Custom Blood Magic: Ritual

Master Ritual
Time Required: One Hour
Duration: One Night
Components: Sharp iron item
Prerequisites:
Thaumaturgy: Path of Blood – Cauldron; Spirit Thaumaturgy – Fetishes
Ability: Occult – 5

This ritual calls for the participation (willing or otherwise) of another vampire.  The caster must perform the half of the ritual over the prepared body of the vampire while she is not staked, and the second half of the ritual must be performed while she is staked.  Additionally, the caster must include two sharp iron items during the entire casting.  These iron items many be as small as a knife or as large as a long sword, but larger and smaller sizes have had limited success.  The two pieces of iron do not need to be the same items, though they must still be within the size ratio recommended.   During the ritual, the iron items must be bound to each other by a pure fabric – unbleached and no synthetics.  The participant does not have to be Tremere, nor does it have any other requirements other than being a vampire that can be staked.  This ritual will not work when performed on a heart without a body, such as can be accomplished with Heart of Darkness.  

After half of the ritual has been performed, the participant must be successfully staked.  At the end of the second half, the caster must expend a temporary Willpower.  Then, the iron items must be freed from their bindings by untying the material.  Then one of the iron items must be inserted into the participant.  It is commonly inserted into the stomach, but that location is not required.  The same fabric must then be secured to the second item immediately (within a minute or two), and it must remain secured to the item through the duration of the ritual.  The second iron item is often prepared so that removing the material is difficult at best, but the fabric must not come off of the piece.

A bond has now been placed between the two iron items, which will allow the caster to attach a bond between a later target of second iron item and the staked participant.   For the rest of the evening, any creature that is successfully hit with the iron weapon will share the fate of the ritual participant.  The iron piece must penetrate the body of the target, but the location is not important.  The target may be struck through the hand, in the side, through the foot, in the leg, etc.  As soon as the iron pierces the flesh, the target will be under the same effect as the staked participant.  She will be immediately immobilized and under all conditions that staking brings.  This ritual will work even if the target has the ritual Heart of Stone active, Deflection of the Wooden Doom, or even has no heart through Heart of Darkness.  The action will not set of any preventative rituals designed to protect from staking, as the target of this ritual is not actually staked but is subject to all of the effects through the sympathetic bond.

If the caster pulls out the iron item, the target will no longer be under the influence of the ritual, and the stake may still be used on a later target until sunrise.  The caster may be the target of her own weapon if she is not careful.