While
the Invictus pledge their oaths, the Carthians have their laws, and the Ordo
Dracul evolve through the Mysteries, the Circle of the Crone and Lancea et
Sanctum jealously guard the secrets of blood sorcery. Most Disciplines are
simple, if powerful, to use — the Blood responds to a vampire’s call in ways
she knows and is prepared for, without the need for elaborate ceremony or external
action in all but the most powerful cases. The Acolytes and Sanctified,
however, have discovered the means of using the Blood’s potential for so much
more. By using the special Disciplines taught by those covenants, a vampire can
perform a ritual to reach out far beyond her physical shell, twisting the world
according to her desires. To the uninitiated, it looks like magic. To the
Sanctified, it is prayer; and to the Acolytes, it’s an object of worship
itself. To the Strix, its use by Kindred is an affront. The rewards of blood
sorcery are great, but so too are the costs.
The process of using a blood ritual is broadly the same for both covenants, although the Discipline and the effects it makes possible are very different. The vampire prepares herself, deciding on which ritual to attempt. She uses her Ritual Discipline to summon the power, coaxing it through sacrifice and shaping it before making her request. If she has gathered enough power and focused it correctly, her will is done.