Punishment Rites were first developed by Dominic, not long after the Fall.
They are a variation on Worship Rites, used to discourage misuse of Rites
and attunements. Knowledge of how to design has since spread through out
Heaven and also to Hell and The Marches.
A Punishment Rite designed by a lesser Word Bound is no more than a Worship
Rite which cannot be refused. Developing one costs 3 character points, and
counts against the maximum number of Rites the Word Bound may develop. The
Punishment Rite can only be given to a Servant or willing subject (usually
as part of a deal for normal Rites). Each Punishment Rite is 'usable' once
per day, like any other Rite; further, if the character does not have any
essence the Rite will not trigger. Essence lost to this Rite does not go to
the Word Bound, but instead pours into the Symphony, preventing the
degradation of the Word.
Punishment Rites created by Superiors are more serious. They may function
multiple times during a day, and if the Servitor does not have any essence,
they strip away 5 soul hits! (But cannot remove a Force). They usually
punish actions contrary to the spirit of the Word - Jordi's Punishment Rite
of "Doing anything which would earn Darwin Award Commendation" (Not phrased
like that, of course) is very popular with other Superiors, and he often
hands it out at the request of Novalis or Eli.
Getting rid of a Punishment Rite is incredibly difficult, similar to Geas
stripping. The Word Bound who granted the Rite can remove it at will, but
will rarely do so. If a Superior is present when a Celestial Redeems/Falls,
they can remove all Punishment Rites with a thought, so very few of the
Redeemed have any - although those who Redeem via Tears Of God or Founts of
Inspiration will keep any they possess. It's more common for the Fallen to
possess Punishment Rites from the other side.
Sample Punishment Rites:
Blandine: Preventing a tired human from sleeping (Beleth has never removed
this Rite, BTW).
David: Leave an organization.
Dominic: Misuse a Heavenly Rite or Attunement.
Eli: Discourage artistic talents or ambitions.
Gabriel: Fail to punish cruelty to an animal.
Janus: Claim true ownership of an item, without showing gratitude to God.
Jean: Damage an electrical device through carelessness or neglect.
Jordi: Fail to use one's talents when in danger (described above).
Laurence: Fail to stand up for one's convictions.
Marc: Violate unwritten social rules for personal gain.
Michael: Submit to unjust authority, or an unjust ruling.
Novalis: Act spitefully.
Yves: Refuse to listen to advice (refusing to follow it is fine, and you
don't have to listen to the same advice more than once).
Andrealphus: Neglect your personal appearance.
Asmodeus: Think you'll get away with it.
Baal: Disobey orders (many AA's leave this one).
Beleth: Calm a human down.
Belial: Maintain a safety device.
Haagenti: Refuse a (twenty)second helping.
Kobal: Hide your feelings when you're the target of a joke.
Kronos: Aim for a win/win situation.
Lilith: Defend authority.
Malphas: Avoid people you'll fight with.
Saminga: Damage a dead body.
Valefor: Acknowledge another's rights.
Vapula: Use or teach a technique which does not require bought equipment.
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