Post by Bishop Priss on Nov 28, 2015 6:45:34 GMT
Acceptance Ritus This ritus welcomes a new member to a particular pack, to recognize the ascension of a recruit, or any time a change in power or membership occurs (such as a new ductus or priest). Each member of the pack must recognize the new position of their fellow Sabbat in a personal manner, be it by sharing blood, the giving of a gift or whatever. The Sabbat being accepted must make an oath of allegiance to each member of the pack, and to the Sabbat cause in general. For example, a new True Sabbat’s oath details the gratefulness the recruit has for being allowed into the pack, and his pride in being chosen to serve the pack and the sect. The Acceptance Ritus differs from the Creation Rites because it is more social than supernatural. A Sabbat may have received his Creation Rites, but may be snubbed by a pack that refuses to extend him the ritus of acceptance.
Allegiance Ritus Before the Acceptance Ritus occurs, a vampire already Embraced but not yet Sabbat must go through the Allegiance Ritus. This ritus is especially important for Camarilla defectors. The Allegiance Ritus is long and involved, and it may go on for years before the recruit is permitted the Acceptance Ritus and welcomed as a full member of the sect. Part of the process involves the implanting of a secret mark on the body of the defector (a tattoo, scar, brand, etc.) through the use of Vicissitude so it will be permanent. Before receiving this ritus, the initiate must sit or stand to the rear of his packmates during auctoritas ritae. He must drink last at the Vaulderie, and may not contribute himself. He may not read or discuss passages from the Book of Nod aloud. The time involved in confirming the initiate’s commitment to the Sabbat makes it all the more difficult for him to leave the sect.
Contrition Ritus (Also Ablution or Unction Ritus)Even Sabbat commit sins and indiscretions, for which they sometimes need to atone. The Contrition Ritus allows for this, much in the same manner a Catholic confession works. This ritus is perhaps the most important of the ignoblis ritae, as many Inquisitors, Black Hand operatives, priests and ducti offer a choice of contrition or death to Sabbat who have committed wrongs upon the sect. All sensible Sabbat take these ritae as seriously as they would any other, for only by the graces of their betters can they continue to exist. Of course, many disingenuous Sabbat may make an insincere act of contrition, but they might not be extended the option next time.
Welcoming Ritus This ritus is largely a social convention. Priests invoke it whenever two Sabbat packs meet to spend time together, such as when pilgrim packs stay in a city for a time, or packs unite toward a common short-term goal. The Welcoming Ritus reinforces the Sabbat ideology that respects individuality, while requiring unity to achieve the sect's purpose. Most packs carry this ritus out quite informally, with the pack leaders sharing blood while their packmates bear witness, but there are two incidents of protocol which typically must be met. At the opening of the ritus, all pack members greet each other individually, stating their names and home (if any). This provides the members with a sense of location-where they come from and to where they may travel. At the height of the celebration, a gift is exchanged from pack to pack. It could be a weapon, or a treaty, or the head of an enemy. The gift is presented from a pack's True Sabbat to the other pack's ductus under the priests' supervision. Ducti and priests often use this ritus as an opportunity to discuss Sabbat plans.
Ritus of Thanksgiving This ritus is actually less a thanksgiving than a session to boast of one's exploits. The thanksgiving usually comes under the auspices of "I thank Caine for his favor when I..." stories, which usually exaggerate or aggrandize the speaker's prowess. The Ritus of Thanksgiving generally precedes esbats or other gatherings of the Sword of Caine.
Martial Ritus In times of war, a Sabbat pack tries to increase its strength in any way possible, often by creating the sense of kinship found only in combat. The Martial Ritus serves to whip the Sabbat into a fervor that heralds destruction for its enemies. The ritus begins with chanting a mantra such as "strength," "fire," or "muscle and hate." The beating of drums, usually led by the priest, accompanies the chanting. Packs sometimes decorate each others' faces and bodies with blood, paint or henna.
Spilling of Blood When two or more Sabbat feed together, they sometimes recognize the sharing of their blood meal, saying together, "Hot blood that spurted from Abel at his time of death, sustain us for the will of the Sabbat."
Stealth Ritus In the interests of maintaining silence, some packs take extra precautions and invoke favorable omens. In the Stealth Ritus, all participating vampires bite out each other's tongues and spit them into a fire. Though this causes no health levels of damage, the immediate bleeding and healing consumes one blood point. The priest or ductus usually bows out so he can issue orders, but some packs have developed complex hand signal systems so they may communicate silently while on stealth-intensive activities.
Sun Dance The Sun Dance tests Cainites' endurance and bravery. During the ritus, vampires writhe and gyrate in a hypnotic dance around a symbolic inscription of a fiery sun from sunset to sunrise without pause, until they collapse in exhausted heaps, covered in blood sweat. The ritus always takes place during a full moon, and pack members usually dress for the occasion, wearing frightening masks or red body paint. Pack members prove their courage by seeing who among them, after an exhausting night's dancing, can remain in the open the longest. A Blood Feast sometimes follows the Sun Dance (especially when it is performed at heavily attended sect functions), as the vampires must replenish their spent energy constantly for the duration of the ritual.
Tests of Pain Sabbat priests use these grueling ritae to test how strong of spirit their packmates are. Different packs use the ritae in different ways, some for those claiming leadership, others as punishment. One such test is the Indian Stick trial: The pack suspends the subject from a timber forced through his chest at dusk, and he remains immobilized until they release him just before sunrise. (Truly brutal subjects tear their bodies from the pinion before sunrise, and may subject themselves to other tests.) The Trial by Fire involves the ritual singeing of various body parts by the pack priest. The Gauntlet sees Sabbat Cainites line up in two rows while individual vampires run between them, suffering punches, kicks and stabs from the vampires in line. Priest characters and Storytellers are encouraged to create their own Tests of Pain for use in their packs.
The Asp's Blessing In some accounts, the Sabbat likens itself to a serpent, and many packs practice ritae that involve snake-handling. This ritus, however, fits with the more traditional and occult ritual of the sect. The priest raises a (usually poisonous) snake before the pack, asks for Caine's watchful eye to preside over the assembled vampires, kisses the snake and holds it before every member of the pack, who must kiss it themselves. If the snake bites an unfortunate vampire, it is believed that Caine holds disfavor for that vampire, and that he has caused the snake to bite her for some past or secret transgression. Some Sabbat even bring humans into this ritus, in hopes that the snake will bite them and symbolize Caine's disdain for mortals, the Children of Seth.
Truth Revealed This ritus ensures the honesty of a statement to be revealed (much like the swearing in of a witness at court – it doesn't truly "compel" truth in a mechanical manner). If a priest doubts an individual's statement's veracity, the victim writes her statement on a piece of paper given her by her accuser, in her own blood. The priest then burns the paper, sometimes in a censer. If the smoke burns black, the statement is a lie. If white, it is truth. In truth, the power of the pack's belief in their packmate and his statement determines the outcome of the revelation, and this ritus is seldom employed for truly grave matters.
Allegiance Ritus Before the Acceptance Ritus occurs, a vampire already Embraced but not yet Sabbat must go through the Allegiance Ritus. This ritus is especially important for Camarilla defectors. The Allegiance Ritus is long and involved, and it may go on for years before the recruit is permitted the Acceptance Ritus and welcomed as a full member of the sect. Part of the process involves the implanting of a secret mark on the body of the defector (a tattoo, scar, brand, etc.) through the use of Vicissitude so it will be permanent. Before receiving this ritus, the initiate must sit or stand to the rear of his packmates during auctoritas ritae. He must drink last at the Vaulderie, and may not contribute himself. He may not read or discuss passages from the Book of Nod aloud. The time involved in confirming the initiate’s commitment to the Sabbat makes it all the more difficult for him to leave the sect.
Contrition Ritus (Also Ablution or Unction Ritus)Even Sabbat commit sins and indiscretions, for which they sometimes need to atone. The Contrition Ritus allows for this, much in the same manner a Catholic confession works. This ritus is perhaps the most important of the ignoblis ritae, as many Inquisitors, Black Hand operatives, priests and ducti offer a choice of contrition or death to Sabbat who have committed wrongs upon the sect. All sensible Sabbat take these ritae as seriously as they would any other, for only by the graces of their betters can they continue to exist. Of course, many disingenuous Sabbat may make an insincere act of contrition, but they might not be extended the option next time.
Welcoming Ritus This ritus is largely a social convention. Priests invoke it whenever two Sabbat packs meet to spend time together, such as when pilgrim packs stay in a city for a time, or packs unite toward a common short-term goal. The Welcoming Ritus reinforces the Sabbat ideology that respects individuality, while requiring unity to achieve the sect's purpose. Most packs carry this ritus out quite informally, with the pack leaders sharing blood while their packmates bear witness, but there are two incidents of protocol which typically must be met. At the opening of the ritus, all pack members greet each other individually, stating their names and home (if any). This provides the members with a sense of location-where they come from and to where they may travel. At the height of the celebration, a gift is exchanged from pack to pack. It could be a weapon, or a treaty, or the head of an enemy. The gift is presented from a pack's True Sabbat to the other pack's ductus under the priests' supervision. Ducti and priests often use this ritus as an opportunity to discuss Sabbat plans.
Ritus of Thanksgiving This ritus is actually less a thanksgiving than a session to boast of one's exploits. The thanksgiving usually comes under the auspices of "I thank Caine for his favor when I..." stories, which usually exaggerate or aggrandize the speaker's prowess. The Ritus of Thanksgiving generally precedes esbats or other gatherings of the Sword of Caine.
Martial Ritus In times of war, a Sabbat pack tries to increase its strength in any way possible, often by creating the sense of kinship found only in combat. The Martial Ritus serves to whip the Sabbat into a fervor that heralds destruction for its enemies. The ritus begins with chanting a mantra such as "strength," "fire," or "muscle and hate." The beating of drums, usually led by the priest, accompanies the chanting. Packs sometimes decorate each others' faces and bodies with blood, paint or henna.
Spilling of Blood When two or more Sabbat feed together, they sometimes recognize the sharing of their blood meal, saying together, "Hot blood that spurted from Abel at his time of death, sustain us for the will of the Sabbat."
Stealth Ritus In the interests of maintaining silence, some packs take extra precautions and invoke favorable omens. In the Stealth Ritus, all participating vampires bite out each other's tongues and spit them into a fire. Though this causes no health levels of damage, the immediate bleeding and healing consumes one blood point. The priest or ductus usually bows out so he can issue orders, but some packs have developed complex hand signal systems so they may communicate silently while on stealth-intensive activities.
Sun Dance The Sun Dance tests Cainites' endurance and bravery. During the ritus, vampires writhe and gyrate in a hypnotic dance around a symbolic inscription of a fiery sun from sunset to sunrise without pause, until they collapse in exhausted heaps, covered in blood sweat. The ritus always takes place during a full moon, and pack members usually dress for the occasion, wearing frightening masks or red body paint. Pack members prove their courage by seeing who among them, after an exhausting night's dancing, can remain in the open the longest. A Blood Feast sometimes follows the Sun Dance (especially when it is performed at heavily attended sect functions), as the vampires must replenish their spent energy constantly for the duration of the ritual.
Tests of Pain Sabbat priests use these grueling ritae to test how strong of spirit their packmates are. Different packs use the ritae in different ways, some for those claiming leadership, others as punishment. One such test is the Indian Stick trial: The pack suspends the subject from a timber forced through his chest at dusk, and he remains immobilized until they release him just before sunrise. (Truly brutal subjects tear their bodies from the pinion before sunrise, and may subject themselves to other tests.) The Trial by Fire involves the ritual singeing of various body parts by the pack priest. The Gauntlet sees Sabbat Cainites line up in two rows while individual vampires run between them, suffering punches, kicks and stabs from the vampires in line. Priest characters and Storytellers are encouraged to create their own Tests of Pain for use in their packs.
The Asp's Blessing In some accounts, the Sabbat likens itself to a serpent, and many packs practice ritae that involve snake-handling. This ritus, however, fits with the more traditional and occult ritual of the sect. The priest raises a (usually poisonous) snake before the pack, asks for Caine's watchful eye to preside over the assembled vampires, kisses the snake and holds it before every member of the pack, who must kiss it themselves. If the snake bites an unfortunate vampire, it is believed that Caine holds disfavor for that vampire, and that he has caused the snake to bite her for some past or secret transgression. Some Sabbat even bring humans into this ritus, in hopes that the snake will bite them and symbolize Caine's disdain for mortals, the Children of Seth.
Truth Revealed This ritus ensures the honesty of a statement to be revealed (much like the swearing in of a witness at court – it doesn't truly "compel" truth in a mechanical manner). If a priest doubts an individual's statement's veracity, the victim writes her statement on a piece of paper given her by her accuser, in her own blood. The priest then burns the paper, sometimes in a censer. If the smoke burns black, the statement is a lie. If white, it is truth. In truth, the power of the pack's belief in their packmate and his statement determines the outcome of the revelation, and this ritus is seldom employed for truly grave matters.