••••• Taharah
“Ritual Purity”
“Cleanliness is next to godliness.” While the old saying is often used lightly, the Hierodules consider the precept vital. Cleanliness ultimately equals purity in their minds. Purity was often achieved through various washing rituals and consecrations. Some rituals affected the soul through the body. Others were broader, capable of sanctifying things rather than people. Objects could be consecrated, as could entire rooms.
Many Qedeshah operate out of what could be considered “second” havens or sanctums (though some unwise Hierodules use their own havens as places for counseling). Here, Qedeshah meditate on what it means to be one of the Damned, and how best to answer the calling of the Shekhina. Indeed, many Qedeshah bring others into their sanctums in an effort to counsel them and alleviate some of the anguish that assails the Kindred.
For the most part, a Hierodule’s sanctum is nothing special — some place away from public view and other vampires, and peaceful enough to offer solace. Qedeshah with this level of mastery are capable of turning a sanctum into a very special and protected place.
This power involves a ritual in which a Hierodule’s own blood is painted on the walls. What she paints matters little; only that she decorates the area with her own Vitae. Some apply handprints, others writing. The blood disappears into the walls, invisible without supernatural Perception (such as possession of even the one-dot Auspex power).
The rite “purifies” the room, bolstering the Hierodule’s self and protecting the domain from without. Several benefits are gained.
Many Qedeshah operate out of what could be considered “second” havens or sanctums (though some unwise Hierodules use their own havens as places for counseling). Here, Qedeshah meditate on what it means to be one of the Damned, and how best to answer the calling of the Shekhina. Indeed, many Qedeshah bring others into their sanctums in an effort to counsel them and alleviate some of the anguish that assails the Kindred.
For the most part, a Hierodule’s sanctum is nothing special — some place away from public view and other vampires, and peaceful enough to offer solace. Qedeshah with this level of mastery are capable of turning a sanctum into a very special and protected place.
This power involves a ritual in which a Hierodule’s own blood is painted on the walls. What she paints matters little; only that she decorates the area with her own Vitae. Some apply handprints, others writing. The blood disappears into the walls, invisible without supernatural Perception (such as possession of even the one-dot Auspex power).
The rite “purifies” the room, bolstering the Hierodule’s self and protecting the domain from without. Several benefits are gained.
- No vampires within the sanctum are subject to frenzy, Wassail or Rötschreck. A vampire under one of these influences when he enters is immediately calmed.
- No vampires may enter the sanctum without first being invited in by the Hierodule.
- No one may be inside the sanctum and attack the Hierodule without a Willpower point being spent. Attacks from outside the locale directed in or on the place occur normally.
- Vampires who spend more than an hour in the sanctum may manifest the blush of life (see “Counterfeiting Life,” Vampire, p. 156) without the expenditure of Vitae. This appearance persists for eight hours after a vampire leaves the place.
Effect
Dramatic Failure: All accumulated successes are lost and the locale is permanently ruined as a possible site for a sanctum. It may remain a personal haven, but cannot be consecrated as anything more.
Failure: No successes are gathered in the current period. If 20 successes cannot be accumulated, the attempt as a whole fails. A successive effort may be made no sooner than a week later.
Success: Successes are accumulated for the period. If all 20 are gained, the sanctum is established.
Exceptional Success: Five or more successes are added to the running total for the current period. Or a total of 25+ successes are gathered. A point of spent Willpower is restored to the creator in the latter case.
Failure: No successes are gathered in the current period. If 20 successes cannot be accumulated, the attempt as a whole fails. A successive effort may be made no sooner than a week later.
Success: Successes are accumulated for the period. If all 20 are gained, the sanctum is established.
Exceptional Success: Five or more successes are added to the running total for the current period. Or a total of 25+ successes are gathered. A point of spent Willpower is restored to the creator in the latter case.
Side/Secondary Effects
A Hierodule may perform this ritual only on an enclosed space (a room, house, apartment, chamber or small building). A sanctum persists indefinitely, or until its structure is destroyed, the creator dispels the effect, or the Qedeshah is subject to Torpor of Final Death. The rite is often performed by old Dea Nutrix to create and enforce the peace in a sanctuary. No more than one application of this power can affect a place at one time.
A sanctum can be a vampire’s own Haven (acquired through the Haven Merit), or it can simply be a locale on which the Discipline’s rituals are performed. In the latter case, the setting gains none of the benefits that an “official” Haven bestows, beyond the rewards that the power itself confers. The Storyteller might also decide that a character can possess multiple havens, each paid for with different Haven traits maintained for each setting.
A Hierodule can maintain the Taharah rite on only one locale at a time. If a new locale must be established, the old one reverts to its normal self.
A sanctum can be a vampire’s own Haven (acquired through the Haven Merit), or it can simply be a locale on which the Discipline’s rituals are performed. In the latter case, the setting gains none of the benefits that an “official” Haven bestows, beyond the rewards that the power itself confers. The Storyteller might also decide that a character can possess multiple havens, each paid for with different Haven traits maintained for each setting.
A Hierodule can maintain the Taharah rite on only one locale at a time. If a new locale must be established, the old one reverts to its normal self.
Material Components
Cost: 1 Vitae
Gestures & Ritual
Dice Pool: Manipulation + Expression + Embrocation
Related Discipline
Effect Casting Time
Extended (20 successes required; each roll represents an hour’s preparation of the site). Vitae is spent at the beginning of the performance and is lost even if the activation fails.
Level
5