For the kithain with one foot already in the grave, the spirits of the dead are erstwhile companions. On Samhain night Sluagh with a desire to strengthen their ties with the restless dead perform a ritual known only to, and perhaps performable only by, their kith; the Ritual of the Dead.

When the veil between the worlds of the living and the dead is thinest, Sluagh necromancers reach through with tendrils of glamour to ensorcell spirits and forge pacts as strong as any Troll's oath. The weight of the Dreaming enforces the terms which are agreed upon and if either party reneges they suffer the fate of all oath breakers.

A Crawler enacting the ritual of the dead has more at stake than a broken oath, for the pact is formed at the zenith of the restless dead's power. An upset spirit with more interest in hurting its would-be enchanter than trading secrets can very quickly become a fearful and implacable foe.

System: The Sluagh performing the ritual rolls her willpower (the difficulty is either the caster's or the ghost's banality plus four, whichever is higher) to summon her query. The number of successes determines the power and congeniality of the spirit summoned. If the changeling performing the ritual botches the roll everything goes wrong and a particularly malicious ghost is alerted to the ritualist's presence (the storyteller is urged to be imaginative and pitiless).

One success - An ineffectual or furious wraith is summoned.
Two successes - A underpowered or slightly irked wraith is summoned.
Three successes - An average and bewildered wraith is summoned.
Four successes - A potent and unstable wraith is summoned.
Five+ successes - A very powerful and utterly unpredictable wraith is summoned.

After the terms of the deal between the Sluagh and the ghost are agreed upon, the Crawler seals the bargain and completes the ritual by spending a single point of Glamour and a point of Willpower. This ensures that the deal made will be imposed by the Dreaming until next Samhain. If the parties involved fail to agree upon the terms of the pact, the rite fails and the ghost is free to go where and do what he pleases.

Type: Chimerical

Bunks:
Level 1 - Burn a small offering of foodstuffs inside a rusted cauldron.
Level 2 - Bring a dozen dead roses to a cemetery.
Level 3 - Sprinkle salt in a circle around a fresh grave.
Level 4 - Use a bloody knife to carve a circle surrounded by the names of dead friends in damp earth.
Level 5 - Destroy one of your most precious possessions in a bonfire of dried wood and dead animal carcasses.