Followers of Set
In vampire domains, the Ministry comfortably serves two purposes. On one hand they are suppliers unafraid to dirty their hands with drugs, vessels, and anything else on the desperate side of the tracks. On the other, they are the spiritual core of many coteries.
This dichotomy does not pass the Ministry by. They dance with the devil and preach spiritual purity.
Though some licks consider them hypocrites for this mixed message, the Ministers claim the role of martyrs: They fraternize with sin so others need not. In this way, they retain plausible deniability. Most vampire accept this explanation, as the Ministers’ usefulness outweigh most lingering suspicions.
Internally, the clan is often organised around a “temple,” with larger cities harboring multiple
shrines. These are rarely overt places of worship, but rather areas of seclusion, discretion, and convenience. The spacious back rooms of a lingering pornographic retailer, the abandoned warehouse serving as shelter for the city’s homeless, or the top levels of a local esoteric order – all are suited for the congregations of Set. This does not mean that all members of the clan adhere to its teachings. Many Embraced into the clan abandon its ways, or are never taught them.
These vampires are rarely sought for re-recruitment by their peers, and are in most cases allowed to do as
they please. Unless caught revealing Ministry secrets, for which the punishment is usually merciless, long, and creative, the clan does not force its creed on its children. Still, in keeping with their Blood’s propensity for subterfuge and attraction, most Ministers gravitate to similar roles in vampire and mortal society, consciously or not.
Another reason for the persistence of the clan culture is the way many vampires of the bloodline claim to hear the very voice of Set, or Sutekh, in the Blood. Some spend a considerable time in meditation, hoping to receive some inkling to the will of their creator. Those who manage to convince others of their connection to him gain considerable respect within the clan and often act as high priests within the local temple. Proving such communication is another matter, and as is often the case among licks, it comes down to who has the strength to make these claims unchallenged.
The ire of Set seems mostly directed toward the Abrahamic faiths, claiming them to be descendants of Ra and Aton of their native lands. It might be for this reason that the clan has become associated with the serpent of the Garden of Eden. Officially, the clan ostensibly considers its Egyptian holdouts as anachronisms tied to a past that has moved ahead of them, loudly decrying the “Setites” who dwell in temples and consort with mummies. All the while, a regular line of communication runs to and from the Egyptian clan bases, where the Ministry never truly lost control.
