Level Four

Curse of the Modern Age †

When cast upon a target, the Kindred makes a Manipulation + Occult roll against the target's Willpower. Each success adds one to the victim's target numbers for using technological devices of any sort. The victim is effectively cursed with a form of anachronism. The ritual lasts until the first dawn after it is cast. [Thaumaturge must touch the victim with a rowan wand. Difficulty is an extra +1 for every 25 yrs since the victim's Embrace - this renders Elders incapable of using the simplest technology.]

Curse of the True Soul's Vision §

Curse said to have been developed by a member of the Inquisition, in an attempt to incontrovertibly find evil-doers, as it gives its victim the unfailing ability to see the true face of another's soul. This might be useful for an Inquisitor, but for those living in the dark world of depravity which Kindred inhabit, it can cause an unbearable descent into madness.

This four-hour ritual requires a mirror and the blood of an evil-doer (traditionally a condemned murderer, now any being of low humanity). The first person who then looks into the mirror will bear the Curse. On looking into the mirror, the victim sees her own soul, and unless they have a Humanity of 10, they must makes a Courage roll against what they see - difficulty being 11-Humanity. Successes determine the duration of the curse: 1 - one year; 2 - six months; 3 - month; 4 - week; 5 - night. If no successes, the curse is Permanent. If botched, the curse is Permanent, and a Courage point is also lost. The mirror then smashes into pieces.

Thereafter, whenever the victim looks at any being, they will see a physical manifestation of the being's corruption, their evil. Every wretched thought and deed will be born upon their faces and bodies, twisted blackened limbs, running bloody sores, screaming nightmare visions of their depravity. The Victim must must make a Courage roll, difficulty 11-Humanity of the subject. If any rolls are failed, the Victim will enter Rötschrek and run in terror. If any roll is Botched, it results in a Derangement. The Victim's only solace is in being surrounded by purity, or isolation, which is possibly why many of the Inconnu hide in the wilderness, far from Kindred society.

Demonic Guard §

Creates a host of snapping spirits, only visible to those with Auspex, which take the victim's blood when they attack. System: complex and hazardous five-hour ritual. Requires sacrifice of as many small animals (must be rat-sized or larger) as are guards desired, within a blood-circle requiring three points. A talisman is then made from a part of each creature (usually a paw), which is embalmed and bound with silver wire. Requires [Int+Occult roll Diff 6], each success is one bound guard - any remaining unbound will attack stealing one blood-point each until their talismans are destroyed. Each guard requires one blood-point per day to stay within the Caster's control, otherwise they will attack indiscriminately. They are released when the talisman is destroyed.

Use: Guards can be used in different ways. A talisman can be placed on or in the home of an unsuspecting individual who will be plagued with vicious bites and blood-loss. Talismans can be carried by the creator and the guards ordered to attack enemies. System: Wits+Occult Diff 6, successes are number of guards attacking particular target. On any botch control roll, the guards attack the caster and cannot be recovered.) A Talisman can also be placed to guard a doorway or location. Guards can only move a maximum twelve feet from their talisman, and leave vicious little red-bruised bite-marks, though the skin is unbroken.

False Veil of Sincerity §

This half-hour ritual masks an aura similarly to "Impressive Aura" (below) - but instead presents an aura of calm light blue sincerity for Manip+Acting (diff 6) hours.

Impressive Aura †

This 1 hour ritual causes the Caster's aura to become incredibly attractive; roll Perception + Empathy against a success to determine how many hours this ritual lasts. The Ritual adds 1 die to each Social Attribute and doubles Humanity for the purposes of Empathy Tests. Combined with Presence, the user of this Ritual is irresistible.

Propagation of the Blood-Flower §

All living things contain Vitae, even plants, but in such low quantities that it is impossible to harvest. This ritual allows a thaumaturge to manipulate a plant to concentrate its Vitae in a form which can then be used.

System: Requires a carnivorous plant (eg Venus Fly Trap or Pitcher Plant), which must be manipulated using Int+Plantlore (or Porphyria, as it is a Porphyriac Device based on research by the Obour bloodline) over seven days. Diff 8, 22 successes must be accumulated, once a day over seven days. One BP added to the plant's roots per day. When transformed successfully, the plant accumulates Vitae at a rate of 0.1 BP per day. After ten days (under appropriate growing conditions) the plant develops fat, ugly red reeking blooms which smell of blood, and will potentially frenzy a hungry vampire. The flowers have fat distended pistils inside, which contain a fluid rich in Vitae, equivalent to one point of blood. (The fluid has an peculiarly delicate, vegetative taste, which some keepers develop a great liking for.)

The flowers wither and close at dawn, and open at nightfall. The number of buds a plant can hold depends on its size, but there are generally no more than 10 flowers even on the biggest plants. Such flowers are quite rare, due to the difficulty of cultivation and the rarity of the skills, and they are sold for a great price (or Boon) between Tremere and Elders of other clans.

Retribution by Ephialtes §

A monstrous ritual which inflicts horrific and relentless living nightmares upon a victim, driving them to insanity and even death. The ritual's history is long, and it holds a distinguished place in the canon of horrors created by the Great Grand Master, Guido Alvarez.

System: Five-day ritual. A large predatory animal (traditionally a panther or other big cat) should be killed, gutted and boned, whilst still alive. Within a circle of its burned bone fragments, the flesh is boiled for four days in a large cauldron and reduced to its essences. The foul residue must then be smeared over the caster's shaved body, whilst she creates images of screaming torture and terror (Manip+Intimid Diff 8, must achieve ten successes in four attempts, or the process fails). The essence is scraped off, mixed with the remainder and made into an ointment with deadly nightshade, verbena and marshwort, suspended in the rendered fat of the animal's flesh.

Effects: For a long-lasting effect, the victim must somehow be made to ingest the ointment - hence this will not work with Kindred. Otherwise it must somehow be smeared on skin. On mortals it will last for several days even it is washed off, but on Kindred only lasts until dawn. If placed on clothes or objects next to the skin, it will last for as long as the victim wears them. The affected victim will then suffer from constant screaming visions of blood, mutilation and horror, or whatever terror is described by the Caster, which requires a Courage roll, once every hour, Diff 7, or spending a point of willpower. Botched rolls result in Derangement. Failed rolls cause instant Rötschrek, and loss of a Courage point. Once Courage is gone, the victim must make Humanity rolls, and over a long enough period will eventually lose all humanity and succumb utterly to the Beast.

Shining Dust of Luna †

Requires a quantity of silver dust. When this 1 hour ritual is used to prepare the dust, anything it is sprinkled on takes on the same characteristics of silver. It also tends to stick to Lupines and others vulnerable to silver, causing aggravated wounds until washed off.

Soul Mate †

The caster and the subject must sacrifice one Blood Point each into two items during a 1 hour ritual, each of which must have emotional meaning to one of the two. When the ritual is done, the two can communicate telepathically, regardless of their relative locations so long as both possess the items. For the price of 1 Willpower point, either one may send her consciousness to the other for one hour. She appears as a ghostly form to the other, although the two can communicate freely, the projected consciousness can only use Auspex or Psychic Numina, otherwise treat as Astral Projection.

Spirit Search *

Time req'd: 3 hours Duration: Until next evening Components: Hair/ nail clipping/ personal item belonging to the target, 2BP. Pt's. of the casters blood and ground hazelnuts [ed. hazlenuts?!]. During this ritual the caster burns the item belonging to the target and mixes the ashes with the ground hazelnuts and his blood. The true runic name of the target is then repeated in a interlocking pattern over the casters' shaven head (not including the ears but over the eyelids). The final half an hour is spent in a meditative trance.

Once the ritual is completed the caster will be aware of the direction and distance of the target to him if the target is within 100 miles. Within this distance the caster can easily lead himself to the target. If the target is staked then the spirit is dormant and a Perception+Auspex roll is req'd every 1/2 hour to keep track of it. If the target dies during the duration of the ritual the caster will be aware of this and a Wits+Auspex roll is req'd to place the body before the spirit leaves it.

If the target is dead before the ritual is operative then no information as to the spirits whereabout can be obtained. If the target is staked before the ritual is completed the it can be found in the normal way. If the target is further away than 100 miles but within 1000 then only hazy information as to its whereabouts can be otained. If the target is more than 1000 miles away a perception+Auspex roll (diff. 8) can be made to discover if the target is alive or dead but no other info. can be obtained.

[Note: This is a very powerful and dangerous ritual. Difficulty is 8, decreased by personally knowing the subject, as with Auspex Summoning. This would otherwise allow relative neonates to easily locate the havens of Elders - no-one would be safe from the Jyhad. However, it may explain why Elders change or keep secret their names.]

 

§ - Order of Draco Ritual, by (c) Robert D How, 1998

† - by Deird're Brookes

* - by Cameron Blackwood