By Jay Knioum (madafro@trip.net) for the Codex of Whispers
The Codex of Whispers is sketchy in its description of this lost group of vampires, but apparently they fostered a caste of priestly elders that had the power of life and death over their lessers in the sect.
The Codex goes on to hint of two other Disciplines these ancient druid-vampires used. One was apparently a variant of Animalism, and the other was a sort of proto-Thaumaturgical ritual-based Discipline, apparently used to worship and draw strength from natural forces. This Discipline is not recorded in this salvaged part of the Codex of Whispers, however.
Only these members of the dark priesthood were taught Geis' secrets, and it was used to great effect in punishing both transgressors within the sect and Roman Cainites who pushed too far into their domains.
However, the Discipline was not enough to save them, apparently. The Codex tells of the sect's destruction by Roman Ventrue and Malkavians (with more than a little help from septs of Fianna Garou) quite some time before the death of Christ. Yet, Anonymous has recorded the secrets of Geis here.
It must be noted that certain effects of Geis will only work on a Cainite of equal or higher Generation, similar to Dominate. It can also function on any non-vampire, on a case-by-case basis. In addition, most of Geis' powers can only be performed with preparation, and only in a natural environment. The Discipline draws power both from the priest's force of will and by the ambient magick of the Earth.
Geis and Gaia: A special note must be written regarding this Discipline and Gaia. As Geis involves the vampire imposing a less-than-benign intent upon the elements to use this Discipline, it can be interpreted as a crime against Gaia. At least, this was what the Celtic Fianna thought, anyway.
Oddly enough, this power does not function if the vampire isn't standing on a purely natural substance, such as earth, wood, or stone. If this Discipline is used in modern times, a vampire won't be able to use Eyes of Judgement if she stands upon concrete, linoleum, etc. Secondly, this power does not work against another vampire of lower generation.
System: The vampire spends a Willpower Point and rolls Manipulation + Intimidation, with a difficulty equal to the victim's Willpower. If any successes are scored, the victim reels in agony, as the atrocity she committed is returned to her tenfold, with herself as the victim. For the remainder of the night (and all the next day if the victim is not a vampire), the victim is so shaken that she suffers -1 to all her Dice Pools for each success scored.
System: The vampire must spend a Willpower point and roll her Intelligence + Occult, difficulty 8. Each success will yield one answer from the Blood Witness. Such information is absolutely truthful as far as the victim knows. Further, the Witness will not try to warp its answers or hide information, but it will not volunteer an answer to a question it has not been asked. Only questions regarding the victim's personal experience or actions may be asked. For example, the vampire may ask if a victim knows the Latin language, but cannot ask the Witness to translate a Latin phrase.
Finally, in order to ask a question regarding another person or object, the object in question, or an article pertaining to the victim (lock of hair, fingernail, etc.) must be tossed into the fire as the question is asked. Thus, merely asking, "is this is the woman you attacked" will yield no answer unless a bit of the woman's hair is tossed into the fire. This material requirement may be waived if the vampire knows the object or person's true name. Of course, the victim must also know it. "Did you attack Anastasia Polokov" will only yield an answer if the victim knows her by that name.
System: The vampire must spend a Blood Point, which is spat into a handful of dirt. To activate the power, the victim must be smudged with the mixture, requiring a Dexterity + Brawl roll (as a strike in combat) if the victim is resisting. The mixture may also be thrown at the victim, or a weapon or arrow may be coated with it.
Once struck, the victim rapidly sinks into the earth, which turns almost rock-hard as soon as the victim reaches knee-depth. This process takes one turn, during which the victim may free herself with a successful Strength roll, difficulty 9. If freed, the victim does not continue to sink, unless this power is used again.
The power lasts until the next dawn. Unfortunately, for vampires, this may be too late. The vampire may be dug free, but this is not easy, as the soil surrounding the prisoner's legs is enchanted to be almost stone-hard. When the sun rises, the soil will return to its original consistency, allowing the prisoner to dig herself free. The caster may also break the spell at will, at any time.
The blood/dirt mixture required by the power will stay potent for about one hour after mixing, allowing many weapons or arrows to be coated and used to capture a prisoner. However, two things must be noted: One strike with a coated weapon will use up one coating, whether or not it is successful.
Once the caster mixes the dirt and blood and lets it leave her hand, it can affect her, as well. The mixture affects the very next creature who touches it or is touched by it.
System: The Cainite spends a Blood Point and rolls Manipulation + Intimidation, difficulty 7 (or 10, if the victim is not restrained). The wooden tendrils will puncture and grasp the victim's skin as the Cainite directs. Thus, the Cainite can have the victim writhing in torment as the wooden tendrils tear into the victim's flesh, or she may have the wood merely grasp the victim, doing no damage, but holding him in place.
The Shackles will do damage equal to the amount of successes scored, and the victim will not be able to move. If at least five levels of damage are done, a Cainite may be considered staked, if the caster desires it so. The damage is not aggravated, but cannot be healed or regenerated as long as the victim is held by the tree. It can be soaked, but the victim is still held fast.
The victim may free himself from the Shackles, but will suffer again the same damage in so doing. This is accomplished with a Strength roll, difficulty 5 + 1/level of damage suffered. The power will hold the victim until the sun rises, or the caster drops the spell. However, to drop the spell ahead of time, the caster must spend a Blood Point, which is dripped or smeared onto the enspelled tree or wood.
When the Geis is brought down upon a victim, the vampire must also designate a deed or atonement, the completion of which will break the spell. This atonement may be difficult, but it cannot be impossible. Usually, the Atonement is as the name implies: the victim must make restitution for some wrong committed. However, the Cainites that used this power long ago were not above using it to force someone to commit dark deeds for the priests.
System: The caster must spend three Willpower Points and succeed a Manipulation + Occult roll, difficulty 8. At least three successes must be scored to effect the Geis. Then, the vampire must either lock gazes with or touch the target creature, and speak both the Taboo and the Atonement. The victim must be able to understand both (meaning the vampire must speak in a language the victim understands).
Thereafter, the victim will be under the Geis' influence until the Atonement is performed. Even destroying the Geis' caster will not remove it. However, the caster can remove the Geis of her own free will at any time.
Violating the Taboo will cause great torment to the victim. Sharp, three-inch wooden thorns will tear their way from the victim's skin, sprouting all over her body like those of a rosebush. This will do seven dice (difficulty 5) of aggravated damage and the victim will be able to do nothing but writhe on the ground in agony. To do anything else, even walk, the victim must spend a Willpower point. The thorns will retract with the dawn, but the damage remains. This damage may never be soaked, even by Fortitude.
The Storyteller is the final arbiter on when the Atonement has been fully carried out, and the Geis will remain until it is. The Atonement must be possible, and must have a definite conclusion (i.e., destroy the church on the hill, kill the Prince). The victim can't be ordered to "reach Golconda" or "kill all Setites," for example.
The Geis is a strange sort of curse, for it knows when the Atonement has been performed, and when it has not. For example, if the Atonement is to kill a certain person, the Geis will remain active even if the victim believes the person is dead, but is really not.
Finally, it is possible to interlock the Atonement and Taboo, so as to force the victim to commit a certain deed. The Atonement is stated, and the Taboo is given as "thou shall not undertake any action, except for matters of your own survival, which does not further the Atonement's completion."
To make use of this power, the sacrifice must be prepared in one of two ways: a Rune depicting the victim's name must be branded into the sacrifice's flesh, or the sacrifice must be fed a bit of the victim's blood. The sacrifice must be a blood-relative of the victim (this includes Kinfolk and Childer (even several levels of Grandchilder), but not relatives by marriage).
The sacrifice is then ceremoniously burned at the stake, while the casting vampire chants a curse at her victim, which must be maintained until the sacrifice is consumed.
Then, the victim to be punished, wherever he is, will burst into flame. Unless the ceremony is halted, the victim will eventually be consumed by unquenchable fire.
System: If the victim is to be a vampire, then either the victim's Sire, Childe, or Grandchilde must be sacrificed. Mortal relatives are not sufficient. No Grandchilder further removed than three generations may be used, either.
After preparations are made, the victim must be burned and the caster must spend one Willpower point initially. The caster may keep the ceremony going as long as she likes, but must remain chanting throughout its course. Further, the caster must continue to spend Willpower points every turn she wishes the ceremony to continue, as the dark magics at work are draining to the caster. An average victim will take four levels of aggravated damage every turn of the burning. Once the victim reaches Incapacitated, and finally dies, however, the spell is broken. Thus, if the victim is of much hardier stock than the sacrifice (or has Fortitude), she may actually survive the ritual.
System: The vampire must spend one Willpower point to empower her blood for a night. To complete the ritual, the caster must spend one hour in the glow of a large ceremonial fire without entering frenzy. In so confronting the most basic fear inherent in all Cainites, the Rotschreck, she is able to bestow this terror on those who drink her blood.
That night, anyone partaking of the vampire's vitae is affected by the dark Bond. The Thrall will avoid even coming within a stone's throw of the Regnant at all costs, and will have to spend Willpower to take any action against her, even indirectly.
The Thrall will seek any means to escape from the Regnant, and will try to get as far as possible from her. The point of this power is not to create a servant, but to punish and exile a victim, as well as protect the Regnant from any revenge the victim may otherwise concoct.