Second Apotheosis

Description

Preparation for the second apotheosis requires many more months of debased acts and vile plots, but at some point during this second year, the caster must contact her chosen fiendish patron, via either commune or contact other plane. A trusted minion or ally can cast this spell on the caster’s behalf; it’s common for a spellcaster to gain a cacodaemon, im, or quasit familiar so that it can use its commune spell-like ability for this purpose. Once contact is made, the patron must be told of the caster’s desire to become a fiend; during this time, the commune or contact other plane spell cannot be used to ask any other questions. At any point thereafter but before a year has passed, the caster must offer a significant sacrifice to her fiendish patron as a burned offering in a temple consecrated to the fiend. This offering can be either living or dead, but the burned offering must be of someone who is related to the caster by blood or family (such as a spouse or an adopted parent or child) and the caster and the offering must once have shared a positive emotional connection such as love or pride. If this ritual fails, the caster can try again, although the number of attempts she can make is limited in that each new attempt requires a burned offering of a different relative. Once the second apotheosis is successful, part of the caster’s body transforms into something fiendish as proof of her patron’s favor. Use the various fleshcraft grafts to model these partial transformations; the specific transformation granted is up to the GM, but typical results include claw gauntlet or wings of darkness. Once the caster successfully completes the second apotheosis, she becomes eligible to undertake the third apotheosis.