The Oath of the Open Door is a powerful and secret Boggan Oath.
Words
Today I take you into my shop, and my trust. My hidden labors become our shared secrets, my projects our dreams, my work our shared passion. I welcome you as my helper, my hearthmate, my joy.
Response
Today I enter your shop, and your trust. May I always treasure the secrets I see there and never share your skills without your leave, and may the Mists keep the secrets I cannot.
Overview
This deceptively simple oath is one of the best kept secrets of the boggan kith, for it allows them to use their Craftwork birthright in front of the oathmate as though they were another boggan. On the surface, the extreme secrecy surrounding these vows seems bizarre to those rare outsiders who learn of it; after all, what’s the harm in getting a little extra help? However, the simple fact remains that boggans are far, far more likely to swear oaths of friendship or even true love before offering this vow to another.
The roots of this secrecy and reluctance go deep into boggan hearts. Simply put, the isolation required by their Craftwork birthright is not just a way of ensuring they can work as they please, but also allows them to create in a space free of the judgment of others who aren’t like them. That’s no small matter for this humble, often overlooked kith. After all, if all your life you’ve primarily worked and created alone, or with others very much like you, suddenly having an audience — even an audience of one — who is different is a tremendous change.
A boggan may only swear one Oath of the Open Door at a time, and it can only ever be offered to one other person at a time; it cannot be shared with a group. Offering it to another recipient without dissolving the first ends the existing oath immediately, and the old recipient is immediately aware of it. Even with this vow, mortals and Prodigals must be enchanted for the Craftwork birthright to be usable in their presence. However, provided the boggan spends the majority of their time working, an enchantment on their oathmate lasts as long as the work requires, even if the Glamour would normally fade sooner.
Oh, and there’s one more thing to know about this oath; asking a boggan for it is considered an incredibly insensitive faux pas. This is unlikely, given how closely guarded this oath’s existence is among the kith, but if you know, just... don’t do it. Trust me.
References
- CTD. Kithbook: Boggans, pp. 75-76.