Oath of Blood Service
The Oath of Blood Service is the most common longterm mutual Blood Oath, and, even so, is very rare. The servant swears to perform a particular service every night for a set period, and in return receives a benefit from the lord. Swearing the Oath is, unusually, more expensive for the lord, which means that few senior Kindred swear these Oaths lightly.
Invictus Seneschals are often bound to their Princes by these Oaths, but as the Devotions supporting these Oaths are very specialized, this is far from universal. There are few Notaries who do not know at least one version, but even fewer who know more than two. In some domains, therefore, these Devotions are never used.
Invictus Seneschals are often bound to their Princes by these Oaths, but as the Devotions supporting these Oaths are very specialized, this is far from universal. There are few Notaries who do not know at least one version, but even fewer who know more than two. In some domains, therefore, these Devotions are never used.
Effect
To invoke this Oath, the vassal must drink one Vitae from the lord’s veins, with all the risks of Vinculum and blood addiction that entails. The vassal then spends one Willpower point to tap into the power of the Blood.
For every success on the activation roll, the lord can grant the servant a one-dot bonus in a Skill or Discipline, up to a maximum of his own score in the Trait. These bonuses do not subtract from the lord’s score. The lord must have at least three dots in a Trait to be able to bequeath dots to a vassal. (As might be expected, Auspex and Majesty are commonly bestowed with this Devotion.) A vassal must have at least one dot in a Trait to receive the bonus.
While the vassal is bound by this mystic contract, his Willpower score is lowered by one dot for each bonus dot received from the lord. The vassal’s Willpower may not be raised with experience points while this Oath is in effect. The service required of the vassal must customarily be one that takes most of the Kindred’s time. Basic hunting and similar nightly chores are possible, but, in general, this Devotion involves a full-time job. Seneschals and bodyguards are most likely to swear this Oath, but few other Kindred want to bother.
If the vassal or the lord breaks the Oath, the vassal loses access to dots in the granted Traits but regains his “suspended” Willpower dots. A vassal or lord can slowly erode the effects of this Oath by withdrawing or surrendering the Trait bonuses one dot at a time; each bonus dot cut from the bargain restores one “suspended” Willpower dot to the vassal.
Unlike some other Oaths, the lord has no way of knowing if his vassal has surrendered some aspect of the contract without personally investigating the vassal. Likewise, the vassal has no way of knowing that his mystic largesse has been withdrawn without attempting to use the Trait in question.
Example: Prince Leopold is entering into a Contract of Blood Service with his bodyguard, Kovacs. Neither of them has the power to invoke the mystic contract, so they call on their Notary to perform it for them. The Notary manages three successes on her activation roll, so Leopold grants Kovacs a +2 bonus to Vigor (in which Leopold has four dots) and a +1 bonus to Weaponry, thereby lowering Kovacs’ Willpower dots by 3. Kovacs feels that’s too much, and immediately surrenders one bonus dot of Vigor to get back one dot of Willpower.
For every success on the activation roll, the lord can grant the servant a one-dot bonus in a Skill or Discipline, up to a maximum of his own score in the Trait. These bonuses do not subtract from the lord’s score. The lord must have at least three dots in a Trait to be able to bequeath dots to a vassal. (As might be expected, Auspex and Majesty are commonly bestowed with this Devotion.) A vassal must have at least one dot in a Trait to receive the bonus.
While the vassal is bound by this mystic contract, his Willpower score is lowered by one dot for each bonus dot received from the lord. The vassal’s Willpower may not be raised with experience points while this Oath is in effect. The service required of the vassal must customarily be one that takes most of the Kindred’s time. Basic hunting and similar nightly chores are possible, but, in general, this Devotion involves a full-time job. Seneschals and bodyguards are most likely to swear this Oath, but few other Kindred want to bother.
If the vassal or the lord breaks the Oath, the vassal loses access to dots in the granted Traits but regains his “suspended” Willpower dots. A vassal or lord can slowly erode the effects of this Oath by withdrawing or surrendering the Trait bonuses one dot at a time; each bonus dot cut from the bargain restores one “suspended” Willpower dot to the vassal.
Unlike some other Oaths, the lord has no way of knowing if his vassal has surrendered some aspect of the contract without personally investigating the vassal. Likewise, the vassal has no way of knowing that his mystic largesse has been withdrawn without attempting to use the Trait in question.
Example: Prince Leopold is entering into a Contract of Blood Service with his bodyguard, Kovacs. Neither of them has the power to invoke the mystic contract, so they call on their Notary to perform it for them. The Notary manages three successes on her activation roll, so Leopold grants Kovacs a +2 bonus to Vigor (in which Leopold has four dots) and a +1 bonus to Weaponry, thereby lowering Kovacs’ Willpower dots by 3. Kovacs feels that’s too much, and immediately surrenders one bonus dot of Vigor to get back one dot of Willpower.