Sacred Architecture

Chartres Cathedral. Anuradhapura. The Temple of Solomon. Tihuanacu. Throughout history, the Gifted have used
architecture to gather essence and construct sites of power.

Sacred Architecture Skill Speciality

Sacred Architecture is a Speciality that can be taken in Occult, for analysis of an existing Sacred Site, and study of the
subject in general; Engineer (Architecture), for designing and building a Site; and Rituals, for sanctifying a Site under
construction. Sacred Architecture is not strictly limited to the Gifted, but few Mundanes study the right subjects to learn
it.

Planning and Building a Sacred Site

Sacred Sites are principally defined by their Area Level. For example: a small house, church tower, or the wing of a
larger building would be Area Level 1; a larger house or church Level 2; a mansion, cathedral, or other large building
(eg, the Minster in York) Level 3; a vast building or large city block (eg the Temple of Sun at Teotihuacan) Level 4; the
district of a city (eg the Luxor temple complexes) Level 5; a small city (eg Eridu or Vatican City) Level 6; a larger city
(eg Christopher Wren’s London) Level 7; and anything larger Level 8.

An architect wishing to design a Sacred Site must make a Design Task, using Intelligence and Engineer (Sacred
Architecture) – possession of the Speciality is necessary – accumulating as many success levels as the proposed Site’s
Area Level.

Construction Tasks

Building a Site requires a number of Construction Tasks. Each of the Site’s Area Levels allows a pair of Tasks, one of
Dexterity + Engineer or Craft, the other of Intelligence + Rituals. Each of these represents a critical stage of
construction, and requires that 20 Essence be fed into the Site through some means.

The Engineer or Craft Task will usually be Construction or Stonemasonry, but if there is more than one, the Chronicler
may wish to rule that individual ones involve Glassworking, Metalworking, Carpentry, or even Gardening. The Rituals
Tasks must all be of the same tradition. If the builder has a Sacred Architecture Speciality, she can use it, but it is not
mandatory.

If more detail is desired, the builder attempting the Task can be considered an overseer of other workers: in this case,
each worker also attempts the same Task, and the overseer gains a +1 bonus for each one that is successful. Again, the
Chronicler may wish to set limits on how many workers can usefully contribute to a given stage of construction.

It is not necessary that each Construction Task be successful, but the accumulated success levels should be counted.
Larger Sites are harder to construct, however: each Area Level of the proposed Site nullifies a success level from each
Construction Task. On the other hand, good design is an aid to building: each success level on the original Design Task
provides a +1 bonus, which can be divided up among the Construction Tasks.

Completion

Once the Sacred Site is complete, it functions like a Place of Power, providing 7 Essence for each success level
accumulated during the construction. For larger Sites (those of Area Level 5 and above), this can be drawn multiple
times; the Site provides its “full” Essence supply as many times per day as it has Area Levels (though any individual
group can only draw from it the once).
Other Options for Designing a Site
Use of Surrounding Landscape

Some Sites may be in a location where they can take advantage of the surrounding landscape ’s flow of Essence. If this
is the case, then the Chronicler decides how large an area can be drawn from: this is assigned its own Area Level,
which must exceed the Site’s by at least 2, but not by more than 4.

The Design Task must achieve as many success levels as the landscape’s Area Level (the design has constraints that do
not normally apply), but receives a bonus equal to the difference in Area Levels (some of the “work” is already done).
The number of Construction Tasks is still set by the Area Level of the Site.

Those based on an Engineer or Craft skill are unaffected, while those based on Rituals are modified in the same way as
the Design Task.

However, each success level achieved in building a landscape-aided Sacred Site provides 13 Essence rather than 7.

Use of Existing Places of Power

It can be possible to integrate a Sacred Site with an existing Place of Power, either natural or a previous construction. In
this case, the Chronicler must determine the focal area of the existing place – this is where the new Site must be located.
The new Site’s Area Level must be at least as large as this focal area.

The Design Task must achieve 1 success level more than the new Site would normally require; if it gets exactly the new
Site’s Area Level, but not the extra, the new Site will still be effective, but will not merge with the existing one. All
Construction Tasks must be successful – they do not have to attain the success levels mandated by the new Site’s Area
Level, but if any actually fail, the two Sites will not merge.

If the two Sites are successfully integrated, the Essence offered by the old Place of Power is added to that offered by the
new – including being available multiple times per day if the new Site is large enough for that.

If the two Sites are not successfully merged, then the result depends on the totals they offer. If the previous Site
provides more Essence than the new one, the two operate in parallel, and can be drawn from normally but separately.
However, if the new Site offers more, it swamps the previous one, which can no longer be tapped as long as the new
construction exists.

Use of Existing Buildings

Rather than building a Site from scratch, it may be possible to modify an existing mundane site to gather Essence. A
Site like this cannot be designed to draw from the local landscape. However, if it is built on top of an existing Place of
Power, the latter can be incorporated, though the extra requirements are cumulative.

The Design Task must get 1 success level more than that specified by the Area Level (there are extra design
constraints). Construction Tasks that use the Rituals Skill must get their normal number of success levels. However,
those using Engineer or Crafts need 1 fewer (a lot of the building has been done).

A site like this is less effective than one that is purpose-built: each success level gained in the construction provides
only 4 Essence rather than 7.
Blood Sacrifice and Sacrificial Burial
The building of Sacred Sites has often been accompanied by human sacrifice. Besides its ritual purpose, the Essence of
dying victims can be harnessed to provide extra power to a Site. Simple blood sacrifice during building does not
improve the Site, though it allows powers like Sadicas to be used to pay the Essence required by Construction Tasks.
(In the specific case of Sadicas, if it is used at all, it must be used exclusively).

It is the burial of live victims that allows power to be added to the Site. One victim can usefully be buried for each Area
Level of the Site. Placing the sacrifices is part of a normal Design Task, but performing them correctly requires an
Intelligence + Rituals Task separate from the normal building; these must succeed, but they do not require the success
levels that Construction Tasks do.

Each successful burial adds 10 Essence to that offered by the Site (if more detail is desired, each victim stays conscious
for Constitution + D6 minutes, during which time they release D10 Essence per minute, D4 of which is caught by the
construction). As an added feature, Necromancy powers used to affect the ghosts of those buried (assuming they
become ghosts) receive a +1 bonus per success level in the Burial Task.

Either type of sacrifice corrupts the Essence offered by the Site in a similar manner to Sadicas – as such, the Essence
can only be used to power Magic or Necromancy – in addition, the aura of anyone who draws from it will resemble that
of a blood mage for a number of hours equal to the Essence drawn. The use of willing victims negates both of these
problems, but each victim must succeed in a difficult Willpower Test to remain willing for the duration.

Improving Existing Sites

As well as building Sites of power, architects may also find it useful to enhance ones that already exist.

To plan improvements to a site requires a Design Task, achieving 1 more success level than the Site ’s Area Level
dictates, plus another for each previous time the Site has been altered. Construction Tasks are also modified: those
based on Rituals also need 1 more success level (it is difficult to manipulate Essence flows on such a subtle scale),
while those based on Engineer or Crafts need 1 fewer (much of the building work has already been done).

If the Design Task is successful, then each success level accumulated by the Construction Tasks provides Essence equal
to half the Site’s Area Level (round down, to a minimum of 1); however, each one that is failed subtracts 1 Essence
from the pool offered by the Site. If the Design Task does not reach the required success levels but is not an actual
failure, then successful Construction Tasks subtract from the Essence Pool rather than adding to it, but failed ones have
no effect. If the Design Task is a failure, then both successful and unsuccessful Construction Tasks subtract from the
Site’s Essence Pool.

It is a very rare Site that can be modified to draw from the landscape. If it is built on top of an existing Place of Power,
but not integrated with it, then the architect can attempt to incorporate it normally, but the requirements are cumulative
with those of improving the Site. Alternatively, the architect can simply attempt to merge the two together without
further modifying the Site – in this case, the Construction Tasks must merely succeed, rather than reach the usual
number of success levels – they will not increase the Site’s Essence Pool, but will reduce it if they fail.

Human sacrifice can be incorporated into the modifications, using their normal system. Alternatively, previous
sacrifices can be cleansed – this uses the same system as burying them in the first place (the rituals may be different, but
it is still the Rituals skill) – but cuts the Site’s Essence flows off from the bodies. This reduces the Site’s Essence by
whatever it received from the bodies (10 if the exact figure is unknown) – however, sacrifices that are cleaned out will
no longer corrupt the Site’s Essence. After a Cleansing Invocation or similar, it will be as pure as any other.
Templar Techniques
Needless to say, the Knights Templar have long experience with the techniques of Sacred Architecture.

Key of the Craft: This Key costs 20 Essence to activate, but unlike most Keys, lasts for an entire day. The user gets +3
to any Task or Test that goes directly towards completing the work in question. She is also tireless while working; no
matter how strenuous the labour, she counts as (and recovers Endurance as) being at rest. When used for the
construction of a Sacred Site, this Key also allows the user to spend her own Essence (even if she does not have Essence
Channelling) to pay the cost of Construction Tasks. The Key must be activated with a specific project in mind: the user
cannot switch to another project halfway through.

Sigils: These are geometric designs, carved into stonework, which fulfill a similar role to the magic circles of other
mystical orders. Carving a Sigil requires 4 success levels in an Intelligence + Crafts (Stonework) Task, and can assist
the construction of Sacred Sites in two ways. As many Sigils can usefully be carved as the Site has Area Levels. Each
one provides 10 Essence points towards the cost of a Construction Task, and 10 to the eventual Pool of the Site.

Another Form of Architecture

Instead of providing a Pool of Essence, a Site can be designed to improve and stimulate the flow of Essence in those
within its walls, effectively granting them levels of Essence Channeling. This can only be done with a site that is a
single building. Additionally, this is an either/or choice; Essence Pool and Essence Channeling cannot be mixed.
Finally, only the Gifted understand Essence flow well enough to design a Site of this kind.

Taking this option does not affect the Design and Construction Tasks. However, the Site’s bonus is equal simply to the
number of Construction Tasks that achieve the success levels set by the Site's Area Level - success levels beyond this
threshold do not count.

Each Task that meets its target gives anyone who enters the Site 1 level of Essence Channeling (even Mundanes).
Indeed, Mundanes can contribute Essence to Group Magic as if they were Gifted (though they cannot lead groups of
course). Each sacrificial burial or Templar Sigil also provides 1 level. Gifted who already have Essence Channeling
use the higher of their own or that offered by the Site, not the total. In either case, the benefit ends when the character
leaves the Site.

It is not possible to modify a Site to alter whether it offers an Essence Pool or levels of Channeling.