¶ Items » Lorebooks » The Book of Rites
¶ Description
Can be read.
Full description
The Book of Rites
By the hand of one who hath known the sacred ways.
The Rite of Submission
Glory be to those who submit before the God Queen Kethra, for to submit to her is to submit to goodness and perfection. The only way to be truly free is to act in accordance with Her will, for Her will is the ultimate good.
The Rite of Submission is the first and foremost of The Sacred Rites, and all who exist in Kethra's domain shall undergo the rite when they are of proper age.
Every initiate unto the one true faith shall be brought to Kethra's temple and bound upon the great altar. There, before the eyes of the public, they shall serve the priesthood, offering their body as a symbol of their affection for The Goddess and to show dedication to Her will.
The ritual shall continue until, in the eyes of the priesthood, the initiate is found to be satisfactory in fulfilling their purpose, pure of heart, and strong of mind. The sacred union between priest and initiate realises the union between the initiate and Kethra, for it is through the priesthood that Kethra experiences each and every one of us.
Truly, for one to fail in undergoing The Rite Of Submission, is to fail Kethra, and to fail oneself.
The Rite of Communion
Truly, as with the Rite of Submission, The Rite of Communion enjoins one with Kethra in both body and spirit. The Goddess demands of us a deep and intimate bond with Her.
In this rite, the body of the supplicant is the offering, and the act of union through flesh is the means by which Kethra's essence is taken into oneself. Through the priesthood, the faithful are joined to Her Who Is Queen, their bodies consumed by her will, their spirits nourished by ecstasy.
Though not a requirement for one to enter into Keth-Eros, it is nevertheless a divine rite which brings one closer to Kethra.
The Rite of Bondage
Kethra teaches us that marriage is not to be a bond of love or practicality as it was in the days of dust, but instead a union forged in pure, unadulterated lust. The Rite of Bondage is performed not in private, but in the public eye, where the joining of bodies serves as a reminder of Kethra's will, for She teaches that nothing of the flesh should be hidden away.
Those who wish to undergo this sacred rite are bound together by the priesthood with rope, and then upon the altar of Kethra, the couple joins in carnal union with the faithful gathered to witness. As the pair embrace each other, they are coated in blessed oil and given wine to drink.
Such union is sacred in the eyes of Kethra.
The Rite of Restoration
It is known there is no such thing as true wickedness or evil left in the world, for Kethra has abolished it all. But there is such a thing as the failure to indulge. When the body is denied, one's Essence weakens, and the spirit is made sick.
Those who have abstained, intentionally or not, are brought forth before the priesthood. The penitent is to be stripped of all garments and made to participate in acts of pleasure with the priesthood or other faithful. Through this indulgence, the spirit is restored, and the body is cleansed of the sickness of denial.
The Rite of The Priesthood
The priests and priestesses of Kethra are chosen not only for their faithfulness to her cause and submission to her will, but also for their prowess in the ways of the flesh. The Rite of The Priesthood, as its name suggests, is a ceremony by which new members of the priesthood are initiated.
In this rite, the initiate is subjected to six days of continuous coupling within the temple, tended to only by members of the priesthood itself. Behind doors closed to the public, the willing acolyte will endure and revel in the pleasure of the flesh until their body becomes undoubtedly a vessel for Kethra's will. Only if the initiate can prove themselves capable of embracing all aspects of the priesthood's carnal methods, within the allotted seven days, are they granted the title priest or priestess.
From that moment forward, they are bound to serve Kethra's desires and tend to the desires of Her people.
The Rite of Endings
For it is true that all shall die before passing into Keth-Eros, even those children of our perfect Goddess, all pass through such darkness guided by the light of She Who Loves. Through anointing of sacred oils the same as one receives during The Rite of Submission, the dying are blessed–given permission to pass into the afterlife, their spirit guided through The Great River and carried into Keth-Eros upon Her bosom.
As the dead begin their second life, around them are to be the living found rejoicing, embracing one another in acts of carnal worship, the cries and moans of bliss like sweet music to the ears of Kethra, who, finding it well-pleasing, will hurry the spirit of the deceased to their new home.
It is right that what mortals do in this life is in preparation for the next, for our Living Goddess has prepared the place for us.
Thus ends The Book of Rites
Let all who seek Her favour know that to deny the body is to deny the flesh is to deny Kethra.
¶ Stats
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | The Book of Rites |
| Gold | 5 |
¶ Availability
Can be found in the Lair of the Kravenrook during If It Bleeds (the right chest in this image)
| Location | Screenshot |
|---|---|
 |
 |
¶ Notes
- Added in v0.5.209