Sacral vault

From Warmachine - Lexicanum
Jump to: navigation, search

Sacral vaults are great edifices built by large gatorman tribes dedicated to ritual sacrifice. Sacral vaults are specifically constructed to harness and store the energies of blood and death, literally housing the souls of those killed in its vicinity to power the dark rituals of the attending bokor. The souls trapped within are unleashed to rend enemies to bloody rags, but not before their bodies are turned against their comrades.[1]

Properties

The most powerful sacral vaults are built of stone ruins unearthed from the swamps and long steeped in death and decay. The region around Blindwater Lake contains many fragments of Molgur, Morrdhic or Orgoth construction. Already inscribed in the profane texts of these civilisations, they serve as perfect conduits for the power of death as they are set one atop the other to create a towering edifice. The bokors consecrate these structures in blood and pile them with bones and candles made from the tallow of their victims, creating a haven for the spirits of the restless dead.[1]

Each sacral vault is a monument to the worship of Kossk and a fearsome example of the power that can be harnessed through deathly energies. When awoken by a bokor, a supernatural storm whips about the vault in the form of disembodied spirits. This ethereal wind swirls violently as the spirits attempt to break the bonds of their cage. Their spiritual frenzy allows these ghosts to rip at the physical world, making the surrounding area dangerous to those who have not appeased Kossk. At the direction of the bokor, these spirits can be sent forth to unleash their eternal frustration upon enemies far from the vault itself.[1]

For victims, a gruesome death at the hands of the vault’s occupants — their soul passing on to Urcaen — is the best outcome to be hoped for, granted to only a few. For most, a far worse fate awaits them as the vault ensnares their souls. Their souls are ultimately ripped from them and locked into the inescapable unholy tomb, there to await the call of their new master. Such is the hunger of the sacral vault that it does not distinguish between friend and foe: all souls are inexorably drawn to its cold embrace. For the gatormen, however, such a fate is viewed with reverence.[1]

The rise of the Blindwater Congregation under Bloody Barnabas has greatly increased the demand for and the use of sacral vaults. Unification has brought together both more building material and more mystic talent than ever before. The newest sacral vaults are designed with mobility in mind so that their strength might be used against Barnabas’ enemies. Not only does this allow the gatormen to employ them in battle, but Barnabas also believes that the ability to gather multiple sacral vaults together at the height of his greatest battle will be critical to his successful transcendence to godhood.[1]

References