Na Nion Ogham: Ogham Branches

The Ogham discipline is unlike the more refined paths of Blood Sorcery in that the
discipline lacks structured paths. Ogham is more precisely a discipline composed of rituals. The
“traditional” powers that form the main body of the discipline (as detailed in Vampire the
Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition) can be thought of as the trunk of a great tree. From this
central pillar sprout various branches - rituals that build off of the primary powers.
Once a vampire has learned a particular level of this Discipline, they may then
subsequently develop these new “branches,” or na nion. The na nion are alternate powers that
expand the base power to include new effects. These effects are almost always in keeping with
the original function of the base power, but often expand the discipline’s purview to include new
capabilities.
There is theoretically no limit to the number of na nion that may exist, nor to how many
of these branches a vampire may learn.
System: When a vampire learns a level in Ogham, they may subsequently purchase
new branches at the same or lower level. The experience cost of new branches is the same as
a discipline dot of the level of the branch. For example, a Lhiannan who learns Ogham 2 may
choose to “repurchase” level 2 to learn a new power.

• Blōdmaercian
By drawing a mark in her own blood, the Lhiannan leaves a small, resonant echo of her
supernatural aura on the surrounding area. The blōdmaerc infuses the area with an otherworldly
atmosphere: the air is still and quiet, devoid of animal sounds, yet tree branches and leaves
seem to sway in a wind that cannot be felt. Sunlight is muted in the area during the daytime,
marking the place as the dwelling of a creature of night. In the nighttime hours, however,
moonlight is brighter and more focused, bathing the area in a strange luminance.
System: The blōdmaerc requires one blood point, which is used to draw the ancient
markings on a tree, stone, the ground, or any natural object. The blood, once painted and a brief
incantation intoned, glows softly as if heated like hot coals, and then drifts away as smoke,
leaving behind a dark, sooty residue in the shape of the blōdmaerc.
Roll the Lhiannan’s Charisma + Awareness at a difficulty of 5. Each success enhances
the area affected by the blōdmaerc.

Successes Area marked

1 success one perch (30 sq. yards/meters)
2 successes four perches (120 sq. yards/meters)
3 successes ten perches (300 sq. yards/meters)
4 successes one rood (1,200 sq. yards/meters)
5 successes one acre (4,800 sq. yards/meters)

The area need not be perfectly round - often, it follows natural boundaries such as the
edge of a wood, the clearing of a forest glen, or the winding and wending of a river, but the
exact dimensions are up to the vampire. It is possible, for example, to create a ringed area
surrounding the vampire’s cottage haven.
 Those who come near the boundary know intuitively that this area is the abode of a
supernatural creature, and animals become quiet and complacent. Courage rolls are made at
+1 difficulty by those without a Lhiannan spirit shard while in the area affected, and mortals
must succeed in a Courage roll (difficulty 8) to enter (because this roll is made outside the
boundaries of the affected area, the +1 difficulty penalty does not apply to this roll). During the
daytime, Fortitude difficulties to soak damage from sunlight are made at one less difficulty. All
Animal Ken rolls made by the Lhiannan in the area likewise have their difficulty reduced by 1.
If used outside of the Lhiannan’s chosen land, the effect lasts for one evening. In the
Lhiannan’s home territory, the mark remains active for one month.

• Heathen Convocation
The Lhiannan learns to speak to the spirits of an unfamiliar land through her blood by
joining her vitae (and the Spirit locked within) to the earth. Once the Convocation is enacted and
the proper introductions are made between the spirit shard in the vampire’s blood an the spirits
of the unfamiliar landscape, the vampire may utilize other Ogham powers as if she were
standing within her home territory, even if she is outside of the 50 mile (80 km) radius.
Nature spirits are welcoming of those who follow proper etiquette, but that etiquette
demands that the visitor not overstay their welcome. As such, the effects of this power are
temporary, and if the Lhiannan wishes to enjoy the hospitality of the land, she must continue to
feed the land with her blood.
System: The player spends a blood point, which is dripped or pressed into bare earth
with a fingertip to draw out the necessary glyphs. This enacts the Convocation within a 10 foot
(3-meter) radius. Each blood point expended when this power is used doubles the radius of this
effect: 2 blood points creates a 20 foot (6 meter) radius, while 3 blood points extends it to 40
feet (12 meters). There is no upper limit to the size of the area that can be affected, but the
Lhiannan must continuously expend blood when initiating this effect. That is, the vampire cannot
spend 2 blood points, stop to feed, and spend 3 more - once she stops spending blood points,
the effect is locked in. She can, however, enact this power while feeding. Ancient Lhiannan
could quickly adapt to a new land by consuming a blood sacrifice.
Heathen Convocation lasts for the rest of the scene. While in this radius, the Lhiannan
suffers no increase in the difficulty of her Ogham powers, and her dice pool penalty for being
away from her home territory (if she has incurred one) is temporarily negated while she stands
in the area of effect. Note that this land is not the Lhiannan’s true home territory, and Heathen
Convocation does not reset the time the vampire has been away from her territory, it only
alleviates the penalty for a scene (provided she stays in the area of effect).
If this power is used in the Lhiannan’s home territory, she lowers the difficulty of all
Ogham related rolls by 1 for the rest of the scene.

• Wicked Veil
Through Consecrate the Grove, the Lhiannan can temporarily cause plant life to come
alive and harry her enemies. The unrihtwrigels, the Wicked Veil, is a similar effect, but more
subtle and far more widely spread. When cast in the Lhiannan’s home territory (or an area
“adopted” through Heathen Convocation), the land will come alive in quiet, barely perceptible
ways that confound the senses of those who travel within. Even compasses will not function
properly in the area (and in modern times, data signals and radio reception would likewise find
themselves stymied).
Invoking the spirits of the land through her Spirit shard, the Lhiannan then chants
supplications and pleads with them to “bend the ways.” Tree branches will shift in subtle ways
and block out the stars, small plants will uproot and replant themselves, stones will shift
position, small brooks will widen or develop new bends, moss will appear on the wrong side of a
tree-trunk, mushrooms will sprout, and patches of vines will slither and move - all of these
effects occur only when the plants are unobserved. This has the unnerving effect of altering the
landscape in subtle ways that make it difficult for travelers to keep their bearings.
System: The Lhiannan drips a blood point of her vitae in a cross-pattern, signifying the
meeting place of the spirit world and the world of flesh - the crossroads. She then spends a
Willpower point to make the land come alive. The effect lasts for the rest of the evening, though
a Willpower point and a Blood point may be spent each night to maintain the effect.
Roll the vampire’s Manipulation + Occult, difficulty 6. This is an extended roll, and can be
continued, but each roll requires a blood point. Once blood points are no longer spent to enact
the effect, the Wicked Veil is in place.
The area of effect is one square mile (2.5 sq km) - all who enter this locations must
make an extended roll of Wits + Survival and score more successes than the vampire’s. The
difficulty depends on how fast the victim is moving: 5 if walking, 7 if running, and 9 if fleeing in
terror.
One roll can be made every 20 minutes of walking, one roll per 5 minutes of running, or
one roll per minute of fleeing at top speed. A botch at any point erases any existing successes,
requiring the victim to begin accumulating successes from scratch.
Until they have matched the vampire’s successes, they cannot leave the Veiled area.
They double-back on unfamiliar ground they have already covered.

• Scír Ungeþwære
Where as Heathen Convocation allows the Lhiannan to speak to the earth and soil, and
make the proper introductions needed to walk as part of the land, this branch allows the vampire
to listen to these wild and untamed places which speak to her in the sound of the branches in
the wind, the bounding of the startled deer, or the flutter of the night bird’s wing.
The Scír Ungeþwære (“skeer oon-geth-why-ree”) often translated into “Voice of the
Land” but more precisely meaning something closer to “Shining Dissonance,” can speak of
many things, informing the vampire of nearby happenings or intrusions by outsiders that stink of
human crafts, or warning the Kindred of spiritual unrest.
System: So long as the Lhiannan is in her home territory, or provided she has
communed with the land using Heathen Convocation (if in a location other than her home
territory), the vampire can place her hand to the ground, or to any natural formation or plant that
is rooted to or embedded in the ground (a boulder, a tree, a stream) and roll Perception +
Etiquette, difficulty 5.

1 success With one success, the vampire will know if anything “unusual” has occurred or is
occurring that evening within the area. While the vampire does not know the
exact nature of the event, it can include outsiders trespassing, a natural event
 like a sink-hole or lightning strike, or a sickness among plants or animals in the
area.

2 successes The Kindred gets an indication of how distant, how long ago, and in what
direction the event transpired.

3 successes The vampire knows something unusual has occurred, and also gains a rough
idea of what event has transpired. No specifics are given, a simple one-word
impression: “Intruders” or “Fire,” for example.

4 successes The Lhiannan can see the event as if she herself were present.

5 successes The vampire can sense an event before it takes place, as long as this power is
used in the same evening that the event will transpire. She has a vague sense of
how long until the event will happen (“When the moon has nearly set.” for
example.)

●Domain Breach

The koldun is so in tune with his domain that he is able to detect when an intruder makes her
way within its borders. This Discipline isn’t so focused as to identify and spotlight the location of
the intruder, instead providing adequate forewarning in advance of a surprise. A common tactic
upon sensing a visitor is to follow up by sending animal spies.

System: The koldun expends at least one point of blood within the area he wishes to affect with
this Discipline, and the player rolls to activate this power (Attribute: Perception). One square
kilometer (2/3 of a mile) surrounding the koldun is affected for each blood point spent. For the
remainder of the night, the koldun senses if any visitors enter or exit the determined area.If this
power is activated within the Białowieza Forest, no initial expenditure of blood is required. This
power cannot be used in a predominantly urban environment.

•• Cruthin Mask
The Lhiannan coats her face in her own blood, using her vitae as war paint to adopt the
fierce mein of a spirit of battle. Those who wish to harm her are startled and stymied by the spirit
in the mask, which appears to them briefly as a horrible vision overlaid atop the vampire’s face.
System: The vampire spends a scene applying a blood point’s worth of her own vitae to
her face in an elaborate design. The Lhiannan can apply the Cruthin Mask in the same scene
she applies a Crimson Woad, but must expend the blood point cost for each.
Once the Cruthin Mask is applied, the vampire then rolls Appearance + Occult, difficulty
7. For each success rolled, she can increase the difficulty of an attack roll made against her. As
many successes as desired can be used to increase attack difficulty (up to a maximum of 10),
but each success can only be used once.
While the Cruthin Mask is in effect any 10’s rolled on Intimidation checks count as 3
successes. Suffering 4 or more health levels of damage removes the Cruthin Mask.
•• Mark of the Dolmen
This Branch allows the Lhiannan to weave protective runes over her flesh using her own
blood, warding her as she slumbers. Should the vampires be endangered while slumbering (her
haven is infiltrated, for example), the Mark of the Dolmen will immediately bubble into a cloud of
smoke that billows from her skin. This is painful and searing to her flesh, causing no injury, but
awakening the vampire from her daytime rest.
If the vampire’s rest is undisturbed, she awakens empowered by the glyphs inscribed
upon her flesh.
System: Inscribing the Mark of the Dolmen on her body requires a blood point and one
scene of work. If, during her daytime slumber, the vampire would be subject to potential harm
from intruders or events that affect her haven, she will awaken immediately without a roll.
Because of the searing pain, she must make a Self-Control roll to avoid frenzying. Whether she
frenzies or not, the vampire can operate for 1 turn per dot of Humanity without penalty from
daytime fatigue when so awoken.
If the vampire is not awoken during her daytime rest, then the glyphs steam from her
body gently, imparting on her a special boon that depends on the moon phase during which she
awakens:

New Moon: Awaken with an Arcane rating of 1 (or 1 higher, if you already have the Arcane
background). This lasts until the sun rises.

Crescent Moon: Awaken with an additional Willpower point restored. This may temporarily
exceed your maximum Willpower (if your Willpower points were full when you rested), but if the
vampire’s Willpower points exceed her maximum rating, the excess point is lost at sunrise.

Half Moon: Awaken early, as if you had the Early Riser merit, and gain a -1 difficulty to your first
Hunting roll of the night.

Gibbous Moon: Awaken with a life-like flush that lasts for three hours, giving you the
appearance of mortality. Difficulty to resist frenzy is 1 less during this time.

Full Moon: Awaken healed of 2 health levels of normal (Bashing or Lethal) damage. This can
exceed your normal health level maximum: if you were fully healed when you slept the prior
evening, you awaken with two additional Bruised (OK) health levels. Once these health levels
are lost, or when the sun rises, the excess health levels are removed and cannot be healed
back. For the rest of the evening, you also subtract 1 from the difficulty of all Feats of Strength.

•• Scynn fram se Wudwas

The Lhiannan draws glyphs and markings on her flesh in her own blood, and to this she
applies a crude lattice of leaves, tree bark, moss, and vines. Her blood hardens like sap and
infuses the plant matter adorning her into the Skin of the Woodwose, granting her a frightful
appearance that protects her from harm and makes her movements through her land unseen.
 System: It requires a blood point and a full scene to apply the Skin of the Woodwose,
after which the vampire must succeed in a roll of Stamina + Occult. A success means the power
lasts for one scene. With 3 or more successes, the effect lasts until the vampire awakens the
next evening. The difficulty of all damage rolls made against the Lhiannan are increased by 1
while this power is active. Fire, sunlight, and magical attacks are rolled at the normal difficulties,
however.
The Lhiannan can also remain unseen while in her home territory (or an area adopted
through Heathen Convocation). The difficulty of dice pools rolled to notice the Lhiannan
protected by Skin of the Woodwose increases by 1 if she is moving, or 3 if she is motionless.
Lastly, a vampire employing this power leaves no trace of her passing - no footprints,
broken leaves, scents, or any other lingering effect is left behind. Animals likewise do not take
special notice of the vampire, despite being aware of her presence - to them, she is as natural a
part of the background as a tree or stone. This does not affect werecreatures or vampires in
animal form.

●●Fingers of Bialowieza

The koldun with this power commands nearby plants and trees to ensnare, and potentially
immobilize, their victims. This Discipline affects plants of all size, compelling thin roots through
to old, twisted branches. Koldun often use Fingers of Białowieza on plants surrounding paths
leading to their havens.

System: The koldun expends blood, ensuring it touches the plant she wishes to affect, and rolls
to activate this power (Attribute: Dexterity). The plant will attempt to ensnare anyone passing
within two meters (2 yards) of its reach, remaining ready to grapple in this way for one night per
blood point spent. For the purposes of grappling, the plant rolls six dice. It inflicts one level of
bashing damage for each turn subsequent to a successful grapple. The plant gains an
additional die to grappling with each subsequent turn, to a maximum of ten dice. Small plants
possess two health levels

••• Curse the Land

The same wicked spirits that the Lhiannan enlist to curse their foes can also be
commanded to curse the very land itself. Corrupting the land is a tactic the embattled Lhiannan
use to drive off their enemies, making their settlements bleak and soul-wearying, their crop-
lands barren, making the creatures of the wilderness no longer afraid of the smell of human
beings, and the domesticated livestock mutinous.
Only in the most dire circumstances would a Lhiannan curse their own home territory.
System: The Lhiannan spends three blood points and inscribes an accursed glyph
somewhere in the vicinity of the location she is trying to affect. She then rolls Willpower,
difficulty 7. Each success affects a 1 mile (1 and ½ kilometer) radius around the inscribed glyph.
The specific glyph determines which curse will affect the area. The glyph does not
activate until someone other than a member of the Lhiannan bloodline sees the inscription,
although the Lhiannan often employ a mortal cultist or ally, called a Wids, or “witness” to
activate the curse at the time of casting. The effects last until the glyph is removed or washed
away. Lhiannan (who possess a fragment of a nature spirit in their blood) are not affected by
these curses.

Beasts of the Wild: Usually inscribed on an animal carcass or bones. The creatures of the Earth
become emboldened. Wild animals that would normally shy away from human settlements
begin to sojourn through city streets and suburban backyards. Domesticated animals become
unruly and may attempt to run free. All Animal Ken rolls are at +2 difficulty in the area, including
Animalism rolls that rely on that Ability. Animals in the area will treat Humans without Animal
Ken as if they were Vampires, and even Kindred with Animal Ken or Animalism will offend
animals as if they lacked those disciplines. Ghouled animals and vampires in animal or bestial
forms have their Frenzy difficulty increased by 1.

Blight: Usually inscribed on a fallen tree. The land becomes sickened and distorted. Plants
wither, but do not die, producing tainted fruit and twisted, gnarled seedlings. Animals and
mortals in the area feel weak: while they remain in the vicinity, both 1’s and 2’s subtract
successes from their rolls (although 2’s do not count for botches). Death among the sick,
elderly, infants, and mothers during childbirth become far more common. Vampires gain only
half the number of blood points taken when feeding in a Blighted Land.

Gloom: Usually inscribed on a rock or stone that is not touched by sunlight (such as inside a
cave or a cellar). A brooding air of dismay descends upon the land. Lights seem dimmer, colors
are less vibrant, and animals are hushed, leaving a strange silence in the area. Mortals who
dwell in this area tend toward depression and dour cynicism. Spending Willpower points while in
the area of Gloom adds only an extra die to a character’s dice pool, rather than offering an
automatic success. Additionally, Willpower points may not be regained by resting while in the
area while the Gloom is in effect.

Rain of Blood: Usually inscribed on a ritually slain human corpse. The area is plagued by
unnatural weather, during which time the sky becomes pregnant with a mist of red, blood like
rain. This liquid has the appearance of blood, although modern scientific testing will find
concentrations of iron giving the water droplets their coloration. Perception rolls have their
difficulties increased by 1 while the red rain falls. Additionally, mortals are disconcerted,
succumbing to fear, anxiety and madness, while Kindred in the area find their beasts aroused
by the thick metallic aroma, and all Virtue rolls are reduced by 1 die while in the midsts of a
Blood Rain.

••• Embrace the Land

While Heathen Convocation allows the Lhiannan to make a hasty introduction in a time
of need, Embrace the Land is a solemn and binding oath - through this Branch, the vampire bids
a permanent farewell to her existing home territory and attunes her spirit shard to a new
Domain.
This power is often taught by a Sire to their Childe when the two ultimately part ways.
System: The rituals to both sever the vampire’s ties to her existing home territory and
forge a lasting pact with the spirits of a new land can only be performed on the nights of a new
moon - this is a time for transition, for new beginnings. Because of this restriction, the Lhiannan
will often endure great hardship as traveling to her new domain may mean that a full lunar cycle
could pass before she is able to find and attune to a new location. During this time, her dice
pools will shrink, so she may need to spend Willpower to ensure a successful binding at her
new chosen location.
To bind her spirit shard to the new land is also a harrowing process: the Lhiannan must
bleed herself completely of any blood points retained from hunting in her previous site, and must
also ensure that all blood points currently in her blood pool come from creatures and mortals
that live in the area she wishes to attune to. In desperation, some Lhiannan bleed themselves or
burn away their blood to enhance their traits, drawing in enough blood from captured animals or
mortals to sustain them through the ritual.
With the above conditions met, the Lhiannan must cut open her flesh and bleed three
blood points onto the earth below her. The Lhiannan often chant this incantation in Old English
as they conduct the ritual, saying the lines as they let their blood spill to the earth, turning
clockwise each time they finish the incantation, starting from the North:

“One for the Spirits, inside and without.

“One for the Crone, whence the red well springs .
“One for the Land, that my blood flow through thee,
“And thee through my blood, that our flesh and bone entwine.”

This done, the Lhiannan rolls her Path or Humanity rating. This roll suffers from the dice
pool reduction from the Lhiannan’s clan weakness, but additional blood points may be spent to
appease the spirits, adding additional dice to this roll. The difficulty is 8, but unless Heathen
Convocation is enacted first, the roll also suffers the difficulty increase from the Lhiannan’s clan
weakness (making it 9). Elder Lhiannan who wish to attune to a site of mystical power will often
drink of the site’s energy to bolster their dice pool as well.
This is an extended roll, with each roll representing about 20 minutes of chanting. The
Lhiannan needs 5 successes total. Once completed, the 50 mile (80 km) radius around the
Lhiannan is now considered her new home territory. Her previous land is now foreign to her, but
the proper rituals being done in parting, the difficulty for the Lhiannan to use Heathen
Convocation in her previous domain is considered 1 less for at least a century after leaving (the
land has a long memory).

●●●Grondrska’s Impasse

The tale tells of a poacher who trespassed into Tzimisce lands. It wasn’t long before he was
fleeing in a dread panic. He thought he knew the forest, but the trees were moving around him,
cutting off his exit, herding him directly to the hungry Cainite waiting within. Grondrska’s
Impasse makes this terrible legend a reality.

System: The koldun expends at least one point of blood within the area she wishes to affect,
and the player rolls to acti-vate this power (Attribute: Perception). One square kilometer (2/3 of a
mile) surrounding the koldun is affected for each blood point spent. For the remainder of the
night, any visitors sensed using Domain Breach suffer an increased difficulty of three on
attempts to track, escape, and navigate within the area, as the undergrowth shifts and looms
around the intruder. If the visitor fails his roll, the koldun can choose whether to move him
closer, farther away, or in the direction of a well-placed trap.If this power is activated within the
Białowieza Forest, the undergrowth saps two dots from the visitor’s Perception, returned if he
leaves the area. The koldun can choose to have this not affect certain visitors who triggered the
power of Domain Breach.

•••• Storm and Stars

The Lhiannan learns to inscribe the sigils of the Stars, which guide her way in the
nighttime sky, or the Storm, which shields her from the sun’s scorching rays.
System: The Lhiannan spends 15 minutes and three points of blood to inscribe either
one of the Storm or Stars sigils on an exposed part of her body, or that of a willing subject.
Inscribing more than one sigil (such as both the Storm and Stars, or the Storm and Sun, for
example), requires another 15 minutes and another 3 blood points for each sigil inscribed.
The sign of the Storm allows the vampire to remain active during the daytime without
making Awakening rolls for a number of hours equal to her Willpower. She still suffers damage
from sunlight as normal.
The Stars symbol adds a special effect based on which astrological sign you impart. In
addition, each sign imparts a new Nature on the vampire for as long as the sign remains: she
may regain willpower by fulfilling this new Nature, not her true nature for as long as the sigil
lasts. If the vampire already possesses the Nature in question, then this part of the sigil has no
effect. Only one sigil of the Stars can be inscribed at a time:

● Birch: +1 to Leadership and Performance dice pools. Your nature changes to Director.
● Rowan: +1 to Alertness and Investigation dice pools. Your nature changes to Visionary.
● Ash: +1 to Expression and Intimidation dice pools. Your nature changes to Loner.
● Alder: +1 to Etiquette and Politics dice pools. Your nature changes to Perfectionist.
● Willow: +1 to Awareness and Occult dice pools. Your nature changes to Guru.
● Hawthorn: +1 to Empathy and Subterfuge dice pools. Your nature changes to Enigma.
● Oak: +1 to Academics and Courage dice pools. Your nature changes to Celebrant.
● Holly: +1 to Leadership and Self-Control dice pools. Your nature changes to Competitor.
● Hazel: +1 to Academics and Science dice pools. Your nature changes to Pedagogue.
● Vine: +1 to Etiquette and Finance dice pools. Your nature changes to Chameleon.
● Ivy: +1 to Streetwise and Survival dice pools. Your nature changes to Survivor.
● Reed: +1 to Investigation and Subterfuge dice pools. Your nature changes to Judge.
● Elder: +1 to Brawl and Conscience dice pools. Your nature changes to Thrill-Seeker.

•••• Blood and Soul

This Branch allows the Lhiannan to break off a sliver of the Spirit within her blood, as
she does when embracing a new Childe. By marking the recipient (called a witega, or “prophet”)
with the sigils of Blood and Soul, be they a mortal, an animal, another Kindred, or even an
object, the Lhiannan infuses a part of her twin soul into that recipient. The spirit-sliver is small,
not enough to weaken the vampire permanently, but enough to empower the recipient in a
number of ways. This ritual also binds the two inseparably through the connection of the spirit.
System: Enacting the ritual requires a full scene in which glyphs of Blood and symbols
of the Soul are painted on the recipient of the spirit shard. This costs 2 blood points and one
point of Willpower.
The recipient of Blood and Soul gains a number of effects:

● The ritual includes drinking a blood point of the Lhiannan’s blood (factored into the cost
of the discipline). Because the spirit shard is transferred, even in a small part, this counts
as a 2 step blood bond. The recipient, if mortal or animal, becomes a Ghoul.
● They are ever after identifiable to Auspex and to mortals in the same way as a Lhiannan,
but in a less severe way. Auspex has a -1 difficulty to detect them as somehow
supernaturally “touched.” Mortals will not be uneasy around the recipient but will note
something strange about them.
● The witega can learn Ogham up to a level allowable to their generation (ghouls are
restricted by the Lhiannan’s generation as normal). As they have no home territory, all
Ogham difficulties are increased by 1. The storyteller may forbid such witega from
learning Ogham Branches, if desired.
● The witega counts as a Lhiannan for any Ogham effects that specifically exclude or
pertain to Lhiannan vampires (such as Curse the Land).
● The Lhiannan and the witega can sense each other when near (within 1 mile or 1.5
kilometers) with a Perception + Awareness roll. General emotional state can be
determined with 3 or more successes. Should the recipient or the Lhiannan die, the
other will instantly be aware.

●●●●The Mouth of Djabelek

Djabelek is a terrifying Tzimisce buried somewhere within the Białowieza Forest. It is said that
somehow he continues to feed despite his torpid state, opening his mouth while dreaming,
consuming whatever falls in. This power often results in swift death for intruding mortals, as the
earth opens around them. Koldun are known to make use of The Mouth of Djabelek near their
havens as a security measure, and in the heat of battle to catch an opponent unawares. A
tongue of cold mud drags the intruder down into the earth, with grinding rocks and crushing
earth pulverizing the victim.

System: The koldun spills at least one point of blood within the earthen area she wishes to
affect, and spends a point of Willpower along with making the roll to activate this power
(Attribute: Strength). Should any being step within ten meters (11 yards) of where the power
was activated, a pit two meters (2 yards) in diameter and three meters (3 yards) deep opens.
Each blood point spent leaves the victim trapped and immobile for a turn. To break free requires
a successful Strength-based roll on the part of the victim (difficulty 8) and requires five
successes on an extended test. Beings trapped in the pit suffer two levels of lethal damage
each turn, which can be soaked (difficulty 7).If this power is activated within the Białowieza
Forest, the duration of this power is doubled. The koldun can choose to have this not affect
certain visitors.

••••• Heal the Land

Land sucked barren through Drink Dry the Earth can provide no power to the Lhiannan.
As the bloodline is loathe to leave their domains, where their power is greatest, some Lhiannan
have learned to revitalize the parched land by feeding it the blood of the living.
This act of ritual sacrifice replenishes some of the lost power that is faded from the land
through the energy feasting of the Lhiannan. Such power is quite expensive, and requires
copious amounts of living blood.
The dark aspect of this ritual to empower the earth casts a morbid veil across the land so
tainted with blood. The site begins to take on a spiritual aura similar to that of the Lhiannan’s
clan weakness - mortals shun the place, and those sensitive to the supernatural (or vampires
with Auspex) will be able to identify the corrupting influence.
System: To replenish some of a mystical site’s spent power, the Lhiannan must perform
a ritual requiring an entire scene, which culminates in the sacrifice of a living creature. The ritual
must occur when the stars align, requiring a successful Intelligence + Occult roll to plot (difficulty
8). If this roll fails, the Lhiannan must wait another month to replot the astrological alignment
before proceeding. A botch means that a terrible portent has been glimpsed in the stars, and the
Lhiannan must immediately check for fear frenzy.
Once the date for the ritual has been plotted (the more successes on the Intelligence +
Occult roll, the more auspicious and convenient the date is), the Lhiannan can perform the rite
of replenishment.
During the rite, roll the vampire’s Charisma + Occult, difficulty 7. This can be done as an
extended roll, with one roll per hour of the ritual.
At the culmination of the ritual, one or more living creatures (mortals, ghouls or animals)
are sacrificed, their blood spilled on the earth at the heart of the sacred site. Such creatures
sacrificed do not return as ghosts or spirits, and performing this rite results in the loss of at least
one Humanity point for all present. The Lhiannan presiding over the right must make a
Conscience check at difficulty 8 or lose a second Humanity point. All human participants of the
ritual, whether they are mortal processionnaires or ghoul acolytes, gain a muted form of the
Lhiannan clan weakness: other humans become uncomfortable in their presence, and vampires
can detect the mark of the supernatural on them through Auspex at -2 difficulty.
Each success scored on the initial, extended ritual roll is one spilled blood point that is
transferred to the site’s number of stored successes. The maximum number of successes that
can be replenished at one time is the number of blood points spilled in the ritual. The site’s
power rating increases as befitting its new number of available successes (for example, a site
that went from 17 to 24 stored successes would go from Rank 1 to Rank 2).
A site that has been completely drained of power cannot be replenished unless the
blood sacrificed is that of a vampire.

●●●●●The White Tower

The Białowieza takes its name from Djabelek’s notorious tower built of his victims’ bleached
white bones, stacked high to make a particularly foreboding haven. The tower has long been
absent from the forest, but occasional tales of its reconstruction emerge from the wilderness —
and not always in the Białowieza Forest. The White Tower is the gift provided by the demons of
the earth with whom Djabelek once made his pact. The bones of all the victims of the
Białowieza kraina force their way from the earth and cocoon the koldun summoning them in a
tower of earth and bone at least five meters (5 1/2 yards) tall. The koldun can remain inside the
haven for as long as her blood will hold out, or fold back into the earth with the tower and
reemerge elsewhere, away from danger.

System: The koldun scatters one point of blood on the soil; the player spends a point of
Willpower and makes the roll to activate this power (Attribute: Stamina). The White Tower takes
effect immediately, the earth shifting, jagged bones and blocks of earth forming an apparently
organic circular wall to surround the koldun, at five meters (5 1/2 yards) tall. For each success
on activation, another floor five meters high is constructed above the initial one, one floor a turn.
The White Tower stretches beneath the earth as far as it stretches above it, and bears no
entrance or exit, unless the koldun wills one. Any possessions left within the last time the
Discipline was activated remain in the tower. The White Tower is highly resistant to external
forces, possessing 20 levels of health and an invulnerability to all but aggravated damage. The
White Tower can fold back into the earth with the koldun in tow, at the expenditure of a further
blood point and single point of Willpower. At this point, the vampire is effectively entombed five
meters (5 1/2 yards) beneath the earth at the location where the White Tower stood. For the
cost of an additional blood point and point of Willpower, along with the roll for activating the
power (Attribute: Stamina), the White Tower emerges anywhere within 20 kilometers (12 1/2
miles) of the previous location, providing the area is forested. The size of this new White Tower
is established in the same manner as the initial roll.The White Tower does not deconstruct if the
koldun wills an exit to appear and departs the building. If any Cainite

••••• Walk the Dodman’s Line

The places of power that resonate with the spirit shard within each Lhiannan are
connected by invisible lines of force that channel their energy and direct it like the flow of vast,
invisible delta system. This Branch of Ogham allows the vampire to recognize these lines of
power, and with great effort to travel them without the aid of beast or carriage.
System: When at a place of power identified through Drink Dry the Earth, and the
Lhiannan scores three or more successes on her Perception + Occult roll to determine if the site
is suitable for feasting, she also learns of any lines of power connecting that site to another pool
of mystical energy. The Lhiannan will know the direction of these lines of power, and more
successes can grant additional information: four successes reveals the rough distance between
the two sites, and five successes allow the vampire to gauge the general power level of the
remote site (on the power scale of 1 to 5).
When the direction of a connected site is known, the Lhiannan may pay points of blood
to transport herself bodily from the site of power where she stands to the remote location. 2
blood points are necessary to ingratiate herself to the spirits that live at the site where she
stands. As the spirit inside of her must make contact from a distance with the spirits at the
remote site, 3 blood points are required to supplicate those entities.
Once the price is paid, the Lhiannan rolls Stamina + Etiquette, difficulty 8. Success
allows her to step from this realm briefly into the realm of spirits. She seems to fade as she
steps forward, disappearing as if her body were mist in the morning sun. She appears at the
destination site in much the same way. The journey is swift, as spirit travels faster than flesh,
taking roughly 1 minutes per 5 miles (8 kilometers). Each success allows the Lhiannan to
appear closer to the destination site:

1 success Within a mile (1.5 km) of the site, along the line of power.
2 successes Within a half mile (0.75 km)
3 successes Within 100 yards (meters)
4 successes Within 10 yards (meters)
5 successes Directly at the site

A Lhiannan who appears at a distance from the site can follow the line of force through a
sort of sixth sense until she reaches the place of power, or the sun rises (whichever comes first].
A botch on the travelling roll means the Lhiannan enters the spirit realm but does not
travel. This is a predicament as the Lhiannan has already made the parting farewells to the
spirits of the origin site as part of the ritual to enact this power. The spirits will not look kindly on
a dawdling Lhiannan, so re-entering the flesh-world from the site of origin is generally forbidden
within the same night. As such, the Lhiannan must follow the line of power on foot to reach the
destination site (where she can step through to the physical world unimpeded), or she must
discover another way to return.

••••• • Ancient Invocation

The spirit shard within each Lhiannan possesses many secrets. Inscribe the Forgotten
Names allows the vampire to “extract” the secret names of supernatural beasts, but there are
other secrets that the spirit shard can unveil.
The Ancient Invocation forces the spirit within the Lhiannan’s blood to surrender some of
its otherworldly power, investing the vampire with strange abilities like those of a spirit.
System: The Lhiannan rolls Manipulation + Occult, difficulty 8, and expends 3 blood
points. The blood pours from her eyes, nose, ears and mouth over the course of half an hour’s
time. Each success grants the Lhiannan one of the powers listed below.

Breath of Leaf and Breeze: The vampire gains the following powers:
● The Lhiannan can fly at her normal movement speed for one scene. Maneuvering while
flying utilizes Dexterity + Athletics.
● For the scene in which Breath of Leaf and Breeze is active, the vampire may expend a
blood point to cause a powerful gale of wind to buffet enemies. This requires a roll of
Willpower (Difficulty 7). The gust strikes in a column 5 yards (meters) wide and 20 yards
(meters) long. All in its path must make a Strength + Athletics check or be knocked back
(or up into the air) a number of yards equal to the successes on the Willpower roll
(suffering 1 level of bashing damage per yard thrown). The damage can be greater (or
 lethal) if the target is pushed from a great height, or lands on jagged terrain. Each turn
following the initial use of this power, those in range must make another Strength +
Athletics roll to remain standing, although each subsequent turn following the first
reduces the number of successes rolled on the initial Willpower roll by 1. If there are no
successes left on a turn, the gust of wind subsides.
● For the remainder of the night, the Lhiannan will appear to breathe, as if she had
expended blood points to mimic the appearance of life.

Warmth of Sun and Flame: The Lhiannan gains the following powers:
● For one scene, each time the vampire comes in contact with fire, sunlight, or extreme
heat, no damage is suffered on the first turn of contact. Thus, if the vampire is capable of
moving through the fire in one turn, she will suffer no damage.
● By expending a blood point and rolling Willpower (difficulty 7) during the scene in which
Warmth of Sun and Flame is active, the vampire may expel a roiling heat-haze from her
outstretched hand. Anyone within a 3 yard (meter) arc in front of the vampire, out to a
range of 5 yards (meters) suffers one health level of aggravated damage. If the vampire
scores 3 or more successes, 2 health levels of aggravated damage are inflicted. 5 or
more successes inflict 3 health levels of aggravated damage. A botched soak roll causes
the target to light on fire, suffering an additional level of aggravated damage each turn
until the fire is put out.
● The vampire’s flesh is warm to the touch, and she has a life-like flush to her skin for the
rest of the evening.

Flesh of Bark and Stone: The vampire gains the following powers:
● The vampire may draw life from the earth. While standing barefoot on open ground
(whether covered by grass or soil), the vampire regains one level of normal (lethal or
bashing) damage per turn. She must make a healing roll (Stamina + Survival, difficulty 8)
to take any other action during the turn in which she heals. This effect lasts for one
scene.
● By expending a point of blood and rolling Willpower (difficulty 7) during the scene in
which Flesh of Bark and Stone is active, the vampire may cause the earth, stone and
plant life nearby to attack everyone within a 10 yard (meter) radius. The land attacks with
a dice pool equal to the Lhiannan’s Willpower, which is applied to each enemy
separately. The land may perform various attack maneuvers, like striking, tripping or
grappling, as rocks fall, trees collapse, vines, branches and roots grasp, thorns grip and
rend, and tree limbs splinter and skewer. The number of successes on the initial
Willpower roll determines how many turns the land will attack, and each target struck in
a turn suffers Bashing or Lethal damage equal to 2 + the maneuver successes beyond
the first needed to strike.
● During the scene in which this power is active, the vampire may eat food and drink
fluids, although she does not actually digest this and only holds it down until she can
purge the offending gruel when the scene ends.

Blood of Sap and Rain: The Lhiannan gains the following powers:
 ● The vampire has complete control over her buoyancy and the flow of water around her
for one scene, being able to travel at twice her movement speed while underwater and
act freely. While completely submerged in water during this time, the vampire is immune
to damage from sunlight, even if it would touch her through the surface of the water.
● By spending a blood point and rolling Willpower (difficulty 7), the vampire may cause
nearby water to lash out at anyone within a 10 yard (meter) radius for one turn per
success. If no water is available, the vampire’s very blood will flow across the ground to
reach her victims. The water will flow up a target’s body and into their mouth, filling their
lungs. Mortals die if they are drowned for more turns than they have dots of Stamina.
Vampires are unable to speak during this time, and lose one point of blood per success
as it is forced out of their veins as sweat by the invading water. This is an unnerving
experience, and the affected vampire must check for fear frenzy (difficulty 5).
● The vampire may engage in sexual intercourse for the remainder of the evening without
needing to spend blood points.

Unnatural Decay

Level One Rite — The Białowieza Kraina — Attribute: Stamina

Koldun hold special ire for mortals who dare refuse to settle taxes and make blood sacrifices
when required. Such disrespect is punishable by souring the earth itself, cursing the bounty it
produces and those who consume it.

System: Upon completion of the rite, all crops within one kilometer (2/3 of a mile) of the rite’s
completion become mildly poisonous to humans, causing those who consume the toxic produce
to lose one dot of Stamina a week. The rite is undone through a mortal’s bloodletting on the
cursed earth. This only technically requires the loss of about three blood points, but often means
the mortal’s death in practice.

Drinking Death

Level One Rite — The Białowieza Kraina — Attribute: Strength

Mortals farm the earth, and Cainites farm the mortals. When mortals become victim to plague
and war, however, a vampire can struggle to find blood. This rite allows a koldun to consume
blood from the gravesites of deceased mortals.

System: Upon completion of the rite, the koldun is subsequently capable of drinking blood from
the earth of a gravesite. The koldun must lay prostrate on the ground, face in the soil, and take
the earth in his mouth. Only one blood point can be gained this way from each grave, and one
such grave in the immediate area can be affected per success in the casting. The rite’s effects
are permanent until one of the graves is consecrated by an individual with True Faith.