Madness Network is a term used by Malkavians to describe the psychic link shared by all vampires of this clan. Alson known as the Cobweb, the Tapestry, the Weavery or a dozen other names.
Overview
Even within the clan, few understand the nature and purpose of the Network, though all agree that Malkav himself is somehow involved. One of the more popular theories is that Malkav no longer exists in a physical form, but instead is a psychic entity - Malkav is the Network. Others claim the Network was created by him in order that he may use every one of his childer as his eyes and ears in the mortal world.
The Network's main function seems to be bringing Malkavians together for gatherings through "the Call", a powerful psychic summons. This was the method used to gather the majority of the clan for the Great Prank - the removal of Dementation - before the formation of the Camarilla. Gatherings in the modern nights are generally much smaller, and are often called to organise a group activity such as pranking an elder or terrorising a particular area of a city.
This doesn’t mean that they’re in constant telepathic communication, though, nor that they’re continually bombarded by one signal after another. For what it’s worth, Malkavians spend a very low percentage of their time tapped into the Network. Many hear only a faint fluttering two or three times a year. For the vast majority of his nights, the only company a Malkavian has within his skull is his own dementia. Whatever its true nature, the Madness Network does come across as largely unknowable, even to Malkavians.
Not all Malkavians can access the Network with equal skill, and only the most powerful can use it for their own purposes. The gathering of almost the whole clan mentioned above was the doing of six methuselahs. Several high-level powers of the Auspex and Dementation disciplines allow Malkavians to access and use the Network, and all Malkavians may learn the Talent of "Malkavian Time", which allows them to tap into it with greater ease, and even - though with much difficulty - send messages to other Malkavians.
It is indeed possible for a Malkavian to “download” herself, her consciousness onto the shared madness network. This isn’t quite a form of immortality, though, as what remains on the Network possesses a rudimentary sort of sentience, as much an echo of the vampire’s personality as anything else. There’s no evidence to suggest that the network remnants of a Malkavian’s personality have any sort of strong ambition or self-awareness, other than being a collection of ideas and memories that fire off when appropriate stimuli present themselves. Whatever “intelligence” remains is incomplete, somewhat broken and rather difficult to reason with — after all, it no longer has the context of a body and a separate set of memories. It is somewhat further outside the bounds of reality, bodiless and indistinct - and, of course, quite mad.
This particular tidbit of lore is not common knowledge at all; it’s preserved as one of the greatest secrets of the clan, and it can’t be accessed through the Network itself. Anyone willing to make this final plunge will have to somehow come up with the idea in the first place, and then do the legwork to make it necessary. Nothing is ever easy for the Malkavians.
References
- VTM: Clanbook: Malkavian Revised
, p. 41-42, 64