Lash Beyond Death
Level-Three Theban Sorcery Ritual
This ritual trains a vampire’s will to endure past the moment of its own defeat — or destruction. The subject of this ritual (typically the sorcerer himself) may take a single action immediately after entering Torpor or being delivered unto Final Death. The action to be performed is decided when the ritual is activated and cannot be changed, though it can be replaced by a subsequent use of this ritual. This ritual only affects vampires, and a vampire may be subject to only one instance of the Lash Beyond Death at a time.
The prescribed action can be anything the subject can perform in one turn. Generally this means an instant action, but the subject may choose an extended action, such as attempting another Theban Sorcery ritual, if he believes he can complete it with a single roll. The former Sanctified Archbishop of Naples famously (and perhaps mythically) enacted the Stigmata ritual of Theban Sorcery in the moment of his destruction, marking his assassin for destruction by nearby guards. If the vampire’s body would be physically incapable of performing the action (avampire without a tongue cannot recite a prayer, for example), this ritual is wasted. Nearly ruined vampire bodies have proven to be capable of frightening feats, however, including walking on ashen legs and speaking with mummified tongues.
If this ritual is to be activated on a willing subject other than the sorcerer, the subject may spend the Willpower point to activate the ritual instead of the caster. Though the subject may request an action to be mandated by the ritual, only the sorcerer has the power to commit the undead body to that act. Therefore, only the action actually mandated by the sorcerer is triggered by the subject’s Torpor or destruction.
If the subject is unwilling to accept the action mandated (“You will reveal the location of your sire before you are destroyed!”), the roll to activate this power is penalized by the subject’s Resolve. Self-destructive actions (“Set yourself on fire when you enter Torpor!”) automatically fail when demanded of unwilling subjects.
The prescribed action can be anything the subject can perform in one turn. Generally this means an instant action, but the subject may choose an extended action, such as attempting another Theban Sorcery ritual, if he believes he can complete it with a single roll. The former Sanctified Archbishop of Naples famously (and perhaps mythically) enacted the Stigmata ritual of Theban Sorcery in the moment of his destruction, marking his assassin for destruction by nearby guards. If the vampire’s body would be physically incapable of performing the action (avampire without a tongue cannot recite a prayer, for example), this ritual is wasted. Nearly ruined vampire bodies have proven to be capable of frightening feats, however, including walking on ashen legs and speaking with mummified tongues.
If this ritual is to be activated on a willing subject other than the sorcerer, the subject may spend the Willpower point to activate the ritual instead of the caster. Though the subject may request an action to be mandated by the ritual, only the sorcerer has the power to commit the undead body to that act. Therefore, only the action actually mandated by the sorcerer is triggered by the subject’s Torpor or destruction.
If the subject is unwilling to accept the action mandated (“You will reveal the location of your sire before you are destroyed!”), the roll to activate this power is penalized by the subject’s Resolve. Self-destructive actions (“Set yourself on fire when you enter Torpor!”) automatically fail when demanded of unwilling subjects.
Material Components
Offering: Flesh from the subject (represented by one point of lethal damage) taken during the scene when the ritual is performed. The sorcerer swallows the ash of the offering to activate the ritual.
Related Discipline
Level
3
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