rituAls Θf e Eternal MΘer

A new grimoire for Cthulhu Invictus • By Oscar Rios

rituals of the eternal mother The text begins with the spell Enchant Knife, as an enchanted
knife is necessary for many of the other rituals contained within.
Latin, translator unknown, 250 BC Next is a ritual for singing a magical song which fills all who hear it
This infamous collection of rituals has circulated around the with desire for the singer, called Melody of Venus (commonly called
empire since the days of the expanding republic. It is rumored Siren’s Song. See page 168 of The Grand Grimoire of Cthulhu Mythos
to have been collected from various folk cults across Gaul and Magic). This is followed by a spell called Mistress of Beauty (com-
Hispania, by powerful Roman matrons following their conqueror monly called Gift of Inanna. See page 124 of The Grand Grimoire of
husbands. Copies of this text always are always written or inscribed Cthulhu Mythos Magic), which allows the caster to steal the beauty
into one or more hides of a ewe or nannie (female sheep or goat). of another. The next two spells are recorded nowhere else. One,
It is rumored (truthfully so) that all copies of this text are cursed. called Fertile Garden, grants near certain fertility to the recipi-
Any male to handle the Rituals of the Eternal Mother is stricken with ent; the other, called Milk of the Blessed Mother, allows a nursing
a terrible disease (Cause Disease, 90 POW strength for opposed mother to grant her offspring health and immunity to illness (both
POW check). This text is strictly for use by women, and all rituals spells are listed below). The last spell is called The Eternal Serpent
contained within are variants that only function for (biological) (commonly called Sacred Molting of the Youth. See page 162 of The
females of reproductive age. Grand Grimoire of Cthulhu Mythos Magic).
This text, a collection of rituals provided by the Outer Goddess These scrolls have been declared illegal by the authorities and are
Shub-Niggurath, focuses on the traditional ways a woman main- quickly burned once captured. Any found in possession of these
tains her power within the Roman Empire: enhancing one’s beauty, scrolls are put on trial and typically sentenced to death. How-
maintaining youth, producing children, and successfully raising ever these scrolls are very seldom discovered or captured, as their
them to adulthood. However, all of these “gifts” come at the cost owners tend to be cunning and powerful women, often from some
of another. The text dictates that to maintain this power a woman of the most highly placed families in the empire. It is whispered that
must be ruthless, willing to kill in order to protect her own life and a copy of this text was owned by Julia the Elder (wife of Marcus
that of her children. Vipsanius Agrippa, and mother of five children), who passed it on
to her daughter, Agrippina the Elder (wife of Germanicus, and
The strong live. The weak die to serve the strong. Such is mother to six children, including the Emperor Nero).
the way of nature.
Sanity Loss: 1D10
Unless a woman could secure heirs for her husband and house-
Cthulhu Mythos: +3 / +7 percentiles
hold, her position was in jeopardy. However, the pursuit of this
goal was perilous and could cost a woman her life. In an age when Mythos Rating: 30
women commonly died in childbirth, and most newborns died Study: 10 weeks
before the age of three, these were very serious concerns for noble Suggested Spells: Enchant Knife, Fertile Garden (see
women. Rituals of the Eternal Mother grants its caster power over below), Gift of Inanna (called “Mistress of Beauty”),
these areas, but only if she is willing to kill for it. Unfortunately, Milk of the Blessed Mother (see below), and Sacred
many women are, and these texts are eagerly sought after, copied, Molting of the Youth (called “The Eternal Serpent”),
and passed down from mothers to daughters. Siren Song (called “Melody of Desire”).
Fertile Garden (New Spell) Milk of the Blessed Mother (New Spell)
Cost: 10 Magic Points, 1D6 Sanity points Cost: 6 Magic Points, 1D6 Sanity points
Casting Time: 1 Hour Casting Time: 1 Hour
This spell ensures that the caster conceives a child and has a The caster of this spell must be a woman who has given birth
pregnancy free from complications. It also allows the caster to suc- within 24 hours. It requires the life of a healthy newborn child of
cessfully deliver a healthy child nine months later without any risk less than three months of age. The sacrificed child is boiled in a
to her own life. This spell works even if the man she mates with is cauldron filled with the fat of a dozen sheep under the open night
infertile. However this spell demands a heavy price: a human life. sky. This produces a film of white milky oil that rises to the top of
To perform this spell the caster must purify oneself by bathing in the mixture. This oil must be skimmed off and applied hot to the
the milk of at least a dozen goats. The sacrifice must be a biologically bare skin of the caster, a painful, yet harmless, process.
male human and exceptional in some way; i.e., they must have a This allows the new mother to produce enchanted milk that
score of 70 or greater in one or more of their physical characteris- grants supernatural vitality to her own newborn for the next 24
tics (STR, CON, SIZ, DEX, or APP). At the conclusion of the ritual hours. However, this milk must be the first thing the infant ingests,
bathing, the caster must the mate with male. Midway through the or the spell has no effect. If the child’s first feeding is from someone
coupling, before completion, the caster must then sacrifice the male under the effect of the Milk of the Blessed Mother, that child is
with an enchanted dagger. Once this has been done, the spell is in granted total immunity to serious illness and disease until they
effect, and the caster is fertile and will conceive with the next man reach puberty. They may suffer from common illnesses, but never
she couples with during the next 12 hours. anything that might endanger their life. However, at the onset of
However, there is one side effect. 1 in 6 of the children conceived puberty those nursed from the Milk of the Blessed Mother have a 1
via the use of this spell are born with genetic abnormalities. These in 4 chance of developing a serious allergy to something, such as bee
traits don’t take effect until the child reaches puberty. Some (50%) stings, nuts, shellfish, or milk (Keeper’s choice). Such substances
become natural lycanthropes (typically transforming into wolves, act on them as if they were Lethal poisons (4D10).
boars, or panthers). The rest transform into Gof’nh Hupadgh, also
known as The Blessed of Shub-Niggurath.

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