The dead look down, say the gubbas, from some place in the sky. Kooris know that the dead are in all sorts of places. The death of a loved one is usually accompanied by rituals. The Uratha have adapted the custom of “sorrow marks” (sacred scarification) in order to prevent ghosts from harming them.
Performing the Rite
The pack will gather on the occasion of a loved one’s death, whether Uratha, wolf-blooded or any other, and chant while cutting themselves with flint or pieces of kurranulla shell. A bora ring is the usual place to meet. They chant, usually dance as well and cut their packmates in ceremonial patterns. Each sort of ghost that one might fear has a traditional pattern. The cuts are made to form permanent scars, called “sorrow marks” by the British because they were a funerary custom. Rarely, the Uratha of Australia will scar themselves after a defeat in battle or some other loss; the custom is the same. The scarring is painful and creates aggravated damage, but does not incur the risk of Death Rage for Uratha with Harmony over 3.
This ritual lasts perhaps an hour for each person who wishes to be scarified. The scars are effective as long as ghosts can see them. Therefore, if a werewolf was scarred on the chest, his scars would keep away a ghost unless he were wearing a shirt. Usually, one point of aggravated damage is enough to scar the body, but for each additional level, another area can be scarred (arms, face, genitalia, etc.). If more of the body is scarred, the effect is stronger.
