Vinculum

Whispered of in hushed tones among the congregants of the Church of Caine, this sacrament is known by many names across the Kindred world. The Vaulderie. The Sacrament of Communion. The Blood Chalice. The Vinculum. Developed during the Anarch Revolt by members of the Old Clan seeking to break the chains of their elders, this sacrament serves as the perverse foundation for loyalty within the Sabbat, and has kept the Church of Caine dedicated to itself in the harshest times.

The dedicants of the Church spill vitae into a ceremonial chalice with a special tool reserved for this sacrament, starting with the priest and being passed between vampires until all have shed vitae. Then, the order is reversed with each member sipping from the chalice and the priest draining what remains. Loyalty is created and enforced by Blood, complicated artificial emotions taking hold within a parish to ensure that they remain dedicated. While it is an ultimately unhealthy practice, this sacrament reinforces a vampire's sense of self in a community and can treat Stains like a twisted Conviction.

• System: Each participating vampire drains a Rouse Check's worth of their own fresh vitae into the chalice, slaking no Hunger when they sip. The consumption forms a mutual Blood Bond with a Bond Strength of 1, and repeating this sacrament may increase it by 1 each time. Like the Unboundable (•••••) merit, no regular Bonds may form until the Vinculum's Bond Strength decays to 0, though any pre-existing Bond remains until the sacrament Bond Strength matches it. This Bond does not count towards the limit on vampiric thralls.
  
  As a demented form of group loyalty blooms, the vampire must test to resist the Bond (see Vampire: the Masquerade p.234) whenever they would act against the group, it's values, or in betrayal of those they are bound to. A vampire Bound this way may ignore one Stain per session so long as it was gained for the benefit of those they are bound to, similar to a Conviction.
  
  Also gain the coterie merit:
  Vinculum (••) — Once per session, so long as you have another member of your coterie alongside you, you may reroll all regular dice on a failed Composure or Resolve test. Usage of this ability expends it for the remainder of the session for all coterie members present.