The Children of Discord

Mad, unpredictable, and wise, the Children of Discord pursue enlightenment and understanding. Hailing the entropic nature of vampirism-and the world-as the savior from the stagnate nature of the same, these Kindred would attain their transcendence not through the rigorous and lonely teachings of the Ordo Dracul nor the "eldritch rites" of the Circle of the Crone, but through any of diverse and discordant strains that run through reality. Made up of young vampires and old, outcasts to socialites, they sing the truly haunting harmonies of a Requiem built of dissonant measures and hidden fugues.

Members

Kindred of all ages make up the ranks of the Children of Discord. They also hold allegiance to Kindred of all Clans, and many of the smaller bloodlines make up a disproportionately large (though still a small minority) portion of the membership.

While many members are, in fact, insane, the same could be said of the population of Kindred as a whole. Children merely have the tendency not to deny their acquired insanities. Instead they revere both the different perspectives that insanity grants them and the possibilities of truths about the universe that are merely hidden from the "sane" mind.

Far from all of the Children are insane, however. From the well-known Greek Eris cultists and Pythagoreans to Zen practitioners to atheistic chaos theoreticians to seekers after hidden Elder Gods, the common theme is a rejection of viewing life as the masses would have it be. In recent decades, many of the youngest members have hailed (or flocked to) Discordianism. Older members are in disagreement as to the usefulness of this semi-religion, some finding it trite and others insightful.

Philosophy

The Children of Discord pursue insight through madness, absurdity, and deviance. Undeath is, as is life, a thing of balances, inconsistencies, and paradoxes. Eschewing the codified and often monolithic beliefs of other covenants, they believe existence is a thing of many hidden meanings-and what is unseen is often right in front of the eyes.

Aside from this, it should be noted that the Children of Discord do, in fact, honor discord. The following philosophies are not complete embraced in all detail by all members, and the Children would not have it otherwise. These philosophies are, however, held by most Children.

Change is Good

Like the Carthians, the Children of Discord believe in change. Far moreso than the followers of that cause, they believe in change for its own sake. Stagnation is the curse of an unenlightened mind, but entropy can be easily embraced and used to fuel less destructive change. Not all Children change well with the times, per se-but they will change by their own internal measuring-sticks. A Child of Discord is likely to embrace a new idea because it is new, and because it might reveal some hitherto-hidden meaning to her.

Better the devil you don't know than the devil you do.

The World Contains Wonders and Horrors

The Children as a whole believe in mythical beings and hidden intelligences. In faeries, devils, and dragons-and perhaps the bloody gods of the Circle of the Crone. The ranks of agnostic and atheistic Children merely say that these beings are another aspect of creation. Since nature is, by definition, the sum of all existence; then anything which exists can by definition not fall outside of nature. Thus the term "supernatural" is a misnomer, and magic and myth are merely "unusual" or "unseen".

Reality is not Static

The most enlightened Child, who has spent the entirety of her existence probing the occulted secrets to gain enlightenment, does not understand the universe. For another seeker will find other secrets. All exist together, and must be found different by the process of looking. Reality exists in layers and pockets, and Truth is both eternal and ever-shifting. It is those who cannot accept paradox who will never truly See, for wanting an Answer rather than to Question will never lead to enlightenment.

Do not Forsake the World

All the covenant's talk of the unseen and the unknown does not lead them away from reality and seeing what is under their own noses. Rare is the sequestered hermit, for the Children do not forget that the obvious and seen world is as important and real as the hidden. Many Children, in fact, only see their purpose in life in the context of the more concrete. They can be very sociable and political. Some are extremely syboritic, and most find it very important to persue simple fun. And it is common and encouraged that members "adopt" others to bring them to enlightenment out of dead tradition.

Rituals and Observances

The Caucus

The general assembly of the Children is called the Caucus, wherein all members may meet to discuss issues. Most Carthians would be proud of such an egalitarian way of meeting, though most also would not in any way care for the complex disorder which rules the Caucus. It is the right of all members to say their Piece on any matter.

Infiltration

Many Children of Discord infiltrate other Covenants. Their reasons for doing so are diverse, but even those most serious also regard doing so as a game. Keeping the other Covenants from destroying the world in stagnation is considered a sacred duty.

Epiphany

After a time with the covenant, most Children undergo Epiphany, wherein some inherent weakness of their psyche opens to them a supernatural power. Many older members will even shatter their minds yet further to attain further Epiphanies. (See the "Powers" section for details.)

Pilgrimage to the River Lethe

As it is unhealthy to believe that reality is too static a thing, some Children embrace the memory-altering powers of Torpor. A Child of Discord may enter torpor merely to muddle her own memories. Those who truly embrace this practice will enter Torpor voluntarily while in different mental and emotional states, to color their memories with things which might have been.

Titles and Duties

While the Children do not have an extensive series of officers nor a complex hierarchy, there are a few known positions

The Sacred Triangle

There are actually known to be five members of the Triangle. It has been rumored both that these five are the masters of Epiphany and that they are the heads of infiltration to the other Covenants.