Post by Andrei on Jun 17, 2007 12:37:30 GMT
The Way of the Spirit
There resides a single force, an essence, that encompasses all things in nature. The ancient koldun manipulating this way mystically tapped into this essence and, as a result, they gained insight and minor control over their surroundings. Oftentimes, the koldun wielded this way in conjunction with other powers of Koldunic Sorcery. Many also protected themselves by invoking this way before entering their havens, to preempt attempts on their unlives. Tonight’s koldun invoking the Way of the Spirit procure a similar outcome as their ancient predecessors, creating a bond between themselves and the spirit of the land.
The player spends one Blood point to activate the powers of this way. These powers last for one Page per the player's level of Way of the Spirit. The chart below describes how far away from her person a koldun can “feel” out intruders or hostile spirits according to her power level. A koldun can invoke other powers of Koldunic Sorcery that she knows in conjunction with the Way of the Spirit, though only at a lesser or equal power level at which she knows the Way of the Spirit. For example, a koldun may invoke Level One through Three powers of Way of Water in conjunction with the powers of Way of the Spirit if she knows the Way of the Spirit at Level Three. This power also confounds use of the Discipline of Obfuscate.
* “See” everything within a 50-foot radius
** “See” everything within 100 yards
*** “See” everything within a quarter-mile
**** “See” everything within a mile
***** “See” everything within five miles
Way of Water
This way was practiced primarily among koldun with havens near some water source, from the Plain Lakes to the Black Sea. With their powers, these Koldun confounded many Turkish invasion attempts along the Danube River, sinking their ships and drowning them under mystical riptides. When employing this power, a koldun's eyes change color to vivid, almost glowing aquamarine.
1 • Pools of Illusion
At the beginning of this level of Way of Water, a koldun has the ability to create a three-dimensional illusion along the surface of the water. The illusion can speak and walk, but is intangible and cannot leave the boundaries of the water. Lasts for several seconds then slowly dissipates.
2 • Watery Solace
Should a koldun need shelter, from enemies or the rising sun, she may opt to sink below the cool, dark protective waters. As the vampire walks into the water, she sinks below its surface, protected by the magic of the liquid. Though a koldun can immerse herself into nearly all water sources, she cannot move around within it; water currents mystically avoid the koldun's dead body at her original interring point. The water must be at least a foot in depth and as large as her body. A vampire is completed concealed from the ray's of the sun.
3 • Water Walk
No longer bound by the laws of physics, a koldun has the ability to walk along the fluid surface of the water. So long as she invokes this power, the vampire may walk the water's surface as if it is as solid as earth. This does not prevent the creatures of the sea or lakes from interacting with her. Dolphins could torment her or a hungry shark take a bite. It is also possible to be spotted by fishermen, individuals in boats or even people swimming nearby.
4 • Watery Minions
The koldun of the Middle Ages often invoked these minions from the moats surrounding their castles. These servants are completely comprised of water. The minions follow only very simple instructions from the koldun, though they do so without hesitation. For every success, one minion rises from its source of water and forms into any shape the Koldun wants. They do have the ability to attack and defend. As they are composed of water, bashing damage doesn't slow them down, though fire-related attacks do extra damage. Minions last for one night.
5 • Doom Tides
Many Turkish ships lie below the Black Sea, destroyed by mighty whirlpools invoked by koldun. Victims fight to keep themselves afloat or else find themselves sucked into whirling tides. Some of tonight's koldun entertain themselves by creating swirling riptides in pools to surprise late-night swimmers. This power can make the maelstrom up to 50 feet in diameter. Lasts for one page.
Way of Wind
When a koldun invokes a power of this way, his eyes change color to sky blue and gusts of wind breeze all about him.
1 • Winds of Guilt
This is a means of insuring loyalty without a blood bond. A wind gusts around the victim that sounds like whispering voices, telling of the horrors that would befall them and their family should they betray their voivode. These voices will slowly warp the mind and only after the sorcery has waned will the victim regain coherence. Koldun also enjoy using this during ritae before feeding, enjoying the mixture of adrenaline in the blood of someone striken with terror. Each level of of this power changes the length of time it lasts for. One page, two pages, three pages, five pages, one thread.
2 • Biting Winds
The koldun creators of this attempted to invoke a wind as chill as the air atop the Carpathian Mountains. They noted the pain their victims endured as their body temperature dropped until the blood froze in their veins. Modern koldun sometimes refer to its effects as "meat locker". A very cold breeze will gust in the area of the vampire's choice in about a 100 yard radius. Little by little, the winds gust faster and colder and continues until the wind blasts a stabbing chill difficult for anyone to ignore. Those affected are reduced to half movement and those trying to enter the area suffer a level of bashing damage.
3 • Winds of Lethargy
Although these winds do not induce immediate sleep in a victim, prolonged exposure causes extreme exhaustion and fatigued movements. Targets can smell a bittersweet smell and individuals also claims that the winds feel like many intangible hands persistantly rubbing their muscles to relaxation. With the expenditure of a Blood point, the koldun creates a wind that induces lethargy within a 200-foot radius, remaining for two turns per success. Breathing and blinking are innate so unaffected but will be labored. Movement rates of victims is reduced to half for one scene.
4 • Traveling the Winds
A koldun can travel at incredible speeds by riding along the winds. A koldun's body becomes almost ethereal while he moves along the winds, disappearing into a blurry outline of physical self and re-materializing the same way. Takes a full turn to invoke this power. Spending a Blood point, the koldun will travel at 250 mph, though not directly effecting the how fast the wind blows. Must be invoked outside, though he can avoid all obstacles outside, the koldun lacks the control to manuever through a building and risks slamming into wall, doors, and people at this speed.
5 • Body of Zephyr
A koldun dissolving into Body of Zephyr blends into the air, manuevering through the smallest cracks. The koldun's body retains its basic shape, though it is too ephemeral and transparent for onlookers to make out any physical details. It takes a full turn to invoke this and the expenditure of a Willpower point. The koldun moves at double his normal movement, though he cannot take any physical actions. Other powers of Way of Wind can be used with this with the spending of an additional Blood point at their activation. No other disciplines can be used. This state can be maintained indefinetely, though he can return to his original state after one full post of concentration.
Koldunic Rituals
Like Thaumaturgy, Koldunic Sorcery grants its wielder access to rituals of various sorts. These rituals, though magical, are not Hermetic, having no connection to the Egyptian/Latin tradition. Many rituals (not surprisingly) require blood to be spilled (a Blood Point’s worth per level of the ritual, from either the caster or a sentient sacrifice); some also require clumps of sacred earth (from a caern, node, barrow, graveyard or similar site). Koldunic rituals are rarely written down; practitioners rely on mnemonic cues.
Unless described differently below, these rituals are invoked in a manner similar to Thaumaturgical rituals. One bloodpoint per level must be spilled, whether it is the koldun's or someone else, doesn't matter. Only a few rituals are presented here. (Players are encouraged to come up with their own rituals, to reflect the unique bond between the Tzimisce sorcerers and their home soil. (BMST pg 133))
Hospitality Level One (LS 1)
This is a simple Koldunic ritual, but an important one. This ritual, enacted nightly, allows the Tzimisce to “awaken’ the spirits in his haven. These spirits “manifest” themselves in objects, which assume sentience and individualism, often displaying unique personalities in the process. Thus, a Fiend’s gate might speak to the vampire in a dull, grating voice, complaining about the weight of the castle on its keystones; a mirror might slyly praise the vampire, while a knout might cackle with glee and beg to be laid across a victim’s hack. The Tzimisce may command any such house-spirit to silence, and the spirits generally display servility and obsequiousness. However, if ill treated (or if treated politely by an intruder), the spirits may fail to warn the Fiend of intruders in his domain (which is the primary function of the spell).
Conjure Lesser Demon Level Three (LS1)
Simply put, this ritual allows the sorcerer to evoke one of the lesser demons that haunt the Slavic lands. These “demons” have no connection to infernal beings; they are most similar to the spirits revered by werewolves. Nor do the demons attempt to make a pact; the relation between sorcerer and demon resembles that between a master and vassal (albeit a highly malicious, intractable vassal). All Slavic demons have names, which must be learned by the sorcerer, and all must be “sworn” to the sorcerer by accepting a point of her blood. A koldun may "retain" a number of demons equal to her Blood points(whichever is higher). Demons are not “bound” to the sorcerer; she must coax or (more likely) cow them into performing services.
A lesser Slavic demon can appear in virtually any shape; many take the shape of normal animals, though some appear freakish indeed.
Ties That Bind Level Four (BMST)
Before an ancient koldun could learn a new way, he performed this ritual and removed one of his ribs (through Vicissitude or other means). A mystical symbol representing the particular way the koldun intended to learn was inscribed onto the bone, then implanted back into the body. Koldun cast this ritual to symbolically lend part of themselves to the essence of the land. In return, they were granted the ability to practice the spiritual magic that is Koldunic Sorcery. In the present night, Sabbat koldun revised this ritual to serve a more practical purpose with less torturous requirements. Performed as often as weekly, this ritual reconnects the koldun with the eldritch magic of the Old World.
After spilling four points of blood onto a patch of dirt then ingesting this soil, a koldun may reduce the difficulty of doing any Koldunic sorcery by half for the duration of the thread. Multiple uses of Ties That Bind have no effect — the koldun gains no greater benefit if he uses this ritual more than once in three nights.
The Inmost Tug Level Five (LS 1)
Unlike most Koldunic rituals, this requires no blood sacrifice or other dross; it can be activated with a single word and a gesture. This ritual allows a voivode, to manipulate the emotions of a being bound in the Blood Oath. For example, the love instilled by a Blood Oath could be debased to lust, or refined to fraternal devotion. This ritual can even be used to warp a Blood Oath into fear, hate or other negative emotions.
Conjure Greater Demon Level Five (LS 1)
This ritual is similar to Conjure Lesser Demon, except a mighty entity of the Old Country appears. Such a being is not generally subject to intimidation; it must be coaxed to serve, and has no qualms about destroying the sorcerer should the offer not be to its liking. For this reason, koldun rarely use this ritual.
Like lesser demons, greater demons have individual names and can appear in any shape.
Create Vozhd Level Six (LS 1)
This ritual, combined with Vicissitude, enables its practitioner to create a vozhd war ghoul. The Tzimisce must gather a sizable number of ghouls at least 15, though 20 or more are commonly employed. The ghouls may be human or animal, and all must be force-fed a concoction of each other’s blood (a Blood Point of the mixture will suffice). Once this is done, the ritual begins.
The ritual consists of a continuous chant, which the Fiend must utter while using Vicissitude to mold the ghouls into a composite creature. The casting Tzimisce does not have to be the “sculptor” of the vozhd, though most prefer at least to participate in the flesh-shaping. The ritual takes (the number of ghouls used - 7) hours to cast, and the caster must maintain the chant without interruption for the duration of the casting. In other words, this takes a thread of 7 pages to conduct and would most likely have a number of Camarilla vampires or other enemies of the Sabbat trying to stop it from occuring.
Dracul Level Nine (LS 1)
Besides the obvious prerequisite (Koldunic Sorcery 9+), the caster must have a Vicissitude score of 6+ to employ this ritual; only two Tzimisce, including the Dracon of Byzantium, are known to have used it. This ritual imbues the Fiend with the primordial energies of the Old Country, transforming the vampire into a hideous dragon.
The Fiend’s Strength triples, his Stamina doubles, and he sprouts a scaly hide that halves damage. The dragon may drink blood normally, and may also choose to consume the flesh of slain foes; an entire human corpse (12 Health Levels, 7 of which must be removed to cause death) may be chewed up and eaten per post, provided the dragon does nothing but eat. For each Health Level of flesh “digested,” the Fiend may regurgitate a fiery acid inflicting one Health Level of aggravated damage per “point” invested in it (maximum of six Health Levels vomited per shot). The Fiend gains an additional five “Bruised” Health Levels, but all difficulties to hit him are reduced (he’s enormous).
There resides a single force, an essence, that encompasses all things in nature. The ancient koldun manipulating this way mystically tapped into this essence and, as a result, they gained insight and minor control over their surroundings. Oftentimes, the koldun wielded this way in conjunction with other powers of Koldunic Sorcery. Many also protected themselves by invoking this way before entering their havens, to preempt attempts on their unlives. Tonight’s koldun invoking the Way of the Spirit procure a similar outcome as their ancient predecessors, creating a bond between themselves and the spirit of the land.
The player spends one Blood point to activate the powers of this way. These powers last for one Page per the player's level of Way of the Spirit. The chart below describes how far away from her person a koldun can “feel” out intruders or hostile spirits according to her power level. A koldun can invoke other powers of Koldunic Sorcery that she knows in conjunction with the Way of the Spirit, though only at a lesser or equal power level at which she knows the Way of the Spirit. For example, a koldun may invoke Level One through Three powers of Way of Water in conjunction with the powers of Way of the Spirit if she knows the Way of the Spirit at Level Three. This power also confounds use of the Discipline of Obfuscate.
* “See” everything within a 50-foot radius
** “See” everything within 100 yards
*** “See” everything within a quarter-mile
**** “See” everything within a mile
***** “See” everything within five miles
Way of Water
This way was practiced primarily among koldun with havens near some water source, from the Plain Lakes to the Black Sea. With their powers, these Koldun confounded many Turkish invasion attempts along the Danube River, sinking their ships and drowning them under mystical riptides. When employing this power, a koldun's eyes change color to vivid, almost glowing aquamarine.
1 • Pools of Illusion
At the beginning of this level of Way of Water, a koldun has the ability to create a three-dimensional illusion along the surface of the water. The illusion can speak and walk, but is intangible and cannot leave the boundaries of the water. Lasts for several seconds then slowly dissipates.
2 • Watery Solace
Should a koldun need shelter, from enemies or the rising sun, she may opt to sink below the cool, dark protective waters. As the vampire walks into the water, she sinks below its surface, protected by the magic of the liquid. Though a koldun can immerse herself into nearly all water sources, she cannot move around within it; water currents mystically avoid the koldun's dead body at her original interring point. The water must be at least a foot in depth and as large as her body. A vampire is completed concealed from the ray's of the sun.
3 • Water Walk
No longer bound by the laws of physics, a koldun has the ability to walk along the fluid surface of the water. So long as she invokes this power, the vampire may walk the water's surface as if it is as solid as earth. This does not prevent the creatures of the sea or lakes from interacting with her. Dolphins could torment her or a hungry shark take a bite. It is also possible to be spotted by fishermen, individuals in boats or even people swimming nearby.
4 • Watery Minions
The koldun of the Middle Ages often invoked these minions from the moats surrounding their castles. These servants are completely comprised of water. The minions follow only very simple instructions from the koldun, though they do so without hesitation. For every success, one minion rises from its source of water and forms into any shape the Koldun wants. They do have the ability to attack and defend. As they are composed of water, bashing damage doesn't slow them down, though fire-related attacks do extra damage. Minions last for one night.
5 • Doom Tides
Many Turkish ships lie below the Black Sea, destroyed by mighty whirlpools invoked by koldun. Victims fight to keep themselves afloat or else find themselves sucked into whirling tides. Some of tonight's koldun entertain themselves by creating swirling riptides in pools to surprise late-night swimmers. This power can make the maelstrom up to 50 feet in diameter. Lasts for one page.
Way of Wind
When a koldun invokes a power of this way, his eyes change color to sky blue and gusts of wind breeze all about him.
1 • Winds of Guilt
This is a means of insuring loyalty without a blood bond. A wind gusts around the victim that sounds like whispering voices, telling of the horrors that would befall them and their family should they betray their voivode. These voices will slowly warp the mind and only after the sorcery has waned will the victim regain coherence. Koldun also enjoy using this during ritae before feeding, enjoying the mixture of adrenaline in the blood of someone striken with terror. Each level of of this power changes the length of time it lasts for. One page, two pages, three pages, five pages, one thread.
2 • Biting Winds
The koldun creators of this attempted to invoke a wind as chill as the air atop the Carpathian Mountains. They noted the pain their victims endured as their body temperature dropped until the blood froze in their veins. Modern koldun sometimes refer to its effects as "meat locker". A very cold breeze will gust in the area of the vampire's choice in about a 100 yard radius. Little by little, the winds gust faster and colder and continues until the wind blasts a stabbing chill difficult for anyone to ignore. Those affected are reduced to half movement and those trying to enter the area suffer a level of bashing damage.
3 • Winds of Lethargy
Although these winds do not induce immediate sleep in a victim, prolonged exposure causes extreme exhaustion and fatigued movements. Targets can smell a bittersweet smell and individuals also claims that the winds feel like many intangible hands persistantly rubbing their muscles to relaxation. With the expenditure of a Blood point, the koldun creates a wind that induces lethargy within a 200-foot radius, remaining for two turns per success. Breathing and blinking are innate so unaffected but will be labored. Movement rates of victims is reduced to half for one scene.
4 • Traveling the Winds
A koldun can travel at incredible speeds by riding along the winds. A koldun's body becomes almost ethereal while he moves along the winds, disappearing into a blurry outline of physical self and re-materializing the same way. Takes a full turn to invoke this power. Spending a Blood point, the koldun will travel at 250 mph, though not directly effecting the how fast the wind blows. Must be invoked outside, though he can avoid all obstacles outside, the koldun lacks the control to manuever through a building and risks slamming into wall, doors, and people at this speed.
5 • Body of Zephyr
A koldun dissolving into Body of Zephyr blends into the air, manuevering through the smallest cracks. The koldun's body retains its basic shape, though it is too ephemeral and transparent for onlookers to make out any physical details. It takes a full turn to invoke this and the expenditure of a Willpower point. The koldun moves at double his normal movement, though he cannot take any physical actions. Other powers of Way of Wind can be used with this with the spending of an additional Blood point at their activation. No other disciplines can be used. This state can be maintained indefinetely, though he can return to his original state after one full post of concentration.
Koldunic Rituals
Like Thaumaturgy, Koldunic Sorcery grants its wielder access to rituals of various sorts. These rituals, though magical, are not Hermetic, having no connection to the Egyptian/Latin tradition. Many rituals (not surprisingly) require blood to be spilled (a Blood Point’s worth per level of the ritual, from either the caster or a sentient sacrifice); some also require clumps of sacred earth (from a caern, node, barrow, graveyard or similar site). Koldunic rituals are rarely written down; practitioners rely on mnemonic cues.
Unless described differently below, these rituals are invoked in a manner similar to Thaumaturgical rituals. One bloodpoint per level must be spilled, whether it is the koldun's or someone else, doesn't matter. Only a few rituals are presented here. (Players are encouraged to come up with their own rituals, to reflect the unique bond between the Tzimisce sorcerers and their home soil. (BMST pg 133))
Hospitality Level One (LS 1)
This is a simple Koldunic ritual, but an important one. This ritual, enacted nightly, allows the Tzimisce to “awaken’ the spirits in his haven. These spirits “manifest” themselves in objects, which assume sentience and individualism, often displaying unique personalities in the process. Thus, a Fiend’s gate might speak to the vampire in a dull, grating voice, complaining about the weight of the castle on its keystones; a mirror might slyly praise the vampire, while a knout might cackle with glee and beg to be laid across a victim’s hack. The Tzimisce may command any such house-spirit to silence, and the spirits generally display servility and obsequiousness. However, if ill treated (or if treated politely by an intruder), the spirits may fail to warn the Fiend of intruders in his domain (which is the primary function of the spell).
Conjure Lesser Demon Level Three (LS1)
Simply put, this ritual allows the sorcerer to evoke one of the lesser demons that haunt the Slavic lands. These “demons” have no connection to infernal beings; they are most similar to the spirits revered by werewolves. Nor do the demons attempt to make a pact; the relation between sorcerer and demon resembles that between a master and vassal (albeit a highly malicious, intractable vassal). All Slavic demons have names, which must be learned by the sorcerer, and all must be “sworn” to the sorcerer by accepting a point of her blood. A koldun may "retain" a number of demons equal to her Blood points(whichever is higher). Demons are not “bound” to the sorcerer; she must coax or (more likely) cow them into performing services.
A lesser Slavic demon can appear in virtually any shape; many take the shape of normal animals, though some appear freakish indeed.
Ties That Bind Level Four (BMST)
Before an ancient koldun could learn a new way, he performed this ritual and removed one of his ribs (through Vicissitude or other means). A mystical symbol representing the particular way the koldun intended to learn was inscribed onto the bone, then implanted back into the body. Koldun cast this ritual to symbolically lend part of themselves to the essence of the land. In return, they were granted the ability to practice the spiritual magic that is Koldunic Sorcery. In the present night, Sabbat koldun revised this ritual to serve a more practical purpose with less torturous requirements. Performed as often as weekly, this ritual reconnects the koldun with the eldritch magic of the Old World.
After spilling four points of blood onto a patch of dirt then ingesting this soil, a koldun may reduce the difficulty of doing any Koldunic sorcery by half for the duration of the thread. Multiple uses of Ties That Bind have no effect — the koldun gains no greater benefit if he uses this ritual more than once in three nights.
The Inmost Tug Level Five (LS 1)
Unlike most Koldunic rituals, this requires no blood sacrifice or other dross; it can be activated with a single word and a gesture. This ritual allows a voivode, to manipulate the emotions of a being bound in the Blood Oath. For example, the love instilled by a Blood Oath could be debased to lust, or refined to fraternal devotion. This ritual can even be used to warp a Blood Oath into fear, hate or other negative emotions.
Conjure Greater Demon Level Five (LS 1)
This ritual is similar to Conjure Lesser Demon, except a mighty entity of the Old Country appears. Such a being is not generally subject to intimidation; it must be coaxed to serve, and has no qualms about destroying the sorcerer should the offer not be to its liking. For this reason, koldun rarely use this ritual.
Like lesser demons, greater demons have individual names and can appear in any shape.
Create Vozhd Level Six (LS 1)
This ritual, combined with Vicissitude, enables its practitioner to create a vozhd war ghoul. The Tzimisce must gather a sizable number of ghouls at least 15, though 20 or more are commonly employed. The ghouls may be human or animal, and all must be force-fed a concoction of each other’s blood (a Blood Point of the mixture will suffice). Once this is done, the ritual begins.
The ritual consists of a continuous chant, which the Fiend must utter while using Vicissitude to mold the ghouls into a composite creature. The casting Tzimisce does not have to be the “sculptor” of the vozhd, though most prefer at least to participate in the flesh-shaping. The ritual takes (the number of ghouls used - 7) hours to cast, and the caster must maintain the chant without interruption for the duration of the casting. In other words, this takes a thread of 7 pages to conduct and would most likely have a number of Camarilla vampires or other enemies of the Sabbat trying to stop it from occuring.
Dracul Level Nine (LS 1)
Besides the obvious prerequisite (Koldunic Sorcery 9+), the caster must have a Vicissitude score of 6+ to employ this ritual; only two Tzimisce, including the Dracon of Byzantium, are known to have used it. This ritual imbues the Fiend with the primordial energies of the Old Country, transforming the vampire into a hideous dragon.
The Fiend’s Strength triples, his Stamina doubles, and he sprouts a scaly hide that halves damage. The dragon may drink blood normally, and may also choose to consume the flesh of slain foes; an entire human corpse (12 Health Levels, 7 of which must be removed to cause death) may be chewed up and eaten per post, provided the dragon does nothing but eat. For each Health Level of flesh “digested,” the Fiend may regurgitate a fiery acid inflicting one Health Level of aggravated damage per “point” invested in it (maximum of six Health Levels vomited per shot). The Fiend gains an additional five “Bruised” Health Levels, but all difficulties to hit him are reduced (he’s enormous).
