Custom Sabbat Ritae

"Seven flames to purge the soul. Seven virtues to endure. Only the fearless rise."

Overview: The Trial of Seven Breaths is a ritual of penance and purification, used by the Sabbat Inquisition to cleanse spiritual weakness in those who have faltered — but who remain loyal and redeemable.
Unlike rites of shame or exile, this is a test meant to reforge the spirit, particularly for:

Inquisitors who failed in judgment, battle, or faith but seek to prove themselves again.

Inquisitors returning from torpor, exile, or contact with infernal forces.

Inquisitors accused of doubt, cowardice, or unsteadiness, who are not yet worthy of more severe punishment.

This is a rite of correction, not condemnation. It is painful, personal, and silent — a moment of trial in fire and breath, to allow the penitent to remember what it is to serve with clarity.

Participants:

The Accused – The one undergoing the rite.
The Watcher – A Watch Inquisitor presiding over the rite.
The Witnesses – At least five other Inquisitors (ideally seven total), each participating in the ritual flame
Ritual Requirements:
A ritual censer or incense torch, preferably wrought of iron or bone, filled with burning ash, myrrh, powdered bone, and bloodwax.
A circle of sanctified ash and salt, inscribed in mystical  script.
Seven stations or marks in the circle, equidistant, where Witnesses will stand.
A sacred flame — blessed (through prayer, vitae, or relic) before the rite begins.
The Ritae:
Invocation: The Watcher steps into the circle and declares: “Let the breath be drawn. Let the shadow lift. Let truth be tried by fire.”
The Accused kneels in the center of the circle, blindfolded, stripped to the waist, arms clasped behind the back. They are to remain still, silent, and absolutely still throughout the rite.

The Circle of Witnesses: Each Witness takes their place at one of the seven marks. Each holds the censer in turn.

The Seven Breaths: Each Witness, in turn, approaches the Accused from behind and:

Passes the burning censer slowly across the Accused’s skin, close enough for the heat to burn but not touch.
Speaks aloud a single virtue the Accused lacks, e.g.:
“Resolve.”
“Focus.”
“Mercy.”
“Discipline.”
“Humility.”
“Obedience.”
“Conviction.”
Each virtue spoken becomes a "breath", a reminder of what the Accused must reclaim or endure.
The final breath, the seventh, is always spoken by the Watcher:
“Endurance.”

Stillness of Judgment:
The Accused must endure all seven passes of the flame without:

Crying out
Flinching
Interrupting
Falling into frenzy.
At the end of the seventh breath, the Watcher speaks: “If you are true — rise.”
The Accused may then rise, remove their blindfold, and speak a single sentence of self-declaration: “I fear no flame that serves the righteous.”

Consequences of the Ritae:

If the Accused endures:

They are declared purified and restored to trust.
They are cleared of all internal reprimands or spiritual doubts.
If the Accused fails:
Any violation of silence or composure results in failure.
The Watcher declares: “You blinked. The flame has judged.”
The Accused is immediately assigned to either: The Circle of Contempt, The Sigil of Trepidation, or another penance mission to prove worthiness through action.