Scandinavia

The Salubri even came as far away from their original
tropical homelands, as Scandinavia. A single member of
the Clan sneaked her way into the otherwise warlike
and savage religion of the Vikings. Here, as in all the
religions in which the Salubri have played a part, it is a
Goddess of Fertility.
=09
Freya was the Goddess of Fertility, Love and also
associated with the more dark Prophetic Magick, which
is not entirely in keeping with her aspect as one of the
Goddesses of Light. The cult which surrounded Freya
had two sides, one was as the one who brings fertility to
the land, the seas and the mortals, guards marriage and
protects young lovers, and the other associating her
with unrestrained sexuality and dark magick. In keeping
with this special aspect, it seems appropriate that she
had two giant black cats pulling her cart. Perhaps this is
why the black cat has been so widely associated with
the familiars of witches. The magick which Freya
wielded was mostly rituals which revolved around
predicting the future, but she was also capable of
summoning forth terrible creatures who would hunt
those who betrayed their love, and laying terrible curses
upon those who angered her. But as well as having this
darker aspect, Freya was also a compassionate and
passionate being. She cried tears of gold when she saw
the cruelty of the world, yet she also gained the souls of
those who died because of love. Legends state that she
took many mortal warlords as her lovers, sometimes
solidifying their reign until the point of their death,
sometimes pitting them against each other but always
bidding them welcome to Valhall. Being a Goddess of
Love, Freya combines both sides of love and passion.
The good feelings associated with infatuation, mature
relationships and solid marriages, feelings which makes
those who have them more human. And the dark
feelings associated with unfulfilled love, unrestrained
desire and hate, feelings which strengthen the evil in all
creatures and feeds Those Who Wait.
	A Salubri named Gefion was a priestess
before she was Embraced, and she believed
in love and hate as the prime forces of the universe. As
much as she worshipped love, she also claimed that love
without hate was an unbalanced thing which could
only lead to corruption _ without its counterpart, the
other feeling could not exist. Therefore she embraced
both love and hate, making her a very powerful being,
as she fought her enemies with pure emotions and
understood the hearts of mortals and immortals like no
other. Gefion was a very capable sorcerers, and
inducing both love and hate, she also had the ability of
shapeshifting and could change into any type of bird if
she so desired.


The battle which the members of the Flames of Serenity
and the Swords of Saulot fought, was nor restrained to
the activities of those who posed as Gods. The Divine
Salubri (as these Ancients have been nicknamed) are
merely the most visible members of sects enshrouded in
mystery and shadows. What exactly the Salubri
(meaning those following the Philosophy of
Purification) have been responsible for, is very hard to
discern _ especially since they are not very visible, and
leave no record behind for other Cainites to find. They
battled both the Setites, the Ba'ali and numerous
Cainites from all the Clans, mortals, Nephandi and
Lupus Garou _ all who came to close to the edge of
the Abyss and became champions of Darkness and Evil.
But if they have fought evil and corruption since the
Dawn of Time, why is the world still going to hell? One
might ask such a question, and the answer lies in the
very nature of the Cainites and humanity: Power
corrupts! The Cainites who have held absolute power
for millennia know nothing else and would rather loose
their immortal soul than give away an ounce of power.
They manipulate and corrupt as do humans, but since
the vampire is the last link in the food-chain and the
predator of all other species, they have taken the
power-games and corruption to new depths. As time
gnaws away at the soul of the Cainites, so does noble
purpose tarnish and pure thought muddle up and far too
many Elders have but an thin shell of humanity
covering their Beast. The Elders effect both their
Progeny and the Kine, who in turn work back on the
Elders. Thus the corrupt Elders extend their corrupting
hand against the world to wield their influence, but as
their power corrupts the hearts and societies of men, so
does the world corrupt them back. This evil cycle has
been going for centuries, and the Salubri is but a faint
flame in the great darkness which envelops the World of
Darkness. They fight unfathomable Dark Powers.
However, even if their fight is a seemingly doomed one,
what would happen if they did not fight it?=7F

But the Childer of Saulot does not stand alone as the
Champions of Light; the Mummies, the Children of
Osiris, the Tradition Mages, those Garou who have
not lost sight of their real fight in intra-tribal warfare,
and unfortunately very few of the Cainites, stand at
their side. Sometimes by chance, and sometimes
as knowing allies. The Champions of Light are few of
number, but strong of will and determination. That is a
very small comfort for those who stand in the front
of the battle, and knows the true number and nature of
the enemy.=7F

The Purification Sects maintains lines of communication
to the Mummies and the Children of Osiris, as these
two groups hold dear many of the Salubri's own ideals.
Both groups fight the Followers of Set relentlessly, and
it is a well-known fact to the Salubri, that Evil attracts
Evil. The Ba'ali are often to
be found around places of suffering and corruption, and
are as drawn to such places and emotions as are the
Setites, and vice versa. When one begins to turn the
rocks, all the slimy insects will eventually crawl out, and
there are so many sorts of insects! When the fighting
starts, the Salubri will hasten to the scene,
often to participate _ but they also believe in
observing, and often they remain in an abandoned area
of battle to see who comes out when the storm settles;
very often the powerful beings let their minions fight
their dirty battles, and only come out when they believe
that all is safe.

Disaster Strikes

Although the Salubri lived a pressed existence up
through the ages, nothing shook the Clan as the disaster
which happened during the Middle Ages. Tremere and
his Council of Seven had all become Vampires in the
year A.D. 1022, when the Magus Goratrix finally
discovered the secret of immortality for which his
Master Tremere had searching for. He had a special
potion destilled from the blood of two Tzimisce
vampires, and after a lengthy ritual, both Tremere and
the Council of Seven imbibed the potion. They became
immortal, but lost their Avatars. They had to begin
harnessing power all over again. So while faithful
servants spread the Curse of Caine throughout House
Tremere, Tremere himself searched for clues to the
immense power he had learned the Cainite Elders
possessed. He finally discovered the Secret of the
Antediluvians, and how he could come to possess
their god-like powers through Diablerie. After almost a
century of searching by both mundane and magickal
methods, Tremere had located the Havens of several
Antediluvians, but he chose Saulot to be his victim, as
he was seemingly the one who was least guarded. In
A.D. 1133, Tremere and the Council of Seven fought

their way into Saulot's tomb, where Tremere sank his
teeth into throat of the Salubri Father. Supposedly,
Saulot put up very little resistance, and quickly
died, leaving Tremere with all the power of his
immortal blood.

The reason for this, has long been a point of fierce
arguments amongst the Salubri. While most agree that
Saulot had tired of this world, few can see why
he would want to leave as powermad a person like
Tremere with his power. Why would a being who
personified Light and the Good, not resist an attempt by
an evil being to steal his power?


The Ascensionites say that Saulot showed all his
Childer, the One Way, by his supreme sacrifice. They
believe that Saulot did not resist on purpose. He had
seen how divided his Childer had become, and knew
that they were disturbing the Karmic Wheel (read: the
Golcondanites) by refusing to move on to the next
Plane of existence. Saulot showed that his Childer
should sacrifice themselves through Diablerie; in this
way they could pass on their Vitae and beliefs to
even the most corrupt, and give them a chance to
uphold the Balance.

The Golcondanites are split into an argument between
the Preachers and the Redeemers (surprisingly enough).
	The Preachers say that Saulot
sacrificed himself in the way he did, because he wanted
to show that you can never force Golconda upon
anyone. If this is practised, they will only seek you out
to kill you for taking their freedom of mind away.
	The Redeemers say that Saulot chose
to sacrifice himself to show what happens if all
creatures are left to their own devices. If they are
carefully guided along the stony path to Golconda, they
will attempt to murder their saviors for simple reasons
of greed for the power the Enlightened hold.

The Purifiers believe that all three groups are wrong.
Saulot was tired of this world, and allowed Tremere to
drain him, where he could have smashed him like a bug.
But they also believe that Saulot had a plan. They argue=7F
that he was the first to reach the blessed state of
Golconda, and since he reached this state of being
before returning to the Second City, he must have had
the most powerful and balanced soul ever. While he was
in Torpor, his soul must have travelled the universe and
the spheres _ finally Saulot could free it from the
burden of his immortal body. The Salubri are more
intimate with the dire consequences of Diablerie than
most other Cainites, since they have been Blood
Hunted since the beginning of recorded history. Their
scholars were amongst the first to discover that the
Diabolist actually drank the soul of his victim. The
argument of the Purifiers continue along that line. They
say, that while the common Neonate is stronger in body
and mind than most mortals, his is but a child when
compared with his Elders, who again are as infants
when compared with the Methuselahs and finally there
are the Antediluvians, who surpass all others in strength
of body and mind. Where the soul of an Antediluvian
must be like a bonfire against a flickering candle-light
when compared with that of a Neonate, Saulot's soul
must have shone as a star in the darkness when
compared with the other Antediluvians.


Therefore, the Purifiers argue, Tremere could not
possibly have crushed Saulot's soul as does Diabolists
normally. While he may have been a powerful Magus,
he had lost that power when he became a vampire, and
as such he could not have subdued the power of



Saulot's eternal soul. In absorbing the essence of the
most serene creature in existence, Tremere must have
doomed his own essence to certain oblivion. Given
time, the light of Saulot would burn away the darkness
in Tremere's soul, and possibly even give Saulot a
chance of rebirth. The Purifiers of course rejoice when
they hear rumors, that a third eye had opened in the
forehead of the sleeping Tremere.

But the hope of Saulot's return is of little comfort, in a
world which just seem to grow more and more corrupt,
and where Death is beginning to fold his shroud around
the planet to reap the price he always gets. But the
Purifiers also know that if they despair, the Ba'ali will
have won, there will be no one left on the barricades to
ward off the Legions of Evil from an unsuspecting
humanity, and a steadily more ignorant population of
supernatural creatures. It has become easier for the
Salubri to move in the shadows of their enemies, for
they cast much longer and darker shadows now, and
more and more chose to cast a shadow on their
surroundings, rather than illuminate them with their
inner light.



The Past, Present and
Future Remembered

To remind them of their own history and the forces
which they are fighting, the Salubri scholars of the
Purifiers haven taken to write and collect the Scrolls of
Salubri. The Scrolls are relics amongst the Salubri, and
have the same importance to them as the Holy Bible has
to Catholics. The exact number of scrolls said to exist
varies, and apparently no one are exactly sure of it.
What they contain is another thing entirely. The first 8
scrolls (known as the Eight Scrolls) are written by
Saulot himself, and contain the most important of
his teachings and the most clear of his prophesies.
According to Salubri legends, Saulot wrote the scrolls
before returning to the world of the Cainites, in the
time where he had only just achieved Golconda. Due to
their age and ancient style, transcripts of the scrolls
have sometimes been mistaken for lost fragments of the
Book of Nod. In fact, vast parts of the Chronicle of
Secrets are rewritten prophesies taken from the
Eight Scrolls. However, since Cainite history always
seems to be muddled up with facts, lies and phantasies
it is hard to tell if Saulot has had vast influence on
that part of the Book of Nod, or if the passages in the
Book of Nod may have influenced his prophesies, or if
both have been influenced by something altogether
different.

The Scrolls are part prophesy, part poetic recount of
the Salubri history and part a philosophical tapestry
woven from thoughts regarding the nature of the
Salubri, the potential of humanity and the actions of
their enemies. Although the number of scrolls vary, the
Scrolls of Salubri are parted into four Books: The Book
of Wisdom, which contains the teachings of Saulot and
are
entirely written by the Founder; The Book of Nights
Foretold, containing the prophesies of Saulot, and those
of his Progeny; The Book of Nights Not Forgotten, a
huge work of poetry retracing the steps of the Salubri
of each of the Three Philosophies (only the history of
the Ascensionites have ever reached the world outside
the two Purifier sects); and finally
The Book of Thoughts, which is a not easily-accessible
work of philosophy, which thoroughly dissects the
world in which the Salubri exist _ both past and
present.

Although transcripts are made from the original Scrolls,
which are held by the Purifier sects, it is difficult to be
certain what is the original script, and what has been
added by other Salubri. The Children of Saulot
constantly add material to their holy scrolls, making
them more and more detailed, and thus closer and
closer to the "Truth of Saulot". This is when the Salubri
have finally learned all Saulot's lessons, and their third
eye opens to see all the worlds at once for the first time.
The Purifiers believe that once they achieve Golconda,
they will be able to perceive the world as did Saulot.
Until that happens, their vision is clouded by their
weaknesses, and their vain faith in their own strength.
But only some of the Scrolls are made available
for transcripts, and some of them have never been
looked upon with eyes which have not seen the fires of
the city of Kala-At-Shergat. The Salubri fully realise,=7F
that should all the Scrolls and their contents be known,
the bloodhounds of the Ba'ali and Tremere would soon
be at their doors. Thus many Scrolls are kept in secret
halls in the two Grand Temples of the Purifiers,
and are only available for the eyes of the most wise and
ancient of the Salubri.