The Communion:
The Communion
The Communion focuses on connecting with the spirits of the world and fulfilling Vampire's ecological niche as spirits. The Communion started by mirroring Garou Rites inside of cities in an attempt to find a way to have spirits and Garou interact with them in less hostile ways. They have had mixed success over the last 150 years. The Communion tends to believe that vampires are not an aberration of the system, nor are they just leeches on the system as many Garou would tend to insist. Rather the Kindred fulfills a niche and is already a member of several spiritual courts. They seek to codify these relationships and draw power from them. Each Communion is anchored with a City Father. Communion Meetings usually take place on the central node of a city or on a Mystic or Animist centered node. Most Communion members are Animist mages but there are some people from other Traditions. The Occasional Koldun fits right in here.
Communion members refer to themselves as Community members.
Requirements:
A Communion member must have at least 2 dots in Spirit Lore
Rules:
- Always be researching something as a group.
- Protect places of power (Nodes) from other groups, Mages, Technocracy, Demons, etc
- Do not take nodes from the Changing Breeds.
- Never refuse to teach lores to other members,
Trials:
Meetings must occur on a Nature, Demonic or Fate Aspected Node
Trial 1: Joining the Community: The Court of Night
This trial is very easy, barely an inconvenience for most. You and the rest of your community break bread together, Joining in some kind of feast or exchange of food. Two other members of the community must speak well of you and say why the spirits should respect you. So long as this requirement is met you are in.
Effect: Membership
Trial 2: Attuned to the City: The Court of the City
Summons the City Father. They will ask for a work from you to join their court. You can perform a work that improves the city in some way prior to the meeting. The ritual itself involves sinking the inductees into the soil and them digging themself out of the grave.
Effect: Gain a dot of Influence
Trial 3: All things in their Place: Court of "Clan"
This trial differs based on your clan. Listed Below. The set up is the same. The members of your community tie you to a tree and beat you with sticks until you torpor. While in torpor you are faced with a trial by your spirit court and by something else. They may pass you based on merit alone, they may smite you based on crimes alone, or they may give you a trial to prove yourself. Upon completion, you are one step more tied into the world and one step less associated with your Clan. Caitiff going through this ritual sometimes have issues.
Brujah: The Court of Time
Gangrel: The Beast Courts
Lasombra: The Court of Darkness
Malkavian: The Court of Reality
Nosferatu: The Courts of the Depths
Setite: The Court of Set
Salubri: The Court of the Fates
Toreador: The Court of Love
Tremere: The Courts of the Fates
Tzimisce: The Court of Earth
Ventrue: The Court of Kings
Effect: Gain a 4th in-clan.
Trial 4: Claiming the Totem
Your Community members must Inscribe the name of the Incarna whose court you wish to join into the ground 100 times in a circle around you. More hands make less work. Then they light you on fire. You are encouraged to last as long as you can before they put you out. Once extinguished you will fall into a deep trance and your spirit form will be carried to the realm of the Incarna whom you wish ed a meeting with. They will judge you and see if you are worthy to join their court and take them as your totem. Once you succeed they will visit you while you slumber and reward you with a spirit to place in an item. They may ask you for things in the future. Technically you can contact any totem spirit that a Garou could but most of the pure will view you with disdain. The only people to successfully carry this out did so by communing with the Maeljin Incarna.
Other totems
Effect: Allows you to craft a fetish. See below.
Trial 5: Facing the Sun: Court of the Sun
You Perform the ritual with your community members and then say goodbye as you wait for the sun to rise. After you Ash. You will find yourself in the realm of the Sun. The sun will then berate you and give you a task. This task is impossible. When the night next comes your body will reform in your home, with a small burning ember inside your body. When the sun feels you have failed in the task he will cause it to erupt, dealing 50 unsoakable, unavoidable Ag to you. You will die. People around you will take 3 ag and must make fear frenzies. Right now there is one person on their " trial" who has warned others never to do this.
Effect: ???
Rites
Open Arms
Level 1. Cast at the beginning of each ritual. Summons for the Node spirit
Cleansing Water
Level 3. A Werewolf must spend willpower to attack you if you haven't acted aggressively towards them. Also makes you less offensive to them. Involves showering with access to the moon
Curse of Janus
Level 4. Drop a target's Resources by 1 for one month to a minimum level of 1. Dropping someone from Wealth to Resources 3 takes 5 castings itself. Takes a bluebook action to cast.
Craft the Fetish
Level 5. Lets you craft the reward of trial 4. Fetishes Level 3 and under.
Moon Bridge
Level 5. Teleport from one node to another Node in the city. Takes 20 minutes. Can bring other community members with you.
