Mind's Eye Theatre - Vampire The Requiem.pdf - RoseRed

way a static creature can otherwise remain a vibrant part of the earthly order. Some Acolytes
practice this ideology in small ways, tending gardens or breeding animals, while others take
the broader view, seeking instead to create things of lasting beauty or utility such as art or
invention. Whatever form it takes, all Acolytes strive to emulate creation in their own way.
Tribulation Brings Enlightenment
Acolytes believe that any creature can overcome its own weakness and moral failings by
continually testing its physical, mental and spiritual limitations. Only through ongoing
tribulation can one’s consciousness expand, and thus true understanding be reached. Cultists
empower themselves by alternately exciting and challenging the senses, and through the
newfound comprehension that results, they fi nally transform the static nature of undeath
into the miracle of creation. Many cultists take this to a literal level, engaging in bouts of
fl agellation and other self-abuse that would make a mortal’s stomach churn. Others simply
put their bodies in new and diffi cult situations so that they may better understand themselves
and their fears and limitations. Whatever the motivation, the results are undeniable: Those
who endure are tempered by their experiences, making them ever more capable of enduring
whatever comes next.
RITUALS AND OBSERVANCES
The Circle of the Crone is a rigidly ceremonial covenant. It claims a variety of different
special rites, many of which are unique to the Acolytes of a given coterie or domain. Of those
that see more widespread observance, three stand out.
The Crone’s Liturgy
One of the most frequently heard recitations at cultist gatherings, this observance takes
the form of passages read from various accounts of mythology or creation stories. The Liturgy
has become the ceremonial opener (or closer) for the regular meetings of assembled Acolytes.
The passages themselves tell the tale of the Crone’s perseverance through adversity after
banishment from the company of the gods. The text has a lyrical quality to it, due to the
action/reaction nature of the Crone’s life, and many Acolytes have taken to employing the
Greek method of call and response when reciting the Liturgy. (This has the effect of making
everyone present feel involved, as opposed to just the speaker.) Since many passages are fairly
long, most Acolytes prefer to limit each recitation to whatever sub-section of the Liturgy is
most appropriate to the subject of the meeting at hand.
The Winnowing
Acolytes claim a great many holy nights, adapted from the mythologies with which they
most closely associate, and they tend to observe them with great sincerity and respect. The
most important event to the covenant is an annual rite known as the Winnowing. The night
itself falls upon a different date every year and is dependent upon a host of variables, including
the alignment of the stars and the phase of the moon. On the whole, though, it usually
falls some time around the winter solstice. On this night, Acolytes take stock of the trials
they have bested, the pains they have endured and the things they have either created or
destroyed in the intervening year. Since these matters are specifi c to each cultist, this ritual is
always a highly personal one, and it is usually conducted in absolute silence under starlight.
During the rite, each participant offers some of his own Vitae to the ground, in the hopes of
cleansing his spirit before the coming year. The rite concludes with the Hierophant placing
a wreath of laurel around the head of each participant, to represent the reestablishment of
each Acolyte’s connection to the natural world.
Other holidays associated with the Winnowing and observed in their unique formats
punctuate the Circle’s calendar. The Feast of Samhain (October 31) represents the Crone say-
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chapter one: society of the damned