Golconda
“As far as we can discern, the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light of meaning in the darkness of mere being.” — Carl Jung
Long ago, a myth was born in vampiric society: the fable of Golconda, a state of existence in which the Beast is cast out of a vampire’s soul. Although myth and superstition are not usually taken seriously in modern nights, there are some vampires who search for enlightenment, desperate to reject their vampiric nature. Despite all evidence pointing to the impossibility of such a quest, there are those who refuse to give up hope. It is a candle in the darkness, a tale to be told when all other hopes have failed.
The search for Golconda is highly personal, and Storytellers are encouraged to be extremely demanding when players request a storyline about Golconda. Golconda is a near impossible goal, requiring centuries of character research and struggle (and, likely, years of real game time) to reach a Suspire, the moment when a vampire reaches enlightenment and achieves Golconda.
Both players and characters should be informed that there is no certainty in this search; extremely few vampires have ever successfully solved the riddle of the Beast and entered this state. Golconda should not be a goal for every character, or even many characters. Players whose characters intend to seek this state should be willing, and even eager, to play out their eventual failure and downfall. Golconda may be nothing more than a myth, even – perhaps especially – if a character has poured her existence into finding it and sacrificed everything she loves. Vampire is a game of tragedy, and such an outcome would highlight the dark and poignant nature of the genre for all players.
It should be noted that many vampires hate the idea of Golconda and will struggle to ruin or destroy anyone seeking this state of enlightenment. The Ravnos clan believes that leaving behind one’s vampiric nature goes against the intrinsic order of the universe. Other vampires, in particular the Lasombra, preach that God created vampires to do his work; therefore, working to escape your vampiric state is blasphemy, a rejection of God’s will. The Setites, who delight in corruption, will take every opportunity to ruin a potential Golconda seeker through temptation, manipulation, or blackmail. Vampires of the Sabbat actively seek to destroy those questing after Golconda, claiming that such a creature is defying Caine. Elders of the Camarilla scorn the idea of Golconda as, at best, lies and foolishness — at worst, infernalism. Overall, a vampire actively seeking this state has chosen to travel a hard road, indeed.
The Road to Suspire
Golconda is a personal struggle to overcome the Beast, but there are commonalities in the path to Suspire. It is critical that one’s Beast be made as weak as possible. The Beast feeds on depravity, vicious actions, thoughtless deeds, strong emotions, murder, and mayhem — but it also gains sustenance from small sins and wicked thoughts. Even those subtleties must be purged from the vampire’s soul.
• Sacrifice: This process demands that the vampire sacrifices everything meaningful — social and political status, personal goals, friends, family, and finally, her sense of self. A character must have no other goal, absolutely no other care or concern, other than Golconda. In some ancient vampiric tales, the final act before reaching this state involves a literal sacrifice of that which the vampire loves most, as in the biblical tale of Abraham and Isaac. Your Storyteller will determine what is appropriate.
• Acceptance: The vampire must fully accept her nature. She must research and study the vampiric condition, the myths of the various clans, and the history of undead society as fully as possible. She must also learn to clearly distinguish the drives of her soul versus the subtle pressures of her Beast. There must be no question where the line is drawn between the two.
• Amends: Humanity – including both mortals and vampires – is a race of flawed creatures. A person capable of reaching Suspire must have no wrongs and no burdens on her soul. She must amend for the wrongs she has done, in mortal life and in unlife, and be forgiven and absolved of those acts. If she fails to recognize a wrong she has committed or does not fully make amends, the character will certainly fail to reach Suspire.
• Suffering: Suspire is not an easy thing to achieve, and Golconda is not an easy state to maintain. A Storyteller should consider whether the character has been adequately impeded by her quest, and whether her struggles, failures, and sacrifices have created a powerful story for others within the chronicle. Although Golconda is a private quest, LARP is a social experience, and anything with this much import to the story should be looked at with the entire game’s best interest in mind.
• Humanity: If a vampire’s Humanity ever drops below 5, she has lost her way and must begin the path to Suspire all over again. The Beast is made stronger by each such failure, and the following attempts to reach Golconda will be even more difficult. After three of these, the vampire’s Beast has won, and she can no longer seek Suspire. The Storyteller may rule that the Beast has grown so strong that the vampire automatically enters permanent frenzy, or wassail, and must be retired from the game.
The Benefits of Enlightenment
Many outcomes exist for a character who has reached Golconda. Because Golconda is a spiritual state and deeply personal to each adherent, the results may be slightly different for every vampire — even as the path to Suspire was personal to each seeker. These are some possible results, spoken of in vampire legends. Your Storyteller will determine which, if any, are appropriate for your character and, most importantly, for her game environment. These mythical outcomes, and more, are whispered about in vampire society, but no one knows the truth.
• The vampire breaks the curse and once again becomes entirely human, with no trace of her previous vampiric condition.
• The vampire ascends to an angelic state. She will be freed from the detriments of the curse of Caine, but will retain her vampiric abilities.
• The vampire physically incarnates and releases her Beast, which roams the world as an independent creature: the proverbial monster in the dark.
• The vampire loses her clan weakness, and she is gifted with the ability to learn all vampiric disciplines and powers without the need for a teacher. She may even be able to learn and utilize powers that could not previously be supported by her blood, such as elder powers or techniques.
• The vampire becomes completely emotionally balanced, working with her Beast instead of struggling against it. The Beast is tamed; she can enter or leave frenzy at will, without any of the penalties of that state.
• The Beast is cast out of the soul and becomes part of the vampire’s flesh. The vampire takes on an unnatural, ancient beauty beyond any mortal capacity. The vampire’s flesh is rendered invulnerable to everything except the weaponry of faith; she cannot be harmed by normal ordnance, sunlight, fire, and even Physical based disciplines such as Potence or Wolf’s Claws.
These are only a few of the possible results gained by reaching the enlightenment of Golconda. Because such creatures are incredibly rare, and necessarily do not associate freely with other vampires, information is scarce. As with the path to Suspire, if a vampire in Golconda ever has her Humanity drop below 5, she loses her way. Such a vampire will immediately fall out of Golconda, likely succumbing to a powerful frenzy (or even permanent wassail) as her Beast, which had been contained, is suddenly set free.
Player-characters may strive to reach Golconda and may purchase the Golconda Seeker merit, but a character who has achieved Golconda loses her player-character status and becomes an NPC.
