House Shaea Rotes
Catherine West's Rotes
Summon the Torturers of Osiris (Correspondence 2, Mind 1, Prime 2)
Description
This rote summons the torturers of Osiris to punish nearby evil doers or enemies of the mage. It is often used to cow or incapacitate hostile beings, frequently followed by using more physical means to kill them when they are down.
If combined with Spirit 2 a friendly spirit may also mark the enemy for easier detection later on.
Mechanism
Effectively a ranged Rubbing the Bones attack, but one which also differentiates between hostile and non-hostile beings. Three successes are required to make it work, but further success can increase duration and numbers affected. This attack is invariably vulgar.
Dull the Senses, Flee the Danger (Time 2)
Description
This rote confuses and dulls the senses of the enemy, in that they don't notice what is happening before it's already happened. This can be made coincidental if the mage limits himself to half a second to a second of delay. Enough that any attempts to grab or shoot the mage is sure to fail, but not so much so that it'd seem unbelievable.
Mechanism
When coincidental any success rolled with this rote will reduce the difficulty of the mage to flee or escape with 1 and likewise increase the difficulty to catch or hit him with 1.
Erasing His Sight From Time (Time 2, Correspondence 2)
Description
This powerful rote ensures that when anyone looks at the spot where the caster is, they see a time before or after he was standing there. In paradigm you call upon the Moon god to reflect the past or future into the eyes of your enemies.
Mechanism
When done coincidentally this spell either grants a major bonus to your stealth skill or a penalty to the perception skill of the opposition. The vulgar version will flat out make you undetectable for the duration of the spell.
Hiding Behind the Hidden Sun (Spirit 3, Time 2)
Description
Calling upon Amun the Lord of The Hidden Sun, to take you to the place of the Hidden Sun before an attack can injure you. In short you very briefly step partly through the gauntlet.
Mechanism
Three successes are necessary to protect against one attack, additional successes grant protection from one more attack. The mage is immune to any attack which cannot affect both the Umbra and the Tellurian at the same time. This spell can be coincidental, depending on the circumstances of each attack. That is bullets or bursts missing you could be ascribed to excellent dodging skills, but suddenly not being there when someone punches you or tries to hit you with a lance is bound to be vulgar.
Dare Not to Strike the Hidden Sun! (Spirit 3, Time 2, Correspondence 2, Prime 2)
Description
Like Hiding Behind the Hidden Sun you call upon Lord Amun to remove you from danger. However this spell also calls upon the rays of the Hidden Sun to punish those who would strike the beloved of Amun. In short not only do you step partly through the gauntlet, but your attacker is also struck with Rubbing the Bones.
Mechanism
Three successes are necessary to protect against one attack and give retaliation, additional successes grant protection from one more attack. The mage is immune to any attack which cannot affect both the Umbra and the Tellurian at the same time. The punishment is levelled against the attacker whether he is using a ranged attack or a melee attack. This spell is however invariably vulgar and quite probably vulgar with witnesses.
Wrath of the God (Spirit 3/4, Optional Prime 3)
Description
By calling upon Ra, Amun, Horus, Osiris or Seth the mage summons their armies to do battle with the forces of evil. Since all Egyptian gods command large forces of demons and jinns this can be quite a forceful response. The mage should have sort of valid reason for calling upon the god and his forces.
Mechanism
Effectively release the Mad Howlers, potentially with some Prime to boost the power / reward the troops.
Accuse the Great Criminal (Spirit 4, Time 2, Correspondence 2, Prime 2/3)
Description
By calling upon the Great Vizier Thoth and presenting him with proof of the malefactor's evil deed, the mage may call upon him to render judgement. This rote is never used lightly as Thoth is the Vizier of Horus and the protector of the innocent. One of the more troublesome aspects of this rote is that Thoth may inflict some punishment or criticism on anyone present during it. Since many mages have hidden crimes or past misdeeds this acts as a great deterrent. Moreover Thoth is not only powerful himself, but may call for help from a bevy of lesser gods and demons.
Mechanism
Normally a major ritual is required before this spell is cast, one which requires either the presence of the malefactor or some tangible evidence of an evil deed. The Time 2, Correspondence 2 aspect of this spell helps link the crime inextricably to the malefactor. Spirit 4 Prime 3 helps to solidify the court, by feeding previously prepared quintessence into it. The more successes the more effective the rote is at drawing Thoth's full attention to the proceedings. If the malefactor is present Thoth will see to it that justice is done right there. If not Thoth will proclaim a judgement and give the mage a warrant, said warrant usually has a sympathetic link to the malefactor.
Let the Parts of the Soul Speak (Mind 1)
This is effectively the Multi-Tasking rote, except visualized in a very Egyptian way. By letting each part of the soul handle a separate thread of thought the mage can do several things at once. However since he only has one Ren, or true name, the mage can only perform one magical effect at a time.
Tracking the Journey of the Khu (Time 2, Spirit 3)
Description
(Based on Tracing the Path of the Dharmic Wheel)
Though parts of the soul remain in the realm of the dead, such as the shades (Ka and Ba) that any mage may summon with the right training, other parts continue to reincarnate. Some call this other part the Avatar is reborn it joins with other soul fragments united by a Ren or True Name. By going back in time the Khu may comprehend its former lives and learn something of its past. It is not flawless since the Ren and Ba of the previous incarnations would not be the same as in this one, therefore any precautions a previous incarnation took against scrying would work against your current one.
Mechanism
This enables the mage to read a target's past lives, and extract information from them. The difficulty is lowered by 1 for each point of Dream the mage has, while it is raised depending on how far back the mage is going. Mind 2 is sometimes added to allow the mage to directly experience these past lives. A botch causes the mage to be lost in one of the past lives, a state not unlike a Quiet realm.
Opening the Mouth (Prime 2, Spirit 2)
(Based on Bless the Faithful Servant) The mage blesses a spirit, pouring quintessence into it. House Shaea does so by touching its lips with an adze made from meteoric iron, while uttering a ritual blessing such as "Awake!..May you be alert as a living one, rejuvenated every day, healthy in millions of occasions of god sleep, while the gods protect you, protection being around you every day." The advanced version includes incense and other sacrifice, but accomplishes the same goal.
Ritual Sacrifice (Prime 3, Spirit 3)
(Based on Burnt Offering)
There are countless beings ranging from the spirits of the dead (Wraiths, etc) to gods and demons who like ritual sacrifice. Offerings range from food to liquor, to elaborate models of ships, houses, and so forth. Ideally the mage ritually purifies the offering before placing it on an altar. There are then three options for how to present it to the spirit: First the mage may consume food and drink, on the understanding that the essence of the sacrifice goes to the spirit. Second the mage may send miniatures into the Umbra for the spirit to use. Third, in case of gods, the mage can dedicate the items to the god for use in temple rites.
Astrological Prediction (Prime 1, Spirit 1, Time 2)
Description
The Order of Hermes is the master among the traditions in matters of astrology and planning. One major use of astrology has been to find the most suitable time to perform magick, by studying the conjunctions of the planets and stars. The astrologer analyses the act of magick, determines which planets rule it (for example, Prime is ruled by the Sun while Spirit is ruled by the Moon) and then tries to find the best conjunctions. Magick of the right type performed then will be more powerful and safe.
Mechanism
The number of successes determine how powerful conjunctions the mage has found (a conjunction with 4 successes will decrease the difficulty for that type of magick with 4). However, the more powerful conjunctions are much more rare, so the mage may have to wait for an inordinate amount of time before the right moment, or use lesser conjunctions (by removing extraneous successes). One success means the astrologer has found a minor event, occurring within a day (generally a suitable planetary hour). 2 successes occur within a week (generally a suitable planetary day). 3 successes occur within a month (often influenced by moon-phase). 4 within a year and 5 within a decade (and so on).
Beckon the God to Appear (Spirit 2/3)
Description
[Borrows heavily from this: http://hem.bredband.net/arenamontanus/Mage/goetics.html but with quite a few changes of my own.]
This is the art of summoning various deities and demons and asking them to grant the mage his desire. These entities are not obliged to provide any service to the mage, but will generally do so if the right circumstances are met. In general this ritual requires considerable preparation, what young English speaking members of House Shaea call TRIPS, namely: Time, Ritual, Place, and Sacrifice. Some deities are so powerful that it is all but impossible to summon them without TRIPS. When they materialise most of these entities come in animal, man-animal, or human shape, but in recent years the purely animal or purely human shape has been more popular due to paradox.
TIME It is generally a good idea to at the very least consult a Book of Days to find an auspicious day. For more important rituals a proper horoscope should be made [Time 2, Spirit 1, Prime 1] to find the right day. Dusk and dawn are generally the most auspicious, but some gods may require special appeasement and preparation.
RITUAL Ritual goes beyond a simple reading of an incantation. The instruments used in the ritual should be ritually pure, so should the mage. Fasting, abstaining from sex, ritual baths, and so forth, possibly for several days, can help to improve the odds of success. The mage should wear pure linen clothes. Men should shave their hair off, while women should wash theirs. Better yet the water used for washing should first have had an Ibis dip its beak in it, signifying its ritual purity. The deity should then be addressed in flattering terms, listing as many of his or her names and titles as possible. Second the mage should announce any particular claim to grace that he or she has.
PLACE Ideally the ritual should occur in the sacred hall of a consecrated temple. At the very least it should be an enclosed and somewhat dark place. Shrines, consecrated areas of a home, sacred places, sacred caves, all can be very useful depending on the spirit. Certain spirits may even refuse to appear outside of their domain or sacred places.
SACRIFICE First it would help if a regular sacrifice, suitable to the deity, should be offered. This would be food, wine, clothing, etc, etc. Generally the sacrifice is not burned if it is offered a temple, rather it either adorns the statue of the god or the temple, or it is consumed by the priests. Quintessence in various forms is also a good offering of course and helps ensure that the ritual succeeds. In other areas promising services to the deity, even mundane services, may also help substantially.
Mechanism
The more powerful the deity, the harder it is to summon it. The base difficulty is 5, but this is increased by the power of the deity. As a rule weak, very localised spirits increase the difficult with around 0-1, very specialized or weakened deities and demons 2-3, mid-level deities and powerful demons 4-5, higher deities are 6+. Decreasing the difficulty is generally done through TRIPS, see above.
The number of successes required to make the deity appear in person varies, but generally the same as the difficulty increase. To guarantee that Set (Difficulty 6) will show up requires six or more successes, while a minor regional spirit might appear after one. Even if you fail to get the necessary successes the summoning hasn't necessarily failed. If you get half the necessary successes the deity may send a subordinate, contact the mage by some other means, or take pity on him or her and come in person. Note that these are powerful and self-willed beings, attempting to force the more powerful ones to appear may be ill advised.
Of course simply getting the deity to show up doesn't guarantee anything. Even if the deity agrees to help it might not agree to do so in the way that the mages wants it to, moreover there may be a price attached. Such things are generally best roleplayed.
Gods and Demons
Amun-Re-Ptah
"All gods are three: Amun, Re and Ptah, whom none equals. He who hides his name as Amun, he appears to the face as Re, his body is Ptah"
The ineffable union of visible and invisible divinity combined with an absolute and true presence on Earth. The sight of Amun-Re-Ptah and the mystical light that he exudes will peel back the lies of illusion and reveal the truth to the mage. No falsehood, no illusion, nothing wicked, nothing threatening to Creation, may stand this presence. It is said that the sight of the deity will cause many, if not most, sleepers to awaken. No known appearance of Amun-Re-Ptah has occurred in decades. [+9]
Amun
Amun appears in the form of an Egyptian noble wearing a tall feather crown. As the God of the Hidden he knows of all hidden things, commands the winds, and can foretell the future. As a merciful god he can undo curses and afflictions, provided that the sufferer repents any sins. [+7]
Horus
Lord of the Universe, appears as a falcon headed man wearing the crown of pharaoh. Horus is the enemy of Set and dislikes all his ways. Immensely powerful he can stop storms, protect from chaos (counteract Entropy effects), aid the mage in battle, strike down enemies, rescue people from the forces of evil, and reveal all under the sky. He is also moral, brave, intelligent, and quite a bit of a trickster. [+7]
Ra
Ra appears as a man with a falcons head and a glowing cobra-headed sun over his head. By his tears and sweat people may be created to populate an area, his mere presence will blast anything that fears the sun, he can destroy servants of Apep (probably nephandi), and strip many spirits and beings of their power. As the god of the sun he also represents perfect fire for alchemical purposes. [+7]
Set
Set appears as a man with the head of a set-beast. Immensely strong, proud, and dangerous, Set is always addressed "Your Majesty" much like Ra. Anyone who tries to summon Set should be aware that despite his association with Chaos and War he is extremely intelligent and quite eloquent too. What he isn't is patient, though he demands being praised he won't stand for delays when it comes to discussing the business. Can bring about storms, cover a large area in darkness, and cause riots, breakdowns, and other manifestations of chaos and entropy. If particularly pleased he may give a Set-beast to the mage or grant some of his strength. [+7]
Osiris
Osiris appears as a man with green skin, wearing white linnen clothes and a pharaoh's crown, carrying a shepherd's hook and a flail. Osiris is the god of the kingdom of the dead and may call forth anyone who has died, give oracles, summon great and terrible demons, and bless or blight the fertility of the land. [+7]
Heka
Heka is the god of magic, in an area where reality is reasonably dynamic he appears as a weird twisting fusion of the other gods. In more restricted areas he comes across as a man choking two serpents to death. Heka's presence makes reality more fluid in unpredictable ways. He can teach the mage about magic and medicine, he can also heal any ailment or injury. [+6]
Isis
Isis appears in the form of a beautiful woman in her thirties, often with lactating breasts. Unlike most of the other Egyptian gods Isis takes a active interest in the outside world, since her temples were and are scattered all over the world. Isis also appreciates efforts to spread her worship further, even in the modern world. As the wife of Osiris she can intercede with him up to the point of persuading him to return a soul. Such a service would not come cheap. She may cause floods with her tears, grant fertility, and ensure easy childbirths and healthy children. [+6]
Ma'at
Appears as a woman in a red dress, with an ostrich feather tucked into her headband. In her presence no one may act against truth, balance, order, law, morality, and justice, as seen by the ancient Egyptians. She can answer any question that regards morality or justice, as well as tell the mage how to help restore balance to the universe. However Ma'at will openly and accurately criticize the mage, or anyone else present, if they have strayed from the proper path. [+6]
Nut
When summoned Nut often makes it appear as if the roof of the chamber the mage is in has vanished to reveal the starry sky beyond. Otherwise she comes in the shape of a talking cow. Nut is very difficult to deal with or understand, seeing as how she is a symbol of the protective barrier that covers earth. In less poetic terms she can make a tear in the gauntlet, let someone pass through the horizon into the deep umbra, or close off access to the Umbra and the Beyond. [+6]
Seshat
Appears as a beautiful woman in a leopard hide dress, she carries a pen and a scroll or a palm stem with notches in it. As the patron of the House Shaea, and by some accounts the mother of House Shaea, it is easier for mages from that house to call upon her. Seshat speaks all languages, has an extensive knowledge of the occult, and is an expert in the fields of architecture, astronomy, astrology, building, mathematics, and surveying. Beyond that she can peer into the past and the future. As the wife of Thoth she can also intercede with that god. [+6]
Thoth
Thoth appears as a man with an Ibis head and the kilt of a scribe. He may reveal the will of Ra, to whom he functions as a Vizier. Moreover he speaks all languages, knows many occult secrets, gives legal council, has a keen understanding of technology, and can tell the future by way of astrology. May intercede for you with both Seshat and Ra. [+6]
Anubis
Anubis appears either in his traditional half human, half jackal form, or as a jackal wearing a ribbon and holding a flail in the crook of its arm. Fiercely loyal to Osiris and hates Set. Anubis can hunt down grave-robbers, seal up a tomb with powerful protections, guide souls to the afterlife, and properly embalm a body. [+5]
Bastet
One of the most famous gods Bastet appears as a beautiful young woman with a cats head, usually holding a rattle. Patroness and protector of many types of weres as well as cats. Anyone who has knowingly brought suffering to cats would be well advised to repent and do amends before summoning Bastet. Unlike many Egyptian gods Bastet is actively involved in the modern world and protective of her cult. If Bastet is pleased she may provide the mage with a sacred cat or magical perfume. Bastet can protect children from harm, provide wards for houses, kill serpents and scorpions (even magical ones), help women get pregnant, and, if the cause is good, personally attack an enemy. [+5]
Neith
Neith appears in the form of a beautiful Egyptian woman. She can grant luck in hunting, teach archery, and shoot arrows at evil spirits. If approached by a woman she is willing to work to save a marriage or protect from abuse. As she was once dead she knows the secret passages in and out of the kingdom of the dead, but is reluctant to reveal these. Neith is also shunned by the other gods due to her treachery during the feud with Duamutef one of the sons of Horus. [+5]
Ptah-Seker
Appears as a mummy with green skin, associated with Osiris. Ptah-Seker can teach or perform embalming, jewellery, armoury, or any other metalworking skill. [+5]
Sekhmet
Appears as a woman with a lion's head. Her breath is blazingly hot, capable of peeling the paint of metal. Can shoot arrows of fire at the enemy, or simply engage them in combat immediately. Sekhmet loves fighting, she is also very easily angered, and dealing with her requires a lot of appeasement. [+5]
Sobek
Sobek appears as a man with a crocodiles head and a feather-crown. Sobek is a repairer of wrongs, with the understanding that actual serious damage must have been inflicted. Though he has considerable personal power he generally prefers to work through coincidental effects, or by nudging other deities into doing the job. It can be unclear at times whether he's actually done anything at all. [+5]
Taweret
Taweret is a monster, appearing with the legs of a hippotamus, the belly and breasts of a pregnant woman, the back of a crocodile, and the head of hippotamus, though with long black hair. Her very appearance tends to cause terror in all who see her, especially in spirits. Other than scaring off spirits Taweret can provide protective wards for children and pregnant women. As the wife of Set she can also intercede with her husband. Though she has "gone good" and tries to limit her husbands damage, she is still powerful and violent, not to be trifled with. [+5]
Bes
Appears as a hairy dwarf, squat, bandy-legged, with a prominent brow, and a short, pug nose. Bes may guard the household mostly by killing off snakes and fighting evil spirits, however he also guards children. Bes can also cure impotence and help women give birth. Bes enjoys a good party and can contribute quite a bit to one, including music and dance. As such he is a good teacher of music and dancing. [+4]
Imhotep
Imhotep is a deified mortal and as such appears as a human. In ages past he usually appeared as an Egyptian scribe, but these days he sometimes appears as a man in a suit. Imhotep is a brilliant civil engineer, architect and physician, he can teach and advice the mage in all of these areas. If provided with a team of workers he can supervise and lead great construction works. Moreover he has an excellent understanding of modern technology. [+4]
Maahes
Maahes appears as a muscular man with a lions head and a full set of weapons. He is the son of Bast and one of Osiris' executioners. Maahes can bring victory in battle, affect the weather, and go into battle to slay and then devour his enemies. He may also ensure a matrilineal succession or inheritance, if necessary by affecting trials or slaying imprudent males. If sacrificed to he may also provide knives and lotus blossoms suitable for sacred rituals. [+4]
Anti
The ferryman of the gods, appearing either as a human being holding an oar, or as a falcon, but in either case he is missing his toes. Anti is greedy and may perform services in return for gold or sacrifices. In general said service consists of taking a group of travellers to any known location. As a rule Anti will not go beyond what was of old considered the orbit of the sun. [+3]
Babi
Babi appears as a dominant baboon with a massive erection. He is associated with Osiris, one of the executioners of the underworld. He is extremely blood-thirsty and quite eager to tear creatures apart and devour their entrails. Very sexually active, as such he can cure impotence in the dead, or raise or repair any fallen or broken mast or antenna. Liked by many mages for being willing to attack their enemies at the drop of a hat, but feared because any mistakes when dealing with him could lead to a humiliating and painful, if not lethal, result. [+3]
Hapy
Hapy is the personification of the inundation of the Nile, but the building of the Aswan Dam has greatly weakened him. He appears as a pharaoh with blue skin dripping mud. He can provide the mage with water, copious amounts of Nile mud, fishes and birds, as well as any natural vegetation that grew in ancient Egypt. Hates the technocracy for building the Aswan dam, against them alone he is willing to cause minor flooding and mudslides. [+3]
Mafdet
Appears as a woman with a cat's head. Mafdet grants protection against snakes and scorpions, she protects against botched executions, and on the order of Pharaoh (or Osiris) she also tears out the hearts of wrong-doers and place them at his feet. [+3]
Monthu
Appears as a man with a falcons head and a feather crown, but he may also appear as a white bull with a black face. Monthu may either attack the mages enemies directly, or more often grant him (or an associate) inhuman strength and fighting skill. [+3]
Serket
Serket appears as a woman accompanied by giant scorpions. AS the goddess of Scorpions she knows all there is to know about them, she can also protect against scorpions and snakes, as well as cure all poisons in general. If particularly pleased with the mage she may provide him with a scorpion that will, if placed nearby, find a particular person and bite him. [+3]
Shezmu
Shezmu appears as a man with a lions head. An executioner and torturer of Osiris' court. Shezmu may inflict judicial torture, slaughter enemies, provide quantities of wine suitable for ritual purposes, and crush prisoners in his wine press. In the latter role the wine that comes out of the winepress is actually Tass, the quintessence inherent to their body. In general Shezmu keeps a quantity of this wine for himself, giving the rest to the mage. Mages should beware that Shezmu is particular about his victims and will be very offended if he's offered an innocent. [+3]
Wepwawet
Wepwawet appears either as a common jackal or an Egyptian jackal, in the form of an Egyptian jackal he can pass as a tawny medium size dog. Wepwavet can unerringly hunt down prey, scout ahead into dangerous locations, and open up any doors for the mage. [+3]
Aah
Lunar god associated with Thoth, generally appears as a youth with a single sidelock, carrying the moon on his head. Though a moon god Aah's main ability is to be an assistant to students, he can also teach them astrology and other subjects. As a moon god Aah can create the light of any moon-phase, potentially useful for dealing with garou or for rituals that need to be done in a particular lunar phase. [+2]
Ba-Pef
Appears in the form of a bird. He is a malevolent entity who may cause great leaders nightmares and spiritual turmoil. [+2]
Ash
Desert god associated with Seth. Usually appears as a human with the head of a lion, vulture, hawk, snake, or Set-animal. Ash can show the mage to an oasis, or some other place of shelter. [+1]
Chenti-cheti
Appears as a falcon or a crocodile. The name Chenti-cheti means "Foremost Retreater", as such he will show the mage a good escape route. [+1]