Bastet Rites

Type	Roll	Difficulty
Kuasha	Cha + Rituals	6
Moon	Manipulation + Rituals	9-moon phase
Need	Wits + Rituals	7
Taghairm	Charisma+Rituals	7
Minor	None	None

Kuasha Rites

Level 1 Dedication Rite Rite of Contrition Speaking the Name

Level 2 Rite of Recognition Passing the Yava

Level 3 Kuasga Degree

Level 4

Level 5

Rank 1

Dedication Rite - As the Garou Mystic Rite: Rite of Talisman Dedication. - Spend one Gnosis per object or outfit to be dedicated, and the character may never have more objects bound to himself than his Gnosis score. The player must decide what happens to the object(s) when the character assumes certain forms. For example, when the character assumes Crinos form, her backpacks straps may simply grow to fit around her shoulders (although the pack still cannot hold more items than normal). When the character is in Chatro form, her knife may meld with her body. In such cases, the object will appear as a tattoo. Others must spend a Willpower point to remove the object from the character.

(Werewolf: Revised, p 160)

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Rite of Contrition - As the Garou Accord Rite: Rite of Contrition. - The difficulty level of the rite equals the Rage of the target spirit or shifter. A single success suffices for a gracious apology, but it may not be enough to mend friendships or forgive grievous errors. The more successes, the greater the wrong that can be forgiven. Shifters 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 Bastet performs another action that could harm or insult the other.

(Werewolf: Revised, p157)

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Speaking the Name - Names have Power, thus all Bastet change their birth names to new titles during their First Year. This rite, performed by the Tekhmet and the Kuasha together, "seals" that new name and makes it part of the cat. Traditionally, the Swara mark this rite (and the apprentice) with a ceremonial tattoo, usually across the initiate's chest. The Balam often pierce the newcomer's lip, earlobe, or nostrils with a jeweled plug. Simba and Khan mark the rite with a hunt, usually of a human target, in which the initiate tastes the blood of her first kill as a Bastet. Pumonca and Qualmi send their kits on short vision quests, take them to sweat lodges or offer them ordeal rituals like the Sioux sun dance, while the Ceilican bless their new members in old faerie rings. The more ceremonial Bagheera and the Bubasti perform elaborate and formal rites to welcome their offspring; these rituals, which might take as long as a day to complete, often involve two or more elders who have been invited to attend.

System: Aside from a standard roll, a new name and the ritual needs of tribal ceremonies, the rite requires nothing special.

(Bastet BB, p118)

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Level 2

Rite of Recognition - To be accepted into a new Rank, a Bastet must perform this rite before the spirits, his peers, or Both. Like many werecat rituals, this ceremony can be done by a solitary cat, and it often is. A Balam in the wilderness doesn't have to travel to the nearest Taghairm to be recognized - the spirits will carry tales of his deeds to other cats.

To petition for a new Rank, the cat stands in a circle prepared for the rite with herbs and, if possible, trophies of his achievements. Speaking the ritual phrases, he recites his deeds, relates his accomplishments since attaining the last Rank, and demands to be recognized for what he has done. If he succeeds, the others agree and declare his new standing; if not, they tell him why they're dissatisfied and deny his petition. These reasons can range anywhere from a lack of progress to bad politics. The Bastet may only perform this rite once per season.

System: In addition to the usual rite roll, the cat must either make a good impression (either Charisma or Manipulation +either Enigmas, Etiquette, Expression, Leadership, Occult, or Politics, depending on the cat, his audience, and the case he's trying to make.) The difficulty for this role often depends on what the cat has done in the past, and how he stands in the eyes of his jury. Unless the werecat does something truly striking between attempts, the rite rises in difficulty each time it's failed, then repeated. Neither the cats nor the spirits respect a lose.

(PGttCB p75, Bastet BB, p119)

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Passing the Yava - These secrets contain the seeds of survival or destruction for the entire tribe. Passing them on to a youngster is a sign of the utmost trust and pride. Imagine handing a loaded gun to your child and telling him to shoot at a target behind your head; that's the kind of importance the Yava convey. They're not passed on lightly, or to fools. Thus this exchange, often the last rite between a kit and her mentor, is deeply important.

This ritual, traditionally performed at dusk, involves a recitation of the three secrets, a reminder of their importance, and an admonishment to keep them safe. The Kuasha informs her apprentice that some day he too will pass on the Yava, and that his judgement will reflect the future of the tribe. To betray the trust, even under torment, is the worst crime a Bastet can commit. Before this rite is performed, the mentor scans the area for spirits or other eavesdroppers. If the area is clear, the secrets are then passed between elder and kit. Afterward, the two spend their last night together and part ways at dawn. Although they may very well remain friends, the First Year has ended. The kit is on his own.

System: Although the kuasha traditionally checks and secures the ritual site before beginning the rite, this ceremony requires no special materials.

(Bastet BB, p119)

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Level 3

Kuasha Degree - With this rite, a teacher passes on the secrets of her teaching, so that the pupil may become a kuasha. Normally the Degree must be uncovered through the "proper channels" - that is, the secrets of the rite must be dig out of a series of mentors, contacts, and friends, then pieced together. An especially apt Tekhmet might impress her mentor so well that he passes on everything she needs to know before her apprenticeship ends; it's rare, but it has been known to happen.

The Kuasha Degree contains all the rites, advice, secrets, and preparations a Bastet needs in order to take a pupil and confers the rite to do so. Even so, the elder usually cautions her kit to take a bit of time to see the world for himself before he begins teaching someone else about it. Taking a kit means responsibility; most Kuashas stress that their pupils must run free for a while before taking on such a burden. At the end of the ritual, the mentor invests her student with the power to take a student of his own and advises him to do so carefully.

In the Degree, a Bastet learns how to find Taghairms, how to petition spirits, how to find a new-changed Bastet and how to chastise him for doing wrong. it relates the responsibilities and rites the mentor receives under Bastet law, and offers a lot of common wisdom about the feeding and caring of a kit. The Yava is not passed on through this rite - that requires its own rite. The Bastet has been taught how to pass on the tribal secrets, but isn't told what they are until the mentor and student part ways.

System: The rite takes six hours, often longer. Aside from making time to talk and having the freedom to do so, this rite doesn't require special preparations.

(Bastet BB, p120)

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Moon Rites

Level 1 Rite of Warding

Level 2 Rouse the Sleeping Spirit (Rite of Spirit Awakening)

Level 3 Bind the Spirit-Fetish Rite of Claiming

Level 4 Eater of the Dead

Level 5 Call the Four Winds Rite of Nine Lives Wishing Waves

Level 1

Rite of Warding - A simple precaution taken around any site of importance, this rite is typically performed before the guests for a Taghairm arrive. By calling up spirits, securing the corners and entrances of the site and charging the safety of the area to Seline, the Bastet sets up an "alarm system" which bars the site against lesser intrusioons and alerts the ritespeaker against greater ones.

System: By spending a Gnosis point, the ritespeaker ties herself to the place for the duration of the Warding. This Warding continues for one hour per success unless the ritespeaker either leaves the area or dismisses the guard. For as long as it lasts, any non-Bastet who enters the area triggers a mystic feeling of unease; the ritespeaker will not know exactly who or what the culprit is, but she'll know something isn't right. Intruders cannot enter a warded site at all without succeeding in a Willpower roll (difficulty is 5+the caster's successes) - the energies of the place simply drive them away for no explicable reason. Even spirits cannot pass through a warded area without alerting the ritespeaker.

(PGttCB p75, Bastet BB p121) ---

Level 2

Rouse the Sleeping Spirit - As the Garou Mystic Rite: Rite of Spirit Awakening. - The Bastet must play a musical instrument or sing a song (talent doesn't matter). The difficulty of the roll is the spirit's Rage. Failure means that the spirit remains dormant. The Storyteller must decide whether the spirit is hostile or friendly to its awakener. Awakening a spirit does not allow any control over it. This rite doesn't work on sentient beings such as humans. Such individuals are already as "awakened" as they're going to get.

(Werewolf: Revised, p161)

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Rite of Summoning - As the Garou Mystic Rite: Rite of Summoning. - The Bastet must pierce the Gauntlet just as if he were entering the Umbra (Gnosis roll against the Gauntlet). A cat already within the Umbra is not required to pierce the Gauntlet. The power level of the spirit determines the difficulty level of a successful summoning. The Storyteller can determine the target numbers from the following chart:

Difficulty	Spirit Type
4	Gaffling
5	Jaggling
7	Totem Avatar
8-9	Incarna
10	Celestine Avatar

For each hour the Bastet spends invoking the spirit, his target number drops by one. No target number may fall below 3. The player must then make a Gnosis roll and achieve as many successes as possible, with the following results:

Successes	Effect
1	Spirit comes eventually and is initially hostile
2	Spirit manifests quickly, but is initially hostile
3	Spirit comes immediately and is neutral
4	Spirit comes immediately and is passively benign
5	Spirit comes immediately and is friendly

A botched roll is likely to have disastrous results. Often a botch summons the wrong type of spirit - or even Banes - in great numbers or with great hostility. The Storyteller should feel free to adjust the previous tables as she wishes, particularly as appropriate to totems. In certain cases, a Bastet who attempts to summon a specific spirit will have no chance of success. At other time, he will have almost no chance of failure. The Storyteller is advised to treat each use of this rite individually and to use common sense in her decisions.

(Werewolf: Revised, p161)

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Level 3

Binding the Spirit-Fetish - As the Garou Mystic Rite: Rite of the Fetish. - See the Fetish Rules Page for how to create a Fetish.

(Werewolf: Revised, p161)

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Rite of Claiming - This mystic secret proclaims the foundation, or transferal of a Den-Realm. To do this, a Bastet travels across his territory on foot, marking the bounderies with scratches, urine and other forms (graffiti, incantations, blood, etc.) When the circuit is completed, the werecat performs the rite in the place where he began, and binds himself to the essence of the place. From then on, the area is his Den-Realm, and he may do what he wants within it.

Occasionally, Den-Realms exchange hands; some upstarts take the lands from dying elders, while others reveive old friends' territory for safekeeping. This rite is still essential to becoming one with the land; until it's performed by the new owner, it's just another hunting ground. Sometimes, a dying elder will pass the rite along to the newcomer as a gesture of respect. If the Den-Realm has been ripped from her hands, however, the old owner's not likely to help the thief. Although Den-Realms may be expanded by performing this rite again, no werecat can keep more than one seperate Realm. Fewer still would give up their lands without a fight. The Den-Real is the cat's true home, and until she dies, it remains a part of her.

System: Standard roll; the rules for Den-Realms can be found in Backgrounds.

(Bastet BB, p121)

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Level 4

Eater of the Dead - The Bubasti alone command this rite, a vile punishment reserved for oathbreakers among their tribe and thieves from outside it. By calling to Sobk, the Egyptian crocodile lord, an elder Bubasti sends the soul of the offender into a labyrinthine spirit realm deep within the ground. Here (they say), the victim is stalked by Sobk, who pursues him, corners him, judges him and may consume his soul.

Once a transgressor is caught, the shadowcats bind him for the rite. During the ritual, the offender's tongue is ripped out, his eyes are seared and his ears are plugged up. Special wrappings, prepared in sandalwood oil and honey, are wound around the cat from toes to forehead. Then his head is struck off, followed by his limbs, and the whole mess is burned in an ofen prepared for the rite. This ceremony, horrifying in itself, sends the cat's soul to the tunnels of Sobk to be judged.

The chase begins as the cat, now whole again, rips out of his bandages and flees into the tunnels. The Eater of the Dead pursues the soul for what seems like weeks, untill he finally corners the cat. Biting off each limb in turn, he judges the soul on a golden scale. If the punishment so far is ruled enough, the soul is freed to its final journey. If Sobk doesn't like what he sees, he devours the offender forever.

System: Standard roll, plus a Gnosis point and the preparations mentioned above. Rather than joining his Ancestor spirits, a truly unworthy victim's essence is gone for good. Tales of this gruesome rite keep other cats very far away from Bubasti affairs.

(Bastet BB, p121)

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Level 5

Call the Four Winds - Cats are renowned masters of the weather. While many Gifts reflect this talent to a small degree, call the Four Winds affects weather patterns across whole sections of a country.

Unlike many rites, the Call demands the presence of five Bastet. One leader, the ritespeaker, decides what changes to request and begins the ritual. The others take the roles of the four corners of the earth and invoke the powers of each of them in turn. The ritespeaker acts as a center, and stands amid the others in a prepared circle, channeling their power. As the rite progresses, the power builds until the circle is swept through with elemental force. Spirits swirl, screaming past the ritespeaker, who sends them up into the sky to bind the clouds and invoke the werecats' will. In time, storms gather or disperse, rain comes, winds rise, blizzards begin, tempests rage or calm... A whole range of weather effects, from dust storms to squalls, can be evoked with a pride of cats, this rite, and a knowledgeable leader.

System: The exact effects of the Call are left to the Storyteller. These should depend on the wishes of the ritespeaker, the successes she rolls, the local climate, and the dictates of the story. A severe weather front will be harder to raise or disperse than a subtle shift, and a long lasting change will be harder to affect than a brief storm. Unseasonal patterns, like blizzards in summer, should be considered difficulty 9 or 10, but may be possible if the story allows.

(Bastet BB, p121)

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Rite of the Nine Lives - The secret knowledge granted by Seline to the wisest of her children allows them to literally return from the dead. This rite, which may only be performed once in a werecat's life, allows her to return from the dead as many as eight times before her spirit departs for good.

To begin, the werecat sets aside a ritual space outside and calls upon Seline's favor. After mixing a bit of blood, water, spit, and fur in a bowl, she holds the bowl up to the moon and chants the rite. Once finished, she drinks the broth and hopes for the best. Seline will be the final judge as to whether the cat survives her death or not

System: Standard roll, plus two Gnosis points. This rite can be performed only once, and the success of it remains uncertain until something kills the werecat. If successful, the Bastet recovers from her death; her spirit remains in the body and wills it to return to health. Depending on how she perishes, this may take some time. A Bastet who's "merely" mauled will return in a day or two. If she falls off a 40-story building, it may take a week to recover. A really nasty demise, like immolation or entombment, may take her weeks to confound. The recovery process is slow and painful - a Bastet who had been skinned to death may wish she had stayed dead before she heals completely. As you can imagine, a werecat who returns from death has some serious scores to settle upon her return...

Once the cat lives again in all senses of the word, she may still face difficulties. If she was buried, she'll have to dig herself out. This may kill her a second time before she can escape. Dismemberments do not prevent resurrection - some gruesome tales speak of werecats who were hanged, drawn and quartered, only to drag their limbs from their crossroads graves to rejoin somewhere in the middle. Once recovered, the werecat loses one permanent point each from her Rage, Gnosis, and Willpower. These points may never be regained; hence a Simba who has died eight times finishes his life with a maximum of two dots in each of these traits. Any part of the cat that is destroyed (see below) is lost forever; resurrected cats often lose limbs or retain other disfigurements. Aside from that, the werecat is her old self (though some deaths leave permanent emotional and psychological scars).

Naturally, some deaths cancel out even this arcane secret. If a Bastet dies in one of these ways, she wont come back, and must face her fate like the rest of Gaia's children.

• Total destruction of the body (cremation, dissolution in acid or toxic waste, wood-chipper shredding, etc.)
• Natural death by old age
• Death in some outer Realm (the Deep Umbra, a Horizon Realm, an Umbra world, etc)
• Imprisonment of the soul (through some forms of magic, or through soul-pacts or annihilation)
• The vampiric Embrace

(Bastet BB, p121)

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Wishing Waves - By yowling, spitting and dancing around a lake or sea, a werecat can stir the surface into waves. Ceilican who drowned their enemies this way gave rise to tales of witches who danced with cats to create storms at sea. Although this tribe claims to have originated the Rite, the Bubasti say otherwise. In their stories, Bast herself taught her children to wreck invaders on the Nile, and supposedly used it to punish Pharaoh Snefru II, who persecuted her kind.

System: This rite must be performed on a cliff or beach overlooking the sea. To begin the tempest, each player makes the standard roll and spends two Gnosis points. If more than one cat performs the rite, all their successes are added together. Each blood-Kinfolk present adds an additional success to the total. One roll is made for each hour spent dancing, at successively higher difficulties; each new roll costs an additional two Gnosis points and a point of Willpower. The turbulence extends out for one mile for every Bastet participating in the rite, and dies down an hour or so after the dance ends.

The severity of the storm depends on the successes gathered; obviously most Bastet perform this rite as an extended roll, accumulating successes until they reach the desired effect. Each success level makes the waves a bit more powerful: 1 or 2 to create choppy little waves, 3 to 5 turn the water rough, 6 to 8 create trouble for small craft, 9 to 10 make sailing difficult for large boats, almost impossible for small ones. 10 to 15 can capsize anything smaller than an old sailing ship, although large vessels remain unmoved. 15 to 20 can create problems for freighters and small navy ships, while 21 or more can swamp large warships and tankers. The waves often spill across the shore, and might threaten the dancing cats before the rite is finished.

(Bastet BB, p122)

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Need Rites

Level 1 Rite of Cleansing Jamak Promise Bond

Level 2

Level 3 Rite of Fear

Level 4 Rite of the Opened Bridge

Level 5

Level 1

Rite of Cleansing - As the Garou Accord Rite: Rite of Cleansing. - This rite can be cast upon more than one person or object, but the leader must spend one Gnosis point on each extra thing or person in need of cleansing. The difficulty level depends on the level of taint. For instance, taint caused 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 cannot heal wounds or damage caused by Wyrm taint; it removes only any existing 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 similarly accursed creature, but it cannot wash the recipient clean.

(Werewolf: Revised, p157)

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Jamak Promise Bond - Even a cat can need a friend. When a spirit and a Bastet come to an understanding, they offer each other a pledge of friendship. This rite seals that bond; while it has no mystic repercussions, it's considered a formal oath and is taken seriously by both parties.

Standing alone in a clearing or room, the Bastet and her Jamak recite certain promises: the help when possible, to be truthful awlways, to respect, and to trust. Both sides agree to protect (or to refrain from harming) the other's loved ones, and to meet once in a while to share secrets and good times. The rite lowers the Gauntlet long enough for both parties to exchange a handshake or a kiss, and reduces the difficulty by two if one party wants to cross over to the other side. By the end of the rite, both cat and spirit feel flushed and happy; although it confers some responsibilities to both sides. The Bond carries a sense of fellowship and love. For a while, at least, both partners are united.

System: Standard roll, although the Bastet may have many spirit friends, she may only choose one Jamak at a time. Carelessly breaking the Bond promises may reduce her Rank by one or two, depending on what happens and why, as the Jamak spreads words of the werecat's infidelity.

(PGttCB p74, Bastet BB p122)

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Level 3

Rite of Fear - A relic of the Madness and the tiger hunts, this rite sends a cloud of terror across the land, conjuring nightmares and spreading panic. Animals may stampeed, riots may flare and brave men may decide that now is a good time to leave.

To begin the rite, the cat assumes her Crinos form and dances madly, yowling her hatred to the moon. As her fury rises, she rips everything around her to shreds, living or otherwise, and flings the pieces across the site. Screeching, spitting, arching and slashing, she sends her fury outward to infest the minds of everyone in reach. Once there, the terror festers, bursting outward through dreams into waking and sending the locals into a panick. At the end of the ritual she falls exhausted, but has begun a wave of fear that continues until the second sunrise.

System: The Rite of Fear requires 2 Rage points and a Standard roll, and spreads one mile for every success. Every additional cat can add to the total (like Wishing Waves), but anyone close by is at risk, including other cats. A werecat enacting the rite is considered to be in a frenzy until the ceremony ends; when it ends, she falls asleep.

Obviously, the Rite of Fear is performed at night; a full moon lowers the difficulty to 5, and a gibbous one to 6. Across the land, savage nightmares and anxiety attacks plague every living thing for a night and a day; Any characters in the area must make Willpower rolls (difficulty 8) to get through the day without acting irrationally. Other effects are left to the Storyteller; children, old people and farm animals are especially sensitive to the Fear and any number of things can happen.

(Bastet BB, p122)

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Level 4

Rite of the Opened Bridge - As the Garou Caern Rite: Rite of the Opened Bridge - The roll is Wits + Enigmas (difficulty 8 minus the level of the ritemaster's own Den-Realm/Caern/etc.). The ritemaster may spend Willpower on the roll. If her Jamak is the same as the totem of the Caern, she receives a bonus of three dice to the roll. If the rite was unsuccessful previously, the difficulty level of the rite increases by one. The ritemaster needs to obtain a number of successes equal to the target Caern or Den-Realm's level to complete the rite.

If the rite succeeds, the moon bridge opens immediately, and the spirit-bond between the two pathstones is established. Moon bridges may now be opened safely at any time between the two sacred places. If the rite fails, no moon bridge opens, and the rite must be tried again next year. Moon bridges to the Caern may still be opened, but they are not as safe as they might be...

If the rite botches, no moon bridge opens, and the pathstone is scorched by the badly handled energies. Botching this rite often leads to a punishment rite. See Caern Mechanics (Werewolf: Revised p226) for moon bridge distances.

(Werewolf: Revised, p158)

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Taghairm Rites

Level 1 Caliah

Level 2 Grooming the Newcomer Hanshii

Level 3 Exile

Level 4 Festival of Dreams

Level 5

Level 1

Caliah - Like the Garou Moot rite, this ritual opens all Taghairms, charging the participants with mystic energy. Unlike the Garou, werecats rarely keep sacred sites. Instead, the Caliah refreshes the Gnosis of all participants, and generates a sense of wonder and togetherness. As the ritespeaker chants the histories, rivalries are put aside and quarrels silenced. For a few minutes at least, everyone present is hamaal, one family.

System: Standard roll. For each two successes (rounded up), each Bastet present receives a temporary point of Gnosis. If these points exceed a cat's usual rating, they fade in the morning. This rite can only be done once per month for the same group or by the same ritespeaker.

(Bastet BB, p123)

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Festival of Flowers - As the Garou Death Rite: Gathering for the Departed. - The ritemaster leads the release of the Garou's combined emotions into the spirit world. The Uktena say that such emotions have a realm impact upon the Umbra and that they help ensure that the departed Garou retains ties to her mortal relatives. At the Storyteller's discretion, this rite makes the deceased's spirit easier to contact through the Ancestor's Background.

(Werewolf: Revised, p159)

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Level 2

Grooming the Newcomer - When a new Bastet enters an existing group, she must be welcomed with this ritual; until then, she's considered naa, an untrustworthy stranger. First, the ritespeaker questions the newcomer. Some Taghairm groups test new visitors with questions, quests or ordeals to see how worthy they might be. If the examination satisfies the ritespeaker and the host of the gathering, they both welcome to the newcomer into the group. All attendees rise and greet their new cousin with gestures of affection and offer her gifts of food and drink. From then on, that Bastet is always welcome.

System: Standard roll, often performed after a variety of Gifts.

Bastet BB, p123)

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Hanshii - Some grudges can only be settled by force. To keep the peace a host might demand that quarreling Bastet enter a ritual combat to decide the issue. All attendees and their allies agree to abide by the decision.

The formalities depend on the host's tribe, the grudge and location of the gathering. The combatants are obliged to follow the host's rules regardless of their tribe. The Balam, Khan and Simba favor death-matches more than the other tribes do; Ceilican and Qualmi prefer tests of wit, while Bagheera and Bubasti respect tests of judgement. The Swara often send both parties questing in the Penumbra, opening a "window" to watch their progress. Pumonca let the elements decide, and sponsor tests by fire or exposure. No use of Gifts or outside assistance is allowed. the rite ensures that both sides play fair; those who cheat are magically marked.

As the duel begins. the ritespeaker chants a litany extolling challenge, fairness, and honor. From there, she watches what transpires, watching especially for fair play. If someone does cheat, the ritespeaker feels a sharp tingling and calls the contest to a halt. The cheater's skin or fur blazes with a sickly yellow or green light. His punishment depends on the host. If a winner is declared, the dispute is considered over. While this often ends the problem a few Bastet take their grudge home with them and handle it without witnesses next time...

System: Standard roll, plus a Gnosis point, from the ritespeaker. The cheater's glow lasts for one day and costs him 5 to 10 points of Honor until he redeems himself.

(Bastet BB, p124)

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Level 3

Exile - Taghairms are gatherings of trust; If someone breaks that trust, the others throw him out. The rite marks suck betrayals, and carries the stigma of shame to other gatherings. A werecat's future companions may judge him by this sign.

When the host has declared an Exile, the other cats must vote. If the majority agrees, the ritespeaker begins the ritual. In some cases, the gathering might decide unanimously; in others, the host may simply demand a majority vote. The rite itself involves a revocation of the Grooming ritual, a recitation of the excile's crimes and usually a few choice words. As the ritespeaker spins a cloak of words, the exile's forehead begins to glow; by the end of the rite, the sigil of an oath-breaker appears. As the glow fades, the sigil remains and the other cats chase the offender from their gathering. If they catch him, they'll beat him to a pulp, but leave him alive to remember his shame. The mark fades from view by morning, but remains a part of the exile's soul. Any subsequent Grooming rite reveals the mark; only the forgiveness of the host (a separate rite of the same Rank) or some powerful quest will wash away the mark.

System: The ritespeaker makes her standard roll and spends a point of Rage to apply the brand. Some Gifts, like Sense the Truth and Righteous Gaze, expose the mark to the viewer. An Exile loses all Honor and Wisdom renown. Sometimes, falsely convicted (or powerful) Bastet can get help from supporters or sympathetic parties; more often, the effects of this rite linger for a lifetime.

(Bastet BB, p124)

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Level 4

Festival of Dreams - By inhaling smoke from burning wood and herbs, steam, psychoactive drugs, or all three, the collected group enters a vision trance. Depending on the circumstances, they may experience memories of the past, future sight, soul-seeing or simple hallucinations. These complex insights are often consulted for future plans, battles, or other tasks which involve the whole Taighairm.

As the other cats gather in an enclosed circle, the ritespeaker and her assistants begin the fires. Tossing in herbs, wood and stone, they chant, sing, and play music as the vision smoke rises. The other Bastet breathe deeply,, sharing their essence with each exhalation. As the visions begin, a feeling of peace descends to keep the Taghairm from scattering. One by one, the Bastet hit their personal limits and stagger out into fresh air. The last werecat to remain receives a special vision that only she remembers. As the ritual ends and the smoke clears, the remaining Bastet receives gifts of water and affection from her companions, and is celebrated for the rest of the night.

System: The exact effects of the Festival depend on the Storyteller and the issues confronting the Taghairm (see the Balam Gift: Vision Cloud). If the cats are looking for a vampire lord's haven, the dream might offer clues. If they want to uncover the solution to a problem, an answer may present itself. Visions of past glory or defeat might spur the group out of a rut, while warnings of upcoming disaster might galvanize them into action. Whatever occurs, the visions should be highly symbolic rather than literal.

The Festival lasts several hours and takes a toll on its participants. Each half hour or so, everyone in the room must make a Stamina roll against difficulty 5 or flee, coughing. After the second roll, the difficulty rises to 6, after the third roll to 7, and so forth. By the end of the third hour, the difficulty will be 9. The last character in the room receives a special vision, which the Storyteller creates based on the needs of his chronicle. Because of her resolve and fortune, the other werecats award her an extra 3 points of Cunning Renown.

(Bastet BB, p125)