The
Auctoritas Ritae
The Auctoritas Ritae are the central rites that bind the Sabbat
together, and define in the eyes of the Sabbat what it means to
be Sabbat. Knowledge of these rites, and experience in performing
them is not easy to come by, but it is just as necessary for advancement
in the sect as physical power or mental alacrity. Out of character,
this knowledge is represented by the Sabbat ability Ritual Knowledge;
a definition is provided below.
Because the Auctoritas Ritae are universal and kept doctrinally
unified by the sect (especially by the Prisci), descriptions of
the Auctoritas Ritae for use in the Sanctioned game follow. These
include reminders of appropriate rules systems and caveats, as
well as play aids to assist in role-playing the rites, much like
the Moot rite in the Garou venue.
As always, use common sense when role-playing the rites, both
IC and OOC. The Sabbat aren't likely to conduct a major rite in
a shopping mall with public passersby, and neither should the
players.
Notes
Blood Bath
Upon the elevation of a new archbishop, priscus, cardinal, or
regent, a ceremony is held to mark their assumption of authority.
Lesser leaders, such as bishops and pack leaders, can be given
blood baths, but it is usually considered excessive.
All vampires within the city (for a archbishop), or representatives
from a number of different packs (for a higher leader) gather
before the new leader. Each then comes before the leader, one
by one, and then ritually ask one question of the leader (which
must be answered), give one piece of advice, and praise one quality
of the new leader. Repeating any comment that has already been
spoken during the rite disrupts it, and leads to a loss of status.
Upon the completion of the questions/comments, the vampire says
"With this blood, I am born again with my brothers. With
this blood, our brother is born again from us." and adds
blood to a communal Vaulderie bowl next to the leader. All vampires
present go through this cycle, and a communal Vaulderie is performed
with all vampires present.
The leader is then lead to a pool of blood (be it a bathtub, Jacuzzi,
whatever) and disrobes (obviously implied for our purposes), and
sinks to the bottom of the pool.
Three lesser leaders (bishops, pack priests, etc) then come up
to the pool, taste it, and turn away, one after the other.
The leader rises up from the pool, and the first lesser turns
around, takes the Vaulderie bowl, fills it from the pool, and
pours half over the head of the leader, pronouncing "With
this blood, our brother is born again from us.", then drinking
the other half, pronouncing "With this blood, I am born again
with my brothers.". The next two follow, then all vampires
present close and drink the pool dry.
Creation Rites
New recruits are taken to a secluded location, usually a graveyard.
There they are dominated into quiescence or bound and gagged after
being beaten, and the Creation Rite is performed.
In times of peace, there is at most one new recruit for
every two pack members, in times of war, each pack member
Sires; each recruit has a single Sire, and blood is not
mixed as it was in the old days.
To begin the Rite, the pact Priest stands before the assembled
Kindred and morals, and intones the following benediction:
"As Caine was once mortal, so you are mortal. As Caine
was raised, so are you raised. As Caine cursed his
grandchilder, so do we also curse his grandchilder.
This night, you leave behind your old life. You enter into
another world, a better one, casting off that which was for
that which will be. As I was mortal, now I am no so longer,
raised through the power of Caine's blessing to mycurrent state,
superior in all things to that which I once was, a vampire, doing
the work of Caine.'"
After that, the mortals are each stood up by their Sire, drained
of blood. As they are being drained, the benediction
continues:
"This night, you are to be given the greatest of gifts, the
gift of immortality, the gift of power. With this gift comes
responsibility, the duty to rid the world of the evil of the Antediluvians
and all their minions and childer. If you are worthy, you
will rise as one of us, gaining in power as you perform the work
of Caine. If not, then the worthy will be made strong by
your weakness. As it has beensaid 'this is my blood, this
do in remembrance of me.'"
The mortals are then given a taste of their Sire blood, and hit
over the head with a ceremonial shovel, such that they topple
into an open grave. The Sabbat fill in the grave and wait,
listening to a Sermon of Caine, for the new recruits to emerge
from the graves. Those who are successful engage in the Vaulderie,
those who are not lie forever in torpor within the earth.
Monomancy
Monomancy is more than just a way to gain power and legally kill
another Sabbat member; it is also considered one of the Sabbat's
holiest traditions. There are several caveats to Monomancy that
_players_ should be aware of:
First, the challenged vampire gets to choose the arbiter of the
Monomancy, and the arbiter may set any and all terms of the duel.
This generally means that it is a bad idea to challenge someone
within the sect with completely different strengths and weaknesses;
it is likely that the arbiter they will choose will put the challenged
vampire in an ideal situation. (Example: Billy Brujah from the
Nasty Ones challenges Terry Tremere from the Chosen, a intellectual
pack. Terry accepts, and asks his packmate, Tom Tzimisce, to arbitrate.
Tom decides to set the terms of the deal to be thaumaturgy at
a distance. Billy can choose not to accept the arbiter's decision
-- and lose status and generally look like a fool or to
take the beating that's coming with good grace.)
Second, the victory condition does not have to be death. First
blood is an acceptable victory condition for many challenges,
especially if honor and not a position is at stake. Monomancy
is frequently invoked to resolve disputes and disagreements within
the sect, and a variety of different victory conditions exist,
all defined by the arbiter (until one yields, torpor, leaves a
circle, etc).
Third, the victor has the right to _choose_ who occupies the loser's
position; the victor is not required to take the position.
Fourth, frequent attempts to initiate Monomancy - say more than
twice a year - are likely to attract negative attention from the
Sabbat hierarchy, especially if they are done to gain rank within
the hierarchy, and are likely to merit a challenge from a Templar
sent by the Consistory..
Lastly, the stigma to refusing a challenge is negligible if the
vampire in question is of greatly inferior status -- if the challenger
has half or less Sabbat status, the challenged can refuse the
challenge without any penalty to status. In addition, any individual
of archbishop rank or higher can defer the challenge to one of
their Templars, although they are still responsible for the consequences
of the duel.
When the conditions are met, the two vampires close with the arbiter,
who speaks: (to the challenger)
"You come as Caine unto Abel, seeking to be first in your
Father's eyes. May you make the first sacrifice and be triumphant."
(to the challenged)
"You stand as Caine before the world that would destroy you.
May your vengeance fall seven-fold upon those who would cause
you
harm."
(to both)
"Begin."
Vaulderie
The central ritual that binds the Sabbat together and defines
the Sabbat as an entity, the Vaulderie is perhaps practiced most
frequently of all of the Auctoritas Ritae. The frequency of the
Vaulderie varies between packs; some packs Vaulderie nightly,
and some Vaulderie on a monthly basis Generally speaking, nomadic
packs will Vaulderie more frequently than founded packs.
Despite its simplicity and commonality, the Vaulderie is considered
to be absolutely sacred; the Sabbat will not engage in theVaulderie
in the presence of non-Sabbat. False Sabbat are permitted to drink
from the Vaulderie, but are not permitted to add their blood to
the Vaulderie of True Sabbat.
Systems for the Vaulderie are found in Laws of the Night. The
pack closes in a circle, around the pack priest and the Vaulderie
chalice. The priest blesses the chalice; "I consecrate this
vessel to the blood of my brothers, purified by the mark of Caine.",
and hands it to the highest ranking member present, who adds his
blood to the chalice, saying "I give this blood onto my brothers,
that they might be freed by me." and adding a number of (labeled)
blood traits as appropriate. He then passes it (preferably to
the left) to the next highest ranking vampire who repeats
it, etc, until all vampires present have added their blood to
the chalice.
The priest then takes the vessel and hands it to the highest ranking
vampire, who says "I take back this blood from my brothers,
so that I may break the bonds of the Antediluvians, and follow
with them in the footsteps of Caine.", and drinks (i.e. takes)
a appropriate number of traits. The vessel then passes down the
line and is recovered by the pack priest.
Note that Sabbat generally *don't* know the strength of the Vinculum
that other Sabbat have for them, and it is common practice to
fake a higher Vinculum rating for an individual then you actually
have. Players and storytellers are encouraged to keep Vinculum
ratings secret to foster the atmosphere of doubt that surrounds
the Vaulderie within the Sabbat.
War Party
War parties
are competitions between packs whose end result is the diablerie
of a non-Sabbat elder. A suitable target is found, dictated
by the Archbishop, Priscus, or Cardinal, and the packs are called
together. The Rite leader performs a mass Vaulderie and
intones the following:
" Freedom. Loyalty. Power. Freedom from
the oppression of the Antediluvians, loyalty to the Sabbat, which
protects us from Antediluvians, and power to defeat the Antediluvians
on the night of Gehenna. One who is strong, a lieutenant
of our hated enemy has been found, strong in the blood, and strong
in power. As power is taken from our enemy, so too does
our power grow. "
The Rite leader then takes out a likeness of the Elder to be hunted,
usually a fleshcrafted mortal.
" This effigy represents the holder of the power of the ancient
ones, the enemy against whom we strive. This slave is a
dog, unswervingly loyal in the service of its foul master.
Strengthened by his (her) blood, we cannot lose in our holy quest.
Go now, find this one, make his power your own, and in so doing,
prepare yourself for the night of Gehenna. "
This said, the Rite leader swoops down upon the fleshcrafted mortal
and drains it, throwing the body into the fire as the packs cheer
and depart for the hunt. The packs engaged in the Wild Hunt
do not fight each other, though they may take small steps to hinder
the other packs' progress. The end goal is always the diablerie
of the Elder in question, and no steps are taken to protect the
Masquerade, property, or innocent bystanders. The Hunt is
truly wild, and the packs will not stop until the elder has been
diablerized. This usually involves the death and/or diablerie
of several of the elder's minions, retainers, or childer.
Wild Hunt
The Sabbat
is a sect based largely upon keeping secrets, most specifically
the keeping of secrets from those not within the Sabbat. This
secrecy has contributed much to the success and survival of the
Sabbat throughout the centuries, and is something which all Sabbat
take extremely seriously. There times, however, when the
secrecy is breached, when the sect is betrayed by those within,
or spied on by those without. When this occurs, the sect's
secrets must be kept safe, and a Wild Hunt is called. The
Wild Hunt involvesthe location and elimination of any individuals
who know Sabbat secrets, most specifically the traitor or infiltrator
personally.
When it is found that a leak has occurred, the Archbishop or other
leader of an area calls together the packs, and explains the imperative
to them, calling the Wild Hunt.
"As all True Sabbat surely know, our holy mission is to root
out and destroy the power of the Antediluvians. Their spies
and sentries are everywhere, seeking to know our secrets, trying
to plumb our depths. We must remain ever vigilant against
their threat, growing our power in secret, safe from the wiles
and depredations of the Ancients. As you well know, for
all True Sabbat, secrecy is key. Any secretthat falls into
the hands of our enemies may spell doom for our mission.
Just such a betrayal has occurred, and the officials of the Camarilla
now know information that they will surely take back to their
true masters. Even more heinous, it is one of our own, a
fallen comrade, which has allowed them this transgression.
And so I charge all of you, you True Sabbat, to bring this one
down, along with everyone that he has spoken to, everyone that
knows our ways, our secrets, everyone that can help the Antediluvians
prepare for the night of Gehenna. I bless you and charge
you to take these ones power and make it your own, extinguish
the souls of those he would betray the Sabbat, those who would
serve the Ancients. Go now with my blessing and find this one
and his companions. Bring him down, lay him low, and extinguish
his soul - for it is forfeit. No longer is this one to be
called "brother", and his name shall forever be spoken
with distaste, a traitor to or holy cause. "
Was that, the Archbishop makes the sign of an upside down cross
in front of his chest, ending as he adds his blood to a Vaulderie
chalice, and thus begins the Vaulderie. Once the Vaulderie
is complete, the Sabbat go on a Hunt for the traitor and all who
are known to know the secrets of the Sabbat.
The Wild Hunt is much like a Blood Hunt, except that the Sabbat
are much more enthusiastic about fulfilling their hunt than many
Camarilla vampires are. They generally don't worry about
maintaining the Masquerade, and may Hunt openly or subtly as seeps
their whim. The Wild Hunt is one of the only ways in which
a Sabbat may diablerize another Sabbat, and any companions the
traitor may have found are fair game as well.
In general, any non-Sabbat vampire (including members of Autark
clans like the Giovanni and Ravnos) who is found to possessknowledge
equating to Sabbat Lore 2 or more is Wild Hunted. And no,
the Sabbat don't usually rush into Elysium after their prey, they
Hunt their quarry like the intelligent and devious creatures they
are. Note that this goes for Assamites and Nosferatu who
display overmuch knowledge of the Sabbat, as well, but most members
of those clans either know how to keep their mouths shut or are
already dead.
The Rite of Scorn
As being declared disloyal carries serious weight under the new
code, this is a big deal. Not performing this rite will get you
Wild Hunted. Performing this rite is de rigeur prior to a Wild
Hunt.
To start the rite, the Sabbat of a city gather in an esbat. The
one who initiates the rite finds an elevated position, and speaks
to the Sabbat gathered.
"As the Father gave out his Law in the city of Enoch, so
do we give out our Law in this, the third city, Gehenna. Those
who are true childer of Caine will be recognized as such, and
welcomed into communion. Those who are false and disloyal childer
shall also be recognized as such, and damned."
The speaker will then name an accuser, a PC or NPC which believes
the accused is disloyal.
"At the right hand, there will be vengenance. Rise, (insert
PC name here), and stand at my right."
The speaker will then name out the accused. If he is present,
then he names the left hand. If he is not, the speaker will.
"There is one whose faith has been called into question.
Stand, and face your brothers and sisters."
The accused (if present) will stand up in front of the speaker,
facing the audience. If present, he says the following:
"As I stand before you, I ask you not to forget the left
hand, the hand of mercy. Stand (insert PC name here), and rise
to the left."
If not present, the speaker says the following:
"Even in their absence, Caine maintains his mercy. Stand
(insert PC name here), and rise to the left."
The right hand states the sins of the accused against the Code;
the left defends them. The speaker is left to make a decision.
Each side only gets one statement, and brevity is favored.
The speaker, prior to making a decision, offers up the following:
" (insert name here), childe of Caine, you have heard the
words of mercy and the words of vengenance. Do you wish to stand
by them, or do you wish to stand by your strength alone?"
The accused has the right to either choose not to (and accept
the verdict of the speaker) or challenge the accuser to monomacy.
If the latter, the challenge is usually uniformly to death, and
very open. If they are successful, then the rite is carried out
as if they were found innocent.
If not guilty:
" (insert name here), childe of Caine, you stand as one deserving
of Caine's mercy. May you be accepted back into the ranks of the
Sword, and your past crimes be seen as those of ones of a brother."
The PC is not declared disloyal, but is still under the onus of
the Sabbat Code of Justice (see Guide to the Sabbat or Player's
Guide to the Sabbat).
If guilty:
" (insert name here), childe of Caine, you have turned your
back onto the laws of our Father, and stand disloyal to your brethren.
You are renounced, and you cannot claim the protection and loyalty
of this city."
The PC is now disloyal, and in deep trouble. Other PC's are not
mandated to destroy them - that's a Wild Hunt - but no repercussions
can be inflicted on anyone who does destroy them.
Games of Instinct
A variety of different Games have been adapted by the Sabbat over
the last few centuries. While the actual games themselves have
changed to reflect the times, the qualities that they are testing
(loyalty, strength, courage, callousness, instinct) have not.
Therefore most Games of Instinct probably fall closer to Ignoblis
Ritae than Auctoritas Ritae, although they are generally considered
to be more important in the average pack's eyes. Consider the
following a guide.
1) Deliver the Message (Loyalty)
This game is designed to test the loyalty of new recruits as well
as their physical prowess. The initiate is given a "secret"
message and told to deliver to this pack leader across town. A
second pack is involved in this game, that pack begins hunting
the initiate. When they catch him, he's tortured and given the
choice, release the secret or die. If they tell they die, if they
keep silent they are beaten into torpor and given back to their
pack. He the initiate is awaken they are congratulated for their
loyalty. If they ACTUALLY are able to deliver the message the
initiate can garner quite a bit of respect.
2)
Leap Frog (Agility, Loyalty)
This is a test of loyalty, physical prowess, and potentially self
sacrifice. This is played in a warehouse or a construction site
where a fire pit can be constructed. The pack members will leap
from girder to girder being caught at each step by a member. They
must trust their pack members for this to work. If you drop them,
you better follow and try to save them. The person jumping switches
from person to person. Example: Freddie leaps and is caught by
Seth. Now Seth leaps to Jimmy. Jimmy leaps...
3)
Xerox (Skill)
This is for deep cover packs. Vicissitude or Mask of 1K necessary.
Choose a random mortal, watch them and try to learn about them.
Kill them, replace them, and try to convince their friends and
family that they are who they pretend to be. This hones your infiltration
skills, the goal is to be able to replace someone after a shorter
and shorter period of observation.
4)
Rat Race (Skill)
Find an office building where people are still working. The leader
will find a person and explain the game to them, so that they
know exactly how much danger they are in. The 'rat' will try to
escape the building and the pack members must catch the rat will
blind folded. If the 'rat' escapes, she is free and may even be
exempt from the game during futures playings.
5)
Stayin' Alive/Disco Inferno (Courage, Physical Prowess)
This game is played during the day, so the pack members will need
to spend willpower to remain awake. The game is played in a dark
room with loud Disco Music playing (for style purposes). Sunlight
is bounced off of a makeshift disco ball hanging in the center
of the room (approximately 8 facets on the "ball").
The members must jump and dodge the spinning beams of light. NOTE:
Some members have been severely burned during this game, hence
the alternative title "Disco Inferno."
6)
Jacques Cousteau (Speed/Strength)
Kidnap mortals give them cement shoes, toss them in a pool/lake/ocean.
Members must jump in and "save" them. The members must
attempt to get the mortal above the surface or to shore before
the mortal drowns. Once the game is complete and the mortals feel
that they are safe from drowning, they are drained and killed.
Fire Dance
The packs of the city converge a few hours after sunset. Each
member bringing forth fuel, wood, and the like to create a huge
bonfire. The highest ranking Sabbat member (archbishop) leads
the ceremony. "We are the sons and daughters of Caine, his
blood is our blood, his gifts are our gifts, his curse is our
curse. Caine was spurned by God for his sacrifice and cursed for
his pride. We are his childer, his sacrifice is ours, we share
his pride. As God made fire Caine's enemy, he has made fire our
enemy and we will defeat it. As we took up the courage of Kupala,
we will make fire our slave and we will master it. Give forth
your pledge."
At this point each vampire brings forth his wood and fuel saying,
"I am a son (daughter) of Caine, his enemy is mine."
When the bonfire is completed, the ritual leader then brandishes
a flaming torch "Here is the enemy we face! Here is the one
you must master! Honor your blood, honor your brothers, honor
yourselves."
Lights bonfire - A Vaulderie is performed. After each member drinks
she begins to dance around the fire. After the last member is
finished and joins the dance, the members begin to jump across
the fire. After completing the jump the dancers rejoin the circle
to dance again and stand side by side to cheer on their companions.
The celebration continues until the last member completed his
last jump. A Vaulderie may or may not be performed after the last
jumper.
Systems: The vampire must make a static Physical challenge to
jump across the bonfire. The difficulty of the static challenge
is dependent on the size of the fire; a campfire would have a
difficulty of 5, a bonfire the size of a car 13. If the vampire
in question lacks the ability Fire Walking, they must spend a
Willpower to even attempt the jump. Fire Walking may be used as
a retest for the static physical challenge; failure indicates
that the vampire lands on the edge of the firepit and catches
on fire. The vampire takes one aggravated wound, and will take
one aggravated wound each round until he is put out. Putting out
the vampire requires a simple test if an appropriate action is
being performed (stop, drop, and roll; dousing them with water/blood,
etc..).
Sermons of Caine
The sermons are based off brief excerpts from the Book of Nod.
The quotes are constant, although the specific sermon will be
targeted
towards current events. Most sermons tend to begin with
"Caine the first, was our father, his blood is ours, his
gifts are ours, his wisdom is ours as well. His words have been
brought through the millennia, lost, and found again. Listen,
think, understand."
Possible topics for the sermon:
Sacrifice for the greater good: "I cried tears of
love as I, with sharp things sacrificed that which was the first
part of my joy, my brother [Abel]."
Power through freedom: "Caine said, a life without power
will not be worth living. I will die then without my gifts for
I will not live as your Thrall."
Freedom:
"God's messenger spoke to Caine and beseeched him "Will
you not repent the evil that you have done, and let his mercy
wash you clean?"
And Caine spoke unto God's messenger, "Not by His grace,
but mine own will I live in pride."
Progeny: (Anti Cam Clans/Creation Rites)
"Thou shalt not Embrace those unworthy,
Thou shalt not use the youngest
Those who should live long before being
brought into My family, so that the wisdom
of our blood will grow."
On Kine
"Thou shalt guide the Kine as a shepherd guides his
flock and cull them as they are needed. Thou shalt cleanse their
blood and keep all
of them free from disease. Let them be your cup, let them be your
holy bread."
On blood bonds: (And how Caine will rise up to fight the Antediluvians)
"Know that there is no greater Bond than Caine has with his
Children and through me, all chains are broken, all shackles are
shattered."
Caine's Vengeance:
"I will root out the bad seed, I will weed out the
worst of you, I will prove myself free, in the manner that my
father, Adam, taught me."
On the Right of the Beast:
"Vengeance is best when the blood is still hot."
Ride the Beast, do not let it ride you.
On Demons and Infernals
"Bargain not with Darkness, in times it will take us
all."
On Gehenna:
"On the Last Days the Founders will rise from the ground.
They will break their fast on us. They will consume us whole!"
The Preaching Noddist adds whatever slant he wishes to put onto
the words, always leaning towards his sect political viewpoint
and whatever his personal goals and attitudes tend to be. Normally,
at the end of the sermon a Vaulderie is performed to add impact
of loyalty and brotherhood as well as the ecstasy of the ceremony.
Festivo dello Estinto
The
Festival for the Dead, held in the second week of March. The scale
and detail of the Festivo is beyond the scope of this document;
contact the office of the AMST Sabbat for role-playing guidelines,
scripts, and hints to running a Festivo..
Palla Grande
The
Grand Ball, held on Halloween. Similar to the Festivo, the scale
and majesty of this rite preclude it being included in this document.
Contact the AMST Sabbat for more information.
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