The Sanguine Rite

Silver moonlight from the greater moon poured into the atrium and scattered through the rippled glass. Out of simple curiosity, Marius exhaled to see if it was cold enough for his breath to fog the air. A small cloud of vapor puffed out and disappeared; he smiled just a little. It really was quite chilly then. His mother clicked her tongue disapprovingly at him and snapped her fingers for him to cease, so he looked down at his feet as his smile was replaced with a frown. The door to the atrium opened and Iokab, the family fledgling butler, escorted the young woman in. His eyes flicked up when he heard the flutter of her heart and he felt them turning black with hunger. For a moment his heart leapt into his throat as his lips parted. Dark hair, light brown skin, and a petite form… it was not her. He so desperately wished that it was, but sadly that was not the case.
But it seemed at least his father heard his pleas and found a consort that resembled her. Marius gritted his teeth. It was not just her loveliness he coveted, it was the person. This girl was just a sad imitation. He did not want this one. He wanted her to be his first real taste.
“Let’s move this along, shall we?” His father droned to the representative from the basilica of Body and Mind waiting nearby like a silent statue. “We have waited long enough for her to be prepared…”
The priestess nodded and gestured to the chalk ritual circle on the floor. Marius exhaled and nodded, moving to kneel. The young woman in her white chemise followed after and knelt opposite to him. He could see she was equally as nervous as he was as her eyes darted around the room and down. The young dhampir gently took her hand into his as the candles around the rune circle were lit.
“What’s your name?” He whispered and gave her hand a little squeeze to let her know he meant no undue harm. She looked up at him with her lovely amber eyes as her breath trembled.
“A-Anna Maria--” her hushed reply was cut short by a hiss from the mother and she fell silent. Marius shot his mother a wicked glare and took the girl’s other hand into his.
“On this night when the moon darkens and the heavens converge…” he already knew all the blather that the priest would spout about the auspiciousness of the eclipse. None of that held any consequence compared to the sound of the blood in her veins and the taste of breath on her lips. He could feel her heart beating faster as the priest’s drivel began to draw to a close and they both recited their pedantic lines about the sanctity of living blood.
As the shadow began to pass over the moon, Marius felt a feral snarl building in his throat as hunger began to overtake him. He gritted his teeth and steeled himself in the moment. Even if this girl was not her he would pretend that she was to keep from harming the girl. Sharing a moment like this with Lumina was all he yearned for.
Every muscle in the young consort’s body tensed as the greater moon went black and the priest gestured with her hand.
“Drink”.

History

This ritual was developed ages ago by humans and moroi alike to teach young fledglings moderation and value for the blood of a donor. Slowly introducing dhampir (fledglings) to blood when their appetites are weak teaches them restraint and the worth of what they consume so when they eventually ascend to full vampires, they do not rampage with their new hungers. Humans are creature of action and vampires are ones of ceremony, so the two elements were combined to create this rite. Partaking in it signifies the dhampir's passage from existence as a half-blood to the candidacy for ascendance as a fledgling. When a dhampir consumes living blood for the first time, their aging process slows to a fraction of a human's. For this reason blooding of a born dhampir is forbidden before the age of twenty.

Execution

The priest will prepare the ritual space while the dhampir meditates to contemplate on the gravity of the event. Meanwhile the consort will be prepared with cleansing such as a bath where their skin is cleansed with soup and oils to wash away any impurities. 
As the moon shifts, the priest recites their lines and the two participants say their vows. Blooding only occurrs when the greater moon is fully obscured.

Components and tools

Many of the tools are purely symbolic with no real arcane purpose. Glyphs from the texts of Body and Mind are drawn on the floor to denote the binding of flesh and soul on this occasion. Candles provide nice ambiance. Wealthy families may hire a performer to play music.

Participants

Aside from the dhampir themselves, a priest of some repute from the main religion presides over the partaking and issues the vows between the dhampir and their consort. The maker (or makers in the case of parents) witnesses the blooding and often chooses the consort for the rite.
The consort that is selected is one that has never been bitten before and this event doubles as their initiation into the life as a consort.

Observance

On the night of a lunar eclipse at an appropriate time in relation to the creation of a dhampir (twenty years after birth or the next event of an eclipse for a created dhampir) the candidate partakes in this ritual in a place of their choosing, usually the dhampir's home or another location of great significance.

Primary Related Location

Ulvad