The Impaled
“You’re not being broken, you’re being added to. The pain is a new part of yourself. You’re more now.”
One remarkable faction of the Ordo Dracul has grown out of an almost serpentine tangle of philosophical extremism and historical idolatry. The sub-culture of the Dragons that calls itself the Impaled has coiled the Dracula legend back onto itself with a gruesome ceremony of torture and exaltation, cruelty and remorse, that casts the followers of Dracula as both tyrant and subject, monster and victim. In the eyes of the Order, the rite of the Impaled feeds the dragon its own tail.
The Impaled revere and revile Dracula’s legendary role as the Impaler. Vlad truly was a monster in life, but what modern Kindred can truly say what motivated his heinous cruelty? Was the Impaler insane or inspired? What drove him to spear and raise up thousands of victims? Perhaps more importantly, what kept pushing him to torture and abuse? What did the Son of the Dragon get out of his own horrific acts?
At the same time, the Impaled revere and regret Dracula’s victims. Those who were slaughtered by his hand or at his order had a kind of uniquely intimate relationship with the Impaler. They were the prized prisoners who looked down on him from above, they were the ones whose blood soaked his bread, they were the souls that sealed his fate. What insights, both horrible and unimaginable, must the slow anguish of the spear bring on?
The Impaled use the strengths and weaknesses of their undead bodies to experience both perspectives of Dracula’s atrocities. They subject themselves to his own torture to better understand him — and themselves. In the process, the Impaled believe they can further Dracula’s later work by twisting the Curse to a unique end. The Impaled experience that which Dracula never experienced himself: the terror of being impaled.
The Impaled revere and revile Dracula’s legendary role as the Impaler. Vlad truly was a monster in life, but what modern Kindred can truly say what motivated his heinous cruelty? Was the Impaler insane or inspired? What drove him to spear and raise up thousands of victims? Perhaps more importantly, what kept pushing him to torture and abuse? What did the Son of the Dragon get out of his own horrific acts?
At the same time, the Impaled revere and regret Dracula’s victims. Those who were slaughtered by his hand or at his order had a kind of uniquely intimate relationship with the Impaler. They were the prized prisoners who looked down on him from above, they were the ones whose blood soaked his bread, they were the souls that sealed his fate. What insights, both horrible and unimaginable, must the slow anguish of the spear bring on?
The Impaled use the strengths and weaknesses of their undead bodies to experience both perspectives of Dracula’s atrocities. They subject themselves to his own torture to better understand him — and themselves. In the process, the Impaled believe they can further Dracula’s later work by twisting the Curse to a unique end. The Impaled experience that which Dracula never experienced himself: the terror of being impaled.
Structure
Though the Impaled are a faction unique to The Ordo Dracul, they have a number of connections to other covenants that many Kindred consider unusual, not only because of the faction’s extreme practices but because of the number of vampires that, at one time or another, have experimented with those practices. It’s a historical peculiarity that the Impaled has been, in the European and North American domains where its membership roster has gone uninterrupted over several decades, a popular Dragon faction for the Kindred of other secular covenants to get involved with.
Invictus and Carthian vampires who maintain simultaneous membership in The Ordo Dracul are more common than dedicated Impaled Dragons in several domains. In a way, this makes sense because even though the philosophical origin of the Impaled is tied to the hideous practices of a 15th century Wallachian Prince, its emotional territory has expanded beyond the core dogma of the Dragons. Some vampires think of themselves as members of a secret society of the Impaled in their domain, rather than as Dragons. The Impaled offers members of these sorts some of the personal advantages of membership in a gloriously bloody, introspective cult — camaraderie, ceremony, mystic power — without the kind of religious devotion The Circle of the Crone demands. In some domains, depending on the methods of the mentors among the Impaled, membership even affords limited access to knowledge of The Coils of the Dragon and the Resources of the Order without the Victorian stylings of a secret gentleman’s club. That is, the Impaled can sometimes be seen as an extreme faction of fringe Dragons gathered from less arcane covenants.
The Impaled, as mentioned before, are thought to be a direct result of interactions between The Circle of the Crone and The Ordo Dracul. Some Kindred wonder if the faction isn’t simply descended from the idea that Dracula sampled the Acolyte faith or if the philosophy of the Impaled comes directly from Dragons originally of the Circle. Certainly the Impaled in any domain are likely to attract converts from the Circle and, perhaps more likely, noncommittal vampires with a degree of involvement in both covenants.
Contrary to the Expectations of many Dragons, the Impaled are not universally reviled by the Sanctified as a pagan display of secular ancestor worship or blood-witchery. Rather, by avoiding direct associations with the tests of the flesh encouraged by Acolytes, the rites of the Impaled can be seen as secular festivals of uniquely vampiric bloodletting for the sake of personal enlightenment and revelation. No Kindred can participate in a ceremony of the Impaled and continue to deny the truths of his monstrous nature. The Impaled teach Kindred that what would terrify, torture and kill a mortal can provoke epiphanies in the Damned which no mortal has a chance to survive. Thus, the Sanctified of a few domains encourage young Kindred to participate in an Impaled ceremony, and sample the methods of other philosophies, before completely devoting themselves to the Church of Longinus.
Organization: The Impaled have essentially no overarching hierarchy within the covenant as an external body. The Impaled of each domain organize slightly differently, depending on the needs of the Kindred in the local chapter. In practice, the Impaled often operate like a kind of solemn or reveling social club in members collaborate to put on a good show for all attendees. One’s age, both as a Kindred and as an Impaled Dragon, is to be respected, though in some circles the number Impaling ceremonies endured is considered more important.
Not all the participants at an Impaling are necessarily considered Impaled. Many are simply guests, especially first-timers. To the dramatic and extreme minds of the Impaled, enduring a few nights of torment and anguish is merely dabbling. To truly be counted among the Impaled, the time spent upon the spike should lead to meditations and exercise that fill the nights between ceremonies as well. For the most hard-core of the Impaled, theRequiem becomes a collection of two kinds of nights: those spent on the spike and those leading up to the spike. Not all the Impaled are so extreme, but the spectrum of extremism may be the only organizational tool the faction really recognizes.
Invictus and Carthian vampires who maintain simultaneous membership in The Ordo Dracul are more common than dedicated Impaled Dragons in several domains. In a way, this makes sense because even though the philosophical origin of the Impaled is tied to the hideous practices of a 15th century Wallachian Prince, its emotional territory has expanded beyond the core dogma of the Dragons. Some vampires think of themselves as members of a secret society of the Impaled in their domain, rather than as Dragons. The Impaled offers members of these sorts some of the personal advantages of membership in a gloriously bloody, introspective cult — camaraderie, ceremony, mystic power — without the kind of religious devotion The Circle of the Crone demands. In some domains, depending on the methods of the mentors among the Impaled, membership even affords limited access to knowledge of The Coils of the Dragon and the Resources of the Order without the Victorian stylings of a secret gentleman’s club. That is, the Impaled can sometimes be seen as an extreme faction of fringe Dragons gathered from less arcane covenants.
The Impaled, as mentioned before, are thought to be a direct result of interactions between The Circle of the Crone and The Ordo Dracul. Some Kindred wonder if the faction isn’t simply descended from the idea that Dracula sampled the Acolyte faith or if the philosophy of the Impaled comes directly from Dragons originally of the Circle. Certainly the Impaled in any domain are likely to attract converts from the Circle and, perhaps more likely, noncommittal vampires with a degree of involvement in both covenants.
Contrary to the Expectations of many Dragons, the Impaled are not universally reviled by the Sanctified as a pagan display of secular ancestor worship or blood-witchery. Rather, by avoiding direct associations with the tests of the flesh encouraged by Acolytes, the rites of the Impaled can be seen as secular festivals of uniquely vampiric bloodletting for the sake of personal enlightenment and revelation. No Kindred can participate in a ceremony of the Impaled and continue to deny the truths of his monstrous nature. The Impaled teach Kindred that what would terrify, torture and kill a mortal can provoke epiphanies in the Damned which no mortal has a chance to survive. Thus, the Sanctified of a few domains encourage young Kindred to participate in an Impaled ceremony, and sample the methods of other philosophies, before completely devoting themselves to the Church of Longinus.
Organization: The Impaled have essentially no overarching hierarchy within the covenant as an external body. The Impaled of each domain organize slightly differently, depending on the needs of the Kindred in the local chapter. In practice, the Impaled often operate like a kind of solemn or reveling social club in members collaborate to put on a good show for all attendees. One’s age, both as a Kindred and as an Impaled Dragon, is to be respected, though in some circles the number Impaling ceremonies endured is considered more important.
Not all the participants at an Impaling are necessarily considered Impaled. Many are simply guests, especially first-timers. To the dramatic and extreme minds of the Impaled, enduring a few nights of torment and anguish is merely dabbling. To truly be counted among the Impaled, the time spent upon the spike should lead to meditations and exercise that fill the nights between ceremonies as well. For the most hard-core of the Impaled, theRequiem becomes a collection of two kinds of nights: those spent on the spike and those leading up to the spike. Not all the Impaled are so extreme, but the spectrum of extremism may be the only organizational tool the faction really recognizes.
Culture
Appearance: The stereotypical image of the Impaled Dragon is that of a scarred and pierced extremist. Many Impaled were etched with tattoos and ritual scars in life, run through with
iron bolts and shiny metal rings before the Curse froze the canvas of their flesh in a single state. The stubborn Resilience of undead flesh is both a benefit and a maddening curse to such creatures — their dead bodies endure experiences previously impossible to survive while refusing to be reshaped without a considerable exertion of the will.
Thus, some among the Impaled put forth the effort to make a single grotesque and drastic modification to their bodies after the Embrace, often following a great deal of experimentation. Some pierce their guts with foot-long metal studs or run delicate silvery rings through their throats. In some European chapters, the Impaled insert hollow spacer tubes into their bellies — like a tunnel right through the vampire — through which lances can be slid during impaling ceremonies. Kindred authorities may well consider some such physical displays to be breaches of the Masquerade, however, so Impaled Dragons must find a way to balance discretion with their displays.
Despite the stereotypes, plenty of Kindred among the Impaled do not indulge in scarification, tattooing or less drastic body manipulation. To those vampires for whom the Impaling is foremost a spiritual pursuit or a philosophical challenge, the focus in not where the spike sticks out from the body, but where it lays within. Such Kindred internalize the experience of the impaling and may have no interest at all in broadcasting their Status as Impaled to others. Like the yuppie businessman who joins an underground, after-hours fight club to feel alive, these vampires appear “ordinary” outside of their gatherings.
Thus, some among the Impaled put forth the effort to make a single grotesque and drastic modification to their bodies after the Embrace, often following a great deal of experimentation. Some pierce their guts with foot-long metal studs or run delicate silvery rings through their throats. In some European chapters, the Impaled insert hollow spacer tubes into their bellies — like a tunnel right through the vampire — through which lances can be slid during impaling ceremonies. Kindred authorities may well consider some such physical displays to be breaches of the Masquerade, however, so Impaled Dragons must find a way to balance discretion with their displays.
Despite the stereotypes, plenty of Kindred among the Impaled do not indulge in scarification, tattooing or less drastic body manipulation. To those vampires for whom the Impaling is foremost a spiritual pursuit or a philosophical challenge, the focus in not where the spike sticks out from the body, but where it lays within. Such Kindred internalize the experience of the impaling and may have no interest at all in broadcasting their Status as Impaled to others. Like the yuppie businessman who joins an underground, after-hours fight club to feel alive, these vampires appear “ordinary” outside of their gatherings.
Assets
Haven: The havens of the Impaled are as varied as the faction’s individual members. Most of the Impaled do not define themselves solely by their participation in faction rituals. Their havens are more likely to be determined by other factors of the Requiem, like any other Kindred.
Those Dragons for whom the work of the Spears is a nightly facet of the Requiem, however, may keep havens that can also serve as sites for Impaling rituals. Such locations must be able to accommodate a handful or more vampires, possibly for several consecutive nights, without risk of intrusion or sunlight. Sunless underground chambers with high ceilings, such as empty warehouses and abandoned indoor pools, are prized for such uses. Areas with collections of smaller spaces, such as public showers or rows of private storage lockers, are also useful.
Those Dragons for whom the work of the Spears is a nightly facet of the Requiem, however, may keep havens that can also serve as sites for Impaling rituals. Such locations must be able to accommodate a handful or more vampires, possibly for several consecutive nights, without risk of intrusion or sunlight. Sunless underground chambers with high ceilings, such as empty warehouses and abandoned indoor pools, are prized for such uses. Areas with collections of smaller spaces, such as public showers or rows of private storage lockers, are also useful.
History
The origin of the so-called Movement of the Impaled (as it was called in the 19th century) is sketchy and somewhat circumstantial. Though the faction’s philosophical beginnings seem to have grown from the eastern European lands that once held Dracula himself, the fad of physical mutilation that gave the faction substance in numbers grew out of Scandinavia and northern Europe. The Impaled are an intertwining of these two concepts, introduced as they were through the experiments of Dragon Academies and the efforts of Kindred in search of crucibles.
The philosophical roots of the faction began as a purely spiritual subject for Meditation among the Dragons of Prague and Bucharest. The questions of Dracula’s relationships to his victims and the unknowable and unique experiences of his sins and their pains was used by some mentors in eastern Europe to inspire discussions with students. Originally, the Impaled was a symbolic title — high-minded Dragon mentors pretentiously suggested that students should “run themselves through with thedifficult admissions and ugly questions of our past, so as to raise themselves up to a new perspective.” The appeal of this abstract philosophy and overwrought rhetorical effort was only strong enough the keep the idea of the Impaled alive until it met the self-mutilation rituals of The Circle of the Crone and some small Dragon Academies in Scandinavian cities.
Acolytes in northern Europe had been torturing their own deathless bodies in numerous grotesque rituals for centuries when the concepts of the Impaled were introduced into the mix in the 1830s. The concept of exploring multiple torturer-victim perspectives lent a new intellectual credence to the physical experimentation of the Acolyte-inspired “tests of the body.” More accurately, the Circle’s tradition of taxing physical rituals inspired some of the philosophers to take action. Though other ceremonies drawing the actions of Dracula and the philosophy of later Dragons were no doubt performed earlier throughout the region, the first covenant-hosted Rite of Impaling was performed in Germany in 1840 with fewer than six Kindred said to have participated.
Following the publication of Bram Stoker’s Dracula novel and its gradual expansion across the English-speaking world, interest in the Impaled grew. Throughout the 20th century, more and more Kindred came to idolize Dracula as (often erroneous) word of his legend spread well beyond the membership of The Ordo Dracul. In the latter half of the 20th century, as body modification became more visible and more popular among mortals of Westernized nations, so did the Impaled become more appealing to the recently Damned.
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, as young vampires brought aspects of the punk and goth scenes into the faction, the focus of the Impaled began to shift from one of insight through multiple perspectives and unnatural anguish to one of personal strength through tribulation. In many domains, the Victorian enlightenment sought through the subjugation of the self by last night’s Impaled has been replaced by a desire to toughen of the soul and the body through the exploration of the flesh. In practice, as the faction’s newcomers interact with its immortal elders, the philosophy of the Impaled is expanding more than transforming.
Background: For the most part, the Impaled do not recruit members. Word of Impaled rituals spreads as it does among the mouths of the Damned and those who wish to participate must follow that word back to the Impaled to participate. The Impaled, in general, are more interested in the emotional and philosophical qualities that attract someone to the faction — what does the vampire hope to get out of the Impaled rites?
Some Kindred come to the Spears looking for spiritual or philosophical insight through pain and Meditation. By enduring a horrific torture that no living person could survive, some vampires believe they can get a better understanding of what their undead body truly feels like, what its limits are. Some pursue this sensual proximity to death to make contact with the Beast and, in the process, come to better understand it.
Other Kindred have more emotional reasons for enduring the Impaled rites. These monsters come to resolve matters within themselves — or absolve themselves of past matters — rather than to spark new changes in themselves. For some, the Impaling is a gruesome apology to the victims of the Impaler (or to God) for the sins of the covenant’s father. The torture of the spike is therefore an almost biblical sentencing, an excruciating torture for an excruciating torture. Other Kindred undergo the Impaling as a kind of uniquely Dragon flagellation in recompense for their own sins. The trauma of the ritual is a cleansing renewal for some, who imagine themselves to be killed on each spike and resurrected by the Curse afterward, and an unforgettable reminder for others, who can always summon up the terrible memory of their nights on the spike to guide their future moral choices.
The philosophical roots of the faction began as a purely spiritual subject for Meditation among the Dragons of Prague and Bucharest. The questions of Dracula’s relationships to his victims and the unknowable and unique experiences of his sins and their pains was used by some mentors in eastern Europe to inspire discussions with students. Originally, the Impaled was a symbolic title — high-minded Dragon mentors pretentiously suggested that students should “run themselves through with thedifficult admissions and ugly questions of our past, so as to raise themselves up to a new perspective.” The appeal of this abstract philosophy and overwrought rhetorical effort was only strong enough the keep the idea of the Impaled alive until it met the self-mutilation rituals of The Circle of the Crone and some small Dragon Academies in Scandinavian cities.
Acolytes in northern Europe had been torturing their own deathless bodies in numerous grotesque rituals for centuries when the concepts of the Impaled were introduced into the mix in the 1830s. The concept of exploring multiple torturer-victim perspectives lent a new intellectual credence to the physical experimentation of the Acolyte-inspired “tests of the body.” More accurately, the Circle’s tradition of taxing physical rituals inspired some of the philosophers to take action. Though other ceremonies drawing the actions of Dracula and the philosophy of later Dragons were no doubt performed earlier throughout the region, the first covenant-hosted Rite of Impaling was performed in Germany in 1840 with fewer than six Kindred said to have participated.
Following the publication of Bram Stoker’s Dracula novel and its gradual expansion across the English-speaking world, interest in the Impaled grew. Throughout the 20th century, more and more Kindred came to idolize Dracula as (often erroneous) word of his legend spread well beyond the membership of The Ordo Dracul. In the latter half of the 20th century, as body modification became more visible and more popular among mortals of Westernized nations, so did the Impaled become more appealing to the recently Damned.
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, as young vampires brought aspects of the punk and goth scenes into the faction, the focus of the Impaled began to shift from one of insight through multiple perspectives and unnatural anguish to one of personal strength through tribulation. In many domains, the Victorian enlightenment sought through the subjugation of the self by last night’s Impaled has been replaced by a desire to toughen of the soul and the body through the exploration of the flesh. In practice, as the faction’s newcomers interact with its immortal elders, the philosophy of the Impaled is expanding more than transforming.
Background: For the most part, the Impaled do not recruit members. Word of Impaled rituals spreads as it does among the mouths of the Damned and those who wish to participate must follow that word back to the Impaled to participate. The Impaled, in general, are more interested in the emotional and philosophical qualities that attract someone to the faction — what does the vampire hope to get out of the Impaled rites?
Some Kindred come to the Spears looking for spiritual or philosophical insight through pain and Meditation. By enduring a horrific torture that no living person could survive, some vampires believe they can get a better understanding of what their undead body truly feels like, what its limits are. Some pursue this sensual proximity to death to make contact with the Beast and, in the process, come to better understand it.
Other Kindred have more emotional reasons for enduring the Impaled rites. These monsters come to resolve matters within themselves — or absolve themselves of past matters — rather than to spark new changes in themselves. For some, the Impaling is a gruesome apology to the victims of the Impaler (or to God) for the sins of the covenant’s father. The torture of the spike is therefore an almost biblical sentencing, an excruciating torture for an excruciating torture. Other Kindred undergo the Impaling as a kind of uniquely Dragon flagellation in recompense for their own sins. The trauma of the ritual is a cleansing renewal for some, who imagine themselves to be killed on each spike and resurrected by the Curse afterward, and an unforgettable reminder for others, who can always summon up the terrible memory of their nights on the spike to guide their future moral choices.
Worship
The Rite of Impaling
The so-called Rite of Impaling is brutally simple and largely open to interpretation. The Impaled of no two domains perform the ceremony in exactly the same way, and most Impaled Dragons feel little pressure to perform the Rite the same way twice in a row.If possible, all the local Impaled Kindred are brought together to perform the Impaling Rite — in most domains, the faction’s members are few enough that gathering them together for the key ceremony is not so difficult. The Kindred then Spear themselves on lances, spikes, spears or other instruments capable of making it through the body. Traditionally, one of the Impaled fulfills the role of “The Impaler” and spears his fellows on long wooden poles, to mimic the work of the living Dracula as closely as possible. These poles are driven through the torso of the Impaled and are carefully placed to keep the participant’s body in place and out of Torpor. The Impaled are then left to suffer, often in darkness but seldom alone, until Torpor or the Beast takes hold.
Impaling Rites are performed indoors or underground, so that participants may be left for several nights of Meditation, suffering and bleeding. Because sufficient height isn’t always available to perform the ceremony in a manner that duplicates Dracula’s towering “forests of the dead,” participants are just as likely to be speared to walls as floors. The participants should be unable to touch the floor or remove themselves from their torturous position.
Modern Impaling Rites explore many variations on the traditional ceremony. Some groups of Impaled require participants to skewer themselves, pulling themselves down the length of their own spikes until it has passed completely through their bodies. More flexible collections of Impaled Dragons allow any form of physical torture, including hanging, stretching, scourging and flaying, in place of the traditional impaling.
Whatever the particulars, the experience of the Impaling Rite is always inhuman, monstrous and horrific. The Impaled are expected to avoid communication with others while performing the Rite. Feeding is forbidden while the Rite is being performed; a Kindred who must be brought blood to aor end) frenzy must end his impaling afterward. Though the Impaled may shame such a vampire, she may well be allowed to participate again in the future. The Rite of Impaling isn’t meant to be easy. The goal of the Impaled is to upset themselves — to emulate the Impaler enough to terrify themselves as his victims must have been terrified. Some Kindred have the wherewithal to endure several nights of the Rite, only to later look out on the writhing, hanging forms of his wounded and agonized kin struggling to slide their bodies down their spikes and surrender to their fears.
Game Mechanics and the Impaling
The Rite of Impaling doesn’t confer any supernatural power on its practitioners, but it is a terrifically gruesome way to frame other elements of game mechanics. The Kindred of the Impaled enjoy the kind of fellowship that comes from shared agony, so the Rite of Impaling is a great way to convince an Impaled Dragon to take a character on as a student or share knowledge of a Discipline. The Impaled have, through their hours suffering on the spike, devised a few of their own Devotions as well (see page 200). At the Storyteller’s discretion, participation in the Rite of Impaling may earn a character a discount on the experience point cost of such a Devotion. In some domains, the Rite may also serve as a method of chrysalis, for learning new Coils.The pain and gradual starvation brought on by the Rite taxes the will of every participant. Some resist the Beast as best they can, but others hang on their Spear until the Beast arrives. Some among the Impaled learn how to “ride the wave” through the Rite of Impaling. The Coil of the Beast is, not surprisingly, the Coil most often associated with the Rite of Impaling.
The Beast on the Spike
Storytellers who want to test the mettle of a character participating in the Rite of Impaling — perhaps to determine if the character will be eligible for an experience point discount when learning an Impaled Devotion — can use an extended Resolve + Composure action to represent the character’s time on the spike. This roll can represent a character attempting to control the Beast and avoid frenzy or a character attempting to goad the Beast and ride the wave (see p. 181 of Vampire: The Requiem). If this action is being used to represent part of chrysalis or the learning process, it’s a good idea to have this action take place between chapters (game sessions) or as part of a sort of “time-lapse montage” illustrating the characters nights on the Spear. Each roll should represent a long, drawn-out period of willful control — probably one night. The total number of successes necessary must be determined by the Storyteller on a case-by-case basis, though five successes for everyone experience point saved is a reasonable estimate. Should the character ever fail a roll during this extended action, however, his concentration and control is lost and he cannot start again. (Thus, in many Impaled circles, the last vampire to come down from the spike earns a reputation for toughness and self-control.)
Humanity and the Spike
No truly sane creature could subject itself to the Rite of Impaling. The experience is truly inhumane. The trauma of the Rite should tax the mores of both the torturer and the victim. Because the Impaled play both of these roles, they are subject to degeneration or derangement rolls at the discretion of the Storyteller. Start with three dice for the roll, modified by the character’s Virtue, Vice and individual motives and circumstances as appropriate. Characters of Humanity 4 or less might not be required to make a degeneration roll, as the Storyteller sees fit, but may still have to make a derangement roll after facing prolonged torture at one’s own hands.
Kindred from the ranks of the Impaled are prone to suffering the Delusional Obsession derangement (see p. 189 of Vampire: The Requiem). The overwhelming emotional and physical pain of the Impaling Rite leads many participants to an emphatic and irrational belief that the experience changes vampires in ways it simply doesn’t. Participants may believe themselves to be temporarily invincible or strong, for example. Some claim to converse with Dracula while on the spike, while others believe their ceremonial spike to contain a portion of their soul. The specifics of individual derangements are many and sundry, but common threads (supernatural durability, the presence of Dracula, a spiritual bond to the spike) appear with some frequency among the Impaled.
Damage and Blood
For the Rite of Impaling to have any meaning to the participating Damned, it must be an excruciating experience. The damage done by the ritual spike isn’t as random as an attack in the heat of a fight; it’s precise, severe and prolonged. Any character that participates in the Rite must therefore accept the damage that is dealt as part of the ritual: mark all but the character’s right-most two Health boxes with lethal damage, so that he is suffering a –1 wound penalty. (Characters with the Iron Stamina Merit or some other wound penalty-countering trait get good use of it here.)
Impaled characters cannot heal this damage until the spike is removed. Traditionally, Impaled Kindred remain on the spike until they’re overtaken by Wassail or fear (possibly of their fellow Impaled).
Type
Political, Faction / Party
Alternative Names
Spears
Ruling Organization
Parent Organization
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