The Brand of Sacrifice marks a person chosen as an offering during a God Hand or apostle ceremony. It is not a normal scar or tattoo. It is a supernatural claim placed on the branded person, marking them as prey to dark astral forces.
Branded people are drawn closer to the Interstice. Evil spirits and lesser supernatural entities are attracted to them, especially at night. The brand may ache or bleed when powerful evil is nearby. A branded survivor cannot simply return to normal village life without endangering themselves and those nearby.
For the campaign, a branded NPC is an encounter engine. The party may escort one, hide one, investigate one, or be blamed for the disasters that follow them. Villagers may fear a branded person as cursed. Priests may declare them a sign of heresy. Apostles may hunt them. Spirits may gather wherever they sleep.
Do not overuse branded survivors. Canonically, surviving the Eclipse is extremely rare. If the campaign includes a new branded survivor, explain it carefully: perhaps a partial rite, a failed sacrifice, a false brand, a person touched by the Eclipse's residue, or someone branded in a separate apostle ceremony. Avoid making many random branded people unless the campaign intentionally centers on a wider sacrificial mystery.
The Brand is horror through pressure. It should create dread, time limits, night danger, and moral choices. Protecting a branded person should be brave, difficult, and costly.