vaelora/Rules/Magic Traditions/Blood Sorcery – The Scarlet Path.md

"Every cut is a vow. Every scar is a receipt." – Yena of the Glass Veil

Overview

Blood Sorcery is one of the most feared magical traditions in Vaelora. It is the practice of calling Spirits through sacrifice, luring them with the essence they crave most: blood. Unlike Spirit Binding, which targets and subdues a specific spirit from the outset, Blood Sorcery first summons whatever Spirits answer the scent of blood, then bargains or coerces them into service.

This makes Blood Sorcery dangerous and unpredictable, but also uniquely potent. It can rally Spirits that would never willingly be bound, and even Greater Spirits cannot easily ignore its call. The tradition takes many forms:

• The Circle of Magi treat it as a disciplined science, using precise glyphs and carefully measured bloodletting.
• The Setting/World/People/Tlaxcal practice it as sacred communion, offering sacrifices to ancestral patrons or city-Spirits in great communal rites.
• The Temerians industrialize it, turning blood Magic into a weapon of empire fueled by captives and soldiers alike.

Mechanics

Blood Sorcery uses the Rituals skill and is performed in two steps: summoning and then bargaining or compelling.

1. Preparation

As with other magical traditions, preparation matters:

• Ritual Sites: Conducting a rite at a sanctified altar, ancestral ziggurat, or a shrine attuned to the spirit’s dominion adds +1 die to Rituals rolls.
• Glyphwork: Carving blood glyphs aligned to a target dominion or archetype adds +1 die and helps draw compatible Spirits.
• Offerings: Using blood with a strong resonance (ancestral ties, noble lineage, rare animals) can improve results.

Appropriateness Matters:

• Aligned: +1 die per element; Spirits arrive more favorable.

• Neutral: no modifier.
• Offensive: –1 die; Spirits arrive hostile or agitated.

• *Skipping Preparation: Summoning without preparation applies –2 dice and Spirits will be chaotic or misaligned.

2. The Rite: Summon, Then Bargain

Step 1: Summoning

• Roll Focus + Rituals to perform the summoning.
• Each Injury willingly inflicted during the ritual adds +2 dice. You must cause at least 1 Injury that does not give bonus dice. If you kill your victim, gain an additional +2 dice.

Blood Sorcery Summoning Table

Which Spirits Appear?
The type of blood and quality of the ritual determines what kind of Spirits arrive:

1. After the summoning Rituals roll, count your total successes (1–6).
2. Cross-reference with the type of blood offered.
3. The result tells you the Spirit Type and Power Level.
4. Roll on the Dominion Subtable to determine the spirit’s primary domain.

Successes → / Blood ↓	Animal Blood (minor)	Self-Bloodletting (willing)	Willing Human Sacrifice	Unwilling Sacrifice (captives)	Mass Sacrifice (many lives)
1 Success	Famished scavenger spirit (Lesser) – weak, desperate	Whispering wisp (Lesser) – unstable, cryptic	Parasite-spirit (Simple) – corruptive	Butcher-spirit (Simple) – predatory	Cataclysmic predator (Greater) – uncontrolled
2 Successes	Carrion-spirit (Lesser) – scavenger, feeds on death	Exultant emotion spirit (Simple) – tied to caster’s feelings	Bound site-spirit (Complex) – territorial	Whispering host (Complex) – manipulative	City-bound demigod (Greater) – reshapes its domain
3 Successes	Butcher-spirit (Simple) – blood-hungry hunter	Ancestral guide (Complex) – cooperative if respected	War spirit (Complex) – revels in violence	Parasite-spirit (Complex) – spreads corruption	Ancestral god-collective (Greater) – many voices
4 Successes	Forgotten predator (Complex) – ancient, dangerous	Guardian ancestor (Complex) – protective, proud	Ancestral godling (Greater) – demanding	Butcher-spirit (Greater) – kills without mercy	Greater patron spirit (Arch) – demands pacts
5 Successes	Whispering host (Simple) – collective schemer	Vitality spirit (Complex) – strengthens, possessive	City-bound spirit (Greater) – domain-aligned	Forgotten predator (Greater) – ancient and angry	Forgotten god (Arch) – reality-warping
6 Successes	Exultant spark (Simple) – eager but volatile	Forgotten godling (Greater) – reality-warping, ancient	Greater patron spirit (Arch) – city/ancestral	Void-touched entity (Arch) – tears the Veil	Forgotten god (Arch) – world-altering power
After determining the type of spirit, roll on the table below to determine the Dominion of the spirit:

Spirit Type	1	2	3	4	5	6
Famished Scavenger	Hunger	Fear	Shadow	Vermin	Blood	Rot
Whispering Wisp	Memory	Secrets	Dreams	Fear	Sound	Shadow
Carrion-Spirit	Death	Hunger	Rot	Vermin	Shadow	Memory
Butcher-Spirit	Hunger	Wrath	Blood	Death	Fear	Shadow
Forgotten Predator	Hunger	Death	Fear	Blood	Shadow	Desire
Exultant Spark	Fire	Desire	Passion	Joy	Change	Ambition
Whispering Host	Secrets	Paranoia	Dreams	Shadow	Illusion	Fear
Exultant Emotion-Spirit	Rage	Grief	Desire	Love	Ambition	Joy
Ancestral Guide	Memory	Wisdom	Death	Secrets	Protection	Law
Guardian Ancestor	Protection	Family	Honor	Courage	Authority	Hearth
Vitality Spirit	Healing	Growth	Fertility	Blood	Sunlight	Water
Forgotten Godling	Void	Fate	Dominion	Death	Desire	Stars
Parasite-Spirit	Hunger	Corruption	Blood	Disease	Fear	Desire
Bound Site-Spirit	City	Blood	Memory	Secrets	Water	Earth
War Spirit	Wrath	Strength	Blood	Weapons	Fire	Victory
Ancestral Godling	Dominion	Law	Protection	Family	Memory	Fate
City-Bound Spirit	Trade	Roads	City	Hearth	Authority	Memory
Greater Patron Spirit	City	Dominion	Law	Ancestry	Stars	Growth
Cataclysmic Predator	Fire	Wrath	Hunger	Death	Blood	Fear
Ancestral God-Collective	Family	Memory	Dominion	Law	Secrets	Protection
Void-Touched Entity	Void	Corruption	Fear	Hunger	Shadow	Stars
Forgotten God	Void	Fate	Dominion	Death	Desire	Corruption

Step 2: Bargain or Coerce

Once spirits arrive, you must bargain or force them into compliance:

• Bargain: Continue using Rituals in a contested roll against the spirit’s Spirit Tier + Dominion Influence. Offer more blood, vows, or future favors.
• Coerce: Attempt domination with Rituals (or Binding, if skilled) at +1 Difficulty, as Blood Sorcery is not optimized for coercion.
• Each success reduces the spirit’s Resolve. At 0, it yields and performs the agreed task.

Failure: The spirit acts on its own. It may attack, flee, or twist the rite to suit its own desires.

3. Spontaneous Blood Offerings

You can fuel a blood rite on the fly:

• Sacrifice 1 Injury (self-inflicted) to add +2 dice to the summoning roll.
• This is a 2-action task in structured time (combat or social encounter).
• Spontaneous offerings tend to draw predatory spirits first; hesitation can be fatal.

4. Injuries and Fatigue

• Each Injury beyond the first reduces your Rituals dice pool by –1 die.
• Major sacrifices (fatal or near-fatal) count as 2 Injuries but add +4 dice.
• Completing a significant or mass rite moves you one step deeper into Fatigue.

5. Backlash

If the summoning or bargaining roll fails:

• Hostile spirits lash out immediately.
• The offering corrupts, drawing a dominion you didn’t intend.
• A summoned spirit refuses to leave and begins haunting the area.
• The caster is spirit-marked, drawing unwanted attention in future scenes.

Backlash Table 1: Summoning Fails (2d6)

• How it works: Roll 2d6.
• Blood Type Modifier:
  • Animal Blood: –2 (less severe)
  • Self-Bloodletting: +0 (neutral)
  • Willing Human Sacrifice: +2 (more severe)
  • Unwilling Sacrifice: +3 (very severe)
  • Mass Sacrifice: +4 (catastrophic)

Higher rolls = more catastrophic backlash.

3d6 Result (modified)	Backlash Effect	Rules Effects
3–4	Ritual Fizzles: The blood is wasted, spirits never fully answer.	All participants take 1 Fatigue; Ritual must be retried with a fresh sacrifice.
5–6	Residual Spirits: A swarm of Lesser scavenger-spirits drifts through uncontrolled.	Each participant takes 1 Injury (light). Spirits scatter after a scene but leave lingering fear and whispers.
7–8	Dominion Flare: A random dominion surges uncontrollably (fire, shadow, rot, hunger).	Area becomes Hostile Terrain (–1 die to all rolls) for the next scene. Minor structures/creatures may be destroyed.
9–10	Partial Summoning: A half-formed spirit leaks into reality.	It attacks the summoner’s mind; contested Spirit vs Spirit roll or take 2 Fatigue and become Frightened.
11–12	Predatory Spirit Arrives: A Complex-tier predator spirit slips through, unbound.	Spirit immediately targets summoner and anyone nearby; combat begins. If driven off, summoner gains 1 Spirit Mark.
13–14	Veil Tear: The ritual leaves a small permanent rift in the Veil.	Spirits now slip through freely at this site. Future rituals here gain +1 die, but summoned spirits start hostile.
15–16	Void Intrusion: A void-touched entity observes or infiltrates.	Area is permanently Corrupted: all Ritual rolls in the area are +1 Difficulty. Summoner gains 1 Spirit Mark.
17	Major Breach: A Greater Spirit or collective floods through uncontrolled.	It seizes the blood offering and remains; all participants take 2 Injuries, and the area becomes its domain.
18+	Arch-Spirit Manifestation: A Forgotten God or Void Entity forces its way through.	Immediate campaign-level threat: area warped, participants marked. All actions near it are –2 dice, and it becomes a permanent story arc.

Backlash Table 2: Bargaining or Coercion Fails (2d6)

• How to use: Roll 2d6 when the bargaining/coercion contest fails.
• No Blood Modifiers apply.

2d6	Backlash Effect	Rules Effects
2	Fleeing Spirit: The spirit flees instantly, severing all links.	All ongoing effects from the spirit end immediately. Any dominion powers granted cease; if spirit was bound, it breaks free.
3–4	Twisted Gift: The spirit “grants” the intended effect but corrupted.	Apply intended effect, but add a severe complication: injuries worsen, allies turn hostile, area is corrupted, or intended target is harmed.
5–6	Possession Attempt: Spirit attacks caster’s soul.	Contested Spirit vs Spirit roll. On failure, summoner is possessed for the scene, taking reckless or destructive actions. Gains 1 Spirit Mark permanently.
7–8	Dominion Reversal: Spirit uses its dominion offensively against the summoner.	Summoner suffers the spirit’s dominion ability as an attack (e.g., fire = burns, fear = terror). Take 1–2 Injuries depending on power level.
9–10	Permanent Mark: Spirit brands the summoner or vessel.	Future Ritual rolls against this spirit are +2 Difficulty. All spirits sense the brand and treat the summoner with hostility or predation.
11	Spirit Breakout: Spirit violently shatters the ritual boundaries.	All participants take 2 Injuries from the burst. Area becomes Spirit-Warped, granting the spirit a permanent lair bonus (+1 die in future scenes here).
12	Spirit Vengeance: Spirit departs, but plots revenge.	Spirit becomes a recurring antagonist. Gains knowledge of summoner’s allies and weaknesses. Future encounters with it grant it +1 die on all rolls.

Ongoing Costs

Blood Sorcery is not simply dangerous in the moment. It leaves lasting scars on the body, the soul, and the heart of those who practice it. These costs accumulate with every ritual, slowly degrading the practitioner over time. Blood Sorcery grants immense power, but its marks accumulate relentlessly. Over time, they degrade the practitioner’s relationships, reputation, and humanity until they are a figure feared by mortals and hunted by spirits alike.

Spirit Marks – Scars of the Veil

Every time you perform Blood Sorcery, you risk being scarred by the power you have unleashed.

• Risky Dice:
  All Blood Sorcery rolls are risky. Mark a die as Risky. When it shows a 1 (even on a success), you gain 1 Spirit Mark.
• What Are Spirit Marks?
  Spirit Marks are permanent manifestations of your spiritual corruption, visible both in the mortal world and in the spirit world. Each Mark makes you an open wound in the Veil.
• Mechanical Effects:
  • Each Spirit Mark imposes a –1 die penalty when you attempt to resist possession, dominion effects, or coercion by spirits.
  • Spirit Marks are permanent unless cleansed by a rare and dangerous rite, pact, or sacrifice.

Spirit Mark Manifestation Table (d12)

Each time you gain a Spirit Mark, roll on the table below or choose one appropriate to your story. New Marks either add to or intensify previous manifestations.

d12	Manifestation
1	Your eyes glow faintly in darkness, reflecting ghost-light.
2	An unnatural scar or sigil burns into your flesh and sometimes bleeds.
3	Your shadow moves independently or distorts into monstrous shapes.
4	Whispering voices follow you; others may hear them in silence.
5	Your hands or tongue are permanently stained a deep crimson.
6	Veins glow faintly under your skin, pulsing like embers.
7	Your breath fogs even in warmth, sometimes forming ghostly shapes.
8	Your reflection lags or distorts unnaturally.
9	A faint smell of old blood lingers around you; animals shy away.
10	One eye or limb takes on an inhuman or corpse-like quality.
11	At times you involuntarily speak in a spirit’s voice or language.
12	Your aura is warped; mortals feel dread or nausea in your presence.

Spirit Marks can be cosmetic at first but become impossible to hide as they accumulate. By the time you have 6 or more Marks, your Corruption is obvious to everyone.

Physical Toll

Blood Sorcery wears down the body:

• Practitioners grow pale, gaunt, and scarred.
• Healing time is doubled, and Injuries often leave lasting scars or malformations.
• Every significant or mass ritual automatically adds 1 step of Fatigue after completion.

Emotional Erosion

Those who weigh lives as currency inevitably become detached.

• At 3 or more Spirit Marks, you suffer –1 die on all social rolls relying on empathy or compassion (charm, reassurance, persuasion)
• At 6 or more Spirit Marks, this penalty worsens to –2 dice, and mortals instinctively fear or resent you.
• This erosion has no hard limit but will eventually make you an outcast, feared even by allies.

Ability Tree

!Rules/[[Rules/Ability Trees/Ability Trees/Profession/Traditions/Blood Sorcery – The Scarlet Path|Blood Sorcery – The Scarlet Path]]

Roleplaying Blood Sorcery

• Blood Sorcerers bear physical and spiritual scars. Their presence is unsettling, their shadows too long, their eyes haunted
• Each rite should feel like a transaction with consequences. Show the cost in relationships, health, and community trust.
• Spirits called by blood are hungry and unpredictable. Some may honor bargains; others will twist or betray them.

GM Guidance

• Emphasize the two-step process: summon first, then bargain or coerce. This makes Blood Sorcery slower and riskier than Spirit Binding.
• Sacrifices should matter. Who or what is being bled? Make the stakes tangible.
• Failure should create story hooks: haunting Spirits, spiritual debt, or lingering Corruption.
• Spirits drawn to unwilling blood should be aggressively hostile; willing offerings and ancestral blood bring more cooperative entities.