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Bastet

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Rites of Need

In an emergency, a wise Bastet can perform certain rites which may carry him through the crisis. Unlike most rites, these ceremonies take only five to 10 minutes; time is often of the essence when such rites are performed.

Level One

Jamak Promise Bond

Even a cat can need a friend. When a spirit and a Bastet come to an understanding, they offer each other a pledge of friendship. This rite seals that bond; while it has no mystic repercussions, it’s considered a formal oath and is taken seriously by both parties.

Standing alone in a clearing or room, the Bastet and her Jamak recite certain promises: to help when possible, to be truthful always, to respect, and to trust. Both sides agree to protect (or to refrain from harming) the other’s loved ones, and to meet once in a while to share secrets and good times. The rite lowers the Gauntlet long enough for both parties to exchange a handshake or a kiss, and reduces the difficulty by two if one party wants to cross over to the other side. By the end of the rite, both cat and spirit feel flushed and happy; although it confers some responsibilities to both sides, the Bond carries a sense of fellowship and love. For a while, at least, both partners are united.

System: Standard roll. Although a Bastet can have many spirit friends, she may only choose one Jamak at a time. Carelessly breaking the Bond promises may reduce her Rank by one or two, depending on what happens and why, as the Jamak spreads word of the werecat’s infidelity.

Level Three

Rite of Fear

A relic of the Madness and the tiger hunts, this rite sends a cloud of terror across the land, conjuring nightmares and spreading panic. Animals may stampede, riots may flare and brave men may decide that now is a good time to leave....

To begin the rite, the cat assumes her Crinos form and dances madly, howling her hatred to the moon. As her fury rises, she rips everything around her to shreds, living or otherwise, and flings the pieces across the site. Screeching, spitting, arching and slashing, she sends her fury outward to infest the minds of everyone in reach. Once there, the terror festers, bursting outward through dreams into waking and sending the locals into a panic. At the end of the ritual she falls exhausted, but has begun a wave of fear that continues until the second sunrise.

System: The Rite of Fear requires two Rage points and a standard roll, and spreads one mile for every success. Every additional cat can add to the total (like Wishing Waves), but anyone close by is at risk, including the other cats. A werecat enacting the rite is considered to be in a frenzy until the ceremony ends; when it ends, she falls asleep.

Obviously, the Rite of Fear is performed at night; a full moon lowers the difficulty to 5, and a gibbous one to 6. Across the land, savage nightmares and anxiety attacks plaque every living thing for a night and a day; any characters in the area must make Willpower rolls (difficulty 8) to get through the day without acting irrationally. Other effects are left to the Storyteller; children, old people and farm animals are especially sensitive to the Fear, and any number of things can happen.