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

RITUALS AND OBSERVANCES
The most important relationship in the covenant is that of the mentor and pupil. Rites
and practices vary greatly among mentors. While one might keep lessons extremely informal,
another might treat her pupils like novitiates in a monastery, forcing them to copy manuscripts
or perform menial tasks for most of the night and instructing them in the ways of
transcendence for only the last hour before sunrise.
The covenant as a whole does observe a few important rituals, however, and some individual
teaching methods have become widespread enough to mention.
The Coils of the Dragon
Central to the Ordo Dracul is the philosophy of transcendence, the desire to rise above the
limitations of the cursed vampiric form. Learning the Coils of the Dragon allows a Kindred
to “cheat” certain aspects of the Requiem. For instance, a vampire might be able to slow his
mystical metabolism, consuming less blood than normal when he rises each night. Another
aspect of transcendence might allow a Kindred to slake his thirst on animal blood, no matter
how potent his own blood is. By defeating these incarnations of vampirism, the Order
believes it is on the right path toward eliminating or escaping vampirism entirely — with the
goal of attaining the next level, whatever form that takes.
The Dragon’s Tongue
A forked line of progression, the Dragon’s Tongue is the structure through which covenant
members progress as they learn more secrets and master greater aspects of their condition.
While comprehension of the hierarchy by those outside the covenant is cloudy at best, it
appears that all members follow a single path of progression up until a certain point, after
which the member chooses a specialty to follow. Various members of the covenant lay claim
to numerous titles, but whether these are actual functions and responsibilities or mere honorifi
cs has yet to be ascertained by outsiders. The Dragon’s Tongue is an oblique concept. It
is distinct from the Coils of the Dragon, but knowing the Coils of the Dragon seems to be
requisite for advancement in the Dragon’s Tongue. In layman’s terms, the Dragon’s Tongue
seems to roughly equate to rank while the Coils of the Dragon are similar to capability or
potential.
Finding the Wyrm’s Nests
The world is constantly in fl ux, on levels that not even the Kindred can perceive. Long
ago, the Ordo Dracul noticed that certain places hold magic better than others. These areas,
variously called “nexuses,” “holy sites” or “dragon nests” by different cultures, don’t stay
static. They migrate as fl ows in the mystical energies of the world push them. Likewise, new
sites of power spring up every year. The Order has determined that many places that mortals
consider haunted or cursed (or blessed) are simply the result of this energy being “washed”
into a new locale. Every few years, then, the Dragons re-draw the mystical maps of the world,
plotting sites and the current of mystic power toward them (sometimes called “ley lines”).
This practice takes place over the course of weeks and months, normally beginning with the
week preceding the winter solstice, as it gives the map-makers the most time to work. A certain
amount of reverence, if not outright ritual, accompanies these mapping efforts. The mystical
cartographers are treated with the utmost respect, and being sent to verify the existence of
a nexus is considered something of an honor among the Order. It’s generally accepted that
any mystical artifacts discovered at such an investigation remain property of those who fi nd
them (after the covenant has a chance to catalog and examine them, of course).
Following the Dragon’s Tail
A teaching technique that has become popular as mortal populations increase, Following
the Dragon’s Tail is meant to illustrate that no change happens in a vacuum. The mentor
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chapter one: society of the damned