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Coral Beach Center Wolfbanes 12/17
enacting of this rite causes pain to the Darkness directly. sen, and many Wolfbane must gather on an important night of the year
The other danger is direct physical damage from the backlash of energy (Samhain, the spring equinox, etc.). At least 13 Wolfbane are required, and
should the ritemaster fail. The area meant to be the heart of the caern is cho- more are usually needed to pool enough energy to perform the ceremony.
RITES OF DEATH
A wolfbane's life is often tragically short, but tends to bum very brightly. The Difficulty : 10
Wolfbane have a realistic attitude toward death : They do mourn for the depar- Death comes to the Wolfbane often, frequently painfully and all too suddenly.
ted, they harden their hearts and continue with life. Death rites are vital as the Yet a Wolfbane might have an rankling of his coming demise. When a
vehicle for Wolfbane mourning. Death is common in the wilderness, and so- Wolfbane knows he may be about to die, this rite is indispensable. It reconciles
metimes wolfbanes perform this rite for a valued pioneer or settler as well. the doomed Wolfbane to his fate, allowing him to calm his dread, collect him-
self and marshal his resolve. The subject and ritemaster together must cons-
truct a small hut from baked clay in a secluded locale. Both now enter, and a
WAKE RITE
volunteer seals the entrance with more clay. At the center of the interior is a
Difficulty : 5
deep firepit ; the supplicant bestrides the pit and the fire is lit. Howling a long,
This rite is held when one of their number dies. The clan gather round and the
low keen of mourning, the ritemaster presents him with a specially prepared
ritemaster, always a wolfbane and often a Galliard, leads it in mouming and
draught. This potent mix of spirit blood, rattlesnake venom and peyote soon
then in celebration of the life of the departed one.
puts the Wolfbane into a trance. He spends the rest of the long hours of the ri-
Other packs, notably the Martians, perform very different rites, and seldom are
tual straddling the flames and slipping in and out of the Umbra as his trance
any public present at all. Their rites are lonely and mournful, solemn and spiri-
waxes and wanes. The closed environment in the hut is especially important to
tual. The ritemaster is the focus of the ceremony, although many contribute,
this ritual.
especially those who knew the warrior well. Whatever exact form the cere-
The ritemaster slowly recites a prepared speech, recounting the story of the
mony takes, the aim is the same : to remember the fallen Wolfbane and her
Wolfbane s life, reinforcing his sense of pride and worthiness as a servant of
deeds, and to speed her spirit back to the womb of heavens.
the Light. The rite doesn't touch on the doomed one s future, but the knowl edge
that one is facing probable death, having lived a worthy life is certainly empo-
wering. At the rite's completion, the subject breaks out of the hut, shattering the
FACING THE FINAL JOURNEY
clay in a symbolic rebirth.
RITES OF THE FRONTIER
Rites of the Frontier are not a group that Wolfbane recognize, but loosely re- the packs. Among the Asteroid Belt Wolfbane, however, distribution of new ter-
present some examples of rituals from the homelands which have an impor- ritory isn't always an easy matter of consent and cooperation. Some areas of
tant effect in the Imperial territory. These rites are typical of the wolfbanes who Mars are more desirable than others, and in the race to claim new territories
are intent on changing the frontier to suit them ; they aren't necessarily part of for pack and sept, conflicts do occur. This rite is designed to ritualize and regu-
the repertoire of every Conquistador ritemaster. late these conflicts; it isn't used to determine the ownership of caerns or other
significant sites, but to allow Kinfolk rights to various frontier outposts and
towns. Each of the competing parties, be they packs or septs, chooses a rite-
RITE OF NEW TERRITORY
master. This ritemaster need not have any Rituals Skill at all. The two rite-
Difficulty : 5
masters circle each other as the rite begins, surrounded by the Wolfbane. They
In their colonization of Mars, some Wolfbane from the Asteroid Belt have found
then strike each other with fists, each giving and receiving punches. The first to
the need to define their territories in a way that they can understand. They don't
fall is the loser, and his group must lead their flock elsewhere. Although the on-
recognize or acknowledge the ways in which the Martian Ones delineate terri-
lookers are responsible for preventing these contests from getting out of hand,
torial boundaries, and don't tend to respect these boundaries when they do per-
several have become lethal brawls. Despite this, the Rite of New Territory re-
ceive them. The resulting conflict has manifested itself in open war between
mains a safer form of dispute resolution than sword dueling.
MYSTIC RITES
Mystic Rites are most closely related to the mainstream idea of shamanistic
ritual. These rites are often performed by a lone Theurge, though it isn't un-
RITE OF THE FETISH
heard of for the Theurge to have an audience. The Martian Ones tend not to
Difficulty : 15
perform these rites alone.
This powerful rite is the province of Theurges and Philodox. With it they create
fetishes items with powers granted by spirits bound within. Fetishes vary
RITE OF BLOOD
greatly in power and potential as do the specifics of this rite among the packs.
Difficulty : 10 One version of the rite uses coercion and brute force to instill the spirit in the
This is a rite of single combat between two Wolfbane. Many believe that the fetish. An Red Talon ritemaster may prepare an item for inhabitation by not-
Children of Imperial initiated this rite as a way to resolve conflicts between ching it with patterns specific to the task it is to perform and then anchoring it
septs, and even packs with a minimum of bloodshed. Although only two com- with twine to a great bulkhead of Imperial territory in the physical world a
batants face off during the rite, all Wolfbane present must take part in the cere- huge tree, an outcropping of rock for at least three days. After this time the ri-
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