Post by Phsycodelic on Jan 30, 2017 20:37:14 GMT
Wanga: Zarabanda’s Malice ( Temptations Of Mara, The Snake Inside )
Followers Of Set
Followers Of Set
Except for the path known as The Flow Of Ashé, Wanga paths require the expenditure of blood for activation. In addition, any time Wanga is invoked, be it a path or ritual, the wangateur must call upon the spirit appropriate to the intended effect. For instance, a wangateur invoking Lure of Flames might call on Chango, Alternatively, were she attempting to call upon the Path of Weather Control, she might invoke Agarou Tonerre, aloa of thunder.
In addition, Wanga possesses its own unique wet of tools, components and ritualistic items that must often be present for the magic to work. Not every ritual involves all of these tools, but the vast majority of them require at least a few. Listed below are the more common of Wanga's tools, once again, a bit of research on the players' part will turn up a wealth of additional material.
Asson: Used primarily in voudoun. This is a rattle wielded by the houngan or mambo, and is considered a magical and sacred object. It is normally constructed out of a gourd to which has been affixed a wooden handle, and is often decorated with such esoteric items as snake bones and bits of coral.
Ekwele: From the Santerfa faith, this is a thin chain measuring about 50 inches in length, and broken at regular intervals by one-and-a-half inch disks made from a tortoise shell. It is used in the practice of Ifa, a form of divination.
Ese: Also from Santerfa, the Ese are poetic verses used in the interpretation of Ifa. Babalawos often have hundreds of these committed to memory.
Farine: This flour used to trace the veves utilized in voudoun rituals.
Gris-gris: A gris-gris is a charm, talisman or any other small magic item. Many of the faiths refer to such charms as wangas; gris-gris is the voudoun equivalent.
Hounfour: A temple or structure used for ceremonies to the god of voudoun.
Kisengue: A human shinbone wrapped in black rags, this is a common component of Palo Mayombe ceremonies.
Ngana: A large iron cauldron filled with graveyard earth, bones, and sticks and other disturbing ingredients. It is one of the most important components of Palo Mayombe. (This term also refers to a priest or shaman of certain African religions, though it is never used in that context here.)
Peristyle: An open courtyard in which voudoun ceremonies are held. There is often, but not always, a hounfour located on the property.
Poteau Mitan: The pole that stands at the center of peristyle or hounfour. It is often carved or decorated, and represents the center of the universe and its connection with the spirit world. All dancing during the ceremony revolves around the poteau mitan.
Veve: Common to many of the Afro-Caribean faiths but most prevalent in voudoun, this is a symbolic design representing one of the Ioa (or other spirit). Veves are used as the focus of rituals, and serve as a temporary altar when a more permanent construct is unavailable. Although they can be found written or inscribed on all manner of surfaces, they are most commonly constructed by pouring flour on the ground during rituals.
Setites love debasement of all kinds, but have developed a special taste for the self-destruction of others. Although the modem concept of addiction exists far from the ancient Egyptian worldview, tonight's Setites confidently believe that their god would approve. Even if he doesn't care for their favorite pursuit, they're not about to stop. After all, it's habit-forming.
Setite Sorcery botches, regardless of school, cause the sorcerer to acquire an intense photophobia. When exposed to extremely bright lights, the sorcerer must roll for Rötschreck against a difficulty of (4 + the sorcerer's Path rating). Setite lector-priests do not suffer this effect. [Rites Of The Blood - Page 132]
Social Responsibilities
Kindred or kine, you cannot just wake up one morning (or evening) and decide, "Today, I will become a houngan (or tata)." As with any position of authority in any other religion, it takes years of learning and initiation to become a priest of voudoun, Santeria. Palo Mayombe or any of the Wanga-practicing faiths. Many are the steps between a simple practitioner and a recognized master of mysteries.
It is relatively uncommon for a Kindred follower of an Afro-Caribbean religion to learn the secrets of Wanga without being initiated as a priest of the religion. Remember, Wanga is much a religious system as a form of Thaumaturgy, and like any religious secret, it is rarely taught to those who have not gone through the proper steps and initiations.
What does this mean for your Kindred wangateur? For stargers, it can mean years - often as much as a decade or two - to reach this level of initiation.
Houngans and mambos, santeros and santeras, babalawos, tatas and yayas - they're all religious leaders, which means they have certain social obligations demanded of them by their community and by their own beliefs. In communities where these religions are the norm, the local priest is expected to lead ceremonies on a regular - sometimes weekly if not daily - basis. Many in his community seek his aid, his advice, even his powers of divination. He is expected to his magics to help those around him, to protect them from evil spirits and the influence of malice, or evil spells.
This can cause real problems for those of the vampiric persuasion. Leaving aside the fact that most such events, petitions and requests come during the hours of daylight, bear in mind that such a character is constantly standing on the very edge of the Masquerade. Even if you've managed to explain away your nocturnal leanings, what happens if you frenzy in the midst of a ceremony? Many such ceremonies involve the spilling of blood (albeit animal blood). Between the scent of vitae, the pounding drums, the pulsating pass of humanity dancing their ritual dances - the situation is absolutely ripe with disastrous potential.
There are cultures in which the use of magic isn't inherently a Masquerade breach, where magic is almost common - but most Western princes aren't going to see it like that. You can argue all you want that it wasn't really breaking the Masquerade to use Thaumaturgy in front of witnesses because they were expecting you to do magic, but the local sheriff or archon is still likely to stake first and decide later if she should bother asking questions.
At the same time, such a position of authority offers its own advantages. Herd, Allies, Contacts, even a few dots of Fame or Influence, are all easily justifiable - if not mandatory - for such an exalted post. Your position as a religious leader places all sorts of demands on you, but it opens up an equally large host of opportunities. Don't hesitate to make the most of them.
Some few wangateurs do not bear these responsibilities. Perhaps they have left such concerns behind them after years of practice, or perhaps they serve the spirits in some other capacity. The Storyteller should not feel obliged to include these social aspects if they're going to negatively impact the story.
Ritual Practice
Wanga is often a group activity. Although most of its rituals can be performed alone, they prove easier and more effective when cast as part of a ceremony involving numerous participants. Only the primary caster need follow the steps of the ritual itself; all others are involved primarily in the drumming, singing and dancing common to these religious. These other participants need not be wangateurs, or even Kindred, but they must be true believers in an Afro-Caribbean faith, they must be willing participants (no Dominated dancers, though thralls subjected to blood bonds are common among certain less-savory wangateurs), and they must know the true purpose of the ritual. If the number of participants is at least twice the level of the ritual, the difficulty of the Intelligence + Occult roll is reduced by 1.
Not the downside to this: Rituals invoked this way take substantially longer to cast. Although the standard casting time for a ritual is five minutes per level, the casting time for Wanga rituals that are cloaked in these ceremonies is half an hour per level. Of course, nothing forces the wangateur to make use of other participants if she's in a hurry.
[ 1 ] First Taste ( XXX - Page X )
The Setite uses this power while his target is conducting some minor, repetitive action. The power makes him unconsciously associate his action with pleasure, so he'll want to do it again. And again. And again. Creative-minded Setites can addict their victims to thoroughly bizarre substances or behaviors.
System: The player rolls Manipulation + Seduction against a difficulty equal to the subject's Willpower. The number of successes determines the strength of the induced compulsion. Whenever the target sees another chance to repeat the triggering behavior, he must make a Willpower roll (difficulty equals the Setite's Willpower) to stop himself from doing so. The victim loses his compulsion entirely if he scores five successes while attempting to resist.
[ 2 ] Cross-Addiction ( XXX - Page X )
The Setite temporarily changes the focus of an addict or compulsive's dependency to a substance or behavior of her own choosing. For example, a cocaine addict could be made to crave the act of sex while on the rush, or a compulsive gambler may become a kleptomaniac as well.
System: While the Setite is in the victim's company, the player rolls Manipulation + Seduction (difficulty equals the target's Willpower.) If successful, the target switches fixations for a number of scenes equal to the Setite's successes. By spending a blood point, the vampire can extend the period for the same number of scenes.
[ 3 ] The Jones ( XXX - Page X )
The Setite reinforces a victim's preexisting addiction or compulsion, so that he'll set aside all of his moral impulses and ethical beliefs to satisfy his craving.
System: While the Setite is in the presence of the target, the player rolls Manipulation + Seduction against a difficulty equal to the target's Willpower and spends a blood point. If successful, any qualms the victim might have about removing the barriers to the satisfaction of her cravings melt away - she may not even spend Willpower points to overcome the addiction, and she'll gladly leave her office during the middle of work to score a hit. The effect lasts for one scene per blood point spent.
[ 4 ] Fatal Compulsion ( XXX - Page X )
The Setite twists a victim's dependency, turning it into a literal hunger. If the subject doesn't satisfy his addiction, he starves to death.
System: The Setite must be in the target's presence, and the player rolls Manipulation + Seduction against a difficulty equal to the target's Willpower and spends 3 blood points. Whenever she goes for three consecutive nights without indulging her addiction or compulsion, the subject suffers one health level of unsoakable lethal damage. The only way to regain health levels lost in this way is to satisfy the compulsion; the character recovers all of them immediately and the power's influence ends.
[ 5 ] Temperance ( XXX - Page X )
The final power of the Snake Inside puzzles Setites who do not fully understand their clan's seductive ways. What's the point of preventing addictions? Forcing an addicted to abstain, however, can shatter many habits and force a complete lifestyle (or unlifestyle) change - not just an easily visible addiction.
Temperance renders a victim unable to take pleasure from satisfying an addiction. The physical or psychological craving still exists, but the substance or behavior that once gave such pleasure now provokes pain and disgust.
System: While the character is near the target, the player rolls Manipulation + Seduction (difficulty of the target's Willpower) and spends a blood point. The number of successes determines the duration of the Temperance effect.
| Successes | Duration |
| 1 | One scene. |
| 2 | One night. |
| 3 | One week. |
| 4 | One month. |
| 5 | One year. |
The victim suffers one health level of bashing damage from the nausea and pain of satisfying her addiction. Storytellers may impose other problems, too, based on the nature of the victim's addiction. For instance, an alcoholic forced to go cold turkey might need a successful Willpower roll to avoid vomiting when he drinks. Storytellers may also wish to impose withdrawal symptoms on those whose addictions would likely produce such a result for "coming off the junk."
The sorcerer's player must select one and only one craving for Temperance to affect. The character may use the power more than once, however, to block multiple addictions. Temperance does not work against true physiological necessities such as food (for mortals) or blood (for vampires).
