Custom Blood Magic: Ritual

Prerequisite: Animalism 2

-This ritual requires the Hougan to attune various carrion creatures to herself over the course of a week. During this time the Hougan must spend a blood trait each night as well as an hour incanting over the creatures. This process creates a mystical link between the Hougan and the creatures and their offspring allowing for different effects based on the type of creature.

• Flies: The swarm of flies are kept in the stomach where they move around constantly. The flies mystically follow the Hougan’s will and so will no exit the stomach unless she wished. While the flies are in place the Hougan suffers a one trait penalty in all stealth challenges as she is always accompanied by a slight buzzing sound. At any time while the flies are inside her the Hougan can regurgitate them from her mouth in a horrifying display. Any mortals that witness it must make a courage test (difficulty 3) or flee in terror. This massive swarm of flies also temporarily brakes the line of site of anyone looking at the Hougan, allowing them to attempt to enact powers such as Vanish from the Mind’s Eye uncontested.
• Fungus: This fungus is inserted into the body in the chest where is remains under the skin for up to a week before dying. While the fungus is in place the Hougan must spend an additional blood to wake every evening. While in place the Fungus provides a level of protection to the Hougan, blocking a single attempt to stake them that would have otherwise succeeded.
• Worms: These worms live and travel just under the skin of the Hougan. While there they cause grotesque lumps in their skin which cause the Hougan to suffer a one trait penalty on any social challenge where there face or skin is visible. The worms burst under pressure, causing a thin slime to cover the Hougan, allowing her to successfully escape any one grapple.
• Maggots: Maggots eat damaged or dead flesh, a trait that can be both a blessing and a curse to a Hougan enacting this ritual. The Maggots can live within the Hougan for up to a week. During this period, the Hougan may heal a single point of aggravated damage each night without being required to spend a willpower as the maggots eat away the damaged flesh and make the healing easier. Any morning the Hougan goes to sleep without any damage at all, they will wake with their first health level filled by lethal damage as the maggots ate away at their dead flesh throughout the day.
• Blow Fly Larva: These larvae burrow into the Hougan’s undead flesh and find empty places to fill. While these larva are within the Hougan her maximum blood pool is increased by 2. This does not come without a cost however as the borrows left by these larva have a negative effect on the body, causing the Hougan to suffer from the negative trait frail while they are within her.

There is only so much room within the human body, and as such the Hougan can safely house up to two Friends of Decay within their body at on time. Every additional effect beyond those two they are under will inflict a cumulative 1 trait penalty to all physical challenges the Hougan engages in.