The Hand of Glory

Level II Rituals

Description: The Hand of Glory is a mummified hand used by the Giovanni to anesthetize a home's residents and, thereby, allow the Necromancer free rein to do what he will in the residence. It was originally developed by thieves dabbling in the Dark Art, and was adapted by the Giovanni for similar nefarious purposes.
The creation of the Hand of Glory is a gruesome ritual dating back hundreds of years. The Necromancer wraps the severed hand of a condemned murderer in a shroud, draws it tight to squeeze out any remaining blood and preserves the hand in an earthenware jar with salt, saltpeter and long peppers. After a fortnight, the Giovanni removes the hand and dries it in an oven with vervain and fern. At the end of this process, if the roll to activate the ritual garners any successes, the creation is viable.

System: To use the Hand of Glory, the vampire first coats the fingertips of the mummified hand with a flammable substance derived form the fat of a hanged man and sets the fingers alight. The Necromancer then recites the phrase, "Let all those who are asleep be asleep, and let those who are awake be awake." All mortals with a household who are affected fall into a deep sleep and cannot be roused (the hand has no effect on supernatural creatures or hunters of the Hunter: The Reckoning ilk). For each unaffected occupant of a home, one finger of the hand will refuse to light. Of course, botches may result in all of the fingers being lit but no one in the home being asleep. the hand may be extinguished at any time by the Necromancer who created it. Anyone else wishing to douse the hand must use milk to do so. Nothing else works. Once made, the Hand of Glory may be reused indefinitely. Effects last for one scene.

Reference: CGR 74