Post by Ashurr on Jun 1, 2008 19:12:18 GMT -5
As stated on the Clan page, the central tenet
of the Ordo Dracul is that nothing is permanent.
Everything changes, vampires included, and understanding
that change is necessary for transcendence. This precept
is so basic that many Dragons initially take it for
granted. Of course everything changes. After all, they
themselves have changed from mortal to Kindred in the
space of one night, trading everything that they knew
for an existence in the shadows of humanity.
This kind of reasoning tends to lead to maudlin poetry if
allowed to continue, and Dragon mentors are quite willing
to step in and correct a pupil before she reaches this stage.
Change must be observable to be of any use. Waving
one’s hand through the air changes the environment but
not with any easily measurable effect (with the right
instruments, even such subtle change can be observed,
but more on this in a moment). When a new Dragon is
given her first lessons, the focus is not on the Coils of
the Dragon, not on the history of the covenant, but on
simple, mundane observation. Dragons must be perceptive,
and must be able to think outside normal strictures.
This takes some effort. The human mind works in a set
fashion, and breaking those patterns (or at least learning
to recognize and subvert them) is the first thing a
nascent Dragon must learn.
Different mentors have different ways of hammering
this point home. Some take their charges to Elysium
and ask them to record how a given vampire changes
over the course of the night. Does her clothing appear
rumpled when she leaves? Is her skin tone the same?
The mentor cautions the Dragon against making assumptions.
If the subject ventures into a private room
with a mortal associate for a time and emerges looking
disheveled, that could mean that the two of them were
indulging in sex behind closed doors. But what other
possibilities exist, and what evidence exists to support
them? Does the mortal look pale and disoriented, or is
he flushed and warm? Did others in the room begin
whispering or react when they left, or appear to be listening?
What was happening while the two of them
were away?
Some mentors encourage their charges to shun Kindred
society altogether, and join the nightlife of mortal
society instead. After all, vampires are creatures of routine
and stagnation, meaning their changes are so slow
and subtle that they make for poor beginner’s lessons.
Mortals can change so quickly as to be unrecognizable
from one night to the next, and so make for easier study
subjects than Kindred. A Dragon might take her
student(s) to a nightclub, an opera, a party (of any social
stratum) or a church service and instruct them to
note changes in behavior, appearance and bearing of a
few select people during the course of the night. She
instructs her pupils to keep themselves unobtrusive, but
if they are noticed, to take special note of changes they
elicit in their subjects. She also instructs them to note
not only what changes take place but also any obvious
causes for those changes.
of the Ordo Dracul is that nothing is permanent.
Everything changes, vampires included, and understanding
that change is necessary for transcendence. This precept
is so basic that many Dragons initially take it for
granted. Of course everything changes. After all, they
themselves have changed from mortal to Kindred in the
space of one night, trading everything that they knew
for an existence in the shadows of humanity.
This kind of reasoning tends to lead to maudlin poetry if
allowed to continue, and Dragon mentors are quite willing
to step in and correct a pupil before she reaches this stage.
Change must be observable to be of any use. Waving
one’s hand through the air changes the environment but
not with any easily measurable effect (with the right
instruments, even such subtle change can be observed,
but more on this in a moment). When a new Dragon is
given her first lessons, the focus is not on the Coils of
the Dragon, not on the history of the covenant, but on
simple, mundane observation. Dragons must be perceptive,
and must be able to think outside normal strictures.
This takes some effort. The human mind works in a set
fashion, and breaking those patterns (or at least learning
to recognize and subvert them) is the first thing a
nascent Dragon must learn.
Different mentors have different ways of hammering
this point home. Some take their charges to Elysium
and ask them to record how a given vampire changes
over the course of the night. Does her clothing appear
rumpled when she leaves? Is her skin tone the same?
The mentor cautions the Dragon against making assumptions.
If the subject ventures into a private room
with a mortal associate for a time and emerges looking
disheveled, that could mean that the two of them were
indulging in sex behind closed doors. But what other
possibilities exist, and what evidence exists to support
them? Does the mortal look pale and disoriented, or is
he flushed and warm? Did others in the room begin
whispering or react when they left, or appear to be listening?
What was happening while the two of them
were away?
Some mentors encourage their charges to shun Kindred
society altogether, and join the nightlife of mortal
society instead. After all, vampires are creatures of routine
and stagnation, meaning their changes are so slow
and subtle that they make for poor beginner’s lessons.
Mortals can change so quickly as to be unrecognizable
from one night to the next, and so make for easier study
subjects than Kindred. A Dragon might take her
student(s) to a nightclub, an opera, a party (of any social
stratum) or a church service and instruct them to
note changes in behavior, appearance and bearing of a
few select people during the course of the night. She
instructs her pupils to keep themselves unobtrusive, but
if they are noticed, to take special note of changes they
elicit in their subjects. She also instructs them to note
not only what changes take place but also any obvious
causes for those changes.