Moon (Sequence 0)

The Moon is the summit of the path to which the apothecary, the tamer, the vampire, the potion-maker, the scholar, the shaman, the summoner, the life-giver and the goddess of beauty lead. The list itself explains the nature of the path: beneath a single moon it gathers knowledge of compositions, dominion over blood, the charms of darkness, the summoning from beyond the threshold, and the power to create life.

The canon expressly states: the Moon is more a symbol than an authority. Just as the moon accompanies the earth, so the mother proves to be the first companion of all life, and this is the very essence of the Moon; for that reason it encompasses several symbolisms at once.

It has many authorities, and almost all of them concern birth, attraction and beauty:

Summoning — the Call of the Moon attracts truly dreadful things, up to and including the Brood Hive and the Mother Goddess of Vice;

Beauty — anyone who sees the moon recalls the most unforgettable beauty they have ever known;

Life — a share of this authority belongs to it, and its own life is eternal;

Spirituality — it is the source of spirituality, the spiritual power of the Mother of All;

Darkness and Strangeness — a share of dominion over each;

and from the union of Life and Beauty grows a subordinate authority over plants, animals, humans and supernatural beings.

This is precisely why the path of the Moon is considered the path of vampires: the seventh step turns its bearer into another kind, and the "heritage" of the Sangvins replaces most of the formulas from the seventh Sequence and above. The branch is closed in upon itself — vampires give birth to vampires.

The ritual of ascension carries the bearer beyond the ordinary world: one must find a way to enter the Astral world and occupy there a concept meaning "the Moon", or else inscribe one's true name into that concept.