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They gather in dark halls, dilapidated homes and abandoned warehouses. Ordinary people by day, they don arcane robes of office, daub their faces with paint and gather in secret on holy nights, full moons and other allegedly significant times. Animals are sacrificed. Ancient incantations are read. Holy symbols defiled.  Cultists aren’t completely defined by their beliefs. They’re ordinary people with lives, lovers, family and friends. By day, they’re photographers, training consultants, brokers, teachers, office managers, real-estate agents, journalists and line editors, Yet, something drives worshippers to dress up in robes, make sacrifices to an unfathomable deity and surrender their free will. The reason is different for each of them. For some it’s as prosaic as a lust for power. Other motivations include revenge, a need for answers to life’s mysteries, a genuine interest in the occult, or a need to protect family or friends from a perceived threat.

 

EARTHBOUND THRALL HUD FEILDS

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ESSSENCE : FAITH = Composure + Resolve +1 per cult rank.

BALANCE : TORMENT = Cult Rank minus 1

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AURA'S & SCENTS

The Thrall will register as human period. Their True Form is Human. Their Aura is Human.

Their wyrm trait may be high if their torment Is 5 or greater.

The Greatest Threat of the Earthbound is that their servants are almost impossible to detect.

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"The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he doesn't exit "

Earthbound and Fallen are mysteries even to supernatural races, Mages and Garou believe that umbral demons are the ones of legend, when in fact those entities are but mere constructs born of human imagination... "If god didn't exist, it would be necessary to invent him", The Earthbound and the Fallen, are the fact that the umbral fictions are based on. Earthbound and Fallen should not be confused with the pretenders, even if the  stereotypical, trope wielding, umbral depictions believe themselves not to be fictions.

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NOTES:  Thralls are NOT possessed, they are also Human. No matter how many infernal gifts they possesses they will -always- register as human to species detection powers. They may even register as Human Superior if they are extremely gifted and high level. There is almost zero -detection magic- difference between them and a human possessed of True Faith (As the source of empowerment is celestial ultimately) Using detection magics is ultimately likely to reveal more about the -scanner- than the thrall, as use of magics are generally detectable by who take the appropriate gift.

 

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RANK 1 : INITIATE

In character application only (cost free)

TORMENT: Zero

FAITH:  Composure + Resolve + ◉

Gains Faith Ability and may add faith rank to willpower rolls to resist emotional or mental commands from other supernaturals (barring higher cult members) (This essentially doubles your willpower rolls as your faith rank is identical to your composure + resolve score)

Immunity to Fog & Delirium

Gift Points:  5 to Purchase Rank 1 Gifts

Flaw points: None

INITIATE KNOWLEDGE: An initiate is taught that C.O.T.E.B contains a secretive society. The secretive society is just like the free masons. A secret club for the well to do, C.O.T.E.B has many famous luminaries and since joining the cult, the individuals own circumstances have greatly improved.

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RANK 2: ACOLYTE

In character promotion only (cost 25 XP when promoted to rank)

TORMENT ◉ 

FAITH:  Composure + Resolve + ◉◉

Immunity to Blood Bonds & Ghouling & Possession  (Except by the Earthbound itself)

Immunity to magical binds that seek to "control" a thralls behaviour. Exception: Those of higher cult rank or the earthbound himself may impose binds.

Cannot be Embraced by vampires.

Any potential awakened avatar you had is destroyed.

Gift Points: 15 to Purchase Rank 1 + 2 Gifts

Flaw points: 3 (must be spent) 

May Purchase Relics & Rituals with XP

ACOLYTE KNOWLEDGE: An Acolyte is taught that The Collections Outset Trust and Educational Benefactors have archaic rituals that venerate an old German Pagan god called Coteb. They occasionally have ritual animal sacrifices, dress in robes and perform rituals.

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RANK 3:  (Blood Of Coteb, Hand Of Coteb, Power Of Coteb, Eye Of Coteb, Spirit Of Coteb, Voice Of Coteb) :DISCIPLE 

In character promotion only (cost 50 XP when promoted to rank) RANK 3 opens up a whole new world to the cultist not only in knowledge but in access to powers.

TORMENT ◉◉

FAITH:  Composure + Resolve + ◉◉◉

May add Faith to rolls to resist  Fear & Intimidation by non Earthbound

Death's Promise

Revelation  

Gift Points 15 to Purchase Rank 1 + 2 + 3 Gifts

Flaw points 3 (must be spent) 

May Purchase Evocations with XP

DISCIPLE KNOWLEDGE: A Disciple is taught that Coteb is actual a fallen angel. The fall occurred because God forbade Angels from helping humanity. The Rebels lost the war of wrath because of Lucifer's Betrayal. At this point the Thrall is made aware of the Aspects and made to chose one.

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RANK 4 : (Blood Of Coteb, Hand Of Coteb, Power Of Coteb, Eye Of Coteb, Spirit Of Coteb, Voice Of Coteb) :ORACLE

In character promotion only  (cost 75  XP when promoted to rank)

TORMENT ◉◉◉

FAITH:  Composure + Resolve + ◉◉◉◉

May add faith to rolls to disbelieve illusions (including obfuscate)

Gift Points 15 to Purchase Rank 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 Gifts 

Flaw points 3 (must be spent) 

ORACLE KNOWLEDGE: An Oracle now leads an aspect and has fully given themselves to the cult. They know -almost- as much as the cult leader.

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RANK 5 (NPC, Cult Storyteller Only) WILL OF COTEB 

TORMENT: ◉◉◉◉

FAITH:        ◉◉◉◉◉ ◉◉◉◉◉ ◉◉◉◉◉ 

Mind and Emotional control can only occur when the character botches a Willpower + Faith roll. If mind /emotional control does not require willpower to defend, add faith to the tested trait. Anything but a botch is a successful defense.

GIFTS & FLAWS: UNKNOWN

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TRUE NAMES: Generally in most encounters with non demonic entitles the subject of True Names will not come up. Changelings with the "Naming" Arts may try to Sain your characters True Name, but such a thing must be done in your characters presence. If they Try to Reweave or use Runic Imprint upon you, they will have unintentionally created a foci for your character. A foci allows you to scry the area it is in as though you were there in person. It also, more dangerously allows you to direct lores and other infernal powers directly through it, as though you were there in person. The only thing the foci cannot do, is brawl /melee/firearms/projectile attacks, anything else, from igniting the creator of the foci, to psychic assult is fair game.

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FAITH

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FAITH RANKING

(Equal to composure + resolve  + cult rank.)

Spent faith replenishes next DAY.

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INITIATE : The initiate may spend 1 point of faith per turn and can have up to 11 faith

ACOLYTE: The Acolyte may spend 2 points of faith per turn and can have up to 12 faith

DISCIPLE: The Disciple may spend 3 points of faith per turn and can have up to 13 faith

ORACLE: The Oracle may spend 4 points of faith per turn and can have up to 14 faith

WILL OF COTEB: The will of Coteb may spend 5 points of faith per turn and can have up to 15 faith

 

THE DEVOTION ROLL.

In order to regain spent faith the Thrall may make one devotion roll a night.

• At Initiate level this is generally just a moment of quite contemplation and thanks for their turn in fortune.

• At Acolyte level this is usually a prayer of thanks before the Alter of Coteb.

• At Disciple level this is a prayer and a small sacrifice of blood or money.

• At Oracle level the devotion can consist of anything from self flagellation to an animal or  human sacrifice

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• ROLL: COMPOSURE + RESOLVE  

• DIFFICULTY: = 16 minus Cult Rank

• SUCCESS:  =  1 success is enough to give you an allocation of dark faith equal  to your willpower. However if you score more successes than your willpower  you may keep these extra points for the night. (Max 10 points of dark faith total)  praise be. "Coteb Provides"

• FAILURE: = No extra faith is earned 

• BOTCH: =  All faith is lost for that night. You must endevor to serve Coteb better.

• NOTE:  Faith cannot be increased beyond 10 + cult rank Points.

• Bonuses that add to Willpower simply add to willpower and do not affect over all  Faith Score.

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SPENDING FAITH:

Faith is used as a ranking to determine some effects. It is also a spendable commodity (Rank does not change when its spent)

FAITH can be spent the following ways.

To power effects of infernal gifts and evocations.

To aid in rituals 

To overcome the effects of derangement during a scene.

To avoid a botch by spending before the roll is made. (This is useful where life or death might depend on not rolling a botch)

To cancel the effect of 1 point of torment per point of faith spent, lasts one scene.

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FAITH RANK VS MIND/EMOTION CONTROL/MENTAL/EMOTIONAL ATTACKS.

Faith much like True Faith is added to willpower rolls for resisting mind control/mind reading/Emotional control/reading.

COMPOSURE + RESOLVE = WILLPOWER

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However in some cases there are powers that do not use willpower to resist mental control, In this instance faith is STILL added to the roll.

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Canonically Demons, Especially Earthbound grant their thralls immunity to mind control for -obvious- reasons.

However this is represented in Nocturne by adding faith rank to willpower / supernatural mental/emotional resistance rolls.

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• No effect of emotional or mental control will ever supersede loyalty or devotion to the cult or the earthbound.

• This simply is not canonically possible and all such effects will automatically fail.

• Trying to get a thrall to spy, betray or work against the cult or their Earthbound master is doomed to automatic failure, no roll is necessary in this instance as The Earthbound itself will simply not permit it.

• No player characters mentally or emotionally  be more compelling than the sway an EARTHBOUND has on its devoted subjects. They would die before betraying their master, knowing that they would be rewarded for their sacrifice if they did so, They also know  that the punishment is for disloyalty is far worse than any other supernatural creatures could conceive, "Miracles" defy banality, paradox and the static limitations of kindred and garou. 

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MAGICAL RESISTANCE: Vs Mage Pattern attacks are precisely as they are for other species.

SYMPATHETIC MAGICS: If an effect uses the Thralls "True Name" or an ITEM or PHYSICAL SAMPLE belonging to the thrall, it will  act as foci for the thrall. Meaning that a thrall is 100% aware of who and where the magical effect is coming from. They may direct lores or gifts against the transgressor as if they were there in person, because in a sense they are. If the lore or gift only requires line of sight and not touch. The thrall may see and hear anything in the immediate vicinity where their name ,objects or samples are being magically manipulated. (This does not work if magic is not used on the sample, true name, object)

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TORMENT

TORMENT RANKING

○○○○○ ○○○○○

The fallen are all haunted by the past. The two greatest things they loved, God and humanity, both turned their backs on them and consigned them to millennia of torture and pain, but nothing Hell could offer was worse than the first terrible wounds inflicted by the betrayal of their Creator and their beloved charges. All demons carry a measure of that pain with them, and many are driven mad by it. A demon's Torment is a measure of the anguish and suffering it carries, and how it deals with those painful memories.

In the cases of thralls, as Coteb gifts his powers and abilities a "glimpse" into the mind of the Mad Kings infects the thrall. This glimpse is so powerful and so painful that the thrall carries it for the rest of their life, each time a thrall is granted more gifts, the more torment it gains and the more twisted and depraved the thrall becomes.

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STARTING TORMENT

INITIATE : Zero

ACOLYTE:◉

DISCIPLE: ◉◉

ORACLE: ◉◉◉

WILL OF COTEB:   ◉◉◉◉

 

GAINING TORMENT:

• Using a tormented effect (intentionally or not) adds torment to your character for the night.

• Being resurrected gains the character a torment point permanently.

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• The Effects of Torment: The guide below gives a general idea of the overall effect that torment has upon a characters outlook. This is just a character guide, it is not intended to dictate behaviour but just give you an idea of the slippery slope and downward spiral your character can find itself upon. Note: The character still has self control, it is the characters "Moral" outlook that is forever stained instead and how likely they are to feel such things as guilt for their actions. The more tormented, the less guilty they feel.

 

TORMENT ◉                             Any act of cruelty, selfishness ,thoughtlessness. Allowing any such act in your presence without trying to prevent it.

TORMENT ◉◉                           Doing harm to a mortal for any reason other than self-defence or the greater good.

TORMENT ◉◉◉                        Neglecting duties or responsibilities. Betraying another's trust. (cannot betray or neglect cult)

TORMENT ◉◉◉◉                     Doing harm to others through carelessness, negligence or thoughtlessness.

TORMENT ◉◉◉◉◉                  Inflicting intentional emotional harm through cruelty or neglect.

TORMENT ◉◉◉◉◉ ◉               Destroying particularly inspirational or meaningful objects. self-destructive patterns of behaviour.

TORMENT ◉◉◉◉◉ ◉◉            Sins of passion:  giving in to feelings of hate, anger, jealousy encouraging the same in others.

TORMENT ◉◉◉◉◉ ◉◉◉         Premeditated violation of others: Systematic destruction of another, long-sought revenge.

TORMENT ◉◉◉◉◉ ◉◉◉◉      Casual violation of others: murder for no reason, thoughtless cruelty and torture, near-mindless savagery.

TORMENT ◉◉◉◉◉ ◉◉◉◉◉   There is no sin. You're already damned. Why not do whatever you want?

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THE EFFECTS OF TORMENT

Characters with a Torment of 5 or greater cannot enter holy ground. (Abrahamic Faiths Only, such as Judaism/Christianity/Islam. Pagan & Neo Pagan does not apply, nor do "repurposed" buildings, i.e churches converted to other purposes, or other buildings repurposed as churches.)

Characters with a Torment of 5 or greater are vulnerable to applications of True Faith. (The religion is irrelevant in this instance, as its not a manifestation of Gods will, but either a power psychic phenomenon, or something else) This does mean implicitly that thralls with a torment lower than 5 are immune to applications of true faith.

Characters with a Torment of 5 or greater give fera 1 point of rage per point of Torment that is 5 or greater.

Characters with a Torment of 5 or greater find animals distrust or avoid them. This incurs a + 1 difficulty to all Animal Kinship rolls 

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THE TORMENT ROLL: NOT IN COMBAT.

When ever a cult member with torment 8+ rolls a botch outside of combat they must make a Torment roll.

ROLL: RESOLVE + COMPOSURE

DIFFICULTY: TORMENT +12

SUCCESS: Nothing happens.

FAILURE: Your character finds it hard to concentrate as flashes of violence or debauchery fill their mind. Add + 1 difficulty to all non combat rolls.

BOTCH: As above but gain a point of Temporary Torment too.

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THE TORMENT ROLL: COMBAT

When ever a cult member with torment 8+ rolls a botch in combat they must make a Torment roll.

ROLL: RESOLVE + COMPOSURE

DIFFICULTY: TORMENT +12

SUCCESS: Nothing happens.

FAILURE: Your character enters a Frenzied blood lusting state. You will attack friend and foe with equal abandon. All attacks will be focused on the character physically closest to your avatar. To exit this state you must make a successful torment roll or attack again.

BOTCH: As above but gain a point of Temporary Torment too.

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REVELATION

Revelation affects MORTALS who witness the infernal/apocalyptic form of a Demon or Thrall using "Arsenal Of The Beast" Gifts that are obviously supernatural in nature. Those that are immune to Delerium are also Immune to Revelation.

SYSTEM:

ROLL: RESOLVE + COMPOSURE:

DIFFICULTY: 20+

SUCCESS:

those  who succeed in the roll are  impressed, but they remain capable of taking rational action (which may still involve fleeing as quickly as possible). They also remember some or all of what happened, although they’re not likely to be believed.

• One success is enough to recall that something extraordinary happened

• Two successes provide basic details.

• Three or more successes mean that the mortal recalls exactly what happened (and will probably never forget it).

FAILURE:

Those who fail the roll are so horrified by what they see that they are incapable of doing anything but standing and staring raptly. If the thrall or demon directly threatens them, they flee as quickly as possible and later rationalise what happened to them. They believe it was a dream or hallucination, or they simply forget about it altogether.

BOTCH:

A botch on the Willpower roll means that the character  suffers a complete collapse, either fainting dead away or turning into a gibbering mass, overcome with awe or terror. 

BOTCH:

Characters with STAMINA 2 or less have a particularly weak constitution may suffer a heart attack, stroke or other complication at the Storyteller’s whim. Upon recovering, the character  recalls nothing of the experience, but may still exhibit after effects, such as recurring nightmares or hair gone permanently white. 

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TORMENT & REVELATION:

Tormented Revelations (User has Torment 5+) Cause Fear and Terror in those who witness it.

Untormented Revelations ( User has Torment 4 or less) Cause Awe and Wonder in those who witness it.

A Character who Fails their Revelation roll grants the Thrall 1 point of spendable faith per cult rank. This may take the thrall above its faith total. This excess faith is lost the following day. 

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RESURRECTION

All Acolytes of the cult of Coteb receive "Death's Promise" upon completion of their initiation. Initiates have not yet earned Death's Promise.

 

DEATH'S PROMISE:

The death's promise is an amulet given to favoured humans to ensure their spirits could not easily be lost to loyalist reapers. They are amulets, made of amber suspended in a circlet of silver on a platinum chain.

SYSTEM: The cult leader places the amulet around the neck of an Acolyte.

The amber gem changes color very slightly when it is likely that the wearer will be killed in the near future. If nothing is done to remove the danger, two evocations take place within the death's promise when the wearer dies. The wearers soul is bound to the amulet, and then a hole in reality drops the death's promise into a secure room within the Museum's Office.

This means the soul of the user does not become a wraith, but bound to the amulet. Considering the powers of Resurrection available to the cult, it is possible the soul can be rebound to its original body, or to another.

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REVIEW PERIOD:

Cult Member who is killed is held within the Amulet, Character with the "Visit Soul Prison" Ritual are able to visit them if they have access to the Amulet. It is likely that the Cult leader will "Review" The death of the character while it is inside the Amulet, and talk to them before deciding if the character is worthy of Resurrection or not. To be resurrected the cult leader must perform the "Reborn In New Skin" Ritual.

A Character who seeks Resurrection must follow some base criteria.

• They have died in service of the cult.

• They have not died pursuing their own agenda.

• Their death was unjust

• Their death was not  a result of their own stupidity

• The resurrection itself is compelling storyline for the character and they wish to explore it and all its trappings.

If all of these criteria can be proven to the satisfaction of the cult leader then the ritual "reborn in new skin" can be performed.

If all the criteria can not be proven the character will exist in the soul prison for eternity, unless the cult leader has reason to cast their prison into the shadowlands. A character kept in a soul prison is technically still available for roleplay in the context of the soul prison, their case may be up for periodical review.

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Some souls are put in children, infants and even unborn, however children can not be played in Nocturne so this is type of resurrection is a game over scenario for the character, but it is a practice that ensures future generations dedicated to Coteb are born.

 

RESURRECTION:

The workings of the ritual itself are contained within the rituals page. For the resurrected they have to decide the price and type of resurrection.

Resurrection type:

• Original Body: Ritual must be performed within 48 hours of death.

• New Body:      NPC or Consenting Player Character must be forced out their body. Your Character takes their physical form. Obviously this new body may be any age (children cannot be played in nocturne) Any gender, Any ethnicity. It may not be supernaturally tainted though.

• Copy Body:     As with new body, except Lore Of Transfiguration is added to the ritual to reform the stolen body to match your previous.

Bodies can only be regular human and you do not get to keep skills or abilities from the stolen body. However if you choose the "New" body route you may -occupy- spheres of influence the character existed in. It is not unknown for Cults to kidnap prominent figures and replace them with loyal cultists.

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PRICE OF RESURRECTION:

The soul prison protects against the horrors of the underworld and so the characters psyche is not as damaged as if it were a wraith pulled from the underworld. 

 

• Characters who are resurrected without use of the comfortable confines of a soul prison gain a permanent derangement upon Resurrection as they have viewed the ultimate fate of those who pass on.

• Characters who have a new/copy body gain a point of torment as the new body yearns for its former occupant.

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• Those resurrected with a soul prison within 48 hours of death may choose between the following

• A point of Torment

• A Permanent Derangement 

• A 1 dot reduction in a physical or mental attribute (may be gained later with xp, must not take character below zero)

• 3 points of Infernal flaws  (see Infernal gifts)

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CONCEPTUALLY:

Fans of the Netflix show Altered Carbon can consider Death's Promise Amulet as a "Stack" the Soul Prison as "Virtual" and the act of Resurrection as "Resleeving" as conceptually they are same, but without the sci-fi trappings.

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