Divination is a form of magic revered by some covenant cults. The act of prophesying allows a vampire to either become the mouthpiece of the gods or force answers from a subservient spirit. Some Acolytes elevate one or several vampires to the role of Haruspex, a seer within the covenant.
Many misconstrue the nature of the Haruspex,
however. The Haruspex, by and large, is not a random prophet detailing the far-flung future. No, the Haruspex is meant to obtain the approval of the gods for that which is happening now. The Hierophant may make a change in ritual or may do something that could spurn one god but favor another. The Haruspex divines the ramifications of such actions. She interprets the will and the whim of the gods and spirits, helping the other Acolytes decide on the proper courses of action. In this way, the diviner has a great deal of power. She can, with subtle manipulations, move the cult in a direction that even the Hierophant cannot. Should the others learn of such exploitation, however, the Haruspex’s head will be quick to the chopping block.
The nature of how the Haruspex “reads” the intentions of the gods is, frankly, up to her. She likely utilizes many forms of divination. The Acolyte might reach into an animal’s bowels and withdraw its entrails — the subsequent spillage of bile and the way the guts fall upon the altar may give her subtle hints as to the gods’ sentiments. She may look to the sky and read the patterns of sparrows, or blow smoke across a mirror and see what mystic shapes form. Signs can be found anywhere: bones, runes, playing cards, clouds, even in the delicate traces of a fly’s wing or spider’s web.
Haruspices often know a lot of basic Cruac, including many small-scale rituals bent toward divinatory purposes.
