Table of Contents

• Introduction to the Sicariot
• Historical summary
• The Clans and Bloodlines of the Sicariot
• Rumours

• The Sicariot Index

The Sicariot are a whole new subsect of the Sabbat - nominally the Regent's personal counterweight to the increasingly suspicious Black Hand - comprising six entirely new Clans/Bloodlines with associated Disciplines. The are a highly religious group, following their own Path of Enlightenment - the Path of Thorns - based upon a book or prophesies and 'truths' known as The Book of Thorns. They believe that the Gehenna is truly imminent, and purport to know the truth about Cain, the Antediluvians, and the ultimate destiny of the Kindred. They believe that through their faith, they alone will be able to survive the Antediluvian onslaught and lead humanity and the Kindred through the Gehenna into a new golden age - one where the Seed of Cain and the Seed of Abel can live together in peace. But the Sicarii are restless now, seeing corruption all around them - among their own kind, among their allies in the Sabbat, and among the rest of the Kindred. Troubled times certainly lie ahead...

(Note: A complete history of the Sicariot can be found on the 'Path Of Thorns' page - what follows here is only a brief summary).

THE SICARIOT - "The Daggers"

It was the early years of the Roman Empire, during the reign of Octavian, called Augustus, when the beginnings of the subsect which would call itself the Sicariot began.

Judea was in turmoil, having recently lost autonomy to the Roman satraps and increasingly rebellious against what the natives perceived as a decadent and evil civilisation. While most simply plodded about the best they could, hoping that their god would deliver them, others took action.

The Zealots were a faction of such individuals. They were dedicated to overthrowing the Roman occupation in Judea. Most, however, were limited to acts of petty banditry. A few though, were to become the scourges of the land.

They called themselves "Sicarii", referring to their trademark daggers which they so loved to plunge into the hearts of their occupiers. For a while, it seemed as if Judea would undergo a general revolt as the Sicarii grew strong within the Zealots and the Zealots gained favour with the Judeans.

That all changed, almost in a fortnight.

The Fifth Generation Abaddonite, Halikh, appeared before the Sicarii one nite while they were discussing the meaning of a new prophet in the land and what his relevance was to their mission. Halikh listened at first, hidden from their eyes. He listened to their stories about a man named Yeshua, a Nazarene. But when one of the Sicarii, Judas, sought to persuade his companions of Yeshua's message, Halikh rose from his perch.

Abaddonite legend then tells of how Halikh prophesied for them, telling them of what would come of Yeshua, of how he failed to fulfill the mandate the Sicarii sought, of how, instead, he would spawn a faith which would reach out to the lands beyond, reducing Judea to irrelevancy as the star of Rome continued to rise.

Judas is said to have been crushed by the revelation, and soon departed to meet his fate behind the chamber doors of the Sanhedrin where a deal had already been offered...

The others, however, were intrigued and frightened by what the Kindred had told them. A world without faith, a world of darkness and death, a world were men fought and died over nuances. This was not the world the Messiah was supposed to have brought. Halikh could only agree. And so, he made them an offer.

"Come with me, my sons. Let me take to in my arms and bestow upon you the gift of my kind. I will take you away from all of this suffering your land will soon succumb to, and allow you a chance at a higher purpose", he said.

After some discussion, they agreed, almost to the man.

The Sicariot, once feared throughout Judea, suddenly disappeared from the land shortly before a certain Nazarene was executed for treason by the occupying authorities. They were now Abaddonites and the core of the future faction of the Sabbat which would carry their name: Sicarii. The Daggers.

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As a sect, the Sicariot has existed only since the mid 1500s, after the fires of the Inquisition had been stoked in Europe. It was formed almost at the same time as the Sabbat and, eventually, it united with that larger group but only after nearly three hundred years of independent (and secretive) existence. During that span, much of the original Judaic flavour had passed on as the original Sicarii met their Final Death and the sect became almost synonymous with the Abaddonite's Path of Thorns. By the time of Union, in 1755, much of the sect had evolved along the lines now familiar to its current initiates: episcopal theocratic government and all but the Bloodline Mashithites as members. The Childer of Mashith joined in 1880.

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The First Sabbat Civil War gave the Regent a pause. The activities of the Black Hand had, almost certainly, kept the sect together while war raged on all sides, both within and without the Sabbat. Why was it, then, that he felt so uncomfortable around the Hand?

With this thought, came the fruits of Union. The Regent, as the years went by, became increasingly convinced that the Hand was working under their own agenda, one parallel to but not completely of the Sabbat's. What was needed was a counterweight to them, one powerful enough to both give the Hand a warning and to act as the Regent's own personal army of covert operators.

Coincidentally, two elders, one a Nephilim Templar and the other an Abaddonite Patriarch, were think- ing along the same lines. The Abaddonites were becoming ever wary of the encroachment of their lands by the Camarilla and the activities of the Inconnu. Other Sicarii Clans had similar worries. The Nephilim, aware that his ruler was searching for an alternative to the Hand, offered membership into the Sabbat for the entire Sicarii sect. Incredulous, the Abaddonite left to consult with his authorities. He was astounded to find that the spiritual head of the Path of Thorns, the Antipater, was waiting for the Patriarch and had already approved the Union.

And so it was that the Sicariot became the right hand of the Regent of the Sabbat. The marriage has been one of convenience, to be sure, but it has benefitted both groups. The Regent now feels safer from the Hand (but is now beginning to fear the Sicarii) and the Sicarii are safe from the heretical hordes beyond the confines of the Sabbat (but are now contemplating turning on one particular Clan for its dealings with Infernal Powers.).