Bahari Convictions
Some lilins try to act with all humanity and use their gifts to do nothing but help the victims of abuses, tortures, and harsh lives.
These lilins are, however, in the minority.
Lilins are not “good vampires” and they are not “Kindred angels,” nor are they more interested in equality, fairness, and justice than they are in blood, righteous mandate, and punishment. The Bahari are more than happy to cultivate their image as avenging angels, and some only feed from abusers, target awful men, and persecute the patriarchy associated with worshiping Caine. However, when the survivor who pointed the lilin at their abuser thanks the vampire, the vampire is inclined to take that mortal as a retainer, a blood doll, or just drop them without future aid, now their task is done. When they target awful men, ripping them to shreds in an alley, they enjoy the pain they mete out, relishing the bloodshed and tortured cries. When they attack Cainite worship, they suggest a replacement: Lilith worship. Neither is truly better than the other.
Some Bahari come face-to-face with their hypocrisy and walk away from the cult. Others embrace it and use it to elevate themselves. Others deny the hypocrisy and genuinely see themselves as deliverers, righteous in their actions. Very few Bahari ponder the idea that abuse begets abuse, or how the spiral of vengeance becomes all-consuming until scores of innocents fall due to their supposed moral crusade. Examining their actions might give one a crisis of faith, and denying Lilith’s way is a good way to find oneself excommunicated from the Garden, or lashed to the old Judas tree and burned to ash.
Lilins frequently gravitate toward the following Convictions to justify their actions:
Always correct the false myths of Caine when you hear them
To destroy Caine, one must destroy his myth. To elevate Lilith as she deserves, one must destroy Caine in every way.
Never feel remorse for serving Lilith
The Bahari cannot afford to dwell in remorse, because remorse is the thread by which self-doubt and artificial morals are sewn to the soul. Remorse creates hesitation.
Always participate in Bahari rituals
The personal feelings of a Ba’ham do not matter in regard to ritual. Whether they wish to be elsewhere, or believe the Garden they have entered is not worthy of their presence, worship of the Dark Mother and her wisdom supersedes personal preferences or politics.
Never show fear in the face of death
Lilith did not show fear at any point after her creation, nor should her children.
Only kill in sacrifice to Lilith
Killing is made sacred by being part of worship, learning, and growth. Sacrifice can be about holy vengeance. Sacrifice can mean volunteering your body to be the feast, to die in the hands and mouths of other Bahari. All deaths must have meaning to the Dark Mother.
Never fail to dispense pain and anguish to Lilith’s enemies
Bringing discomfort to the comfortable is not just a pithy saying, but a necessary component of bringing someone into the Dark Mother’s embrace as well as destroying her enemies in a manner she would find pleasing.
