Rules

The relationship between Voudoun Necromancy and Wanga (pp.165-166) is very much a parallel of that between Necromancy and Thaumaturgy. Where the former focuses purely upon the aspects of death, the latter seeks to embrace all the concepts under the purview of the faith.

Voudoun as we know it today began in the Haitian slave communities where the religions of the West mixed with tribal African beliefs to form something wholly new. Vodouisants (practitioners of Voudoun) believe in Bondye, a creator God. The Loa are spirits that serve Bondye. Each Loa governs a particular facet of nature. Practitioners direct their acts of devotion towards those Loa connected with death. Chief among this handful of spirits is one that has been sensationalized by Hollywood, and the name of which has been adopted by the Stiffs: Baron Samedi.

The Giovanni don’t know for sure what connection, if any, there is between the Samedi bloodline and the Loa. However, the name “Papa Zombie” has appeared in recent investigations, and the Giovanni believe this is

someone who might have answers. Efforts are underway to learn more from the Serpents of the Light, who also deal with Voudoun practices in the Caribbean.

The concept of magical sympathy (see pp. 133-135) is something that underpins a great deal of Voudoun rites. For example, a well-known tool of American Voudoun is the voodoo doll (otherwise known as a Baleful Doll, V20, p. 181). Made from components taken from the target (possessions, body hair, etc.), it is said that anything done to the doll manifests upon the target.