Fianna Tribe Rites

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“The hardest thing in life is to know which bridge to cross and which to burn” – Scottish classical guitarist David Russell (1953 – present)

Tribe Rites

Level 1 Rite of Boasting Twilight Song

Level 2 Beltane Feast for the Spirits Imbolc Lughnassa Rite of Hospitality Samhain

Level 3 Rite of the Foeman's Vigil

Level 5 Rite of the Hero's Sleep

Level One

Rite of Boasting (Renown)

Source: WW3854 - Fianna Revised p. 74

Description: Boasting and bragging have always been a vital aspect of warrior cultures. Boasts serve to work up a fighter's courage while putting fear into the opponent. But to truly impress, the boaster must back up his claims. This rite is more than formalized bragging, for it forces the Garou to "put up or shut up." Before a battle or mission, the Garou boasts before all assembled that he will perform a particularly impressive feat (for example, "I will kill three Black Spirals with only my claws," "I will scale the electrified razorwire of the refinery" or "I will be the first to reach the shield wall, there to wrest the enemy's standard from his dead hand."). The boast is performed in a ritual fashion, with a short recitation of lineage and a summary of glorious deeds performed to date. If he makes good on his boast, he magnifies the Glory of the act. If he fails, the resulting derision of his peers costs him Glory; boasting is only respected if you can back it up. This rite is most commonly used among the Fianna, Get of Fenris, and Wendigo, but most tribes have some version of it.

System: For every two successes on a Charisma + Rituals roll (difficulty varies according to the feat proposed, with more difficult and glorious feats lowering the difficulty; the number should probably range from 4 to 8), the boast earns a potential extra temporary Glory, up to the amount of Glory the feat would ordinarily garner. If the rite is performed properly and the Garou successfully achieves his goal, he gains the Glory bonus. If he fails and lives, he loses that amount. If he dies while carrying out his deed, there is neither loss nor gain of extra Renown.

A single pack may boast of a deed, but only the pack leader can perform the rite. In this case, difficulty is increased by one, and the entire pack gains or loses the Glory award.

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Twilight Song (Minor)

Source: WW3854 - Fianna Revised p. 77

Description: The period between day and night is considered a magical time by the Fianna, a transitory time when the world grows still and the hidden dances almost within vision.

System: The Fianna must howl or play a mournful tun just before sunrise and just after sunset every day for nine days. The Garou then gains an extra trait for crossing or seeing through the gauntlet. The bonus lasts until the Fianna fails to perform the ritual; she must then perform it for nine more days before regaining the benefits.

Level Two

Beltane (Seasonal)

Source: WW3854 - Fianna Revised p. 77

Description: The celebration of the dawning of the light half of the year is as abandoned as that of the dark half (Samhain) is reflective. Just after dark, the ritemaster bids every fire in the caern extinguished; after a few minutes of darkness, a new fire is lit, and its flame distributed to rekindle all the others, symbolizing a fresh start and return of light. Music, food, dancing and loving are the order of the night. Kinfolk are especially welcomed to the party, not only to share the fun; children conceived during Beltane are reputed to have a greater chance of breeding true. On the downside, the Litany is very fragile on this night as the head of passion burns away all rationality; elders watch over the cubs, but even the older sept members have occasionally succumbed to temptation. Beltane is a festival celebrating new vitality.

System: Those who participate in a successful Beltane rite gain an extra Robust Physical trait for the next 3 days. Rites of Cleansing and other purification rituals gain a single free retest.

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Feast for the Spirits (Mystic)

Source: WW3854 - Fianna Revised p. 75

Description: Since the dawn of religion, worshipers have made offerings of food to gods and spirits. The Fianna do so to honor ancestors at feasts, reminding them of their former lives and strengthening their ties to kith and kin. Theurges also enact the rite as chiminage to spirits who want a taste (literally) of what the living enjoy.

System: The ritemaster sings or plays a tune of welcome for the spirits while investing Gnosis into food and drink. With success on the rite, the food becomes tangible in the Penumbra. Once its essence has been consumed, the physical food and drink loses any appealing taste or texture as well as much of its nutritional value.

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Imbolc (Seasonal)

Source: WW3854 - Fianna Revised p. 76

Description: Imbolc is a festival of fertility and of hope; though many cold nights may lay ahead, winter is ebbing before the promise of spring. Ritual bonfires dot the caern, and the night is filled with tales of struggles won and the surety of better times ahead. It is also the sacred festival honoring the goddess Brigid, and deemed a favorable time to ask for the spirits' aid in endeavors of art or craft. Children born of Garou on this day are considered especially lucky, for more often than not their Garou blood runs true. Participants in the Imbolc rite regain 2 traits of lost Willpower. Furthermore, Fianna that have overcome Harano often claim that taking part in the Imbolc rite was the moment they began to claw their way back.

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Lughnassa (Seasonal)

Source: WW3854 - Fianna Revised p. 77

Description: In the ancient agrarian communities, this was the celebration of the beginning of harvest. For the Fianna it represents the fruits of labor, and the gathering of strength for the coming winter. Bread made from grain of the year, and fresh made mead and beer as well, are ceremoniously consumed. Those who participate in a successful Lughnassa rite gain an extra Stalwart Physical trait for the next three days, and a free retest on mental challenges relating to Lore or wisdom during the festival.

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Rite of Hospitality (Accord)

Source: WW3854 - Fianna Revised p. 74

Description: Hospitality is one of the three great virtues of the ancient Celts, and a similarly honorable virtue to the modern Fianna. Ordinarily, hospitality is a given at a hearth, but occasionally it needs to be formally stated in a binding fashion; perhaps the seeker is a rival, or has bad blood with others at the sept and needs protection. In such circumstances, the rite is performed. The grantor (typically the righ or the owner of the hall or territory) is required to give his guest food, shelter and reasonable comforts for three days, as well as protection from foes (without or within). In return, the supplicant is expected to be the model guest, neither stealing, starting fights nor otherwise bringing trouble to the household. And be sure that even if the offense isn't obvious, the spirits that witnessed the oath will find a way to bring it to everyone's attention.

System: Typically only the grantor needs to know the ritual. The supplicant formally asks for hospitality, usually reciting lineage and titles in the formal way. The host replies in a formal language, granting protection and a place in the hall. If the rite fails, the delivery seems awkward and forced and all present will feel the awkwardness of the moment. If successful, both parties are bound to their bargain. Should either one break the bargain, that party loses an Honor Renown. Ordinarily, no Renown is gained if both live up to their ends of the bargain, but if there is an element of danger (guest and host are bitter rivals or even enemies, for instance) the righ and guest may both make a claim for an Honor Renown. The Storyteller should be careful that this doesn't become a font of "free Renown"; Honor should be awarded only if there's something at stake -- for instance, being a polite host to a guest that's insulted you or is a rival, or being a model guest despite constant provocation. After three days (usually measured to sunset, but typically stated during the rite), all bets are off; if the guest is in trouble, he'd better make tracks.

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Samhain (Seasonal)

Source: WW3854 - Fianna Revised p. 76

Description: The Fianna calendar year begins on this night. An uncharacteristically subdued celebration with a grand feast, music, and drink, the Samhain Rite is a time for reflecting on the year just passed. Tributes are given to honor the year's fallen, whose spirits are often in attendance; for these honored fallen the sept saves places at the table and choice seats in the bardic circles; Theurges frequently enact the rite Feast for the Spirits so the dead may revel once more with their comrades. It's believed by some that the dead wait until this night before moving on to their next life, or perhaps their essences become "fully fledged" spirits at this time. Because the Gauntlet is slightly thinner (-1 to the Gauntlet at Storyteller's discretion) on this night than on any other night of the year, it is also a night when all manner of spirits (benign and otherwise) cross over to cause mischief or simply to observe the living world. Those who take part in the Samhain ritual regain two traits of lost Gnosis during participation

Level Three

Rite of the Foeman's Vigil (Mystic)

Source: WW3854 - Fianna Revised p. 75

Description: Severed heads can be more than a trophy, they can be a ward. In this modified version of the Rite of the Fetish, the ritemaster takes the head of a newly taken foe (within the last 24 hours) and rebinds the spirit within it in services to the Garou. When put in place (usually buried under a pile of stones or placed on a pike or wall), the head emits a shrill, undulating wail if any unwelcome visitor approaches within 20 yards of the head. It will cease to function if moved or broken, if it is activated too many times, or until the third Samhain after its creation; then the spirit flees. A rarely used variant of this rite (known as Hero's Vigil) uses the head of a recently killed Fianna hero (should the spirit be agreeable to the binding).

System: At the end of the rite the head is placed in its permanent position. It will activate a number of times equal to the ritemasters rituals dots. Normal intruders will automatically be detected if they enter the alert radius; those with supernatural concealment (such as Obfuscate, human magic or a Gift) may evade notice if the being makes a Mental Challenge against the ritemaster. This does not detect intrusion across the Gauntlet, but a Black Spiral Dancer head (for example) could be placed in the Penumbra with similar effects. If Rite of Hero's Vigil is enacted on a willing Fianna's spirit, difficulty is 10 - Rank of the dead Garou, and the head may be good for up to 1 year. As the two rites are similar, Garou who know one only require three days of study to learn the other.

Level Five

Rite of the Hero's Sleep (Death)

Source: WW3854 - Fianna Revised p. 74

Description: This rare and powerful rite has been used on some of the greatest heroes of the Fianna. When a Fianna of the greatest renown falls in battle, he is placed in the earth (such as a cave, or a chamber of a burial mound), where the ritemaster dedicates the body to the land, tying soul and earth together. The body heals, then falls into a deep sleep. On rare occasions, the hero's pack or shieldmate is allowed to join the warrior in sleep. The champion and his pack then lie in state, ageless, without need for food or breath, until he awakens to take up arms once again -- at the dawn of the Apocalypse.

System: The ritemaster spends three permanent points of Gnosis when performing the ritual. If she succeeds, the champion's wounds heal in a moment and the flush returns to the hero's cheeks. There is usually time enough for a few final words before sleep overcomes the hero. At Storyteller's discretion, the champion may awaken for a short while and return to the caern at any time of great crisis.