Initiation Rite for Living Ghost +13 (Target: 21)
The final initiation which precedes the transformation into an eternal living ghost. At this stage the initiate is one of the leaders of the Disciples of the Worm, privy to their deepest secrets. The only mystagogues who can initiate this mystery are themselves living ghosts. One of these immortals must be convinced personally of the worthiness of the initiate to begin the process.
Traditionally this requires the initiate to undergo a “second apprenticeship”, serving the mystagogue and learning from them for no less than 7 years. Often much longer. ( The initiate and mystagogue sacrifice time +7 – this would usually be +1 and +3 but a bonus is added for the exceptionally long service demanded)
Some living ghosts act as eternal repositories of knowledge and master mystagogues of the cult. They will require the initiate to participate in the recruitment of new members, the management of cells, and to act as a mystagogue for younger members of the cult.
Others are active in the goals and politics of the cult. They will require the initiate to act as their agents in intrigues both within and without the cult.
A third group are engaged in integrating and expanding the magical secrets known to the cult. Each of these spirits has their own area of research and (often conflicting) views of how to achieve the ultimate goal of mastering both life and death. They will require the initiate to act as lab assistant, test subjects, seek out magical relics and secrets, and engage in their own independent research.
When, at length, the living ghost deems the initiate ready to advance they set the final task any member of the cult must perform – expanding the knowledge of the cult. This could mean the discovery of a new place of power (and potential site for a haunt) for the cult to use and study. The retrieval of some unique artefact related to life and death (examples of things the cult currently covets are the broken cauldron of resurrection of Welsh myth, artefacts connected to Asclepius, Hyperborean artefacts, and things related to the Egyptian cults of the dead). Or the development of a new mystery for the cult through synthesis or original research.
To be worthy of being preserved forever as a living ghost, an initiate’s name must already be immortalised in the lore of the cult. That means doing something unprecedented and unrepeatable. It’s left up to the storyguide whether the goal is given by the living ghosts, or if the initiate chooses and declares a goal. ( The initiate has to complete a specified unique quest +6 )
When (or if) such a mighty deed is achieved the initiate is finally initiated into the Living Ghost mystery and is ready to become one of the eternal masters of the cult. All that is left is for them to prepare the rituals and carry out the dread act.
Initiates who reach this stage are, by definition, already masters of necromancy in their own right and experienced mystagogues. Many find the long delays and onerous duties frustrating and degrading. Convincing immortals to act hastily is no easy task, however, especially when those immortals had to suffer in the same way in their mortal days. It is theoretically possible for an experienced mystagogue to self-initiate into the Living Ghost mystery at this stage instead, but the process would be exceptionally gruelling.
NB: The logic here is that the existing living ghosts have little incentive to increase their numbers by initiation. They gain far more from stringing their subordinates along with the promise of immortality, knowing that self-initiation is close to impossible. This provides an excellent engine for stories, with the living ghosts acting as a mix of quest-giver, adversary, and ally. Do you toady up to one, in the hopes they will “reward” you? Do you struggle against their restrictions and try to coerce the knowledge from them? Do you try and circumvent them? Or do you try and do something so impressive they are forced to recognise you as an equal? All food for stories featuring the initiate character.
Yes, my take on living ghosts is basically "Sith, but hermetic". The Dark Side Mystery Cults are a pathway to many abilites some consider to be unnatural.