Difference between revisions of "Accord Rites"
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Revision as of 20:40, 15 June 2021
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Rites of Accord |
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Rites of Accord restore a place or particular Garou to harmony and balance with Gaia. These rites purify and renew by bringing the object of the rite through a symbolic rebirth from Gaia's womb.
System: Any Garou attempting to perform a rite of accord must possess a talen, a fetish or some piece of Gaia never touched by minions of the Wyrm or by human hands (for example, a willow branch from a remote forest or a stone from a protected caern). The ritemaster makes a Charisma + Rituals roll (difficulty 7 unless otherwise stated).
Accord Rites
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Level 1
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Level 2
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Level 3
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Level 4
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Level One
Rite of Cleansing
Source: WW3801 - Werewolf: the Apocalypse Revised p. 157
Description: This rite purifies a person, place, or object, allowing it to be used without fear of Wyrm-taint. The most common form of this rite involves the ritemaster inscribing a circle on the earth, walking widdershins (counterclockwise) around the afflicted person(s) or object(s) while holding a smoldering branch or torch. She must use a branch (preferably willow or birch) dipped in pure water or snow to sprinkle the object or person cleansed. As the ritemaster does so, all Garou present release an eerie, otherworldly howl in an attempt to "frighten away" and thus banish the corrupting influence. Ideally, this rite is performed at dawn, but it can be performed at any time.
System: This rite can be cast upon more than one person or object, but th leader must spend one Gnosis Point on each extra thing or person in need of cleansing. The difficulty level depends on thelevel of taint. For instance, taint cause by a spirit might set a difficulty equal to the spirit's Gnosis. Only one success is required. If the character performs the rite at dawn, the difficulty of the rite decreases by one. Note that this rite can't heal wounds or damage caused by contamination. This rite cannot cleanse taint of the most innate sort, either. The rite inflicts agonizing pain when performed on a fomor, vampire, unrepentant Black Spiral Dancer or other similary accursed creature, but it cannot wash the recipient clean.
Rite of Contrition
Source: WW3801 - Werewolf: the Apocalypse Revised p. 157
Description: This rite is a form of apology used to privent the enmity of spirits or Garou whom an individual has annoyed, or to prevent war between septs or tribes. The rite most often involves the enactor dropping to her belly and sliding forward. The ritemaster may also whine and lick his paws or hands. If performed well, however, a simple inclination of the head may suffice. To enact this rite successfully, the Garou must either give a small gift to the offended individual or, in the case of a spirit, possess some aspect of the spirit in question (for example, a clay falcon if the Garou is appealing to the totem spirit Falcon).
System: The difficulty level of the rite equals the Rage of the target spirit or werewolf. A single success suffices for a gracious apology, but may not be enough to mend friendships or forgive grievous errors. The more successes, the greater the wrong that can be forgiven. Werewolves who refuse to recognize a Rite of Contrition are looked upon badly by elders. Most spirits will always accept a well-performed rite. This effect lasts until the Garou performs another action that could harm or insult the other.
Rite of the Hunting Ground
Source: WW3108 - Werewolf Players Guide 2nd Ed p. 44
Description: Lupus Garou mark their territory by urinating on trees and bushes. A fter the rite, no wolf or Garou can come into the area without immediately realizing they have entered another's territory. There is no compunction not to enter, however.
System: Typically, the Garou mush spend an hour marking her territory. Special messages, such as a greeting to other Garou, can be left with an Intelligence + Primal-Urge roll (difficulty 7).
Rite of the Pack's Blood
Source: WW3812 - Book of Auspices p. 80
Description: Most Garou form packs that are bound with and dedicated to a totem spirit. In these days of mixed septs and thinning ranks, some werewolves are forced by necessity to run together temporarily. This ritual binds a group of werewolves into a pack dedicated to a particular purpose, such as a quest, a battle, or a fortnight's stint of bawn-guarding. The effects of this expire after the task is done, or after a lunar month, whichever comes first. Elders usually expect more permanent associations to ask for the blessings of a totem spirit.
Though the supernatural benefits of this rite eventually end, mutual respect and friendships are a common byproduct. Rival septs may join their warriors with this rite to improve relations. It is not uncommon for such packs to reform into "true" packs down the road, devoted to a specific and appropriate totem spirit.
System: The members of the prospective pack each swear their united purpose as they slice a palm or pad and dribble a small amount of blood into a cup. The blood is mixed and painted on face, hand, and chest (over the heart) of each member. Upon a successful completion of the ritual (Charisma + Rituals, difficulty 7), the pack may take on benefits such as simultaneous initiative and special combat maneuvers. Note that packmembers already in a "true" pack may join this temporary pack, but will likely have some explaining to do to a miffed totem.
Level Two
Rite of Renunciation
Source: WW3801 - Werewolf: the Apocalypse Revised p. 157
Description: In this rare rite, a werewolf rejects the auspice under which he was born and chooses a new auspice. The Garou must perform this rite during the phase of the moon he wishes to embrace. Most commonly, water from a silver basin exposed to Luna's radiance is poured over the naked supplicant, washing him clean of all he once was, including all Rank. He is now free to start anew as a member of his adopted auspice. Almost free, that is, for many werewolves view such a "Shifting Moon" with suspicion. The Shadow Lords and Silver Fangs in particular see this rite as a grave insult to Luna and they are loath to trust those Garou who cannot bear the weight of their assigned burdens.
System: A character who changes auspices must start anew at Rank 1. Although he may keep any Gifts already learned, he may never learn new Gifts from his old auspice. However, Gifts of his adopted auspice are now available to him. Sometimes this rite is performed for purposes other than shifting auspice, such as when a Garou wishes to give up his name and start over in Garou society. (See Renunciation, p. 185.) A variation on this rite also allows a werewolf to renounce his tribe and join a second tribe. Doing so, however, is a severe insult to his formal tribal totem, who will likely view him poorly for the rest of his days. In no case can a werewolf return to an auspice or tribe that he formerly renounced. He's made his bed, so he must lie in it.
Level Three
Rite of the Omega
Source: WW3812 - Book of Auspices p. 35
Description: It is often the duty of the Ragabash to add levity and defuse a tense situation. When division and anger threatens the unity of the sept, some Ragabash choose the dangerous and often sacrificial Rite of the Omega. Once it is performed successfully, the ritemaster becomes reviled; everything she says or does steps on the last nerve of everyone in the sept (plus any visiotrs there at the time the rite begins). Elders put her to work and punish her for being slack, and the Ahroun want to practice their Ragabash-throwing skills. Even the lowest metis says, "Sucks to be you." The ritemaster will be driven from kills, suffer beatings if she isn't quick and may even have her gear stolen or damaged for spite's sake. Even her own pack treats her like dirt. All the tension and hate and anger that threatened to tear the sept aparat is now directed at one individual, bringing unity and catharsis to the Garou. The effects last a minimum of one day, although for an ongoing situation the Ragabash may continue to play the ultimate omega to ensure harmony.
System: Using her own blood mixed with the soil from teh caern site, the ritemaster inscribes the Garou glyph for Shame on her chast and intones a chant. If successful, the Ragabash drops to Rank One for the duration of the rite.
If the tension in the sept is the result of a singular event (a death, a divisive challenge, etc), the rite's effects last a single day. In the case of an ongoing crisis (Intersept negotiations or a heated concolations), the rite may last as long as a week. At the end of the rite, the glyph disappears and the Ragabash's Rank is restored, plus 3 temporary Honor (up to 5 for an extended rite) and hopefully some decent treatment to make up for the sacrifice. The sept members will be more inclined to compromise and have greater understanding of opposing views, and staying unified for a time.
The put-upon ritemaster may end the rite prematurely simply by wiping the glyph away and shouting "I've had enough!" but loses 2 Honoe and 1 Wisdom, and worse, teh sept loses all benefits of the rite.
This is specifically a Ragabash ritual; any other auspice (assuming they can find a teacher) has a +2 difficulty to the roll and gains or loses only 1 Honor.
Level Four
Clear the Miasma
Source: WW3811 - Book of the City p. 114
Description: Modern cities are choked with somg, brownish crud filling the air and suffocating the city's plant and animal life. Drive down any city highway and look closely at the trees that flank it: leaves and branches that face the roadway are brown and stunted. The emissions from heavy industry, automobiles, and power generation facilities combine to create this much.
Garou can use this ritual to temporarily cleanse the skies of the city around them. The most obvious benefit of this is that the sky becomes clearer, the air sweeter smelling. Plants grow more than usual; human residents with respiratory difficulty find that their day is easier. Performing this ritual also improves the attitude of Gaian spirits in the city and gently weakens the wall between the Realm and the Umbra. The ritual's effects only last for a day; with the morning dew, the city's poison will return.
System: The Garou must enact this rite at a site within about a quarter-mile of the city's geographic center. The rite begins an hour before dawn; the character beseeches spirits of the sky, rain, and sun to cleanse the filth from the sky. At the culmination of the hour-long rite, the cahracter spends one Gnosis and rolls Manipulation + Occult (difficulty of the local Gauntlet, which means that a careful spirit survey of the grographical center of the city may be worthwile before performing Clear the Miasma).
If the Garou achieves three or more success, the smog in the sky precipitates as ordinatry dirt into the morning dew. The local Gauntlet drops by 1 for the day, and the general attitude of nature-spirits int he city improves as they don't need to spend their time fighting pollution and Wyrm taint. This last effect reduces the difficutly of all Social rolls dealing with local Gaian spirits by 1 for the next day.
Enchant the Forest
Source: WW3806 - Players Guide to the Garou p. 196
Description: Everyone has heard about the mystically enchanted forests in which the trees themselves seem alive, strange voices whisper, wicked witches roam, and goblins and fae of all manner plague the weary traveler. The Garou used to rule the wilds, but humanity encroaches more and more on the ranges. Hundred of years ago, Theurges developed a rite with which to frustrate such expansion. This rite, Enchant the Forest, awakens the spirits of the land and urges them to protect the Wyld. These spirits awaken and move to resist any human settlements in the area.
Suddenly, springs dry out. The winter grows harsher than ever before, the the forest and the trees are remarkably fast-growing and resilient. Food decays and rots in no time, and vermin and insects infest the area. Attempts to lay in power or phone lines fail inexplicably. Not to mention the TV reception, which displays disturbing, unusual images when it functions at all. The humans eventually either leave or die, and the wilderness will reclaim its lost property.
The area seems haunted for years afterwards. The tress are dark and threatening, strange sounds emanate from the woods at night. The spirits, once roused, do not rest again for a very long time. Superstitious tales of haunted lands circulate, and many humans give the area a wide berth - unfortunately, many others become very interested - government agencies, the press, other supernatural beings.
The ritemaster takes a twig from a tree never seen by human eyes, and makes a container from the belly of an animal never hunted by humans, which he fills with water from a pond never touched by mankind. He then stires the water, and pours it close to the borders of the wild woods, and calls on the spirits of nature to awaken and defend themselves. He sends messengers to the north, south, east and west, to call to the spirits there. The ritemaster must sing to the spirits for three days.
System: The immediate effects of this rite last for a full lunar year, if not disrupted by some sort of supernatural intervention. The area so charmed cannot exceed the furthest distance the messengers have traveled by foot in the three days. Larger areas can sometimes be ensorcelled, with the expenditure of a Willpower point, and an addition of +1 to the difficulty per mile beyond. If the Garou's caern is located within five miles of the ritual location, the difficulty is reduced by one. Larger caerns, at the storyteller's decision, can call to the spirits of a wider area. Whole swathes of the Black Forest, for instance, are thus "haunted." If tribal totems are called upon, the protected area retains a little of the character of the totem, or the tribe. Fianna areas retain a little of the faerie aura, Get areas are colder and boast harsher weather, Shadow Lord domains are haunted by terrifying, ghostly creatures. Some even claim that the Glass Walkers have developed a version of this rite, which allows them to enchant areas of cities, and claim them for Cockroach.
Rite of the Great Council
Source: WW3812 - Book of Auspices p. 81
Description: In these days when unity is so important, it is often sorely lacking. Too often, a rift pits pack against pack, tribe against tribe, or sept against sept. A popular Garou may be (possibly wrongly) accused and sentenced, or old resentments flare into open warfare. Despite the Half Moon's best efforts, the fabric of werewolf society is torn asunder. This risky but impressive ritual draws together the most powerful spirits involved in the contention — usually the totems of contending packs, although caern or tribal totems may also be involved. It is a perilous venture, but success will almost certainly bring peace; when the most powerful spirits of a sept speak with one voice, even warring packs will take notice.
System: The target number for the Charisma + Rituals roll is equal to the highest spirit type summoned (as per Rite of Summoning, page 161 of the core book). What follows should make for some intense roleplaying (although the Storyteller may adjust the totems' initial attitude by the number of successes rolled). Once all the spirits are in attendance, the Philodox must lay out the situation and/or plead the case. The spirits give council to, or perhaps interrogate, the Half Moon. If they agree with his decisions, they'll stand behind him as if he makes (or reiterates) the judgment. If on the other hand, they disagree with the arbiter's decision, that too will be made abundantly clear (usually resulting in a loss of Honor Renown and credibility).
Rite of the Opened Sky
Source: WW3806 - Players Guide to the Garou p. 196
Description: By sacrificing something of personal value and dancing a complex rain dance, the ritemaster can beckon great, purifying showers of rain to fall from the skies. This rain cleanses all Wyrm impurities, and can even heal wounds.
System: The rite works in much the same way as the Rite of Cleansing (Werewolf, p. 157), but can encompass and entire caern and those within it. The ritemaster expends only one point of Gnosis to cleanse an area, but for every two additional points he spends every character within the caern heals one level of damage. The difficulty of this rite depends on the level of tain, such as a tainted spirit's Gnosis rating. Like the Rite of Cleansing, the difficulty of this rite can also be lowered by one if performed at dawn. Beings of the Wyrm and vampires suffer excruciating pain if exposed to this rite, though they are not cleansed or genuinely damaged. To use this rite outside a caern, the ritemaster must sacrifice three permanent points of Gnosis.
