Seasonal Rites (WTF)

Seasonal Rites are rites that are typically performed once a year, during the appropriate season. As with many other rites, seasonal rites can vary greatly by region. The exact form of the rite might evolve to match local traditions, as might the day on which it's performed - if it's performed at all. The Uratha of the Everglades might ignore the Darkest Night of Winter, for instance, as winter is less of a force in their region. These rites are often the focus of a specific gathering, one in which the Forsaken acknowledge the tenuous relationships between their packs. The Pure also know their own seasonal rites, although their rites tend to be darker affairs laced with a stronger dose of penance and zeal expressed through pain.

Rite List

• Blood Communion of Spring: With this rite, the Uratha tap directly into spring's power of renewal. The Blood Communion of Spring is a ritual celebrating life, and, to a lesser extent, a fertility rite, though werewolves are hesitant to invoke the spirits of fertility when gathered with one another and not their wolf-blooded mates. A communal sacrifice of blood renews the Uratha's sense of their ties to the land. Those who receive the blessing of spring find it easier to relate to their human relatives and mates, or to run among the animals of the world, if only for a short time.
• This rite is the easiest of the seasonal rites to master and enact, in part because the Uratha's natures are already keyed to renewal and the vibrancy of life. The rite is often performed on the spring equinox, though in many areas this rite is coordinated with appropriate human holidays. Most notably, werewolves from Christian backgrounds often find it fitting to enact the Blood Communion on Good Friday or Easter.
• Bone-Fires of Summer: Summer is the traditional season of war. The People mark the season by building great fires, in which they burn war trophies and offerings to their totems. This ritual proclaims their strength and ferocity to the heavens, and empowers their resolution to continue fighting. The Pure are said to add living sacrifices to their fires to prove their devotion, a step that most Forsaken are not willing to take.
• Some areas build their bone-fires on the summer solstice, while others wait for the temperature to be at its hottest. More aggressive werewolves (particularly the Pure) often favor enacting the rite in the middle of a heat wave, when violence is already rising high. In the United States, some werewolves choose to set their bone-fires on the Fourth of July. Urban packs often have to perform this rite outside their territory, though some actually burn down entire buildings as an offering.
• Darkest Night of Winter: The most somber of the seasonal rites, the Darkest Night of Winter is a ritual dedicated to endurance and perseverance rather than zeal, strength or wisdom. This rite is a scanty meal shared between predators, a reminder of lean times and an exhortation to endure and thrive despite the lean times to come.
• As the titles suggests, this rite is typically performed on the winter solstice. Other popular dates include New Year's Eve, or the new moon closest to the end of December.
• Spirit Lamps of Autumn: When the nights begin to grow longer, the power of the Shadow begins to grow as well. Werewolves answer this with the rite called Spirit Lamps of Autumn. This rite offers respect to the spirit world and honors their totems, but also is a demonstration of the Uratha's own strength and vigilance. The lamps lit send a message to the spirit world - We see you.
• This rite is sometimes preformed on the autumnal equinox, but frequently may take place later into the season, when the nights are longer than the days. The four nights surrounding Halloween (Devil's Night, Halloween, All Saints Day and All Souls Day) are popular choices in the West, with some werewolves choosing a night based on which moon phase will be most favorable. Some ritemasters insist on performing this rite on nights of the crescent moon, when the Ithaeur's strength is at its peak and the spirits can be resisted.

References

• WTF: The Rage: Forsaken Player's Guide, p. 131-135