Creation of the Sun Amulet †This ritual takes three months to complete, and must be begun at sunrise on the Summer Solstice. The amulet, which must be gold, must then be left in the daylight on the last day. This creates an amulet which confers partial immunity to sunlight - the wearer takes half damage from exposure to sunlight.
Fortitude of the Pure Heart §Ritual enables the caster to extend her health levels by temporarily binding her soul to another's. The subject is traditionally a virgin, or otherwise must have a humanity of at least 9. The subject must be living and untainted - ie not a ghoul or blood-bound - and must be willing, or at least not be able to resist by willpower. Ritual: 6 hour ritual. The subject must be ritually cleansed and anointed within a circle of bone-ash. The caster must then ritually exchange her blood, point by point, with Vitae, so that she is filled completely with Vitae, but not bound, enghouled or Embraced. The subject loses one point of Vitae each sunrise. This can be topped up by the Caster, but on the third drink the subject becomes a Ghoul, and is no longer a Pure Heart. System: During combat, Caster can decide whether injury is taken by the victim or the Caster, using a Wits+Alertness roll. Diff 5, modified up for surprise attacks. Each attack cannot be divided consciously between the two, but must be wholly borne by one or other. Once health levels of the Kindred are exhausted, she must decide whether attacks affect the Subject, or drain blood. Injuries already sustained cannot be transferred. With blood and health levels exhausted, all injury goes directly to the subject. Note: If at any time the subject circle is broken, or crossed by anyone other than the Caster, or the subject leaves the circle, the ritual connection ceases. The connection is also stopped by the subject succeeding on a Willpower roll, diff 5. The circle stops magickal interference, including any attempts at healing by a third party (see "Circle of Protection"). Note 2: The Master of the Order-House in Madrid carried out experiments on lupines and other creatures regarding this rote. Since lupines must be thoroughly dominated into virtual insensibility to prevent their escape, they are unable to use their amazing powers of regeneration to useful effect. All died exactly as would a mundane kine. There are notes on file indicating further research on this subject is required.
Sunlight's Sweet Caress †[Night-long] ritual, start[ing at sunset, ending at sunrise]. This ritual must be performed in a natural area, with a candle at each cardinal point and two candles in the middle of the area. This Ritual protects the Kindred from the effects of sunlight for Fortitude hours.
Weave the Blood Moon Path §(See level 5 ritual "Corruption of the Moon Path" and notes on Blood Paths.) This is used to create the Blood Paths, a network of Umbral arteries used like Moon Paths to link places where magickal energy (Vis) is concentrated - known variously as Cairns, Nodes, Foci, and Dragon-Sites. Some Arteries are corrupted Garou Moon Paths, but most were built by the Tremere to link key locations. Blood paths are one of the many reasons why Garou despise Kindred, and they will do all in their power to destroy them, and any Kindred they find travelling the Umbra. However, they have an intense disgust with Blood Paths and will not tread on them unless they are heavily provoked or have a sure victim. Creation of the Portal requires the blood of an Abomination - a Were- vampire, who must be exsanguinated, staked and torpored, then buried in the ground at the site. This first part of the ritual punches a rift in the Gauntlet. The Elder must then walk the Umbra, sprinkling the were-Blood ahead of her towards a destination site held in her mind. She must make an extended roll rolling Int+Occult/Umbral Knowledge. She must achieve 25 successes, but the number of turns in which this is achieved depends on how deep into the Umbra the artery passes. The upper levels of the Near Umbra are easier, but they are travelled by Garou - the deeper the Path, the safer. Turns are as follows: 12 - dangerous path through the Penumbra; 10 - moderately risky Near Umbra; 8 - deeper Near Umbra; 6- safer fringes of the Deep Umbra. Difficulty depends on how well the destination is known: 7 - know quite well, 8 - have visited once or twice, 10 - seen a photograph, had it described. The Magister must achieve 25 successes, or become forever lost in the Umbra. Additionally, she may only turn back after 3 turns, simply by following the Blood Path. After the fourth she must continue - she has gone too far to return in time. Once formed, the Blood Path is seen in the Umbra as a pulsing blood-red path. Portals are usually in secret locations near, but not inside, Tremere Chantries. Although this would be more convenient, Garou, as well as other denizens of the Umbra can potentially travel the paths and emerge at the terminus. For example, there are said to be many in the hills above Vienna, as Blood Paths are one of the secret pillars which support the administration of the Pyramid.
Umbral Vault §Creates a small sealed chamber within the Near Umbra, similarly to 'Otherwordly Haven'. The Vault adjusts to the size of whatever is stored in it, up to a maximum size of twelve feet cubed. Time within the Vault only flows when the Portal to it is opened, which means that whatever is stored in it is presevered, but it cannot be used as a satisfactory haven, as it is impossible to open from the inside. (However, it is said that some Antediluvians rest inside these, sleeping trapped until their release.) The portal may be of any size or shape, but must be on a flat surface within a defined boundary. For example, a wall cannot be used as it has no distinct edge, whereas a door, or a picture frame on a wall, can. Mirrors, picture-frames, doorways and box or suitcase lids are most often used. Vaults are used particularly for storing valuables, libraries, and even for smuggling objects, as the portal object is usually easily portable. (There have even been incidents in Mid-Western America where Tremere Elders have been smuggled out of cities using such Vaults, during Sabbat invasions.) The three-hour ritual requires sacrifice of a large sentient animal to penetrate the Gauntlet, then binding to the portal object with its blood (trapping the spirit), and infusing it with five points of Vitae. Opening the portal requires creating a blood-seal in two parts. One is placed in the Gauntlet rift and keeps it open, the other is used as a key to open the portal at will. If at any time either the seal or the portal are damaged or destroyed, the Vault seals itself forever as a sub-Realm within the Umbra, and is impossible to reach to all practical purposes - or at least horrendously difficult. (Note: There have been reported incidents of portals being damaged whilst body part is beyond the Vault's threshold, such as reaching in with a hand. The part is neatly severed on the Vault's collapse, and if this severs a Kindred's brain-heart line, they are killed instantly, as if they had been decapitated (which in fact, they have). Body parts trapped within Vaults can never be regenerated as they still exist, but are not part of Time, hence held back from the inertial force which normally regenerates the kindred body. This is a particularly unpleasant form of punishment, especially if the portal is destroyed for ever.)
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