Mirror of Exsistat
Description: The ‘Mirror of Exsistat’ is one of the Manus Nigrum’s most closely guarded secrets, a thaumaturgic ritual that allows the True Hand’s blood magicians to contact any sentient being in the Underworld. This ritual is a classic Greek lake summoning, believed to be based on the legendary ritual taught to Odysseus by the witch Circe in that hero’s wanderings during the course of the Odyssey of Homer. It is believed that this ritual is the means by which the Tal’meh’Ra’s Seraphim communicate directly with Enoch; the name of the original sorcerer who created the ritual is lost to time and there is considerable speculation as to his identity. One thing remains certain, no member of the Naga Raja possess a copy of this ritual and all other members of the society are forbidden to teach this ritual to another member without express permission from the Del’Roh or one of the Liches under pain of final death. Were the warlocks of Clan Tremere to learn of this ritual or to acquire a copy, the security of Enoch would be in peril.
Origin: The master who originated the ritual is unknown, but it is a Occidental creation, not a work of the Naga Raja.
Ingredients: a subterranean lake (underground pool, flooded basement, etc), poplar buds, willow leaves, crow feathers and dried cicada.
Casting: The caster descends to a subterranean lake, where he builds a fire and burns up the poplar buds, willow leaves, crow feathers and dried cicada husks. The ash that results from the burning of these combined ingredients is considered holy ash. The holy ash is used to form a circle about the caster at the edge of the lake; the names of chthonic Greek gods are inscribed in the ash completing a holy circle of power. Then the caster opens his wrist at the edge of the lake and sacrifices four points of his blood to the lake and calls forth a resident of the Underworld. That individual rises from the water and appears fully corporal standing on the water’s surface. Should the caster leave the protective circle during the ritual or attempt to touch the one summoned, the ritual automatically ends and the caster is plagued by the worst kind of luck for the remainder of the night. Failure in casting wastes the ingredients and blood of the caster; while the results of a botch are stuff of legendary nightmares.
System: Intelligence + Rituals = 7 (8 for non-clan casters). Each success allows communication with the Underworld for one scene. If multiple successes are scored, then the caster can communicate with one resident of the Underworld for that number of scenes or multiple individuals can be contacted for individual scenes. There are a finite number of scenes conjured, but they can be divided up among that number of Underworld residents or less.
Reference: Though similar to the rank two of the Sepulchre Path, this ritual can reach into the farthest reaches of the Underworld.
