(Auspex ••••, Obfuscate •••)
Experienced Freedmen are capable of creating a mental network of telepathic communication between groups of Kindred. Once the network has been opened, any Kindred affected by Telepathic Network can send out a silent, mental message to the entire group such as, “I am being attacked, come help me!” or, “I’m currently break- ing into the back of the building. Where are the rest of you?” This Devotion cannot be used on an unwilling or unaware subject.
Cost: 1 Vitae
Dice Pool: Intelligence + Stealth + Auspex Action: Instant
Upon activation, Telepathic Network creates a tempo- rary telepathic bond between multiple willing Kindred. The number of vampires that can be included within the network is equal to the number of successes obtained during the activation roll. Kindred within the network may send out a mental message to the entire group, but may not send out a private message to a specific individual. The network is unaffected by distance once activated (although all vampires who wish to be a part of the network must be present for activation). Telepathic Network lasts for the duration of a scene, unless the character responsible for activating the Devotion chooses to end it earlier.
Additionally, Telepathic Network masks the Beasts of those within the network from the Predator’s Taint. While those within the network still instinctively know other vampires by sight, vampires outside of the group will not recognize those within for the monsters they are. A vampire connected through Telepathic Network appears mortal to other Kindred, unless the outsider picks up on other tells (such as a murky reflection in a mirror), or the linked Kindred chooses to reveal his true nature.
The Haitian revolution was a turning point in Kindred history. As the fires of rebellion burned, Kindred fled from St. Domingue and scattered throughout the world, taking the religion of Vodoun with them.
Any vampire can practice Vodoun. The religion is in- clusive and not limited to any specific clan. While certain covenants (the Lancea Sanctum in particular) may find its practice disdainful or even threatening, the religion is still open to all — despite efforts by more traditional Kindred to contain its spread. Granted, there is a much larger concentration of devotees in New Orleans, the Carib- bean and eastern coastal cities of the United States, but vampires find reasons to move to new cities, so isolated individual practitioners and small coteries of devotees can crop up nearly anywhere.
V
odounl
exiConBelow are some important Vodoun-related terms that may be presented within this section, or may be used to add authentic detail to a campaign.
Bat guerre — an initiation ceremony that a vodouisant must go through in order to become a houngan or mambo. During bat guerre, the candidate is possessed by a particular loa who offers patronage to the devotee.
Bayé — An entranceway or gateway, particularly
between the material world and the world of the dead.
Cheval — A devotee who is possessed or
“ridden” by a loa. Translated literally, cheval means “horse.”
Houngan — A fully initiated priest of Vodoun,
under the patronage of a specific loa. A houngan’s female counterpart is a mambo.
Loa — Powerful spirits who may be called upon
through ritual to grant certain favors or abilities to those who serve them loyally.
Mambo — A fully initiated priestess of Vodoun,
under the patronage of a specific loa. A mambo’s male counterpart is a houngan.
Ridden — To be possessed by a loa.
Vévé — Elaborate, ritualistic symbols of power,
usually drawn in flour or blood.
Vodouisant — a low-ranking devotee of
Vodoun who has not yet gained the patronage of a specific loa.
Vodoun, as a religion, puts a great deal of emphasis on dealing with spirits called loa. The loa are spirits of divine origin who serve as intermediaries between Bondye, the
Creator (who is both distant from and disinterested in the lowly affairs of creatures that crawl upon the earth), and practitioners of Vodoun.
In Kindred Vodoun rituals, the ritualist summons loa to receive offerings and grant requests. Each loa demands a different type of offering or gift from the ritualist. If the loa finds the vampire’s offering sufficient, it possesses her body and grants her unique abilities in the process.
A devotee progresses in Vodoun by developing per- sonal relationships and rapport with the loa. As such, a character’s rating in Rapport determines which rituals he may learn. For example, a character with two dots of Rapport can know an unlimited number of level one and level two rituals (provided the experience points are paid to learn each), but he may not study any level-three Vodoun rituals until his Rapport level is increased to 3. Each time a character acquires a dot of Rapport (including at character creation), he gains a ritual of that level at no additional cost. New rituals can be bought at the cost of two experience points multiplied by the level of the ritual. Kindred with a Rapport level of •• or lower are called vodouisants, and are able to call upon any loa.
While any vampire can practice Vodoun, and may call upon any number of loa, the end goal of most practitio- ners is to gain the patronage of a specific loa. Develop- ing a personal relationship with a loa takes a great deal of time and energy, but once a loa offers its patronage, the houngan has access to much more specialized and formidable powers than those available to vodouisants. When a player buys a third dot of Rapport, his character has become skilled enough to attract the attention of a specific loa, and must perform the ceremony of bat guerre (the battle for the spirits). Through physical exertion and mental concentration, against the hypnotic backbeat of drums, chanting and the clashing of ceremonial machetes, the initiate is possessed by a particular loa who offers its patronage. A character cannot ascend to a Rapport level of ••• without going through bat guerre.
If the vodouisant accepts the loa’s offer during the cer- emony, he or she becomes a houngan (priest) or mambo (priestess) devoted to that specific loa, and may proceed to learn the higher level rituals (levels ••• and above) associated with that loa. Once a houngan completes bat
guerre and gains the patronage of a loa, he can still call
upon any of the other loa for lower level rituals (levels •• and below), but he can only perform higher level rituals
(levels ••• and above) associated with his patron loa. A houngan may only accept the patronage of one loa, so he must consider his path carefully.