u/HemaMemes

According to the Gospel of John, Jesus was allegedly pierced by a spear/lance (however you want to translate "λόγχη") after he died on the cross.

This brief mention has inspired a LOT of further stories about this weapon. Later writers would give the soldier who stabbed him the name "Longinus," which led to a bunch of Christian relics claiming to be the spear of Longinus, all of which have what I would generously call "dubious provenance."

My question: what types of spears were actually used by Roman soldiers, either legionnaires or auxiliaries, in the province of Judaea c. 30 CE?

The Alpha documents for VtM 6th edition have reworked Humanity into a balancing act of two natures, human and beastly. Tipping the scale in either direction comes with its own benefits and drawbacks. Going too far ends your character, becoming either a monstrous Wight or someone too empathetic to remain a predator.

Now, if you ask the Camarilla what the ideal balance would be, they would say "all human, no Beast" because they follow the Toreador's Road of Humanity. Under this philosophy, the best way to manage one's inner Beast is to stay the same person you were before your Embrace.

For a neonate, this is relatively easy; you were a human for most of your existence. However, maintaining humanity becomes increasingly more difficult the older a Kindred gets. When your human decades are only a fraction of your existence that happened centuries ago, you tend to forget.

This inevitability is one reason why the Sabbat (as well as some Anarchs and independents) reject strict Humanity in favor of alternative methods.

And, well, managing your Beast by recognizing that you are a being of two opposing natures and using those natures to balance each other out sounds much more like a Sabbat Path of Enlightenment.

I wonder if this mechanical change reflects a decreasing emphasis on the Camarilla as the default playstyle.

I'm running a Vampire game, and one of the NPCs is a Mage whose practice is modern witchcraft: tarot cards, astrology, crystals, herbs. For the purposes of my VtM game, this is all fine and good; most vampires don't know what a Mystic Tradition is, assuming they even know that Mages exist at all.

However, this got me wondering: if this character is connected to the broader world of Mages, which of the Mystic Traditions would she best fit in?

EDIT: Some more info about her: she's very countercultural and believes she's reviving the pre-Christian practices of European paganism that worshipped "The Goddess," and her religious convictions are strong enough that she has True Faith.

She does, in fact, run a goth magic shop (well, a stall at the mall, anyway, because she can't afford to lease a full store yet.) At her shop, you can buy protective amulets, healing crystals and herbs, get your fortune predicted, and even pay her to hex someone you don't like.