Custom Blood Magic: Ritual

Defiling the Garden (Intermediate - 4)

This Ritual enacts the desecration of Lilith’s Garden that was defiled by Cain and his childer.  The ritual is led by a priest and priestess with participants playing the parts of the destroyers.  This ritual is often performed as a blessing (or punishment) on someone who has made a noteworthy achievement.  The ritual takes place in their garden, be it an actual garden, their place of business or their home, something they have worked hard to create and are proud of.  The Ba’ham being honored is often bound or immobilized in some way then brought to the ritual, not knowing what is about to take place. Frequently they have been honored more traditionally first, with wine, fine food and offerings or gifts, that are also brought to be destroyed.  The high priest and priestess embrace, dance and often copulate in the garden while others remain silent and most have their back turned, sometimes three look on with the guise of the serpent, owl and cat.  When the two finally rest the male priest leaves and the rest of the participants turn inward, one of them says “You have created something beautiful and for that I thank you.”  Then they descend upon the garden destroying it.  They bind the priestess and beat her savagely and only two of them offer any comfort to the priestess or the honored.  This ritual often results in a large building fire and is relocated for the conclusion.  Once everything is destroyed, often many hours later, many handfuls of ashes are brought and the honoree is stripped and bathed in them, then taken far away, often deep into the woods or inner city and left alone.  

Mechanics:While it is truly a horrific experience for the honored they benefit from losing any mental negative traits or flaws for the following day and night and may suppress a derangement at no cost twice during that time.  The rest of the participants avoid contact with the honoree for at least one cycle of the moon after the ritual (to avoid their wrath, but also in order to refuse aid and force them to reflect and possibly rebuild on their own.)