CC Austeric Chaplaincy

## Austeric Terminology

Austeric Priests use old Hellenic names for their categorization of Observances, though the regular names will be used here for simplicity's sake. The following are the official Austeric names:

* Observances are called Theika Mystiria (Divine Mysteries).
* Petitions are called Paraklisi.
* Supplications are called Ikesia.
* Ministries are called Ierateio.

## Austeric Implements

### Blessed Oil

A small jar of oil which the priest has blessed through an extensive ritual of prayer to spiritually purify and set aside the contents for use in the Divine Mysteries.

Blessing a jar of oil requires a small amount of cooking oil, a pure-white cloth to filter the oil, 15 minutes of prayer while ritually filtering it, and 1 personal point of Fire to be devoted (temporarily held off limits) into the blessing until the effect has worn off, at which point it is eligible to be replenished as normal.

### Sacred Image

A carving or portrait of Annah the Mother of God, sometimes with Ilhaduel as an infant, or kneeling next to the Planted Sword, with a string for hanging around the neck.

## Austeric Talent

As a chaplain in the Austeric Church denomination, you gain the following Talent:

### Watchman of the Soul

> "Through your journey, keep your eyes ever on the goal of unification with the Lord and tire not in the process of seeking Him in the stillness of your mind."
>
>

* As long as you have your Sacred Image in your hand, Petitions do not have a cost, meaning they do not cost 1 Breath or temporarily reduce Faith by 1. And you gain two bonus dice on any Discipline Tests to resist magical sources of external mental influence.
* The act of pulling out and brandishing the Sacred Image with one hand means that Petitions can never be shorter than a Long Distraction.
* If you lose or cannot use this Sacred Image for whatever reason, Petitions cost 1 Breath and lower your Faith by 1, and you suffer a +1 Difficulty penalty on all Faith Tests.

## Austeric Observances

You automatically gain all of the Observances listed in this section, as well as being able to **choose 3 additional Observances** from the ones below.

## Petitions

### Guard Our Hearts

Pray that the Living God delivers us from the grip of fear and that His power protects our hearts and keeps us sound of mind.

* You can substitute Faith for Willpower on a Discipline Test.
* You can grant the option for yourself or others to add two bonus dice to a single Willpower (Discipline) Test.

For Discipline Tests benefiting from either of these bonuses, 2s are also Slips, and a Stumble results in spending 1 point of Fire.

### Pray For Us

Ask the Paragons in Heaven to pray to the Living God on your behalf.

* You gain one bonus die which can be held to be applied to one Test (self or others) at any time, though only one bonus die may be held in reserve at a time.

### Reveal The Truth

Ask the Living God to burn away the lies and distortions that strive to confuse the minds of the faithful, leaving only truth remaining.

* When faced with a magical image, illusion, disguise compulsion, or other supernatural effect designed to make you believe something untrue, you can force the origin of the falsehood to make an opposed Willpower (Stealth) [+1] Test against your Faith (Investigation) Test.
* If they achieve a Dilemma by getting as many Advances as you have, the effects of their illusions are lessened. A Failure on their part makes all magical obfuscations instantly disperse.

## Supplications

### Anoint Servants

Place holy oils upon the forehead of the faithful, praying for them to do their part in the plans of the Living God.

* Requires 1 jar of Blessed Oil and five minutes per six people. Make a Faith (Leadership) Test. For every 2 Advances, give one bonus die to any Willpower (Discipline) Tests to resist mind-altering supernatural powers and one bonus die to any Fitness (Resilience) Tests to resist harm from magical attacks. This bonus lasts for the entire day.

### Consecrate Grounds

The whole world is the throne of the Living God, but some places are dedicated to His purposes as hallowed sites. This is usually done for places like churches or cemeteries, but may be needed in other places under threat from wicked spirits.

* You can make a Faith (Leadership) {12, 5 minutes} Prolonged Test with a Difficulty determined by the spiritual impurity of the area. Each Prolonged Test made costs 1 Breath.
* Using a bottle of Blessed Oil during the Consecration lowers Difficulty of three Tests by 2.
* Success creates a Hallowed Zone which repels evil spirits and those possessed by them and the powers they wield. It also helps the dead to find rest and prevents them from rising as Returned. May have other benefits, too.
* The Consecration lasts for one week before needing to be renewed, unless religious rites are established and followed in the area. Acts of desecration can break the hallowing with a successful Test against your Faith (Leadership).

### Deliverance From Captivity

Nothing can restrain the messengers of the Living God; His Will cannot be halted by chains or locks. A hymn of praise can break open any bonds.

* If wrongly imprisoned or held captive by wicked jailers, sing and spend 2 points of Breath to make a Faith (Discipline) [3] Test. Success unlocks any handcuffs or unties any ropes. A Victory result can unlock doors or cause guards to fall asleep for 1 excess Advance each. With 7 Advances, an earthquake hits the area, collapsing all walls, knocking out all all jailers, but leaving everyone within unharmed.

### Sanctify Implements

Just as we are the instruments of the will of the Living God and must be protected, so too must our tools be blessed to enact His work. A dedication ritual of spreading holy oils over the gear that soldiers are expected to use can keep them safe from supernatural causes of damage and decay, as well as empowering them to affect spiritual entities which normally they would not be able to touch.

* Requires 1 jar of Blessed Oil and five minutes per three tools or weapons. Make a Faith (Discipline) [3] Test. Success makes weapons bypass supernatural resistances and capable of harming intangible targets. Prevents weapons and tools from being damaged by supernatural or magical means. For every 2 excess Advances, grant one bonus die to the user for any Tests made wielding the blessed object. This bonus lasts for the entire day, though a Disaster causes it to prematurely end due to smudging off the Blessed Oil.

Note: Attempting to attack a loyal Celestial spirit in service to the Living God usually results in the violent destruction of the weapon.

### Study Scripture

Read the Holy Scriptures and pray upon the messages they contain.

* Takes thirty minutes and can only be done once per day, usually in the morning. Restore your Faith Attribute to its maximum, and you can make an Intellect (Investigation) [3] or a Willpower (Discipline) [4] Test, with Success either replenishing 1 Fire or restoring 1 Nerve. Getting 2 excess Advances can also restore a reduced Vitality maximum by 1.

## Ministries

### Absolution

You carry an icon of the Risen Son of the Living God which you let a believer place his fingers upon and confess his sins to, before absolving those misdeeds.

* Make an Willpower (Discipline) [4] Test after the absolution ritual. Success allows the believer to make a Willpower (Discipline) Test, restoring a reduced Vitality maximum by 1 for every 4 Advances on this Test.

### Divine Liturgy

Lead a mass of believers in a ritualistic observance of worship rites and recitations intended to bring glory to the Living God.

* Once a week, make an Intellect (Leadership) [2] Test. On a Success, attendees may recover 1 Nerve. Recovering an additional 1 Nerve is possible for 2 excess Advances per point. Restoring 1 Fire may be done for 3 excess Advances per point.
* Only Synenolic and Austeric attendees may benefit from base Success. Anyone may benefit from excess Advances.

### Final Hallowing

Perform the sacrament for commending the spirit of the soon-to-die, the mortally-wounded, or recently deceased unto the embrace of the Living God.

* Make an Intellect (Scholarship) [5] Test after a five minute ritual. Success grants everyone who partakes the opportunity to automatically pass a Willpower (Discipline) Test (must be decided before rolling), as well as letting them ignore 1 point of Pain Penalty for the next several hours. Anyone who benefits from this takes a -3 dice penalty on the first Agility Reaction Test to avoid a hazard or attack.
* Intervene on behalf of the returned dead that walk again, so their spirits may be put to rest.

## Next Step

You are now officially a Battle Chaplain. Move on to **Military Training**.