Auctoritas Ritae

The entire sect practices Auctoritas Ritae because of long-standing tradition, as well as their significance in Sabbat beliefs. The rituals are usually led by the clergy (the priests, bishops, etc.) of the Sabbat. There are a number of Auctoritas Ritae currently practiced by the sect. All are expected to observe the auctoritas ritae, and refusing to take part in the holiest of Sabbat rituals looks very suspicious and may well bring one's loyalty (and their continued existence) into doubt. Questioning the importance or necessity of these rites is tantamount to heresy, while abusing or mis-performing them in either spirit or form is an act of blasphemy.

The Creation Rites

This ritual is used when recruiting new members for the sect. Each pack may vary the ritual slightly, but overall it is the same. In it, all those chosen to become Sabbat are drained of their blood and then given a small amount of vitae from their sires. The Sabbat then bludgeon the chosen unconscious and bury them. Those who claw their way to the surface are knocked out again. They are taken to the secret haven of the pack, where they are awakened and their new status is explained.

Newly embraced Sabbat are not granted the privilege of status in the sect until they have demonstrated their worth, either in combat or in more subtle ways. Before undergoing this ritual the new member is considered probationary, subject to destruction at the whim of pack members or sect superiors. This time of probation lasts between weeks and years depending on the qualities of the new member and the approval of superiors. After the Creation Rites the Cainite is Initiated into the ranks of True Sabbat, albeit at the lowest level of the hierarchy.

The Vaulderie

The most important ritual practiced by the Sabbat, the Vaulderie is the glue which holds the sect together. A collective and mystical bond among equals, the Vaulderie both liberates its participants from the enslavement of the Blood Bond and simultaneously forges a collective sense of loyalty and goodwill. Participation in this ritual is what identifies a vampire as a member of the Sabbat; those who abstain are never fully welcomed by their peers and can, in fact, be destroyed for their unwillingness.

It is not uncommon practice for a pack who enters the territory of another group of Sabbat, or happens to run upon another pack by chance, to share in the Vaulderie, and the ritual often holds an honored place in many of the other ritae. The feeling the Vaulderie creates is one of fellowship, comfort and intense loyalty. It raises the morale of the participants and gives them a tremendous rush. The loyalty created by this bond is far beyond any human emotion and therefore, much more profound.

The Fire Dance

Sabbat pride themselves on their recklessness and the Fire Dance expresses their fearlessness. Normal vampires have the good sense to avoid fire; indeed, most fear it tremendously. The vampires of the Sabbat, on the other hand, go face-to-face with their fears and overcome them. During the Fire Dance, Sabbat enter a trance-like state. They then proceed to leap and dance through blazing pyres. There are some in the Sabbat who know rituals to make themselves immune to fire for short periods of time, but most of the Sabbat participating are completely vulnerable. The Fire Dance is used to humiliate the weak. Those who do not participate are chastised by their fellow pack members.

Games of Instinct

Sabbat believe the strong alone survive. The Games of Instinct test vampires to see who among them are the strongest. The games are meant as competitions and many place bets on who will win. There are many types of games, and Sabbat are always inventing new ones. The games test such things as hunting ability, resistance to pain, fighting ability, bravery and wit. The Games of Instinct are like sports for the undead.

The Blood Bath

The Blood Bath is held whenever sect leaders recognize a Sabbat vampire as having rightful claim to a title. All the Sabbat who will be under the leadership of the vampire are invited to attend the ceremony. Each subservient vampire is brought before her superior. The superior recognizes the vampire and proceeds to give praise and advice. The titled vampire then shares in the Vaulderie with all present. After this, the vampire is actually led to a pool of fresh blood and bathes in it.

The Blood Feast

The Blood Feast is held at almost all important gatherings. Humans, and possibly enemy Kindred, are chained and hung from the ceiling upside down. The Sabbat at the gathering are allowed to bite open the victims and fill their glasses with blood. It is customary to lick the wound closed when finished, so as not to waste any vitae. The Blood Feast is blood on tap. There is usually one victim for every vampire in attendance.

Monomacy

Monomacy is the method for handling grievances among Sabbat vampires. It allows vampires to challenge each other in duels to settle their differences. The duel is usually fought to Final Death. Monomacy is thus a means of maintaining strong leadership in the sect.

Sermons of Caine

All vampires in the Sabbat know the story of their origins from the Book of Nod. The Sabbat often gather to hear sermons on their history to remind them of who and what they are. The sermons are used to strengthen Sabbat loyalty and ideology. Sermons of Caine are usually carried out by Sabbat priests following the Path of Caine, and by higher-level leaders during other rituals. Sermons of Caine are always followed by the Vaulderie.

War Parties

Diablerie is a strong tradition within the Sabbat. Unlike what many outside the Sabbat believe, the Sabbat does not ritually destroy its elders through diablerie (except for the Assamite antitribu). Diablerie is often used against fellow vampires under the rules of Monomacy, and the rumor probably originated from that practice. However, War Parties gather packs in an effort to hunt down elders outside the sect for the purpose of drinking their blood. War Parties involve two or more packs in competition with one another to see which group will drink the target Methuselah's vitae first. During their time on the War Path, many of the Sabbat decorate their faces with war paint.

The Wild Hunt

Sabbat vampires seldom turn traitor, but those who do rarely survive. The Sabbat is a sect which protects its secrets. If a member reveals something to the enemy that could harm the sect, she is punished severely. Should the enemy ever manage to gain something of vital importance from a Sabbat vampire, the Wild Hunt is called. The Wild Hunt is much like a Blood Hunt, except the Wild Hunt targets all those who may possess the secret knowledge. Sabbat are called from all over the territory to participate. The hunt is truly wild. The Sabbat stop at nothing to destroy all who possess their secrets, especially the Sabbat traitor who revealed the secrets in the first place.

Festivo dello Estinto

This is the Festival of the Dead. Held for the entire second week of March, all the Sabbat in a city take part, and even nomadic packs join the celebration. During the festival the attendees revel in being a vampire and celebrate by laughing in the face of death and decay. The celebration always ends in a Blood Feast and Vaulderies take place on a nightly basis in the collected packs. The nightly "festivities" are at once cruel and inhuman and creative. Ritual scarification, fire dancing, the digging up of the dead in cemeteries, and re-enactments from the Book of Nod are just some of the activities that occur during this week-long feast of blood. Hunting becomes more brutal, and the vampires make little effort to hide from the eyes of mortals. It is a week to let loose and revel in the gift of immortality.

Palla Grande

The Palla Grande is the highlight of the Sabbat social calender. This ball takes place on All Hallow's Eve and all the Sabbat in the city and any nomadic packs nearby are expected to attend. This yearly ritual must take place in the open, in an area (such as a civic arena or public park) anywhere that it can be in full view of as many humans as possible. Many take place during raves or public festivals, and the Sabbat has been known to even charge admission to the event to mortal attendees.

The Sabbat members who attend the ball are to come in costume and there is often a great of competition between sect members for the honor of most original costume. The mortal attendees, often lured there on the pretense of being invited to an exclusive party, are in reality the main component of the Ball. The Palla Grande always culminates in a Blood Bath. The main ingredient being the blood of the wannabe vampires, witches and party-reveling Goths who attend the affair, unknowing of the true purpose.

The Archbishop in attendance is the centerpiece of the Blood Bath. He or she climbs into a vat of the blood of the mortals who now are fully aware of the malicious purpose of the ball as their blood flows into a large, ornate bath. Each vampire in attendance adds their blood to the mix. It is rumored that this ritual imbues the Archbishop with certain mystical powers that dissipate at the next sunrise.

At the conclusion of the Blood Bath, all Sabbat in attendance begin a frantic dance of undeath. Eardrum splitting music is played and the vampires drink from the archbishop's bath and from the now nearly dead mortals suspended from the ceiling, as well as from each other. Many frenzy in this vile and violent atmosphere charged with the electricity of depravity. The room itself becomes bathed in blood, with the thick liquid congealing all around the participants in pools and small streams upon the floor and walls.