Oracle of Tartarus
Description: In ancient Greek literature, Tartarus is first mentioned by Hesiod in his "Theogony", circa 700 B.C.E.; though modern scholars of classical Greece agree that the concept is a relic of ancient pre-history. Later, it would be mentioned by Plato in his work the "Gorgias", in which he wrote that souls were judged after death and those who received punishment were sent to Tartarus. As a paraphrase of Hesiod's quote, if a bronze anvil were to fall from heaven, it would take it nine days to fall to earth. Were the anvil to continue falling, it would fall an additional nine days before it would reach Tartarus. It was believed by the ancient Greeks to be one of the original deities, entities or objects that arose from Chaos along with the Earth and Heaven.
As a place, it is described as deep and gloomy, a pit, an abyss used as a dungeon of torment and suffering that resides beneath the Underworld. Though originally, Tartarus was used only to confine dangers to the gods of Olympus. As time passed, Tartarus became the place where the punishment fits the crime. In later ages, the younger religions would use it to help them define their own visions of the concept of hell. As the primordial hell, it has had more than one set of jailors; the first gatekeeper was a dragon called Campe set to guard the Cyclopes and Hekatonkhires by Cronus.
Later, during the war with the titans, she was killed by Zeus who freed the prisoners to help him win his war, as recounted in the Titanomachy. In return for their faithful service, the Hekatonkhires were given the authority and duty to act as the new guards of the gates of Tartarus.
In Greek, their name means the "Hundred-Handed Ones" for they were said to have fifty heads and one hundred hands; their strength exceeded that of the titans and they were elemental creatures born at the moment of creation. There were just three of them: Briareus, Cottus and Gyges. Briareus was chief among them and his name appears not only in ancient Greek mythology, the stories of the Romans, but in Medieval European and modern literature.
The title of this ritual, the "Oracle of Tartarus" is a literal description rather than an artistic license. The necromancer is approaching the darkest forces of the Underworld with a sacrificial offering in return for a peek at forbidden or forgotten knowledge. The sacrifice is a corrupt mortal or supernatural who is sold body and soul into Tartarus, which means as a consequence, that being must die at the hands of the necromancer.
In return for his service to the chief of the Hekatonkhires, the necromancer may ask Briareus one question that the inmates of Tartarus could conceivably know. As Tartarus is the nadir of creation, it is reasonable to assume that the darkest of lore and secrets would naturally gravitate towards it, before they could be reborn or recycled into a new phase of creation. Depending on how well he supplicates the first of the "Hundred Handed Ones", the necromancer can expect to learn at least something about his chosen subject. It is also reasonable to believe that the guardians of Tartarus and their charges would know a significant amount about the past or present, even future knowledge might be available as the Hekatonkhires are semi-divine beings who have in the past and may still, consort with gods.
The only drawback to this ritual is that the corrupt souls the necromancer is selling to Tartarus will undoubtedly hold a grudge. Those who are sold into the servitude of Tartarus automatically become spectral beings; though the ritual binds them to the Fortress of Tartarus, should they escape, the necromancer will likely be their first and foremost target. But, one cannot supplicate the direct servants of Oblivion for information without something to trade and it is well known that hell primarily trades in souls.
The ritual must be cast deep below ground, in absolute darkness. As an advanced form of Cephalomancy, the ritual requires fifty human heads and one hundred human arms which must be suspended on iron chains from the ceiling above the necromancer's head. It must be cast in a circular room and in the center there must be a bronze anvil and hammer. If the spell is cast successfully, the heads and limbs animate as Briareus takes possession of them. The Hekatonkhire can speak or hear through the heads and gesture or touch with the arms; should the necromancer cast this ritual with any kind of regularity, Briareus may begin to show a frightening familiarity with the caster, going so far as to treat the necromancer as a contact in the world of the living. As is well known, contacts must be treated well if they are to continue to act as conduits of information.
Origin: Sem Sekeramon. {First Iteration}
Ingredients: Fifty heads / one hundred arms / a bronze anvil and hammer/ a suitable sacrificial victim
Casting: The ritual begins when the necromancer strikes the bronze anvil with the hammer thrice and calling Briareus by name each time. When the Hekatonkhire animates the arms and heads the necromancer supplicates Briareus for his aid in gaining a specific piece of information and offers the soul of the sacrifice in exchange. If Briareus accepts the soul in trade, the necromancer binds the victim to the anvil and tortures him or her to death. When the grisly deed is done, the Hekatonkhire relates what information is available to it on the chosen subject, but the quality and quantity of information depends on how well the necromancer amused, entertained or impressed Briareus with his torture and eventual execution of the sacrifice.
System: The player rolls Intelligence + Rituals at a difficulty of eight (8) and requires one hour for each success on the casting roll. A botched ritual roll angers Briareus, who takes the caster's soul to Tartarus for one night per botch rolled and almost certainly results in a derangement. Failure results in a wasted night and a pointless atrocity which doesn't impress Briareus in the least. The number of successes accumulated on the casting roll determines the extent of the information Briareus must reveal. The caster may ask only one question of the Hekatonkhire, but he may cast the ritual as many times as he wants; though this ritual can only be cast once each night.
1 success = Yes or No.
2 successes = A short sentence.
3 successes = A descriptive synopsis (3-4 sentences)
4 successes = A complete answer.
5 successes = An encyclopedic answer, which may include the topic's history, interesting personages involved or even apocryphal lore never before known to mortals or Cainites.
Reference: Cephalomancy - a level one necromancy ritual found on the website. Puppet - a level two necromancy ritual found on the website. Chthonian Holocaust - a level three necromancy ritual found on the website. Orpheus' Descent - a level six necromancy ritual found in Dark Ages - Guide to the High Clans on page 202 to 203.
"The Magister 00:25, 28 December 2014 (MST)"
