Crematory Obscuration
Description: The purpose of this ritual is to confound the heightened senses of the dead and prevent them from perceiving what is happening within a warded area. This is accomplished by casting a meta-magic ritual to alter the necromantic ward in such a way as to distort the perceptions of a wraith. The ‘Crematory Obscuration’ ritual alters the preexisting ward by adding extremely unpleasant sensory experiences to the ward; so when the wraith extends his superior sense into the warded area, he is rewarded with sensory input of burning human flesh. For example, a wraith tries to listen into the warded area and can only hear sizzling human flesh or tries to see into the warded area and sees only thick oily black smoke roiling within. Of course the other three senses are affected as well, but you can guess what their effects would be like.
Origin: Benesj the Black
Ingredients: black iron brazier / burning charcoal / dead human flesh
Casting: The caster begins the ritual with a recitation of the gloom and horror of Hades’ realm in Greek. While in recitation, he paces out the warded are with an iron brazier, filled with burning charcoal and bits of human flesh. As he paces out the area, it fills with the nauseating smoke and if the ritual is successful, the ward absorbs the sensory input of burning human flesh. At the end of the ritual, the caster pours out the charcoal and burnt remains along the edge of his ward as he paces it out a second time. Declaring his abode to be like that of his god Hades; thus invoking the idea that which is below, is mirrored by that which is above.
System: This ritual takes ten (10) minute of casting, per room to be obscured. Successes on the ritual must be overcome by the wraith in question, by rolling Perception + Alertness = difficulty of six (6) on a single roll. If the wraith’s successes exceed the caster’s successes, then the wraith can perceive what is happening inside the warded area. If the caster’s successes exceed the wraith’s successes, then the wraith only senses the input of thick black smoke and the scent of burning human flesh. A tie goes to the sorcerous defender. This alteration to a preexisting ward is permanent.
Reference: No references could be found in White Wolf canon.
