Raise the Sun

　This rite is almost legend; the last reliable report of its performance dates back to 1300 AD, when the Croatan were still allied with the Mound Builder Dreamspeakers and Helios. The rite is performed only at night, for good reason: it is said to call the sun to rise over the horizon regardless of the hour, bringing on the next day. Whether this calls on an avatar of Helios to light the hours between the rite and actual daybreak or it actually alters the flow of time for the target area is unknown.

　System: Unknown. The effective rite level of six represents the extreme difficulty of enacting such a rite with any success; the actual chances of the rite working are left to the Storyteller's discretion.

Source: Croatan Song (WW3112), Page 121


Rite of the Vengeful Spider (Mystic)

　This dire and poisonous ritual has lain dormant since the fall of the White Howlers, hidden in the bowels of Wyrm lore, waiting for the dawn of the Apocalypse to see its use. Only the most powerful Wyrmish ritualists have even a prayer of using it successfully, and most of those who participate in the ritual will surely be driven suicidally insane by the rite's end. Even at the dawn of the Apocalypse, only two individuals know the rite - one human wizard, and one Rank Five Black Spiral Dancer Theurge (Anyakh the All-Devourer, unless the Storyteller has a more appropriate candidate already participating in her chronicle). By the end of the rite, an Incarna spirit is either destroyed, driven into dormancy, or falls into the service of the Wyrm.

　The ritual requires the participation of at least five ritualists. The rite has several other major elements. The ritemaster must have one of the 92 copies of Frater·Vermiis's The Pretanic Keys on hand, for he reads aloud from it daily during the rite's performance. The rite calls upon the dark wisdom embedded in a Soul Ruby, and it also requires five gallons of Balefire (see Book of the Wyrm, Second Edition, p.144-6 for details on all these elements).

　As difficult as the acquisition of any of the above elements must be, the ritualists must also capture - alive - five Rank Five Garou of a single tribe. No two of these Garou may be of the same auspice; thus, the rite's victims symbolically represent the entire breadth of that tribe.

　The Rite of the Vengeful Spider takes 7 days to complete. It must begin on the night of a full moon or new moon. Through the 7 days of this ritual, the ritemaster and other participants may not sleep or otherwise rest, though they may sustain themselves with food, water, and whatever occult or chemical substances they require to remain conscious.

　Each day of the rite brings about a new series of torments to its Garou victims. Throughout the week the Garou are reminded that only the Wyrm can ease their suffering. The first day is relatively simple: Humiliation. The werewolves are mocked, physically forced to prostrate themselves before the sigil of the Wyrm, and the sigil of the tribal totem is defaced and desecrated. The second day is Injury. Each of the werewolves is brutally beaten, allowed to heal, and beaten again, for a full day. The ritualists carefully avoid using any weapons whose wounds a werewolf cannot quickly heal.

　Day three is Violation. The Garou are repeatedly sexually violated by their tormentors and their minds are penetrated by mind-reading Gifts and Charms. Their darkest secrets are announced for all to hear. Day four is Exposure. The ritualists carefully and deftly use silver instruments to expose the werewolves' beating hearts to the elements while keeping them alive. Day five is Torment. The Garou are abused to the very point of death, including terrible injuries that a werewolf of lesser rank could not possibly survive.

　Day six is Redemption. The Ritemaster heals all the injuries caused over the past few days, beseeching the Wyrm to bring redemption and a surcease from pain and doubt.

　Day seven is Death. The Garou are ritually slain in unison and their hearts devoured by the ritualists.

　If the rite is interrupted, it ends without spiritual repercussions (except possibly to those Garou who are tormented).

　If the ritual is completed without interruption, there are three possibilities:

　If each of the five Garou cries out to the Wyrm for respite at some point during the week, the tribe's totem spirit falls to the Wyrm's service.

　If any of the Garou die before the week ends, the tribe's totem spirit dies.

　If none of the Garou die until the final moment of the ritual, and even one of them avoids calling out to the Wyrm for respite, the totem spirit goes dormant for a period of at least one year, but is not destroyed nor does it fall into the Wyrm's hands.

　System: Not a lot of game mechanical systems are really called for through this rite. It is hardly expected that the victims of the ritual will be the troupe's characters - in fact, it is strongly recommended that this rite not be played out. Rather, the pack may find out about this ritual after the fact, or find themselves in a race against time to stop it. The details above are provided so that the Storyteller may gauge what activities are going on as the rite is interrupted, or so that Garou who investigate the aftermath of such a rite can piece together what went on.

　Any ritualist participating must have a Gnosis of at least 5. Ritualists that aren't already insane or in the service of the Wyrm must make regular Willpower tests to continue to perform the rite. The loss of a ritualist to madness or death does not impact the rite itself so long as at least five qualified ritualists continue to participate.

　Garou victims of this ritual gain 5 points of Honor Renown, whether they live or die, if they make it without calling out for surcease. They lose one full point of all three Renown types if they call out to the Wyrm for respite; they lose at least an entire rank if they are the fifth Garou to cry out.

　The victims must make repeated Willpower tests to avoid calling out for the Wyrm's gentle hand - given that the victims of the ritual, as well as the ritualists, are all likely to be Storyteller characters, it makes the most sense to simply handwave these tests in the interest of the story.

Source: Apocalypse (WW3999), Page 198-199