Vaulderie

Vaulderie is a Sabbat ritual used in place of bloodbonding in order to tie a pack together and prevent them from being in danger of falling under the thrall of outsiders.

History

When the Anarch Revolt broke out, members of what would become the Sabbat began to actively seek a way to break free of the dangers of blood bonds, recognizing them as one of the most major tools used against younger vampires by their elders to keep them from rising to power or changing the status quo. After significant (and grisly) experimentation, a small group of Kolduns managed to invent a Koldunism ritual based on a rare magical bloom they discovered that allowed them to break free of their elders' bonds. The flower was said to be the heart of an ancient demon, and that its use could bind or release demons, allowing the Kolduns to successfully redirect its power against the binding laid on them, mingling it with the blood of an elder in order to refocus it.

This process was refined into the modern vaulderie ritual over the ensuing years, during which time it quickly spread throughout the newborn Sabbat, offering as it did a way of becoming immune to one of the greatest weapons of the hated elders. Early attempts at vaulderie occasionally resulted in no bond or in individual blood bonds, causing some odd configurations to arise among early Sabbat leadership, but the modern version of the ritual has removed these irregularities.

Process

The vaulderie is usually performed by the pack's Priest, although higher-ranking vampires may do so in emergencies or special situations. A large bowl or cup is passed around to everyone involved in the ritual, into which they drip some of their blood; once everyone has done so, the Priest performs a ritual to fully mingle the vitae together. This creates a potent shared vitae that is powerful enough to affect a drinker but which binds them to the entire group, rather than to a single all-powerful master. Each vampire drinks from the bowl once the vitae is prepared, creating a vinculum.

Vincula are similar to blood bonds, except that they are communal; a vampire with a vinculum is bound to everyone with whom they performed the vaulderie, and in turn they are all bound to them. The effect is similar to the overwhelming powers of the blood bond spread among a number of people, diminishing the bond's intensity along the way; the result is that the vampire is bound to everyone involved, but with a minor bond that makes them likely to consider them friends and comrades-in-arms but does not bring with it the forced obsession and obedience of a full bond.

Once a vampire has participated in the vaulderie and created vincula to all other participants, they can never be fully bloodbound to any other domitor, as the vinculum acts the same as a pre-existing blood bond. However, vincula last a much shorter time than true blood bonds, and as a result the vampire must repeat the vaulderie at least once per month to prevent it from expiring, removing them from the connected loop of their pack.

Politics

The vaulderie is incredibly important to the Sabbat; indeed, the sect would have difficulty functioning without it, as its philosophical goals of indulging the Beast and spreading across humanity like murderous locusts automatically cause a certain amount of burgeoning selfishness and aggression between members. Priests must perform the vaulderie at least once a month to keep their pack from dissolving or even turning on itself, and participants may grumble but are aware that the minor inconvenience of having to support their comrades is better than the mindless obedience of the true bonds in other sects.

While it is not legally mandated for every member of the Sabbat to participate in the vaulderie every time, those who do not when the opportunity is presented are viewed with intense suspicion, as they may be avoiding it in order to escape sympathizing with their fellows or because they are already bound to someone else and acting as a spy. A Sabbat member who refuses to participate in the vaulderie until their vinculum lapses is likely to be ostracized by other members who see them as someone they can never fully trust, or even murdered by more pragmatic packs who don't want to wait around to see if betrayal is in their future.

See Also

Blood Bond
Sabbat