Bardo

Children of Osiris
This is the Children of Osiris' discipline, handed down since Osiris himself first discovered this path. It involves attainment of a constant state of mystical consciousness, only achieved by living the rigid, ascetic life of the Children. It is named after the Tibetan word for the half world, the place entered between life and resurrection. This is this realm where the Children of Osiris' consciousness resides.

This discipline is not the same state as Golconda. Golconda is a realization and acceptance of the way things are, while the Children's disciplines are based on denial. They deny the beast within them by intensely concentrating on their Humanitas and their state of death. If a Child was to give up his mediations and discipline, he would be assailed by his dark, repressed half, so long denied: the Beast unbound.

The Child must maintain Humanity equal to their highest level of ability, or else lose that ability. For example, a Child must have a Humanity of 9 to gain the ninth level of attainment. If the Child's Humanity were ever to drop below the required level, then the ability of that level is lost and must be bought all over again with experience points. The Child can counteract this with their first discipline.

1 • Restore Humanitas
The first discipline taught to new Children is the ability to regain lost Humanity. This ability must be used within a week of the loss. If this ability is successfully used within the week after losing Humanity, then any levels of Bardo also lost are regained.

2 • Banishing Sign Of Thoth
The Child learns a mystic gesture which can defend against any supernatural influences. Rumor says this ability was taught to the Children by Thoth, an ancient Mage and powerful ally of Osiris. None know today if he was a Kindred or a powerful mortal or if he even existed at all.

3 • Gift of Apis
This level of ability frees the Child from the curse of having to drink from mankind to survive. The Child can drink from animals and gain as much nourishment from their blood as from mortal Vitae. As long as the proper rituals are maintained this ability does not diminish with time. The Grand Undying King of the Children of Osiris has not drunk mortal blood since the fall of Rome.

4 • Pillar of Osiris
The Child can create a Pillar of Osiris, the center of a Temple, where the study and meditation of Bardo can be maintained. Any spells or supernatural disciplines practiced within the Temple subtract three from the difficulty factor to succeed. However, if a Child spends an extended time away from a Temple, the chance of frenzy increases. Also, the instances in which a frenzy are called for increase, until after a few months, even the slightest annoyance may trigger it. Only regular meditation at a Temple can prevent this degeneration.
Most Children reside at a major Temple, where fellow sect members aid them in the maintenance of their strict path. But sometimes, a Child may have to enter the outerworld on sect missions. This level of ability is vital to the Child's mystic health.
Any place can be turned into a Pillar after a night-long ritual. The Pillar is an abstract concept of a mystical center, and does not require a physical pillar.

5 • Paradox
With this level, the Child has gained enough knowledge in her mystic studies as to innately understand the illusory nature of the world. She can utter an extemporaneous remark about it, a query, a nonsensical phrase, or haiku.
Anyone whom she is successful against suddenly becomes overwhelmed with knowledge of the essential oneness of the universe. They are in a confused trance. The person so affected by the paradox must add one to any difficulties to harm the Child after that, as part of their self remembers the bliss the Child delivered if only for a few fleeting moments.
Sometimes the phrase's effectiveness can be added to by striking the intended listener with a sudden blow while pronouncing the phrase.

6 • Boon of Anubis
This ability allows the Child to protect a mortal from the Embrace. If a mortal so protected is bitten by a Vampire who then attempts to turn her into one of the Kindred it is ineffective. The Vampire will not realize this until after the mortal awakens from the first sleep. The mortal will, however, be considered a Ghoul.
The Child must prepare herself in a meditative ritual before contact with the intended mortal. Once successful all that is required to bestow the protection on the mortal is a kiss. This kiss can be anywhere on the face, but is most often on the forehead, where the mystical third eye resides.

7 • Bring Forth the Dawn
This ability does not actually cause the sun to rise, but instead causes Kindred to sleep as if it was daylight. Any disciplines or Thaumaturgy rituals which protect the Kindred during the sleep will work in defending against this kind of Bardo.

8 • Mummification Ritual
This allows the Child to force a Kindred into torpor and keep her there for a defined period of time. This is a long ritual so the Kindred must first be constrained against escape during the ritual or incapacitated. The Kindred must be wrapped in ritual bandages to bond her soul and body into confinement.
This is a ritual the Children of Osiris sometimes use against any Kindred they feel are too dangerous to be allowed to move freely in the world, such as Followers of Set. It is a form of punishment for those they feel are evil yet do not deserve final destruction. The mummified Kindred is then usually sealed up in an ancient ruin hidden from the world.
However, the Kindred can increasingly resist the torpor over the years. Ghouls can also be mummified, so that they can follow their masters into the next eon.

9 • Ra's Blessing
After a long period of mediation a Child with this level of mystical ability can walk outside during day, in full sunlight, and not come to harm. The Child must prepare in a month-long ceremony of asceticism, contemplating the Light Within. This ability to look upon the sun can bolster a Child's Humanity and Virtues.

9 • Rebirth
This powerful ritual allows the Child of Osiris to be brought back from Final Death. This ceremony must be overseen by a Daughter of Isis. All who reside in the dead one's temple must contribute at least one blood point each. The condition of the body is unimportant, as long as some part of it is there. The Vampire's consciousness has achieved a level of static existence on the astral plane, where it can reside until regaining its body.

 

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