Rite of Bonding

By Alex Tallon (louisvandervey@hotmail.com)

Level 3 Mystic Rite

Description

In many ways the Garou are removed from the ways of civilized man and do not always follow the laws of the city. Most garou who are honorably mated do not do so by man's laws but rather participate in the Rite of Bonding which creates a spiritual bond between them and their mate. The rite is most often performed in the Umbra. Sometimes multiple Rites of Summoning are performed prior to this rite to have spirits present to witness this bonding of the souls and give their blessing. Couples that undergo the rite for a length of time are capable of great insights into their partners' souls. They can sense the mental and physical strains the others goes through: their every emotion, their hopes and fears, successes and failures, strengths and weaknesses, their highest joys and their deepest and most private sorrows. They see into the innermost spirit, to the depths of their hearts, to the very core of their beings. This is not a telepathic ability (meaning that you cannot read their thoughts), but rather an empathic one. They will know their loves' past, their history and how that has shaped their lives and made them into the people that they have become. To gain this sensory input, so to speak, a couple must be touching. However, generally for dramatic purposes, couples may be allowed to sense when something is wrong, or when something has happened to their mates. Many couples find this intimidating and choose to let this bond fade with time, but some "renew their vows" as often as possible so as to maintain this ultimate level of intimacy. The other thing is that for normal humans, after the connection has faded they will have only hazy recollections of the experience, as a weak form of the Veil helps to block this experience from their memories.

System: The Ritemaster rolls Wits + Rituals (difficulty 7) and each success maintains the bond for one month.