An overview of the legacy of the Black Star
My planned conversion of the Black Star spells from Secret Societies has been delayed multiple times already, so I'm going to explain my rationale behind adapting these spells here.
The Black Star invented several spells to destroy or enslave the Nephilim. These include Awaken Orichalc, Sacrifice Nephilim, Create Elixir, and Create Homunculus. These spells are solar techniques that generally don't require elemental Ka to cast.
Awaken Orichalc
The spell Awaken Orichalc comes in several versions. The oldest is a Casual Magic spell that awakens raw Orichalc by exposing it to Solar-Ka via the caster bleeding on it. When cast using Ritual Magic, the Solar-Ka may be provided by assistants or unwilling sacrifices. The caster uses his Solar-Ka to calculate the spell's POW, but uses the astrological modifier for Saturn.
Orichalc may only be awakened on Saturdays, as the doomed field is otherwise too weak. Orichalc is usually too rare to make pure weapons, so the Orichalc is usually inscribed as runes on, or alloyed into, a weapon composed of another substance.
The spell Awaken Orichalc is prehistoric in origin, predating even Tarshish.
Refine Orichalc
The procedure Refine Orichalc uses Black Stone alchemy to produce even more spectacular results. The Orichalc is refined and shaped within the alchemist's athanor, which in this case always takes the form of a blacksmith's forge. The resulting weapon is then exposed to Solar-Ka to awaken it. If the procedure Fumbles, then the entire laboratory violently explodes, killing everyone inside and turning all the Orichalc into Litharge.
Create Orichalc Ward
The spell Create Orichalc Ward is another derivative. This spell consumes Orichalc to create a Saturnian ward that prevents the passage of Nephilim and other elementals, destroying their Ka if they even try to cross. This costs the caster's own Solar-Ka to awaken the ward, but rumors circulate of a version that may be fueled by the Solar-Ka of a sacrificed victim. This ward is used in the imprisonment of a Nephilim to become a Homunculus, below.
The Fraternitas Saturnii claims to have invented it and their mages need not spend any Solar-Ka.
Sacrifice and Elixir
The spell Sacrifice Nephilim is a ritual in which the Nephilim's blood is fatally spilled within the magic circle, allowing the caster to cast a single spell of Sorcery or Summoning using the Nephilim's Ka-elements. If a litharge knife is used for the bloodletting, then the effectiveness of the ritual is increased because this interferes with the Nephilim's resistance.
The spell Create Elixir is a refinement of this, which collects the Nephilim's Ka-impregnated blood within a consecrated vessel. This creates an elemental spirit in constant agony trapped within the resulting Elixir. Unlike a Sacrifice, an Elixir may be used multiple times. Each time an Elixir is used, the elemental's Ka is permanently diminished, so all Elixirs must eventually be refilled or diminish to nothing.
This is a Moon spell, a fact that no doubt contributes to the Nephilim's antipathy toward Onirim. Although the caster may use their Solar-Ka to calculate the spell's POW, it uses the astrological modifier of Moon.
Unlike a Sacrifice, an Elixir may be used for alchemy too. The blood is anointed on the Athanor itself or incorporated as an ingredient. The secret societies so far only know Black Stone alchemy, so how Elixirs would be used to prepare the higher two circles remains unknown.
Sacrifices are probably prehistoric, while Elixirs were invented in Tarshish by the compromised mortal priesthood.
Dangers of Black Moon contamination
Any time a lunar spell is performed using a Sacrifice or an Elixir, then the mage will automatically contaminate himself with points of BMK just like a Nephilim performing the sorcery sacrifice ritual for a lunar spell. As usual for mortals, this point evaporates the following midnight. This has the same psychological consequences as a Selenim accidentally contaminating a victim. The mage won't know why he feels this way, but he may realize it is connected to spellcasting and become addicted to it. The secret society mages who engage in regular human sacrifice are invariably deranged psychopaths to begin with and the curse of the Black Moon doesn't help matters.
Reincarnation after partial Elixirfication
As long as at least one of the Pentacle's Ka-elements remains free, the proto-Nephilim is still free to flee and reincarnate within a new bearer. However, this will have profound side effects on the new Nephilim. Their emerging Higher Self will be severely psychologically damaged, the exact effects depending on the nature and number of Ka-elements lost. They'll behave normally as their mortal selves in Shouit, but will be confused and disturbed by the occult world and the pained whispers in the back of their mind.
In the adventure book Serpent Moon, a survivor of Elixirfication is presented as an NPC. He lost his dominant Ka-element, which caused him to become mute, partly catatonic, and mostly amnesiac. He was only able to vaguely express himself through painting, providing various clues for the PCs to investigate.
Partial Elixirfication is agonizing for survivors. While Temperance has rituals to restore the lost Ka-elements, this is very expensive to perform. Darker and unsanctioned treatments include grafting the branches from a proto-Nephilim in Stasis, which bring their own side effects.
If the survivor retains their lunar branch, the Unnamed Arcanum offers their own solution: becoming Selenim. This alleviates the suffering caused by a severed Pentacle, at the cost of embracing the Black Moon. Some Nephilim are willing to make that sacrifice to make the pain stop: these vengeful Selenim become some of the most ardent enemies of secret societies.
Homunculus
The spell Create Homunculus is a combination spell of Seals and Black Stone. As with the Elixir this is also a Moon spell, a fact that no doubt contributes to the Nephilim's antipathy toward Onirim.
Creating a Homunculus requires the Nephilim's Stasis item, as the material of said object is incorporated into the developing Homunculus itself. It is therefore necessary to acquire it, such as by casting Tabula Est Terra with the imprisoned Nephilim as the connection. The secret societies generally lack the expertise to cast Create Stasis themselves, save for some master sorcerers among the Black Star who long ago stole the spell from the Nephilim (see rulebook p202).
A vessel is prepared to gestate the Homunculus. The vessel's exterior is warded with Orichalc runes, preventing the elemental's escape, and filled with an alchemical concoction created using a lunar procedure. Preparing this concoction requires Lunar-Ka from a Sacrifice or Elixir, or else prepared by an existing Homunculus. A portion of flesh from the Homunculus' intended master is placed inside to form a sympathetic link necessary to bind the oaths, costing points of the master’s own Solar-Ka. The victim's Stasis item is placed within the vessel: usually the vessel is made large enough to contain the Stasis item, while in other cases a larger Stasis item is carefully shorn to fit inside without breaking its magical properties.
A Nephilim is trapped within a warded magic circle inside the alchemist's laboratory. This is preferably drawn by Create Orichalc Ward (see above), but any ward to contain elementals will suffice. The victim is suspended with silken cords, carved or branded with a pentagram binding their soul into service, then ritually drained of all fluids, including their Ka-impregnated blood, into the prepared vessel using a silver knife. As the elemental experiences Sekmet, the summoner casts an invocation to subject the elemental to oaths and force it to reincarnate within the revolting mixture inside the vessel. This invocation uses the summoner's Solar-Ka to calculate the spell's POW, but uses the astrological modifiers of the Nephilim's dominant Ka.
If the invocation fails, then the elemental is unbound and free to reincarnate. The Orichalc ward on the magic circle prevents it from safely escaping, so it will most likely return to Stasis or enter Narcosis. It may attempt to reincarnate within the caster who sacrificed the last bearer, though the caster will likely be wearing an Orichalc amulet that increases his resistance.
The vessel is sealed and kept in the controlled environment of the laboratory for the next forty weeks. The Stasis item dissolves, and the mixture of litharge, bodily fluids and alchemical reagents forms into a thing resembling a year old infant deformed with the features of the Nephilim's metamorphosis, the pentacle appearing inscribed on its body. After the forty weeks have passed, the vessel is broken open and the Homunculus is decanted to serve its master.
If the vessel is broken before the forty weeks have elapsed, then the Homunculus dies of premature "birth", the oaths are nullified, and the elemental is free to reincarnate. If the Stasis item has degraded to uselessness, then the elemental only has a short time to reincarnate before it dissolves.
The procedure may be performed using a Stasis item containing a discarnate proto-Nephilim and a human sacrifice, rather than an incarnated Nephilim. While there are some differences in this version, it otherwise works largely the same. The Stasis item containing the proto-Nephilim is dissolved within the vessel, releasing the elemental and forcing it to incarnate within the concoction containing the Solar-Ka of the sacrificed mortal.
Homunculi are in constant pain and despise their master, who forces them to use their occult knowledge for evil ends. Their masters may promise to kill them in order to free them from servitude eventually, but in reality the secret society will try to slay them with Orichalc or sublimate them into an Elixir before the oaths are nullified. The only way to release a Homunculus from their oaths is to kill their master, kill them so they may reincarnate, or both in that order. The reincarnated Nephilim will retain psychological scars: a massive Khaiba gain and a powerful urge to get revenge on their former master, his colleagues and his family!
The spell Create Homunculus dates back to the late 10th century A.D., invented by Gerbert of Aurillac (aka Pope Sylvester II!).
Whither Stasis items?
In the default rules, it is not normally possible to replace a destroyed Stasis item. The Create Stasis spell (Major Arcana p7) may only be cast once on the same Nephilim, but Temperance is rumored to know ways to restore Stasis items (no rules are provided). The procedure Crafting the Vessel of the Winds (unpublished Alchemy rules p59-60) may only restore the Stasis for the alchemist himself.
If using Ex Oculis' revision, then a destroyed Stasis item may be replaced as easily as bonding a new one. However, this has one big drawback: upon reincarnating, the Nephilim will lose all memory (including skills) of his Past Lives predating his current Stasis item. Thus, a Nephilim loses his past life memories upon reincarnating after being released from a Homunculus. (Conversely, Nephilim who serially reincarnate without ever bonding to Stasis items cannot recall Past Lives at all!) Homunculi retain their occult knowledge inscribed on their Pentacle, retain some Solar-Ka from their prior human life (reduced by half due to dying), and dimly remember their past human self's memories, but this knowledge only causes them further torment.
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