hope to be – can be found
at the heart of any number of complex plots: always
surrounded by sycophants, adoring cultists and
desperate hangers-on, a clever wizard capable of
bending reality to his whim … always, of course, at
the behest of his demonic master.

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 153


Adonis Immaculatus was, near as anyone can
tell, a very good-looking man in life. Rumors
swirl that he was a powerfully-built Negro-league
baseball player, or a striking bar-owner working
on Chicago’s famously lively South Side, or even
a dashing sea-captain with a crew of escaped slaves
who plundered Confederate ports in bloody
nighttime raids. No one knows the truth, sad to
say, and no one has been foolish enough to ask in
a very long time. It’s an open secret, on the other
hand, that Adonis was embraced – possibly out of
spite, possibly for much more complex reasons – as
a Samedi, used for many dark years as muscle by
a rotting witch-queen who ruled haunted sections
of the deep bayou, taking tribute in blood, gold,
corpses and slaves.
How, precisely, Adonis came to be re-embraced
by the Baali and to take his position at the right
hand of the Methuselah known as Saint Thammuz
the Orgiastic is a tale merely whispered-of. In short,
Mr. Immaculatus is a problem-solver for elders of
the Bloodline: loyal, terrifying, whisper-quiet when
he desires to be, a hulking boogeyman of hideous
strength & torturous genius with mastery over
death, demons and the grave dripping from his
obsidian fingertips.
154 Faces of the Wicked
Ra-et Amduat is an elder Setitie Sorceress –
still serving dutifully in that capacity, despite her
clandestine allegiance to the Baali – who maintains
a number of occult temples throughout Western
Europe and the United States, establishing new
power-bases from her stronghold in Las Vegas
whenever her auguries reveal that the Red God’s
war upon the Aeons might find a fertile new
battlefront. Her experiments into the deeper
mysteries of Akhu are expensive, costing her dark
oceans of freshly-spilled blood: for this reason,
she maintains a vast web of loyal ghouls, thirsty
sycophants and novice mystical practitioners …
mortal & immortal alike.
Her relationship with the Baali is one of
practicality, at best: she pretends that she believes
that her deity, Set, is one of the Sleeping Children
and that Yahweh is counted amongst the Aeons;
for their part, the Baali pretend that they
believe her. In exchange for these niceties, both
shadow-wreathed Sects do a brisk trade in occult
paraphernalia, slaves, antiquities, exotic goods
from foreign nations, and rare artifacts plucked
from the treasuries of Sabbat & Camarilla elders
alike. When a Choir of Baali need to move quickly
& quietly behind enemy lines, a quick call to Ra-et
is often the only travel arrangement that must be
made.
 showed her wonders: wonders of blood sorcery
beyond imagining, wonders of swift violence
undreamed-of.
All it took was a single conversation to convince
Winter that her time as an Assamite was finally
over. Before the sun rose, Winter was a new kind
of zealot: reborn to an ancient Bloodline, complete
with all the Horrors that come with it, a perfect
instrument now tuned to play a new melody.
She is a creature of night & abject horror now –
unchained – who walks the coldest, most desolate
places of the world with a jagged song in her heart,
a smile upon her ruby lips, and blood dripping
from her delicate fingers.
Ionica is a genius. Unfortunately for the world,
Ionica was shipwrecked on a journey to the site of
Winter Bellamira was once an Assamite. Those the ancient city of Alexandretta at the prime of his
who heard of her exploits would shake in fear at health; it was widely presumed that he died, and
the sound of her name, crossing themselves in his name fell from the history books. But Ionica
superstitious terror; those she was sent after would did not die. Or, at least, he did not remain dead.
die, their pale faces locked in a rictus of terror as
they collapsed to drifting ash. She was a perfect, Daedalus, Pythagoras, Odysseus … his Sire, childe
fine-tuned instrument of execution. She never of Arikel, counted her new progeny amongst the
failed. ranks of such mythic thinkers, and few who have met
Ionica in the centuries since dare to disagree. The
Until one night, when she did. She got past terms of his embrace into the Toreador – bound by
security, as always, and brought her target low: blood-oath and mind-sculpting Elder Discipline,
first, she slaughtered his foul “pets.” Then there chained in place thrice-by-thrice – instructed that
was a grand melee against each & every of his any great discoveries made by the immortal would
bodyguards at once, and then Winter finally faced be kept to the Kindred world alone, forever locked-
her quarry in single combat. He lasted longer away from mortal understanding.
than most, a deeply pleasant surprise. She cut
off his head with a fire-axe taken from his gutted
lieutenant: a perfect killing-blow.
But then – in defiance of all that is natural – her
target got up, reattached his head, poured each of
them a drink and sat down to have a conversation
with her. Slaughtering the damned, he said, was
one way to find redemption in the “eyes of God,”
most certainly, but – simply put – the best way to
survive these Final Nights, and the world to come,
is to become something so dangerous, so terrifying,
that no one would even dream of trying to face you
in combat. Not with one hundred armies. With
that, he pulled off his warm mask of humanity and

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 155

 For centuries – millennia – this was enough. Until
it wasn’t, and Ionica decided to do whatever it took
to become mortal again: to slip free of his chains,
to bring centuries of thought and wisdom to the
public, and – better still – to take his proper credit
for it. To this end he has devoured every analysis
of Hell ever penned; he has built intricate engines
of demon-summoning, vast kaleidoscopes of lens
& mirror to magnify and refract the miraculous
energies of Oblivion. Not long now until the task
is complete; not long until Ionica once more walks
the Earth beneath the sun, a Prometheus in flesh.
Yuki-Onna Chiaroscuro is a divine figure among
the Baali, a self-embraced Methuselah of the
Bloodline who protects & aides those most-faithful
who beg her intervention in their time of most
desperate need. If one-tenth of those who claim
to have seen her sliding silently through a burning
chemical-plant, drifting through the low winter
clouds above a hopeless gunfight or shielding them
with a calm smile from the view of a rabid Sabbat
Inquisition-pack are to be believed, she appears
dozens of times a year in the most unexpected of
places, always in a flickering wreath of alabaster
flame and obsidian-black lightning; it is said that
the world drains of color at the moment of her
arrival, and that wisps of fresh snow mark the
touch of her feet upon the trembling earth.
There is a legend surrounding Saint Chiaroscuro,
Blessed She of Shadows & Hell’s Own Fury, and
the legend goes like this:
156 Faces of the Wicked
The nameless young woman who would – in undeath
– become Yuki-Onna spent much of her mortal life feeling
quite trapped: overlooked and under-appreciated, a delicate
soul adrift in an iron, too-harsh world of leering monsters
with rough, grasping hands and sharp-eyed ghosts marked
by their jagged, mocking voices. Through the pale, drifting
fog that surrounded her, day and night alike, she always did
her very best to please the steely, domineering father and
the cruel, icy-cold mother who lurked, pacing & scowling,
beneath her bedroom. She was beaten when she did not
succeed at this task; she was beaten very badly indeed when
she shamed her family in view of others … especially those
of higher station.
And it seemed, so often, that everyone but the starving
dogs in the litter-strewn street and the weeping beggar-
women lying dead in the alleyways were of higher station.
Certainly, her too-friendly uncle – and the procession of
phantasmal, violated and gutted little girls who followed
forever after him in a silent train – was of such “high
station”: his brutal service to the State, measured in spilled
blood, severed heads & limbless torsos staked-up along the
roads to feed the flies, made him untouchable. Not to be
questioned. Not to be disrespected.
The eldest of seven daughters, she tried with all her
fluttering heart to protect her little sisters from the grotesque
oppression of the rotting world: the bleak nightmare-realm
of endless war beyond their doorstep, and the claustrophobic
hell festering deep within their little home.
Oftentimes, she succeeded. And she was glad of it, in her
thin sort of way.
Yet when the night-wizard came to make her an
immortal, floating with a red-stained smile just beyond
her tiny window, perched on a cunning platform of mist
& dream, she wept with truest and roaring joy: it was a
feeling she did not know she could possess, though she had
seen it often enough – etched and burning – blaze in the
hearts of others.
The night-wizard said that she was special: gifted with
the god-sight, a one-in-a-billion miracle, a treasure spotted
less than once a millennium.
She went with him, to a vast city of strange beautiful
lights and strange ugly people, and crossed over the threshold
to undeath, and was bound by heavy chains of cursed blood
… and she learned the mysteries of vampire-magic. She replaced her own blood – the vitae of her cabal –
with the water of Baal.
She was good at it.
The ritual was very difficult: perhaps her first true
Beyond good, in fact; a prodigy among prodigies, the challenge in unlife.
other night-wizards nodded and muttered to themselves: the
best in ten centuries, the best in a hundred generations. And she was reborn, her bonds shattered to smoldering
When her tutors spoke too slowly, she simply pulled the arts ribbons.
from their cold-dead minds; she mastered all the black arts
presented to her by her master, and – when she grew bored And then she called up the greatest demon in all the
with lessons she had already memorized a dozen times books of the night-wizards, and she humbled it in blazing
over – she discovered secret places hidden in the winding phosphorescent chains before her, and she stripped the most
cathedral she now called home: forbidden chambers, long- twisted riddles of oblivion-magic from the coiling thing it
lost libraries, and alchemical forges barred from the memory called a mind, and then – with the love-sick, frothing fiend
of any who could not solve seven invisible puzzles. loping beside her like a loyal hound – she turned each of the
night-wizards inside out, and made their bones shatter into
All of these, she devoured whole. icy daggers, and made them to sing all of their betrayals
aloud in a weeping chorus of long-hidden transgressions,
She was granted the rank of magician, and it was decided and made the sobbing old men dance with each other like
that she would be given – at the conclusion of one century’s her uncle danced with the girls he bought.
time – the right to create a single apprentice.
When they fell, flittering at the edge of Final Death, she
She asked, then, to go back: to fetch her sisters, and bring drank them: one by one she drank them, in order from the
them to the courts of the night-wizards, and to give them thinnest of blood to the most-ancient.
shelter.
Then she went back to her home, and she made each
She was refused. She begged. She was rebuffed. She wept of her sisters into a beautiful princess of perfect & endless
& offered promises of magic , promises of service, promises midnight, and her old house burned like a thousand stars,
of blood and obedience. The night-wizards yelled at her as and her demon-prince licked the blood from her white toes
if she were a child; they said it was not done, that it was in adoration.
insolent, that she would be beaten, stripped and chained,
if she asked again. And then her rage passed, and she smiled at what she
had done.
She grew angry, then, for perhaps the first time.
The seven daughters torture their wicked uncle to this
She found that the magic of her blood-bonds prevented very evening … and Yuki-Onna Chiaroscuro is happy once
her from disobeying the elders. more. On certain nights, they say, she and her sisters emerge
They would need to be broken. from their hidden lair – perhaps from a haunted hunting-
lodge on a snow-covered mountainside, perhaps from a pit
In a study secreted beneath a disused chapel, she found beneath a silent forest, perhaps from a glittering mansion
an elixir of strange black vitae marked as the ‘Water of just on the edge of town – to gather-up cruel men for their
Baal’; it crawled & twitched with the dreaming soul of a winter feast.
long-dead enchanter, and twisted in place – making lovely
spirals of rose & deepest cardinal – with the heart’s blood And on those nights, the Baali light flames to keep her
of a dozen-and-one sword-saints, wolf-dancers, phantom- wrath at bay, and write prayers on strips of paper, and let
binders and yomi-benders, and it seethed with echoes of the ashes of those intercessions fly free into the snowfall.
ancient possibility. Sometimes, these prayers are granted.
She performed a ritual that she found written on a long,
pale scroll of human flesh.

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 157

 Is-A-Virtue Johansson, formerly known as
“Patience,” is a curious sort of evangelical, ex-
Malkavian occult researcher, a self-driven secret-
agent delivery-service specializing in putting
exactly the right hellish esoterica in exactly the
right hands at exactly the right time. Although
she’s certainly not the single most knowledgeable
scholar of folklore, demonology, black magic, secret
history and diabolism currently active within the
Bloodline, she most-likely ranks in the top 10%.
More importantly, however, Ms. Johansson
is driven by an absolutely pathological need to
whisper the horrible things she knows directly into
the ear of whoever needs to hear it, at the most
pivotal time possible. In practical terms, this means
that she screams through the night, just beneath
the notice of the immortal & inquisitive powers- Athena Saintcroix is a Sunday School teacher &
that-be, flitting from Choir to Hive, from Pilgrim retired junior high librarian who volunteers three
to secret nightmare-library, and back again with afternoons a week at the local rehab shelter; she
religious fervor: spreading whatever dark seeds of owns over two dozen “World’s Best Great-Aunt”
revelation she can lay hold of, placing blasphemous coffee mugs, from which she drinks warm tea
little packages of perverse, forbidden knowledge while she works on her jigsaw puzzles, pets her
wherever the voices tell her to. lazy old Dachshunds, and reads her cozy mysteries.
More interestingly, Ms. Saintcrowe is a witch, and
Sometimes, a member of the Bloodline will a demon-slayer, and a licensed massage-therapist
return to his lair just before dawn, puzzling over … and a mortal. Killing the tarot-reading old
how best to approach a new wrinkle in the ongoing bitch should, in theory, be about as challenging as
Camarilla conflict he has engineered, to discover popping open a jiggling, overfull water-balloon full
a box sitting on his bed: wrapped in red ribbon, of warm, wet Type O negative.
with a little note signed “Is-A-Virtue”. Within,
he is assured to find a bit of insight, inspiration, And maybe, like, a few bones. Some tasty, iron-rich
or information … and, just sometimes, a weapon organs. At least a few unrecognizable people-bits
thought lost to ages. dripping with blackish-crimson gore like motor-oil.
And yet somehow – fucking SOMEHOW – every
bold, brash young Baali Choir to venture out in
the general direction of Ms. Saintcrowe’s quaint,
idyllic, Thomas-Kinkade-ass-lookin’ little cabin on
the lake – right off the forest road, there where
the echoing woodland & the county’s best-loved
wild herb garden meet the moonlit waves – toting
sawed-off shotguns, fire-axes, heavy revolvers,
duct-tape, gas cannisters, improvised explosives &
incendiaries, katanas, and baseball-bats decorated
with nails, razor-wire, oily rags & broken beer
bottles superglued to rusty bottle-opener-bits …
well, they’ve all been sent back to the nearest local
Hive in one of those big blue Danish butter-cookie

158 Faces of the Wicked

tins that everyone’s grandma uses to store sewing represents keeps any one of the currently-active
supplies. Every. Last. Damn. ONE OF THEM. Baali Elders from popping him open like a juice-
box and drinking his weird, crooked, skinny old
How? Nobody knows. At this point, Ms. Saint- ass dry. Worse, it is well established that prolonged
Crowe has become the white whale of more Baali exposure to Dug can infect the petitioner with the
Choirmasters than is probably healthy. One of Carrion Comfort Flaw (Clanbook: Baali pg. 45),
these nights, a hundred or more new converts to albeit by unknown means; as such, most Elders of
the faith of the Sleeping Children are going to the Bloodline deal with Dug only when they must,
rush out of the dark woods to rip her house down and only via proxy: sending their neonates to hunt
and tear through the burning rubble to find out him down, deal with his bullshit, pay whatever
whatever tantalizing treasure – what unutterably psychotic price he demands, avoid getting eaten,
mighty artifact of the angelic – she’s hiding in there and report back with actionable intelligence … all
… or die, screaming, in the desperate attempt. tasks far more easily commanded than executed.
Ol’ Diggin’ Dug is ancient, that much is clear.
He possesses wisdom pulled up from centuries –
if not millennia – of near-constant graverobbing,
and he is without a doubt the Bloodline’s single
foremost expert on matters of Necromancy, ghost-
magic and all subjects related to the far side of
murder: Wraiths, Risen, the Underworld, Stygia,
the Labyrinth, and Oblivion itself. His council is
sought by Elders & Methuselah alike, particularly
before undertaking any protracted siege of a city
held by strangers, especially those with unknown –
possibly necromantic – abilities: no one within the
Faith knows more about the mysterious Kiasyd,
Children of Osiris or Nagaraja, for example, than
Ol’ Dug.
He is also, in fact, the major bulwark keeping
Clan Giovanni away from the throats of the Baali:
the Bloodline doesn’t have nearly the unification Túzǎi Zhǎo – Mandarin: ‘Slaughter Claw’ – is an
of that Family, nor their good name amongst the outcast among her people; those within the Silent
Camarilla, and the two opposing Sects tend to swim Striders view their former sister with a mixture of
the same small, dark ponds full of drugs, sex, sin & fear, pity, hatred, and disgust, for her path into the
black magic. Because of Dug, though, the Giovanni darkness has grown crooked and strange, corrupted
stay far the fuck away. Dug is, unfortunately, also one step at a time by the Wyrm until – now – she
very much out-of-his-damn-mind; rumors persist wades through icy rivers of ash & gore without a
that Dug was once – long before the rise of Rome – second thought. A practitioner of the forbidden
a Malkavian of exceptional power, blood potency, Rite of Dormant Wisdom and acknowledged
and station. member of the secretive Eaters of the Dead, the
assassin called ‘Ms. Zhao’ maintains friendly – if
If so, his mental condition has not improved somewhat strained – contact only with the Swords
since then, and may in fact be in a state of severe of the Night.
decline; his Zen-like riddles and illogical aphorisms
are vague, at the best of times, and only the Where other members of the fanatical Swords
immense value that his accumulated knowledge primarily seek-out and destroy nests of the Spawn

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 159

of Sutekh, annihilating the lairs of other Leeches Clan & Faith as an active hunter of Infernalists,
only when such viper-dens are uncovered, Ms. Zhao investigating the use of that forbidden blood-
harbors a burning obsession with the sworn blood- sorcery amongst the Sabbat, within the Camarilla,
enemies of the Setites: the Baali. Her rapacious and beneath the noses of significantly more private
hunger for the cold, fresh-spilled brains of these Kindred organizations … most of whom consider
creatures – and of all those who have survived his soft-spoken intrusions decidedly unwelcome.
even the briefest dealings with the blasphemous
bloodline – is not entirely healthy … and the pale, The amiable Mr. Habushu spends a not-
strange longevity afforded her by the consumption insignificant percentage of his time cleaning up
of such delicacies is most certainly not wholesome. the dark legacy of the Tremere Antitribu, rooting
The human-shaped wolf spirit now walks the out the occasional Baali as he does so, and making
night alone, stalking Baali and their victims alike himself an indispensable ally-of-opportunity to
through subways and sewers with grotesque hunger any number of Josian devil-hunters and Sabbat
and righteous fury blazing in her heart; that she Inquisitors alike. To the Baali, he’s enemy number
serves the will of the Sleeping Children, culling the one: clever, smooth-talking, terrifying in a fight,
weakest from their flock & teaching the survivors armed with both esoteric knowledge and True
the arts oc cunning subtlety, has not yet occurred Faith, owned favors by high-ranking members of
to her. every secret Sect claiming rulership of the night,
yet answering to no one. When word spreads from
Choir to Hive that Mr. Habushu is on the trail of
a particularly foolish Baali, the Bloodline rapidly
moves to close ranks: keeping the damage he’ll
inevitably do to an absolute minimum.
Candy Hardy, the One-Girl Party is no-one’s
idea of a Baali, which is at least half the reason
she’s been so damn successful. The other half is
probably a combination of ruthless cunning, a
positive attitude, big doe eyes and sheer, bloody-
minded, psychopathic cruelty. Blessed with the
perky, pink, eternally-youthful glow of a high-
Humanity neonate – despite her age and utter,
omnicidal devotion to the grotesque, gore-streaked
dreams of the Sleeping Children – Candy roams
the shadowed halls of power perched high above
Camarilla cities disguised as everything from fresh-
Mr. Habushu is a former Serpent of the Light faced Toreador blood-doll to goofy, bunny-eared
– handsome and lean, bedecked always in long Malkavian “Harpy’s Assistant” to bubbly pop/
dreadlocks and sharp designer shades – who punk-princess Brujah childe-of-the-Scourge.
long-ago abandoned the Sword of Caine to serve Whistling and smiling, smacking her wild
his immortal Red God more directly; he and his cherry juicy fruit with vapid, manic-pixie-dream-
traveling congregation still practice something akin girl abandon, she wanders blithely from one
to the Vaulderie, however, and his high-efficiency secretive, conspiratorial power-struggle to the next,
methods of infiltration & interrogation definitely a look of awed innocence painted on her pretty
borrow a bit of their … “flair for the dramatic” face. Dressed like a rainbow-pastel children’s
from his time as Pack Ductus. The charming, anime love-interest, babbling like an emptyheaded
ever-smiling Mr. Habushu now works for the cartoon bimbo, Candy’s true gift is something we

160 Faces of the Wicked

might call “false revelation”: when she confides in
a new friend that she’s really a spy for the Tremere,
or lets slip that she actually totally likes motorcycles
& death metal, or confesses that she’s super afraid
the Prince will find out about her “dirty movies”
and consider them a Masquerade-breach … well,
most people stop digging.
Still waters run deep, and hyperactive little Candy
sure as hell seems like she’s the shallowest fun-
times gal to ever throw off her dress and go skinny-
dipping in a downtown public fountain. This is all,
as might be guessed, an illusion. When she senses
that the Sleeping Children might be getting bored
with her adorable antics, Candy is delighted to
light all of the fuses she’s laid across the city all at
once. Sometimes, she even stays around to dance
in the rubble & rescue the last few shell-shocked
survivors into the Bloodline.
There are two ways to consider Miles Bellum,
‘the war soldier’: one, somewhat accurately, is to
think of him as an ancient Roman legionnaire
and former slave, a 5th-generation grandchilde
of Malkav himself, dark right hand of the Eternal
Senate, slayer – so they say – of ten-thousand
Brujah, who served with distinction during the
utter destruction of Carthage in 146 BCE. Another,
perhaps more accurate way to imagine him is as a
vast cathedral crawling along the dust-swept wastes
TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI
of the Madness Network, a groaning& tilted tower
that plays host to legions of cackling Yomonlik,
whispering Baali & the howling Infernalist childer
of Troile: all those poisonous souls diablerized so
many millennia ago, all still raising their voices in
a soul-rending chorus deep inside the fractured
mind of Mr. Bellum.
His splintered psyche wanders the world now
unseen, in tattered Astral form, taking possession
of mortals seemingly at random in order to
complete urgent, incoherent tasks of violence &
espionage. The psychopathic Methuselah arises in
the flesh, thankfully, only irregularly from his long
slumber; when he stirs from his crypt, the fabric of
the mind shakes & shreds in his wake: armies put
themselves to the spear and the torch, crucifying
themselves with gleeful abandon, as citizens rise up
with one voice to fling themselves from rooftops in
the name of the glorious Eternal Senate. He hasn’t
awoken in centuries, and as to where he rests now
… well, no one knows. That said, there are a few
very well-learned Baali historians who are quite
actively looking for his desiccated corpse.
Alexandrianna Zanatosa was born to serve her
Voivode. The youngest of seven daughters, she
was the family favorite … as well as the brightest,
the most cunning, and the sharpest-tongued.
Aristocrats among mortals, she and her sprawling
161
family tended the lands & estate of their undying the cost of her entertainment. The very first victim
master in an unbroken chain of loyalty stretching of her diablerie was her own Voivode; since that
back to the time of the Flood; given a pedigree such ancient night, she has slaked her thirst & her dark
as this, her life was guaranteed to be one of riches, hunger alike on countless Tzimisce, savoring each
and power, and – most of all – boredom. Boredom drop of vitae rich with the simmering magic of
enough to drive a dullard mad. Vicissitude. Her appreciation for entertainment is,
in truth, only now beginning to blossom into its
And of all the dire insults ever to be levied fullest – and most inhuman – stage of development.
against little Alexandrianna, not once in all the What manner of clever diversion shall she think
centuries has she been called a dullard. Still … up next?
as the youngest, Alexandrianna was rarely called
upon for any important tasks; her family’s master Judas Ashe gives new meaning to the term
was so ancient that – in truth – it was unlikely “refuge in audacity”: by day, Mr. Ashe – AKA
the creature would rise in time to grant her the Harold Jonathan ‘Jack’ Neilson – is just a bit more
Embrace that was her family’s highest honor & impressive than the average guy on the street;
most-precious birthright. Alexandrianna’s lifetime his many celebrity & supermodel ex-girlfriends
duty, then, was simply to marry a cousin and give describe Jack as friendly, confident, well-built,
birth to many sons: to extend the family holdings and fantastic in bed. Those who’ve worked with
through dark forests and over night-lit fields in the him on million-dollar multimedia deals never fail
name of her Voivode. to mention Jack’s incredibly good luck, nor his
eerily youthful appearance … although his best
pals always reference Jack’s seemingly unnatural
attributes with a wink, a smile, and a wry chuckle.
By night, three to four months out of the
year, Jack takes the stage as a big-time Vegas
stage-magician; his ‘Judas Ashe’ stage-persona is
legendary: a demon-worshiping vampire warlock
rockstar with the power to bend & enslave the
minds of men, teleporting across the casino and
shrugging-off lethal gunshot wounds with a smirk.
Judas maintains an impressive online social-media
presence, boasting millions of followers and three
‘Specials’ available for instant view on any of a
dozen popular media-streaming services; he did
four episodes of a popular, long-running police-
procedural drama last year, playing a handsome
doctor serial-killer (with incredibly shredded abs)
She was a dutiful daughter, certainly … but who murders people with poison-coated playing
pregnancy left her bedridden, bored, and alone. cards thrown with laser precision.
Until a new friend, tapping at the window,
introduced himself one fog-shrouded night. This He was on the cover of a half-dozen men’s health
friend helped her to find entertainment. In a magazines, shirtless on all of them, to promote the
heartbeat – her last – Alexandrianna found the cop-show arc; with a laugh, Jack always attributes
deeper delights of the flesh. And in the flesh of his killer bod to his trainer: SATAN HIMSELF.
others, especially those of lesser breeding, who do Some years back, a Camarilla Archon – along
not deserve to keep their flesh … certainly not at with her coterie – were dispatched to investigate
Mr. Ashe … and, if necessary, to arrange for him

162 Faces of the Wicked

to experience an unfortunate automobile accident. an emaciated, too-stretched figure of grotesquerie
moving quickly and silently beneath alleyways and
They were never seen nor heard from again. across rooftops.
Further probing by the Camarilla has met,
universally, with increasingly-costly disasters; the Miklos, his “face” twisted into a drooling
official word, currently, is that ‘Judas’ is annoying, rictus grin, rolled with the punches, serving his
lucky, not worth the time to investigate, and monstrous Sire with distinction: by the cunning
definitely going to die of old age within the next whispers of Miklos, Vilmos was soon called to
century, making him the sort of problem that the Primogen Council, then named the Prince’s
traditionally solves itself. These nights, a certain Scourge; within a century, Miklos was Harpy,
breed of young Baali have taken to idolizing the the Seneschal bound to him by blood-oath and
esteemed Mr. Ashe as their unofficial mascot: the Tremere of nearby Vienna deeply indented
wearing his t-shirts, quoting his trademark lines, to him for … undisclosed favors owed. Weaving
following him online, attending his shows, and his way through dark, crimson-drenched decades
imitating his punk-rock lifestyle … all of them as Harpy-Among-Harpies of Eastern and Central
speculating as to what epic demon-lord lays claim Europe, keeping close track of boons and status,
to his immortal soul. the charmed unlife of Miklos seemed to become
more and more charmed with each passing year.
Soon, his reputation outgrew even that of his
prestigious & terrifying sire: his favor courted from
Warszawa to Athens, his cruel-barbed witticisms
quoted by undead socialites and intelligentsia from
London to Moscow. It was, some said, almost as if
there was more to those complex deals the wide-
smiling Nosferatu made than met the eye. Some
wondered at his good fortune, and whispered
rumors, and were never seen again. In modern
nights, Miklos sleeps: the diablerized blood of
ancients settling in his veins, a heartless smile
upon his pale & eyeless face, and nary a blemish
on either his Harpy’s Record nor his pristine aura.
When he awakens, some icy-cold evening to come,
he will have the Prince’s ear, and the Primogen
council on a leash, and a Scourge as his very own
Miklos Esik Uttsozeg lived a most-charmed life: “master”; Archons will bow before him to repay
born rich, of noble blood, with fine features and their debts and Alastors will seek-out his blessing
exquisite wit, he was – all amongst the gentry agreed in courtly matters. And this will serve Miklos well
– destined for greatness. None dared speak of his … for his appetites – and those of his demonic
… unsavory appetites. Both of his lives – the public patron – have only grown deeper & more twisted
life of courtly intrigue, and the secret life of fatal in his long years of slumber.
dalliances with young prostitutes – were cut short
when Miklos was pulled into filth and darkness by In another world – a better world – the name of
the Nosferatu Elder called Vilmos Meghódítani, Chataruza Lisabetta Foscari would be known by
Hungry Shadow Beneath Budapest. Miklos was every scholar, ranked among the greatest of the
reborn as a slick-skinned, eyeless white thing of Italian Renaissance thinkers: polymath, chemist,
long, spidery limbs and smooth, hairless chitin: horologist, physicist, engineer, artist, anatomist,
historian, tracing the movements of Jupiter’s moons

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 163

through her bedroom window by candlelight David Mammon is the quintessential cautionary
& sketching designs of wondrous clockworks tale among Infernalists: he’s what happens when
in the dust of her kitchen floor. Unfortunately, a cocky & charming young sorcerer – vastly too
Chataruza had the damnably poor fortune to be clever for his own good, wrapped in most-potent
born a woman … and an impoverished one, at that. protective amulets & angel-wrought warding-
sigils – calls up an ancient evil spirit-entity that
Though she caught the eye of an immortal he has absolutely not the slightest nor most-remote
patron early-on – observed from afar each evening hope of controlling or banishing and invites it into
by a True Brujah who saw in her Urania reborn, his body to “chat”. The thing that puppets Mr.
the Muse of Astronomy in the living flesh – that Mammon’s invincible flesh-mansion now is old: a
sorrowful vampire found himself unable to free thing of the deepest, echoing obsidian underearth,
Chataruza from baseless, jealous accusations of a blasphemous primordial titan formed – blood
witchcraft and idolatry most foul: he left her to die & bone, soul & stone – of towering, nameless
in a dismal pit sanctified by the Church, crossing mountains beneath the tectonic plates, of valleys
himself and begging forgiveness from God as tears and peaks ground to windswept dust by screams
of cold crimson streaked down his pale cheeks. Yet & lightning-storms long before mere humanity
he was not Ms. Foscari’s only admirer. No indeed. walked the world.
In the dank blackness of her cell, on the night These days, Mr. Mammon sits quietly in his
before her execution, the voice of a young boy empty penthouse apartment, staring out at the
asked Chataruza to forsake her God, to reject His city glowing beneath his floor-to-ceiling windows,
holy name three times, and to have – for herself contemplating what to do with the world beyond.
– a black eternity to examine the cracks of His He can crush skyscrapers with a twitch, and his
“perfect” creation. She agreed to the terms of the merest whisper causes mortals to fall, weeping
bargain, a snarl on her delicate lips. That evening, blood, in rapt obedience to his command; he
a most ferocious mind was sharpened to a razor’s mostly uses this to avoid paying rent and to get his
hateful edge; she has led the Baali to victory after Chinese food delivered for free. Fortunately for the
victory, deftly circumventing the utter extinction world, Mr. Mammon has no idea – not the very
of the Bloodline no fewer than a dozen times. foggiest notion – what to do with the cacophonous,
These nights, however, Chataruza busies herself alien reality currently humming away just on the
with her newest project: find a way to wake the other side of his mahogany, mirror-polished door.
Sleeping Children, feed them the corpse of God,
lobotomize them, chain them to her will, and then In his eyes wheel multitudinous continents of
harness their blind idiot power to remake reality obscenity, hung like pulsating iridescent tumors in
as a New Tellurian .. one forged in her own image. an ever-shifting constellation of depravity, sadism
and self-hatred, laced-through with vast coils of
razor-wire & city-sized shards of ichor-drenched
onyx; he does not sleep, but he dreams with eyes
unblinking of things – unholy and undying things,
born under no sane stars, armored and adorned
with horrid & fleshy scribbles of frothing-mad
blasphemies – who breed in the shadowed places
beneath that kaleidoscope of rotting, rust-caked
punishment-houses. He knows how to call these,
his larvae, out of the Abyss.
He knows the date of Gehenna’s arrival, and of
what comes after. He does not know how to change

164 Faces of the Wicked

his pants. He can hear satellite signals; in this way,
he tunes himself to watch gameshows 168 hours a
week. For the rare Baali capable of communicating
with Mr. Mammon – barely – he is the most-useful
of allies and most desperate of risks: a juggernaut
who can walk through a reinforced bank-vault wall
as effortlessly as a man might stroll down a garden
path, passing through a deluge of automatic heavy-
arms fire like a semi driving through warm spring
rain … and so utterly unaware of what he’s doing
that he is as likely to slaughter all of allies and then
walk backwards into the ocean as he is to “demand
or accept payment”.
Repentance Bitteridge knew – from the day
he first heard the fire-&-brimstone words of the
red-faced preacher who ruled over his close-knit,
New England community – that the devil walked
the world, treading dark forest and moonlit glade
with a cold, cruel heart, whispering promises of
sweet pleasure & forbidden knowledge to all those
unwary and unwise enough to listen and pay heed.
As he grew, young Repentance began to see
witchcraft and devil-sign in more and more places:
he could hear the creak of corruption growing,
ever spreading, out deep in the woods by night;
he could smell the stench of taint and lust and
spiritual weakness on the rot-splattered bodies of
all those who walked by him in the streets by day.
TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI
He stared out into the blackness for long hours,
and he found that he could hear the demons just
beyond the thin circle of firelight: cackling and
dancing, floating like phantoms, mocking the
crucifixion and making merry sport of sin ‘round
their eerie, hellish balefires.
Every man, woman, and child of the village
attended these Black Masses, he began to realize,
dressed in lewd undergarments and ichor-dripping
animal skins. He saw it in their eyes, heard it in
their whispers. Eventually, the stress of his grave
and secret knowledge became too much; one
night, Repentance took his father’s wood-axe and
walked into the village. He cleansed the world,
that eve, of as many flesh-bound demons as he
could lay hand upon. One at a time, he cleansed
them. He cleansed them well, and did not cease
his mighty efforts even when caught in the divine
act by some berserk demon wearing the skin of a
“good Christian wife”; driven into the deep woods
near midnight by a swarm of howling hell-spawn,
foaming blood from the mouth, Repentance
begged his God to let him live just one more night:
one more night to watch the witch’s orgies from
his bedroom window, one more night to scent
the charnel smoke of demon-lust as it vented into
wailing whores, one more night to hunt, to cleanse,
to sever the limbs of the profane from their cursed
torsos and to cast them, screaming, into the flame.
Something that was not god answered him,
and very gladly granted his heartfelt prayer, and
Repentance was born anew deep in the echoing
and unlighted woods: brought forth from the grave
in a baptism of ecstatic, holy revelation. Since that
evening, Repentance has been a hunter for the
Baali, a most-fervent worshipper of the Sleeping
Children, a man driven by purest need and
deepest fanaticism to work their wordless prayers
in shrieking, crimson-drizzling meat.
Johnny Head-Full-of-Scythes isn’t very smart.
He’s remarkably good-looking, sure, and plenty
handy in a fight, and covered in some pretty decent
ink, but no one ever accused the man of being the
smartest crust-punk dealing drugs to teenagers &
stealing loose change from passed-out addicts in
165
his particular collection of back alleys, condemned fierce aquiline features, flashing crimson eyes &
tenements, and disused storefronts. But one can colorless shoulder-length hair, falling like a cascade
hardly blame the man for not being able to wrap of molten glass … but an unbelievable dick,
his admittedly limited brainpower around what’s nonetheless. Everyone who works for him agrees;
taken up residence inside his skull. It defies all shit, even the people who rely on him most directly
sanity, after all. think he’s an arrogant, overbearing, control-freak
prick … although they would never phrase it that
Long story short, Johnny has been having a lot of way, of course. Not exactly.
really nasty migraines lately. Ever since that weird
party, in that creepy old sub-basement under the
falling-down church, where they passed around a
bunch of big cups full of hallucinogens and god-
knows-what else, and played that creepy music that
made everyone uncomfortably horny, and then
… well, after that it’s all kind of a dark blur. The
upshot is that something from the other side of
the Veil is in Johnny’s head now. Half concept,
half flesh. Sometimes it mutters, and the walls
drip. Sometimes it sings, and Johnny can float.
Sometimes it twitches, and everything in the room
except Ol’ Johnny dies of glass-shards-teleported-
into-their-internal-organs related complications.
It’s growing in there. Undergoing a metamorphosis.
And he’ll be protected from on-high by the Devil
Himself – or His nearest earthly representatives –
until it comes of age.
The one & only reason anyone – ANYONE –
works for or with Mr. Alabaster is because he gets
results. Brutal, hyper-efficient results. And in his
line of work – which is to say, hunting Infernalists
& slaying demons – there isn’t a second-place
trophy. You either kill every single minion of the
Abyss the very first time you bump into them or
you get torn to still-living shreds by something
born of a fractured nightmare reality, on the hunt
for innocent flesh to defile & devour. After a half-
dozen centuries on the job, Simon Alabaster –
proud Lasombra Antitribu Elder and Josian devil-
killer, striding the Path of Power & the Inner Voice
like the Crown Prince of Big-Dick-istan ascending
the stairs to claim his throne – is still kicking. At
the top of his game, honestly.
Which means he must be doing something right.
Simon Alabaster is a dick. A stylish dick, certainly, And, in his defense, very few creatures of this
eternally bedecked head-to-toe in $100,000 world or the next can claim such utter hatred of
ivory suits to complement his chalk-white skin, those mewling worms who truck with the Infernal.

166 Faces of the Wicked

The thing is, though, that Simon’s problem with
those who sell themselves into slavery beneath
the long-nailed thumb of a devil-master is, quite
simply, that it isn’t sporting. It’s the fast, cheap &
easy road. It’s a stolen stepladder. It’s a soul-deep
admission of weakness that Simon literally cannot
stomach. Frankly, the atrocities of the Baali bore
Mr. Alabaster; it’s their goddamn laziness that
lights an icy fire in his frozen-iron heart, driving
him to boiling-bleach-clean every last capillary of
anything dumb enough to fall into his specially-
crafted inquisitor’s chair.
Lethe D’habi is has served as a ghoul to the
Baali for a long damn time. Long enough to see
lesser Bloodlines – and even Clans – fall to dust:
so long, Salubri, you sad insufferable bastards;
hello delicious hubris of the Tremere, long may
you hunger for secret knowledge in forbidden and
wicked places. Lethe has been passed down from
one Elder to the next since long before Mohammed
claimed Mecca out from under the black dominion
of the Baali … alongside a disturbing percentage of
the murderous Spawn of Haqim, sad to say.
Unlike her masters, however, Lethe does not
slumber through the centuries: she walks the day,
striding the howling streets, the eyes & ears of
Demons: committing the sunlit world of the living
to perfect and crystal-clear memory. What she sees,
TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI
the Saints & Hive-Mothers also see. She has beheld
the value of the Masquerade carved in the ash,
tears and lifeblood of tens-of-thousands; she has
seen the terrible rise & fall of great Baali fortresses,
armies and monasteries. She has watched from the
darkened woods as dull-eyed crusaders destroyed
priceless treasures older than phonetic writing.
When the Sleeping Children finally rise, Lethe
will be there to greet them. So … if Lethe has to,
sometimes, very carefully perform the occasional
bit of quick surgery on the bloodline? Removing
the odd Nergal here, dragging the infrequent too-
stupid Infernalist into the sunlight there? Well.
You know. She fully expects it’s all forgiven. Best
not to ask, though.
In the black veins of Bhodhashaiikay, the true
legacy of The Swarm (Clanbook Baali, pg. 34) yet
endures. By his iron will and onyx word, the weak
have been culled from the cold, chittering heart
of the Hive during the long, dark centuries spent
in-hiding from a world of ignorant cattle; he waits,
grandmaster of a buzzing & hungry engine, in his
web-draped labyrinth for the word of the Molochim,
ready to rise-up and reclaim the soft lands of the
living. Obedient to his sire in all things, the swarm
of Bhodhushaiikay has grown: becoming harder,
swifter, more poisonous and more efficient with
each passing night.
167
 The world outside has mutated, as he
understands it, but it has not yet undergone true
metamorphosis: it is still a ripe place of bleating
prey-animals, ruled-over from thin shadow by High
Clans & Low Clans … or by their descendants,
the pretender Camarilla & Sabbat. It matters not.
In lightless catacombs lost to humanity, corpses
animated by the thick blood of Bhodhushaiikay
– wrapped in chitin, dynamite & razor, twitching
sightlessly in the blackness -- are stacked a dozen-
high, down corridors miles deep, ever-ready to
serve. Word will come of Moloch’s rise. Soon
enough. Bhodhushaiikay is patient.
Wolfgang Valentine DiMartini doesn’t give two
shits about the Baali, or about vampires in general,
or about the future of this sad-sack, flaming bag-of-
dog-turds reality. It’s meaningless, fundamentally; Chronicler & Scribe: Once a pair of rival academics,
after all, surviving whatever wave of annihilation these two brilliant professors of history battled one
comes next isn’t exactly going to be a problem for another in publication after publication – spilling
him. Ol’ Wolfy—as he’s known to his “friends” – oceans of ink, destroying the careers and marriages of
is an ageless spirit-entity of purest wickedness, tied all those who stood in the way of their vendetta – for
in some unknowable and unwholesome way to the decades before they caught the attention of a certain
realms of the living; he desires nothing more than obsessive Tremere Antitribu. Both men disappeared on
to be called out of the screaming blackness of the the same night, much to the scandal of the academic
Abyss to dance, sing, eat, shit, piss, fuck, puke, and community; foul play was suspected, but never proven.
partake in all manner of perverse earthly pleasures These two fierce intellects, their names & faces stripped
for a few hours. away by foul blood-sorcery, were re-forged: embraced
Or days. Or whatever. Because otherwise, honestly, as Blood Brothers, utilized as twin researchers of
the daily grind of inflicting eternal torment can get Noddist-lore, focused like a laser on the shared task
to be a real drag. Or so he says. Long story short, of unraveling the ultimate mystery: Caine’s legacy,
Wolfgang can’t die … at least not in any meaningful and his future. Chronicler & Scribe, to this end, were
way. And he acts like it, with a maniacal grin splitting locked in an occult library for decades, fed only when
his sweat-drenched face. That said: it’s not clear, they made breakthroughs in analysis; between the two,
precisely, whether the filth-caked, grinningly-garish incalculable advancements were made … all for the
Mr. DiMartini is a powerful bane, an earthbound benefit of their master, and his private collection alone.
demon, a specter, or some other malevolent entity In time, the two were discovered by a powerful Baali
entirely; he readily answers the blasphemous call of Methuselah and re-embraced, their original creator and
any damned seeking a Herald of Topheth, and is his cabal reduced to tears, ash, and regret. Chronicler
more than delighted to ruin the world in whatever & Scribe now gleefully act as high historians of the
way is requested of him in exchange for his brief Baali bloodline & all things infernal: for those with the
reprieve from Oblivion. Dressed in a leisure-suit and means to make use of their twisted services, these two
sipping gin, caked in glitter, blood and unspeakable deformed monstrosities are perhaps the single finest
foulness, he’s the smiling Crown-Prince of resource on the planet for piecing-together information
Coprophilia & the Sovereign of Sleaze. He’d just on the secret history of Hell and all its residents.
love to wring the life out of you with his bare hands.

168 Faces of the Wicked

 Saint Titivillus de Lesotho is the current highest-
ranking follower of Via Contagionis active in the
world; his station amongst fellow pilgrims of the
Faith is similar to the status granted to the Pope
by devoted Catholics. Traveling the world in a
circumspect entourage of only his most trusted
arch-cardinals, performing midnight masses for the
Hives & Choirs of his most steadfast and obedient
“children,” it is said that Saint Titivillus possesses
something akin to True Faith in Namtaru, the
Spreader of Plagues: working miracles through his
patron demon, unleashing torments of unspeakable
virulence with the wave of a leprosy-scoured hand,
transforming hospitals build on consecrated
ground into crimson-splattered abattoirs of filth-
caked madness.
It is well-known that the terrible unliving saint
is afflicted with the Thirst of Ages, as he makes
no effort to conceal his holy tribulation: to be fed-
upon or even diablerized by the Sanctified Patriarch
is considered the most blessed of communions in
the sight of the Sleeping Children. Rumors persist,
of course, that other High Saints of the faith –
elder still by centuries or even millennia – may yet
slumber deep beneath the earth in long-lost, dust-
coated sarcophagi; it remains to be seen whether
Saint Titivillus de Lesotho will gladly step down
from his position as grandmaster over all believers
with the rise of a superior claimant to the seat of
Pontifex.
TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI
Uther Radgum spent a decade or more – who’s
to say, honestly? – trapped in a nightmarish fantasy-
world, a prisoner of his own mind. Uther was never
quite sure if he was talking to an actual monster or
to some screaming abomination made manifest by
his seemingly-depthless insanity. From the moment
he was embraced as a Malkavian, the world around
Mr. Radgum failed to make sense; worse, the world
was painful and terrifying, a cacophony of panic
and bloodshed. When his brain connected him to
the Madness Network, it just got worse.
Some of the voices in his head were real, but
he could never tell which ones: everything was
glitches, squirming & screams, echoes of atrocities
and regrets and sobbing betrayals. Uther was at
his wit’s end, about to walk into the sun, when a
Baali – her voice calm and smooth, like icy black
silk – offered him the chance to be free of his
nightmare … without also, you know, dying. Since
his re-embrace, Uther has found a peace of mind
far better, even, than the sanity taken from him so
long ago. Now, he seeks to pass this blessing on to
others … especially to Malkavians, using every trick
at his considerable disposal to disconnect them
from the Network. Sometimes, people struggle
when Uther works to “fix” them. No matter. Uther
has always been very, very good at sneaking up on
people, watching them through windows and
cracks in closet doors.
169
 Autumnwa Feu-de-Sang is a weapon of pure
destruction, a massive city-slaughtering hammer of
total annihilation who has, since the very moment
of his embrace, not left Frenzy. Long ago, in the
mid-1500s, great Autumnwa served his goddess
the Earth Mother with distinction, wisdom and
honor: a proud, fierce Mountain Guardian of her
far-scattered Gurahl (W20: Changing Breeds, pg.,
111) who patrolled the deep Canadian wilds, a
wandering spiritual advisor to Native communities
and properly-respectful Frenchman hunters alike.
It is not clear what it was, exactly, about
Autumnwa that attracted the attention of the
Methuselah Baali known as Saint Thammuz the
Orgiastic – recently emigrated to the New World
– but the ancient vampire sacrificed dozens upon
dozens of his progeny & slaves, waves upon waves
of his bound demons & loyal cultists, in a single,
forest-shattering, one-night bid to bring the terrible
werebear low and force the Embrace upon him. It
is a common misconception that Saint Thammuz
embraced the now-Abomination directly; in point
of fact, one of Thammuz’s eldest childer performed
the deed … and was immediately diablerized. Since
then, Autumnwa has been fed nothing but the
vitae of his grandsire, alongside the occasional
disobedient Baali, broken by the Saint above his
most-prized possession and left to exsanguinate
into the open mouth of Autumnwa.
The titanic corpse – for his part – has spent the
vast majority of the last several centuries in restless,
furious Torpor: staked through a cold, black
heart that was removed – with utmost delicacy
– by a former Follower of Set reborn into the
obscene faith of the Baali and the service of Saint
Thammuz. When the thin sliver of wood piercing
his dark heart is removed, Autumnwa arises to kill
literally everything he can reach until such time as
he is granted sweet Final Death or until his heart
is impaled once more, whichever comes first. It
matters very little to Autumnwa, in all honestly.
Oberisuku was once a slave of the Tremere. Her
original face and name, her long-lost family and
identity, even her basic sense of self: all erased,
washed-away in a tide of blood & black enchantment
as “inconvenient” by her former masters, flaws in
their perfect weapon. And – credit where credit
is due – Oberisuku was, during her centuries of
service, a most formidable engine of devastation
indeed. A cold, towering wall of stone, claw, fang
and barely-contained fury, locked to the dark will
of a secret chantry operating in the shadows of a
Camarilla city, the swift machine of lethality called
Oberisuku ended innumerable lives on the razor-
edged tips of her blood-drenched claws.
Funny enough, re-embracing Oberisuku – letting
her walk the night once again in the shape of a

170 Faces of the Wicked

lovely young Japanese woman – actually lessened her
desire for violence. Oberisuku no longer thrashes
in the depthless font of rage that festered in her
during slavery. She no longer wants every creature
in the world to die. She has calmed. Now, her
desires are much darker. Much worse. Much more
detailed and precise. Death is too simple. Death
is too easy. Death will seem a blessing when she is
done. They have to suffer, to see all that they love
collapse before them, their empires blown away
like so much dust. Starting, of course, with the
Tremere. Her obsession with brute-simple killing
may have lessened, but her hatred for the Warlocks
and all who serve them? It grows ever stronger.
Weeping Righteous Hunter Devil is a scarlet-
shrouded mystery, a warrior-monk devoted to
the total destruction of all those who share his
bloodline. Armed with his signature lightning-
swift katana, clad in a well-worn trenchcoat that
sweeps behind him like great black angel-wings,
and recognizable – in many instances – only by the
third eye glowing like bright summer dawn upon
his forehead, rumors swirl around this enigmatic
creature’s true history & motivations.
Many claim that he was once a Salubri, last of
his line, re-embraced in a moment of weakness by
the Baali; others state with certainly that he was
once a mortal serial-killer pulled into eternal unlife
TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI
as one of the Akahaete, who then slew his master
and spent a century studying at the feet of an
honorable sensei knowledgeable in the arts of both
Obeah and Valeren. It should go without saying, of
course, that many do not believe that he exists at
all … or, if he did, that he met his own Final Death
some decades ago. And that is perhaps the case.
When rumors begin to spread that a Choir of
Baali and their mortal servants have suddenly
vanished, however – their bodies reduced to
ash, their unholy relics shattered and their black
libraries consigned to flame – even the most
skeptical, incredulous infernalists start watching
over their shoulder for the Hunter-Devil’s long,
vengeful shadow.
Ms. Carmella Candlebriar was embraced
centuries ago, made immortal by the bloodthirsty
Roman invader who turned her lands into his
private killing-fields. Though she is still the
childe of the Prince, don’t imagine for a moment
that this ex-Ventrue is still under his thumb: her
centuries-old Blood Bond to the ancient Imperial
bastard is long-ago snapped into so much ash &
tears; further, the genocidal control-freak and
all of his innumerable childer & grand-childer
have had their memories gently massaged by Ms.
Candlebriar’s patron demon, Mr. Chemosh.
Everyone thinks she’s dead, you see. Which gives
171
her a decided advantage in any number of social you is flat-out obsessed with her, but never quite a
situations. Ms. Candlebriar, as she will expect to household name.
be called, is an expert on Camarilla culture, history
& law; she was, after all, around when much of it Surrounded by an impenetrable air of mystery,
was first written, and endured countless centuries temptation, condescending in-jokes and intellectual
of nightly tutelage on the finer points of the Seven superiority, it’s easy for the creature called “Kylie”
Traditions … the final, unspoken and most iron- to move in the circles of highest society, finding
clad, of course, being “Thou shalt not get caught”. people to tempt with her voice, her body, and
As a Ventrue, Ms. Candlebriar was forced to feed her impeccably-dressed assistant’s little deals. But
only upon those who submit meekly to invasion; don’t use the word ‘cult’ around her. It’s such an
these nights, she enjoys feeding from a wide range ugly word. So out of place. So gauche.
of creatures and can be bribed – quite easily – with
a mere sample of unique vitae. Any infernalist
capable of securing instruction by Ms. Candlebriar
through such methods will find her knowledge
of Camarilla etiquette & procedure impeccable:
enough to fool any Harpy or Primogen Council-
member with deft, casual ease.

Virgil St. Claire spent his life writing contracts

and making deals. When a powerful businessman
offered him immortality, he eagerly joined the
ranks of the Ventrue. But the stagnant political
structure of Kindred society didn’t give Mr. St.
Claire quite what he wanted. So, when he was given
the opportunity to work for a particularly powerful
Kylie Khallous is a bright, up-&-coming young client – one who would give him everything he
pop-starlet, e-girl, online viral sensation, bleeding- ever wanted – he took the job with a smile. By
edge cool, 21st-century Madonna: the next big thing investing just a tiny portion of his soul, Virgil was
in post-modern, hyperactive, ultra-personalized empowered to make deals on his boss’s behalf.
home entertainment. Of course, it’s all the same And when he made that same deal with others,
to the stunning ex-Daughter of Cacophony: she’s Virgil found that he could keep a low profile while
been reinventing her look, style and paper-thin still profiting not only off his own hellish bargains,
persona to capture & devour dirty old men since but also from the soul-enslaving agreements others
long before radio-signals were a thing. She rides a made in his name. These nights, Virgil lurks with
delicate balance of fame amongst mortals: always a cold smirk at the center of a vast invisible web, a
just popular enough that someone cooler than multinational corporate-structure of the damned, a

172 Faces of the Wicked

tall shadow looming behind the throne: spreading Of course, he’s also long-since collapsed into
the Baali message of nihilism through the world, Wassail (Sins of the Blood, p. 9, 17-24) and must be
his demonic pyramid scheme amassing him – and kept on a tight leash – quite literally – to keep him
his patron – greater power with every sunset. from eating anyone who gets too close: more than
one Choirmate has lost a finger to his snapping
Oops the Vampire is – or was – probably a Brujah; jaws when it looks like Oops is “being tame”. For
common wisdom among Baali holds that he was the Choirs who pass Oops around as a mascot,
most-likely accidentally Embraced by a neonate of hunting-hound & truffle-hog-of-the-damned, his
the Rabble immediately after a messy feeding gone rabid psychosis makes him all the more adorable:
awry, then abandoned to (in all likelihood) suffer he has been known, for example, to sit still and
Final Death and collapse to ash come daylight. A be dressed-up like a clown, if approached by a
competing theory holds that Oops the Vampire member of the Bloodline carrying a large-enough
was originally a fresh Sabbat shovelhead, created raw chunk of human meat.
as part of a mass-Embrace to serve some ongoing
Sabbat siege as just another cold body: nameless,
expendable cannon-fodder.
Either way, he was most definitely taken from a
mental ward – his scars, tattoos, and medical ID
bracelet attest to that – and at some point after
becoming one of the thirsty undead he got what
little was left of his mind scrambled & deep-fried
by something very deeply nasty indeed. The jury
is still out on what entity, precisely, did the foul
sanity-rending deed: a Malkavian Elder schooled
in the arts of Dark Thaumaturgy? A spirit-entity
born of some broken, far-distant reality? A mortal
magician with a twisted gift for Oblivion-magic?
Whatever it was, it had power. Power born of the
Sleeping Children, diluted as it might have been.
Anyway, his brain is totes fucked.
As to how he came to be a Baali, though … well, the William God-Shatter is a mortal mage who
creature called Oops the Vampire was discovered has, through reincarnation after reincarnation,
by a Baali Choir several years back: lurking in the aided and abetted the Baali for several millennia:
flooded sub-basement of a collapsed church more- alternatively – depending upon the century and
recently employed as a spot for Satanist teenagers his human form at the time – serving as general,
to do drugs, spray-paint profane graffiti, listen to blood-doll, royal advisor, whipping-boy, high priest,
heavy metal, perform séances & make out; the spot armorer, living siege-engine, assassin, librarian
was also, it turns out, a potent wellspring of Infernal and harem-keeper for the Bloodline. By the
energy into the waking world. It seems that little understanding of other living mages, William is
old Oops the Vampire has developed a sort of sixth- what is known – in technical terms – as a K’llasshaa
sense for places marked by unholy energy and the High-Adsinistratus Widderslainte; more immediately
passage of entropic power across the thin barrier and importantly, Mr. God-Shatter is a potent force
between worlds; since that night, he’s uncovered a of horrific reality-bending madness & shockingly
dozen fallen shrines and supernatural pits for his perverse cruelty who finds himself, lifetime after
adoptive Bloodline, making him a highly valued lifetime, drawn to the side of the Baali bloodline
asset to ranking leaders of the Faith. and the service of the Sleeping Children.

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 173

 He has been with us since we were the First
People, crouched ‘round the Organ Pit; he was
with us in Carthage, and in the Age of Devil-Kings,
and he will walk into the weird darkness at the end
of it all with us when the Sleeping Children rise
once more. Although the phoenix-like magician
is seemingly impossible to destroy entirely, much
to the frustration of both Josian witch-hunters
and members of the Sabbat Inquisition, he can be
inconvenienced – somewhat, at least for a decade
and a half – via the direct application of sufficiently
lethal force to his mortal form.
For example, the best-known previous Mr.
God-Shatter (killed circa 1891), was well over
three hundred years old at the time of his death,
commanded a private Choir of nearly a dozen
Akahaete and Black Spiral Dancers, and is known
to have personally destroyed – with his own bare
hands – no fewer than three dozen Tremere in
his final confrontation with L’Enfant Perdu and
the Camarilla of Antwerp. By comparison, the
current incarnation of Mr. God-Shatter is a fifteen-
year-old drug dealer, car thief, pimp and amateur
serial-killer living in Arizona with his mother and
stepfather; he is failing both Spanish 1 and Intro
to Calc.
174 Faces of the Wicked
Yitzhak Jungfernmilch is a dualistic, flickering
starfish-like entity of melting limbs and twisted faces,
who moves – when enraged – like a tidalwave of
shredded-open corpses. Or he is a very severe-looking
German man in a fine black suit. Depends on the night
in question.
Composed of two (or more?) diametrically-opposed
human souls melted together – flesh & blood, sinew &
synapse – in the oblivion-flame of Yomon-Li’s return to
the Earth-realm, he was born as his Sire was called-forth
from the Outer Dark in a wash of blasphemous prayers,
fractured reality-shards and bleeding-edge Nazi occult
science. A deep, hateful part of Yitzhak remembers
his oaths of loyal service to the Fuhrer, his blood-slick
vows to protect the Third Reich at all costs; another,
equally furious part of Mr. Jungfernmilch remembers
being herded into a train-car, shipped to Bergen-Belsen,
starved to the edge of death, forced to dig his own grave,
and then – at the last moment – hand-selected to die as
one of 1,000 sacrifices toward the final completion of
“Projekt Tür zur Hölle”.
Very few creatures survived the night of that
cataclysmic event; fewer still walked away intact. In the
modern nights, as his master Yomon-Li slumbers away
the decades – as befits a creature of his age and power
– the warped thing called Yitzhak guides the reborn
bloodline from the shadows at the right hand of Yomon-
Li’s dark throne with an infinite, calculating patience
matched only by his nihilistic, omnicidal loathing.
 Elias DeBeaumarchet produces stars. Rock His writing & sermon-giving improved. His
stars, pop stars, R & B and hip-hop stars: it doesn’t stutter vanished. He grew six inches taller, his
matter. He can smell talent, and spin it into gold beard came in, his biceps toned-up and his tummy
records. Scratch that: platinum records. Lounging flattened. Before long, he became the handsome
by the pool, soaking up sun, sipping daiquiris & & charming Reverend Mouseport … and soon, he
puffing on imported cigars, Elias represents the had his own congregation. That parish grew and
best musicians in the world, even when he has to grew, flooded with new worshipers seemingly every
create them from whole cloth: fake tan, fake smile, Sunday. Confession with Reverend Mouseport is
fake tits, fake ass, fake music for fake people. always so popular; Reverend Mouseport does more
than just listen, of course. He helps people with
He likes his “protégés” young, dumb and hungry, their problems; helps them see that so many of the
more excited to sign the contract than to read it. things they’re so deeply ashamed of – things that
But everyone knows that Mr. B has the golden they consider “sins” – are just … what? Natural
touch. What people don’t know is what he has to inclinations? No big deal? Perfectly normal?
do to make that touch work. There’s a reason so Nothing to be sheepish about, certainly. It’s all
many musicians die young, and it isn’t always the simply human nature: not even worth mentioning
drugs or the fame. Sometimes, ol’ Elias just needs a to a caring, understanding god who loves them &
little bit of a boost. And when an ungrateful upstart forgives them, warts and all, who made man in his
begins making too many demands, being too much own perfect image.
of a dive, or intimating that they want to get out
from under his wings … well. Some people will do Yes, god loves rich men and racists and wife-
anything to stay young. And some will volunteer to beaters too. In fact, lots of the tiny indiscretions that
be used as fuel without even realizing it. people are all so gravely repentant & remorseful
for are really victimless crimes, little white “sins”
Long ago, Charles Mouseport fell asleep at the that – in many ways – don’t really hurt anyone, and
wheel on his way home from a late-night study- sometimes even make the world a better place, if
session. He was still in Seminary, way back then, you look at it a different way. And honestly, what’s
and a drifter – wrong place, wrong time; one-in-a- a little bit of sin if it makes people happy? Religion
million chance; came out of nowhere – happened is supposed to be about joy, not about guilt or
to be killed in the ensuing accident. And wouldn’t misery or “punishment”.
you know it: just as Charles was on his way to the
police station to confess, someone came to him –
appeared right there in his car – and offered to
take care of it for him.
The man was well-dressed, confident, calm and
friendly. Not panicked at all. He had very cold
hands and a smile that was just a little too wide.
They talked, and the man offered Charles much
more than just help with this silly little incident.
He offered to help Charles succeed. Sure, it was a
sin. But maybe, Charles thought, God would save
his soul because of all the good deeds he could do.
After agreeing to the deal, Charles saw his luck
change. He met & married a beautiful, faithful –
and wealthy – young woman. He received several
scholarships & professional recommendations.

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 175

 export connections across Southeast Asia, which
provide properly-deferential Baali Choirs with easy
access to young women, drugs, alcohol, firearms,
knock-off designer goods, exotic animals and
anything else the ancient Spider might use to
turn a tidy profit. You need unregistered medical
equipment, 13th-century pottery, or tiger-meat?
The smiling, dark-eyed Mr. Yoshikawa is just the
man to talk to.
Sasha Romav used to be a City Gangrel, and
she saw first-hand how difficult the curse of her
clan made her long, lonely centuries of sorrowful
existence. Feeling like more of a beast than a
woman, she did eventually find her way free of that
humiliating, crippling condition; blessed thanks
be to the Choir & Sire who saved her. But the re-
embrace showed Sasha something important. It
Yoshikawa Shigeru, the Kumo Goblin Shogun,
taught her a valuable lesson.
River of Ten-Thousand Fangs, Blessed of Rati, is
a true epicurean of Amerikahito vampire blood, a When someone’s life is destroyed, when
delicacy indigestible by other werespiders: he will everything they love has been taken away, when
feed from mortals, most certainly, and has done so they can’t catch a break, when it all falls apart and
countless times over the centuries … but he greatly it feels like someone is actively out to get them …
prefers to take his payment for wicked services well, they get desperate. Desperate enough to agree
performed in the name of the Wyrm in elaborately- to anything. Desperate enough, even, to sell their
decorated sake bottles filled to the brim with cold, souls. Just to get a little relief, just to make the fear
crimson curse-magic. and agony go away, just to feel in-control again.
A long-time ally to the Baali – most especially
to the Akahaete, whom he understands to be a
high-ranking form of necromantic bakemono –
Mr. Yoshikawa maintains offices near his private
hunting-grounds in Aokigahara alongside a dozen or
more opulent, high-security residences in Hawaii,
Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Las Vegas,
Chicago, and New York City; all of his holdings are
freely available for use by any creature of the Baali
bloodline who sees fit to bring him a gift of proper
tribute and treat his property with utmost respect.
Those who mistake Mr. Yoshikawa’s hospitality for
weakness, of course, seldom live long enough to
regret the decision, as his fomori soldiers – many
of them ex-Yakuza or Pentex First Team – make
quick, clean work of inconsiderate guests.
In addition to his hospitality, Mr. Shigeru is
These nights, all Sasha has to do is find someone,
highly valued by the Bloodline for his import/
destroy their lives – make it all fall apart and be

176 Faces of the Wicked

actively out to get them, in other words – right too close, though, and the girls will be happy to
up until they are just desperate enough, just ripe demonstrate just how Family Dunsirn handles
enough, to sign on the dotted line. Sasha, on things out on the Highlands.
the prowl, is a ravening psychotic predator with
omnicide glittering in her depthless scarlet eyes;
when she’s smiling and calm, pale and perfect, a
blood-dripping pen in-hand … Jesus Christ, she’s a
thousand times more terrifying.
Aoife Jocastus & Euphemia Fenris Dunsirn
– Jo & Frankie, to their friends – are identical
twins: tall, pale, graceful redheads with flashing
green eyes, born well-beyond rich to an old-money
family of Scottish bankers & real-estate developers.
They’re easily underestimated by outsiders to
the Giovanni, which they use to their distinct
advantage; within the greater Clan, the ladies serve
as active hunters of the Infernal, operating with
the full authority of those Anziani who report to
Augustus himself. And they are very, very good at
their jobs. They have to be, after all. The Family,
like it or not, does quite a bit more than simply Kaius Ribbonmaker is the quintessential &
dabble nightly in the darkest of arts; considering consummate entertainer, a former Toreador who
the sheer number of clergy, cannibals and corpse- acts as a grinning go-between for restless West
fuckers set into centuries-old positions of authority Cost Anarchs, frustrated young Sabbat, and their
over mass-murderers, pimps, graverobbers, human discontented Camarilla counterparts. In many
traffickers and snuff-film entrepreneurs, the entire ways, he’s the archetypal Baali success-story: a
Clan is one bad deal-with-the-devil away from being drifting, disaffected painter of the absurd & the
dragged screaming down into Literal Hell. grotesque in his now-century-gone mortal life,
abandoned by his jaded Sire to the ash and gutters
In an environment as wealthy & well-organized as of New York City when the struggling Neonate
the modern Clan of Death, Jo & Frankie primarily failed to live up to his “artistic potential,” Kaius has
approach their jobs like a pair of strict, prim been reborn in the blood of the Baali and his all-
librarians: very delicately shushing members of the consuming service to the Sleeping Children. Now,
Family who get a bit too rowdy, vanishing them he walks the night with a sense of magnificent
off to somewhere just a bit quieter. When it’s time purpose and a knowing smile at the rotting state
to throw down and get messy, however, carving of the world, a Choir of most-eager disciples ever
a swath of shrieking crimson through a horde of at his heels: charming, clever, handsome, cunning,
devil-worshipping, amateur-hour necromancers, and deeply beloved by all those he corrupts.
the twins really shine: none can doubt that the
blood of the Fianna once ran hot in their cold Mr. Ribbonmaker, a mysterious figure perched
black veins. About the Baali, in general, the twins eternally at the very razor-edge of Cainite society, is
give exactly zero shits: so long as the Demons always ready to take in a lost young soul who finds
keep their little schemes far away from Giovanni herself, perhaps, questioning the endless cruelty,
holdings, they can spend an eternity plying their incessant cupidity, and abject meaninglessness of
deviltry among the Camarilla, the Sabbat and the her bleak new eternity as a hungry, night-haunting
Anarchs. Fuck ‘em all up, more power to you. Step monster: a thirsty cadaver-who-yet-moves, seeming

TWISTS OF OBSCENITY: ESOTERICA OF THE BAALI 177

to exist now only to speak lies, drink from the stolen
warmth of humanity, obey the insane demands
of a murderous dust-shrouded abomination, and
cower in terror at idle threats of torture and death.
To these babes of damnation, cast adrift in a dark,
lonely, and atomized world, Mr. Ribbonmaker
offers answers. Succor. Meaning. Family. Home.
Support, when it is requested … and often when
it is desperately needed but not begged-for; Mr.
Ribbonmaker, after all, knows what it’s like to have
more stubborn, hateful pride than actual desire-to-
continue-existing.
Mr. Ribbonmaker asks only that his fresh-
faced wards help him – when they’re ready – in
staging his theatrical “scenes”: elaborate, artistic,
intricately-planned multimedia displays of shocking
revelation, betrayal, carnage, horror, debasement,
and grandiose, weeping self-destruction. A new
friend can help by, for example, kidnapping her Sire;
and, later that night, operating the spotlight while
masked performers silently reenact scenes from her
Sire’s mortal life, a single figure ominously recites
select passages from the monster’s journal, and her
own ghouled great-great-grandchildren force-feed
her a variety of delicate, blood-soaked baked-goods.
These scenes are, most bizarrely, seemingly staged
for an audience of precisely no one. Kaius desires
only the approval of the Children of the Outer
Dark … and in them, he seems to have found a
bemused & chuckling gallery.

178 Faces of the Wicked