The Pythonic Liturgy

The Pythonic Liturgy is the grand and singular ritual used to summon Outsiders, as well as to negotiate and form Communions and Pacts with them. Not really one simple ritual, it is instead a series of complicated and difficult practices, knowledges, and intuitions. Some innate sense must either be inherent to the theurge or nurtured in one who attempts to enact the rite. Lacking this ability or having imperfect knowledge or preparation will likely lead to failure at best and metaphysical catastrophe at worst. Blackbirds on the Path of Od & Ritual have both the training and the innate ability needed to perform the Pythonic Liturgy. Others do not.

Performing the Ritual

To perform the Liturgy, a supplicating theurge must have a private place to prepare and cast it. They must remove all armor, paint their body with mystic symbols, lay out a magic circle inscribed with protective sigils and the name of the Outsider to bring forth, prepare the proper reagents and trappings congruent with their intended summons, and meditate as they recite the rotes and chants that bring the proper mental and spiritual state to cast their presence into the infinite Od and connect with a being by nature incomprehensible to the mind of a mortal. Ideally, the summoner knows the True Name of their intended Outsider, but knowing one of its many other names can suffice. They must not be interrupted, or the time spent, the reagents, and the trappings are wasted.

The player then makes an Odweft test for their theurge, modifying the test based on the list of modifiers shown in the boxed text. If the test fails, the theurge has made some mistake in their work and the Outsider does not appear. The process must begin again. A Critical or Sublime Failure manifests something horrible, often an unwanted Outsider inimical to this world or a vicissitude of the Od spilling into the surrounding area (see table below). The Pythonic Liturgy is a very dangerous ritual, and using it risks bringing about effects more extreme and destructive than other magics can.

If the theurge succeeds, the Outsider manifests, usually in some appropriately theatrical way (all Outsiders love a certain degree of spectacle). An Outsider from the Court of Peace might appear inside the body of a sacrifice and then tear its way out, one from the Court of Silence might arrive surrounded by dangerous animals, one from the Nameless Court might transform nearby abstract shapes into its likeness, and so on.

Result

• Traditionally, an Outsider answers one question of its summoner truthfully when summoned for the first time by a particular magus. Generally, Outsiders have supernatural knowledge of things related to themselves and things pertinent to their goals or court, and they usually answer this question in a way that the information benefits the theurge. If the summoner asks a question outside their purview or one that is too esoteric for even a beast of the Od, they may say that they don’t know the answer.
• If the goal of the Liturgy is merely to introduce oneself to a particular Outsider and gain Rapport, then, if the ritual succeeds, the Outsider returns whence it came and may be brought forth in the future by the summoner to empower Vitiations.
• If the goal is to seek Communion, then negotiation must take place, as the Outsider and summoner bargain over a special Reckoning that must be performed to confirm this level of Agreement. If an advocate is present, they may assist with the negotiation.
• If a Pact is the desired result, then even more negotiation must take place, as the Outsider and summoner bargain over a special Reckoning that must be performed to confirm this level of Agreement. If an advocate is present, they may assist with the negotiation.

Having an Advocate

Theurges are allowed to have one other Blackbird aid them in a negotiation that occurs with an Outsider, especially in the case of establishing Communion or a Pact. The formal name of this position is advocate, and having one present allows the following benefits:

• The advocate’s Bargain, Charm, or Guile may be substituted for any test that would be made for the theurge to bargain with the Outsider in question. These tests may not substitute for Odweft tests.
• Spite is reduced by 1 when the Pythonic Ritual is performed and an advocate is present.
• The advocate gains Rapport with that particular Outsider, but if they are not a theurge can call upon them only to seek a temporary deal

Modifiers

Outsider Station

• Contacting an imp: -10
• Contacting a villein: -20
• Contacting a lord: -30

Agreement Sought

• Attempting to enter into a communion: -10
• Attempting to enter into a pact: -30

Performing the Ritual

• Time spent performing the ritual
• One hour: -10
• Ten hours: +10
• One hundred hours: +20
• For each person present who has no connection with the Od (an advocate does not incur this penalty): -10
• The theurge is skyclad (completely naked): +10
• The advocate is also skyclad: +10

Location

• Performing the ritual at a location that is walled off from the Od: -10 to -30
• Having an extremely private place to perform the ritual (e.g., a hidden cellar beneath a deserted ruin): +10
• Performing the ritual at a location where the barrier between the physical world and the Od is weak or where there is a bloom of Od: +10 to +30

Reagents and Trappings

• Time spent preparing before the ritual:
• One hour: -10
• Ten hours: +10
• One hundred hours: +20
• Using makeshift or at-hand reagents and trappings: -20
• Being unable to get a patron to provide reagents and trappings: -10
• Learning and acquiring the special trappings particular to the Outsider to be summoned: +10
• Owning a physical vestige the Outsider has left behind: +10
• Having a patron willing to provide reagents and trappings:
• Patronage level 1 to 3: +10
• Patronage level 4 to 6: +20
• Patronage level 7 and above: +30
• Sacrifice an animal as large as or larger than a calf: +10
• Sacrifice a human: +20
• Knowing the Outsider’s True Name: +30

Relationships

• The Outsider to be summoned is pacted to another theurge: -30
• Having another Outsider pacted that has an enmity with target Outsider’s court: -10
• Having another Outsider pacted that is an ally of the target Outsider’s court: +10
• Being introduced or assisted by an Outsider of the same court: +10
• Having rapport with the Outsider one is attempting to perform the ritual on: +10
• Having communion with the Outsider one is attempting to perform the ritual on: +20

Answering the Question

The first time an Outsider is summoned by a particular theurge, that summoner is allowed to ask the Outsider one question, which they must answer truthfully. The Fateweaver must arbitrate what the answer to this question is. Outsiders have knowledge of this world that would be impossible for mortals to comprehend, and when answering the question, they will have in mind that the information they pass on should be helpful or useful to the summoner to make a good first impression, so that they are more likely be summoned or petitioned again.

Outsiders may know anything about the current world, at the Fateweaver’s discretion, but they must decide whether the answer the theurge seeks breaks the power level of the game. Ideally, the theurge asks for information that will lead them and their friends on some sort of quest and could be described as something that the particular Outsider would know, based upon its court and its interests—for example, asking an Outsider from the Court of Peace about a particular incredibly rare weapon and where it might be found.

Under no circumstances should the Outsider have knowledge of the future, which is beyond the compass of this boon. If the Fateweaver deems that the petitioner is reaching too far or that the summoned Outsider has no knowledge of the subject of the question, they are fully within their right to tell them that the Outsider doesn’t know the answer to this question.

An Outsider in this situation likely offers the newly met theurge some other useful information. This opportunity is beyond the scope of knowledge offered by merely spending a point of Fortune to ask the Fateweaver a question, because it can never be a presage of the future, and Outsiders do their best to be as specific as possible.

Initial Spite

If this is the first contact with this Outsider, determine the initial Spite score:

• Take the tens die from the Odweft test of the Pythonic Liturgy that successfully summoned the Outsider
• If the Odweft test for the Pythonic Liturgy is a normal Success, add that number to 1D10 rolled secretly by you
• If the Odweft test was a Critical Success, add that number to 1D6 instead of D10 for the secret roll
• If the Odweft test was a Sublime Success, add 1 to that number
• Divide the total by 2 and round down

Special Reckoning

To form a Communion or Pact with an Outsider, a special Reckoning must be performed to seal the agreement. "is is determined after the Pythonic Liturgy is successful and the question has been answered. For more on Reckonings, see Reckonings, below.

To determine what this special reckoning will be, roll 1D10 and add modifiers based upon the following table:

• Communion: +2
• Pact: +4
• Imp: +2
• Villein: +4
• Lord: +8

These numbers are cumulative, so to form a Pact with a villein, +8 would be added to the test.

Find the suggested Reckoning on the appropriate Reckoning chart for the court of the Outsider that is being negotiated with. The Fateweaver doesn’t have to use the specific Reckoning on the chart but, instead, should feel free to use it as a guideline for the severity and type of reckoning that can be asked of the theurge. If an advocate is present, a counteroffer to, or modification of, the requested reckoning can be proposed. This must be adjudicated by the Fateweaver, as a simple or easy reckoning can’t be merely substituted for a difficult one, but a reasonable modification or asking for something a bit easier is possible. Make a Bargain, Charm, or Guile test for the advocate; if the roll is successful, and the Fateweaver thinks the counteroffer is reasonable, it is accepted. Only one such counteroffer may ever be proposed. If the advocate’s test is a Critical Failure, increase the Spite for this Outsider by 1. If the test is a Sublime Failure, the Outsider insists on a more difficult reckoning and the Spite still increases by 1.

Find the suggested Reckoning on the Suggested Reckoning Chart.