Welcome to Gaia! ::

Hear that? That howling behind the shadows in the alley and under the concrete skin of the city lots….Hear it? Take my hand, and hold tight. That’s where I’m taking you….

Argos is an Arcanos of travel, specifically of travel through the Tempest. It enables wraiths to "swim" through the Tempest's substance, find secret pathways from place to place and journey reasonably safely between the realms of the Underworld. Masters of Argos can go virtually anywhere in the Tempest and arrive without being molested by Spectres.

Without Argos, though, travel in the Tempest is very hazardous. Wraiths with no Argos knowledge drift about in the storm, and can only change direction by spending a Pathos point. Spectres, especially Shades, are often drawn to such easy prey. Also, it is almost impossible to find a Byway without some Argos knowledge.
A character with Argos can usually "carry" a small group of companions with her, so long as they don't resist. As long as all link hands, the one can guide the rest. However, passengers can (and do) increase the difficult of Argos actions.

The Guild
The Harbingers' Guild came together as a collection of messengers, heralds and explorers. They never submitted to the same levels of dreary bureaucracy as the more formal Guilds did. They occupied a niche on the periphery of Stygian government, working for the Hierarchy without actually becoming a true part of it. Their sense of honor led them to serve as a sort of "Coast Guard" for the Tempest, rescuing the lost and besieged. This honor also lent itself to Stygian loyalty, and the Harbingers joined the Great Revolt reluctantly. When the Masquers and Usurers backed out, the Harbingers followed soon after.

Following the breaking of the Guilds, it was simply business as usual for most Harbingers, albeir on an individual rather than a Guild-centered basis. It is worth noting that the Harbingers still command respect, and wraiths consider it bad luck to interfere with a Harbinger's duty. Perhaps to earn this respect, Harbingers will always stop to rescue souls they see lost in the Tempest. Of course, Spectres know this as well and take full advantage when laying traps for unwary Harbingers.
Harbingers are exceptionally calm, swift, quiet and collected. The time they spend in the Tempest gradually but invariably stains their eyes jet-black.

Botches
If a wraith botches an Argos roll, she may become stranded in the Tempest for a time. She may also hallucinate, seeing things in the Tempest’s fabric that are not really there or overlooking the otherwise visible. Generally speaking, an Argos botch will lead the hapless wayfarer into some sort of danger ¾ Spectres, the Labyrinth or whatever the Storyteller can devise.

Basic Abilities
Orienteering: Distance and time have little meaning in the alien storm of the Tempest. Orienteering allows a wraith to determine his location in the Tempest and find the route to his destination. Those with Orienteering can travel to their destinations via the quickest and easiest path (usually a Byway), dodging most obstacles along the way.

Only the foolish attempt to navigate the Tempest with Orienteering alone, but it si an excellent way to find a safe path out in dire emergencies.
Wraiths moving through the Shadowlands without resorting to Tempest shortcuts move at normal walking or driving speed; the standard travel times referred to above are for this sort of normal ground tranportation.

System: The number of successes on a Perception + Argos roll (Difficulty 8 ) indicates the length of travel time to the wraith's destination. Clever wraiths can sometimes use the fluctuating dimentions of the Tempest to their own benefit.

1-3 successes: Standard travel time
4 successes: Half standard travel time
5 successes: One-quarter standard travel time
Note: Travel time depends upon how far the a wraith is traveling and whether she is moving between the levels of the Underworld. It usually takes two to seven days to travel between the Shadowlands and Stygia; two weeks to reach the Far Shores. Moving through the Teampest from point to point in the Shadowlands rarely takes more than a day, but there are no guarantees.

If the wraith fails an Orienteering roll, she has gone on the wrong direction and may become lost. This (as well as the perils that a botch brings on) could even turn into an adventure, at the Storyteller's discretion.

Tempestpeek: This art allows a wraith to look into the Tempest, observing any beings or things drifting nearby. He can be seen by any beings in the near Tempest, and can even communicate with them if need be.

System: With a successful Perception + Argos roll (difficulty 6), the wraith may observe the immediate area of the Tempest. The number of successes indicates how clear a "window" the wraith peers through.
Tempest Threshold: Most wraiths can only enter the Tempest through Nihils. Those with Argos can open thier own portals, however. The portals are usually small, and iris closed immediately after the wraith passas though.

System: Opening a threshold requires a Strength + Argos roll (difficulty 7).

· Enshroud
To avoid the hazards of the Tempest, those with Argos learn first how to hide themselves from unfriendly eyes. This art allows the wraith to pull shadows around herself, making herself unseen in both the Tempest and the Shadowlands. When first activated, Enshroud causes the wraith to suddenly vanish. She is thereafter cloaked in shadows.

System: After spending a point of Pathos, the player rolls Dexterity + Argos (difficulty 7). Each success allows the wraith to remain Enshrouded for a turn. Enshrouded wraiths cannot act on others, even violently, without being revealed.

·· Phantom Wings
A wraith using this art may fly both in the Tempest and the Shadowlands. Flight is not terribly fast (resembling gliding more than anything else), but can be a convienient way of getting around. Wraiths may hover using this art, but can never accelerate to more than jogging speed.

System: The player rolls Stamina + Argos (difficulty 6). Each success grants one more turn of flight. The Storyteller may call for Dexterity + Argos rolls to maneuver though or stay aloft in particularly sticky situations (say, above a Nihil or in a cramped Stygian tower). A character must be Incorporeal to fly while in the Shadowlands.

··· Flicker
A character with Flicker can harness the natural distortions of the Tempest to quickly travel from one place to another. These mini-jumps are only good for short-distances, generally line-of-sight. Flicker is also a good way to blindside opponents in combat.

System: The player rolls Dexterity + Argos (difficulty 6). Each success reduces the travel time by one turn. For example, if Henri was trying to climb a fire-escape, and the Storyteller decided it would take four turns to get to the top, two successes with Flicker would mean he could make the climb in only two.
If the desired destination is out of sight, but still within a city block, Flicker is still possible. The difficulty of the roll is 8, however, and any failure maroons the character in the Tempest. Similarly, any Flicker botches usually strand the character in the Tempest, and this art will not permit the wraith to emerge. Flicker supersedes Tempest Threshold, and can be used without the lesser ability.
Each "leap" costs 1 Pathos.

···· Jump
The wraith with this art may rapidly travel to any of her Fetters, riding secret pathways to the familier destination. She may Jump any distance to a Fetter, but only to a Fetter. Rumor has it that the eldest Gaunts can instantly travel toto anywhere in the world without the aid of Fetters, but this as yet is only hearsay.

System: The player rolls Stamina + Argos (difficulty 8 ). Each level of the destination Fetter reduces the difficulty by -1. The more successes, the more the travel time is reduced, and five or more should allow practically instantaneous transit. As with Flicker, Tempest Threshold is not necessary to use of this art.
Jump costs 3 Pathos per use.

····· Oubliette
This art is the terrifying ability to cast other wraiths directly into the Tempest. By focusing his will, the wraith may either hurl others into the Tempest, or hold them in one spot, preventing them from escaping into the Tempest or Shadowlands.

System: The player makes a Strength + Argos roll (difficulty of the target's Willpower.) The target may choose to make an opposed Willpower roll.
Wraiths cast into the Tempest are free to use any Argos arts they possess, but they are in serious trouble if ignorant of such secrets. The sheer force of the banishment tears a Corpus Level from the target, in addition to the other effects.
If the wraith is trying to hold his target in place (in either the Tempest or the Shadowlands), the target is imprisoned for one turn per success. The imprisoning wraith must maintain some minimal concentration to keep his victim in place.
Either use of this art costs 3 Pathos and grants the user 1 point of temporary Angst.

Open yourself to the warmth. Forget the Shadowlands, forget your Corpus, forget even me. Just concentrate on the warmth - it should bake you like sunlight used to. Remember? Remember sunny days in the park and loose cotton clothes? That’s it….

Embody is the art of physically manifesting in the mortal world. Like many Arcanoi, it defies Charon's Code by its very existance; only the Deathlords have authority to reach across the Shroud with impunity. Still, the lure of flesh is strong. The change in a wraith's very senses when she manifests is powerful, and heavy enough to tempt the most stoic Centurion.

The best way to learn Embody is to open one's senses, focusing on the most intense sensory input available. Loud music, the heat from a radiator, the shimmering reflection in a lake - all can be the anchor with which a wraith can pull herself across the Shroud.

If a wraith Embodies physically, he opens himself up to mortal injury. Immaterial wraiths lose only one Corpus level from a blow or gunshot, but those physically materialized take as many Corpus Levels of damage as they would have lost in Health Levels in life. If "slain," an Embodied wraith is thrust into a Targeted Harrowing as the Quarry.

Attuning oneself to a Consort is particularly useful with Embody. Once attuned, all difficulties from Embodying to that person (and that person alone) are reduced by -3. It also costs no Pathos to manifest to the subject. However, only the Consort can see or hear the wraith. This is a double-edged sword. Other mortals might consider the Consort crazy. Conversely, the subject may convince others of the wraith's existence, making it easier for the wraith to attune herself to them.

Unless otherwise noted, the difficulty of any Embody roll equals the local Shroud rating. Embody is virtually useless in the Tempest.

The Guild
For obvious reasons, the Proctor's Guild had extremely tenudous relations with Stygian authorities for centuries. Although they did find Stygian employment, Charon's Code prohibited Proctors from practicing their arts on their own. Most chafed at the restrictions, interacting with mortals whenever they could anyway.

Among the revolt's most enthusiastic supporters, the Proctors received a lion's share of the blame when it failed. For centuries, Legionnaries were encouraged to hunt down Proctors and force them into Thralldom - or qorse. Since Charon's disappearance, this has eased somewhat, but demonstrating a talent for Embody in Hierarchy territory is still a poor tactical decision.

A Proctor's voyages through the Shroud gradually mark her body with peculiar patches of light and dark. Experienced Proctors often wear patterns on their skin akin to light dappling through trees.

Botches
Strange things happen to those who misuse Embody. A character may lose her voice in the Shadowlands by botching Whisper, or fall into the Tempest while attempting other arts. Proctors also run the risk of gaining Angst; when the sensation of the material world is offered and then snatched violently away, the despair is often overwhelming.

Basic Abilities
Ghostly Touch: The wraith can exert a tiny whisper of a touch to the material world, weaker even than Ping (Outrage 1). The character may not even move anything larger than dust - about the most she can do is gently write on a fogged window; and this takes all her concentration.

System: The player rolls Strength + Embody against the local Shroud.

Maintain the Material Form: This is not so much an ability in itself as the capacity to maintain an Embodied form for a longer duration.

System: The player rolls Stamina + Embody (difficulty 7). Each success adds to the number of successes already gained for the Embody power being used

This ability costs 2 Pathos. A failure immediatly disperses the Embodied form.

· Whispers
The wraith may whisper across the Shroud, letter her voice be heard faintly in the Skinlands. This art is not necessary to speak with supernatural beings who can ignore the Shroud, such as sluagh changelings.

System: The player rolls Manipulation +Embody. Each success allows the wraith to relay one short sentence.

·· Phantom
The wraith may manifest as a hazy, translucent figure, only vaguely reminiscent of his mortal body. Mortals noticing this intangible form will react with intense fear, and are fully affected by the Fog.

System: The player rolls Charisma + Embody. The wraith manifests for one turn per success. If the character wishes, she may also attempt to frighten onlookers by rolling Manipulation + Embody against the target's Willpower. Horrific Moliation or other creative use of Arcanoi can modify this roll.

Phantom costs 1 Pathos.

··· Statue
This art permits the wraith to take a solid, if immoble, form. The Embodied wraith seems to be an idealized version of himself, but with cold, hard flesh. While useing Statue, the wraith cannot move, speak or even breath. Still, this art can be useful when avoiding Spectre or Wraith pursuers. In a crowded subway, for example, hunters may overlook the "sleeping mortal vagrant" in their haste to find their wraithly prey.

System: Each success on a Stamina + Embody roll indicates how many times the character can be touched, or how many scenes he may remain solid (whichever comes first). The player may be harmed as if he were mortal (see above).

This art costs 2 Pathos.

···· Life-in-Death
This art allows the wraith to manifest as her mortal body, more or less. Her appearance reflects her mildly spotty memory of her living self; most wraiths tend to idealize their appearance, becoming more beautiful when Embodied then they were when alive. This form has darker hair and paler skin than before, but otherwise generally won't appear odd. The wraith using Life-in-Death has flesh colder than it should me, and will seem constantly distracted (a side effect of the concentration necessary to maintain this form). Although most onlookers won't notice anything wrong with a wraith using this art, those close to her in life may pick up on the differences.

System: The player rolls Manipulation + Embody; each success allows the wraith to remain solid for one scene. This form can only be used if the character currently holds a humanlike form (those Moliated into objects cannot use Life-in-Death). The player may opt to substitute her character's Manipulation score for her Appearance while Enbodied. The wraith takes damage as mortals do while in this form.

This art costs 2 Pathos.

····· Materialize
The wraith can assume an almost fully human form, briefly duplicating his mortal life. While Materialized, he breathes, bleeds, sweats, and enjoys his former warmth. The wraith can do anything he could do while he was alive. The only restriction is time - this form's cost in Pathos and concentration is staggering. The sensation of this form is almost overpowering, especially to wraiths who have been dead a long time.

System: The player must roll Manipulation + Embody. Each success allows the character to be solid for as long as it takes to draw one breath. If the character is attuned to the person viewing him, he may manifest for one hour per success. While Materialized, the wraith suffers any damages as if he were still mortal.

Each use of this art costs 3 Pathos and 1 Willpower.

I used to be a skin sack filled with warm blood, same as you. I just traded up for a better model. Now I have a motor for a heart, electricity in my veins, my hair is fiber-optic, and my copper fingers snake through cities. It’s the ultimate upgrade my friend. Get with the program.

Wraiths skilled in Inhabit are masters of the inanimate. They can infuse their very essence into an inanimate object, in time even learning how to animate their “home.” If an object is destroyed while a Wraith occupies it, the item immediately becomes a relic. Masters of Inhabit can even imbue an object with their own Arcanoi, gradually pouring Corpus and Willpower Traits into the item to create a form of inexpensive yet powerful Artifact.

Inhabit is a textbook example of how Arcanoi evolve to fit the times. Many of Inhabit’s arts are recent creations, deemed more useful in the Information Age than the antiquated arts they replaced. It is entirely likely that older wraiths still practice the Ancient Arts of Inhabit, never learning the new-fangled tricks of the modern age.

There are some advantages to attuning Inhabit to a specific object. By preparing an inanimate Consort, a wraith can exert more control over its functions when Inhabiting it. Wraiths must spend Willpower Traits while Shellriding an object to attune it.

The Guild
The proud Artificers claimed to be not only the richest of the Guilds, but also the eldest. Nhudri himself, the Artificers say, created their Guild in order to train helpers for his forge. The practitioners of other Arcanoi quickly recognized the assets of such organization, and followed the Artificers in forming their own Guilds.

In the social unrest following the Third Great Maelstrom, the Artificers fomented rebellion against Charon. They rallied the other Guilds around them, and led the battle to overthrow the Hierarchy. They failed, and paid the price. Although many ex-Artificers are still employed as soulforgers, it is illegal to use or teach Inhabit in many places. While soulforging is a vital part of the Stygian economy, those Artificers who know only Inhabit’s secrets dwell in squalor a far cry from the glory of the first Guild.

Most Artificers are charred or marked with reddish patches from their work at the soulforgers. Younger Artificers specializing in computer-based arts have charred traceries of circuit-board patterns instead.

Botches
Inhabit mishaps are an excellent way to become trapped in an inanimate object far longer than one might like. A wraith might likewise accidentally short out a valuable device, delete important computer files or have her senses overwhelmed by the input suddenly available. Botching some of the newer arts might even cause the host object to explode….

Basic Abilities
Sense Gremlin: "Gremlin" is a slang term for wraiths who possess machines. A wraith may carefully examine an object with this ability, determining if any wraiths are currently in residence.

System: The player need obtain only one success on a Perception + Inhabit roll (difficulty 6) to determine whether or not a machine is Inhabited. More successes are useful for determining the Shellriding entity's nature (or numbers). With three or more successes, the wraith can even tell if a machine has been recently Inhabited.

Shellride: The wraith may slide his Corpus without harm into a machine or object, hiding there from other wraiths. He has no control over the object only remaining within until he chooses to leave.

System: The wraith rolls Dexterity + Inhabit to slip safely into an object. While there, he can be only detected by Sense Gremlin. However, if the host object is destroyed, the wraith immediately takes a Corpus Level of damage and is forced out. The number of successes on the initial roll determines how many successes are needed for a rival Shellrider also seeking shelter in the same object to force the first wraith out. Multiple wraiths can Shellride the same device, assuming it is large enough.

· Surge
By passing his hand through an electronic device, the wraith may cause a temporary short, briefly cutting its power. This disruption of the electron flow can actually damages computers and other delicate instruments, especially those without surge protectors.

System: The player rolls Wits + Inhabit. The number of successes indicates the number of devices that can be shorted simultaneously.

·· Ride the Electron Highway
This art allows a wraith to slide into wires and transmit themselves across communication networks and computer satellites. This mode of travel, called the Electron Highway, is like riding a bullet train through tunnels, barriers and gateways of light. If the wraith can get past the tollbooths and barricades the represent computer security systems, the world opens up before her.

System: The player rolls Intelligence + Inhabit (difficulty 8 ). The more successes obtained, the further and faster the wraith can travel. This art costs a Pathos point, while failure gives the wraith a temporary Angst and may well strand her someplace unpleasant.

··· Gremlinize
The wraith may possess and control machines. True control comes only with attunement. Spur-of-the-moment Gremlinization allows only minor, clumsy effects, such as turning a machine on or off.

The wraith must spend 2 Pathos to Inhabit a machine, plus 1 Pathos per effect evoked.

System: No roll needed apparently.

···· Claim
The wraith may Shellride an object and possess it as her own body for a scene. Her sense are unaffected, save that they are spread out over the entire object she is Claiming. For example, a wraith Claiming a car can see, hear, and feel everything happening to it, within it and around it. She may exert some control over the host object while Claiming it.

System: The player rolls Strength + Inhabit. The number of successes determines the maximum size of the object that may be Claimed. She needs only one success to possess a book; five to Claim a house. A wraith may exert some control while inside (turning pages, locking windows, etc.); the exact extent of her control depends on whether or not she is attuned to the object and how many successes she scored on the roll above and beyond those needed to take control of the object.

If the object is destroyed while Claimed, the wraith may spend Willpower and Corpus to form it into a relic. One Willpower and one Corpus must be spent per success required to Claim it in the first place.

Claim costs 3 Pathos.

····· Empower
Wraiths with this art can create a form of inexpensive Artifact by places one of their Arcanos arts into a relic. Other wraiths thereby are able to use the art by activating the relic. The relic usually must be appropriate to the Arcanos involved; a calculator makes a far superior vessel for Usury than an umbrella, for instance.

System: First, the player rolls Wits + Inhabit. Like other Inhabit arts, the difficulty equals the local Shroud rating; most Artificers Empower relics in the safety of their Haunts. The number of successes indicates the highest level of Arcanos the wraith may invest.

Next, the wraith activates the appropriate Arcanos art while focusing on the relic. The wraith makes the roll and pays the appropriate cost, although no obvious effect results. If successful in this roll, the wraith imbues the relic with the Arcanos. Next, he fuels the relic with Pathos (up to as many as the number of successes on the Empower roll). He then chooses whatever command activates the relic (a phrase, gesture, whistled note, etc.), and seals it with three Pathos.

The result is a minor Artifact. Anyone who uses the activation command and spends the appropriate cost for the art (Pathos, Willpower or Angst gain) may use the Arcanos sealed within, expending one of the stored Pathos points, When the invested Pathos (excluding the three used to seal the relic) are expended, the relic becomes "normal" once again.

Example: Journeyman Christine Andreas wants to place the art of Imitate (she knows Moliate ··) into her relic of a hand mirror, allowing the owner to mimic a local Centurion's face. She travels to her Haunt and begins the Empower effort. Her player rolls Wits + Inhabit (eight dice for Christine) against a difficulty of 6 (the Shroud rating in her Haunt). She scores four successes, more than enough. She focuses her will, rolling Dexterity + Moliate (getting one success against difficulty 8 ) and spending one Pathos to activate Imitate. Next, she invests four Pathos to give the mirror four "charges." (She would have liked more, but only got four successes on her Empower roll.) She decides that the owner must whisper, "Mirror, mirror," to activate the relic, and seals it with three more Pathos points.

She passes the mirror to Dmitri. By whispering the command, Dmitri can roll his Dexterity + the mirror's Moliate ··, spend a Pathos point and assume the Centurion's appearance. He can do this only four times before the mirror's Pathos is expended and it becomes a normal relic once more.

Empowered items cannot be "recharged," only Empowered a second time. There is no known way to create a permanent Artifact with this art.

This art costs no additional Pathos, but 2 Willpower.

How did I find you? Love, it was easier than you think. We had a bond in life; in death it’s even stronger.

Lifeweb is the study of the ties between wraiths and the living world. A master of this Arcanos’ secrets can sense and manipulate the bonds of the Fetters, handling their energies as a weaver manipulates her shuttle and loom.

Lifeweb allows a wraith to monitor her Fetters’ energies, keeping track of them even at a distance. Some sit at the heart of this web, extending their senses to any “troublespot” as it is disturbed. Others actively walk among people, places, and things, marking some as temporary Fetters in order to watch over them more efficiently.

The Guild
The Monitors were not as vital to Stygian society as the Pardoners, Masquers, or Artificers. They often trained their Guild members as Reapers, and as such had considerable influence on the Lemure population. However, their focus on the mortal world kept them from achieving as much influence in Stygia as some of the other Guilds.

Since the fall of their Guild, the Monitors have become even more defensive than before. They refuse to teach other wraiths any but the most remedial arts of Lifeweb, unless absolutely convinced of their pupils’ trustworthiness. Current rumors accuse certain ex-Monitors of running protection rackets, threatening other wraiths’ Fetters unless bribed, and linking wraiths to objects that are about to be destroyed.

Monitors never close their eyes, not even in Slumber, and by this they may be detected.

Botches
Misreading the delicate net of Lifeweb can have several side effects. A botch on a simple sensory scan might lead to a garbled or misread reading. If the character is trying something particularly powerful, a botch might mean he loses track of one of his own Fetters for the duration of the story. Some say that horrible mistakes have led to wraiths accidentally severing their own Fetters, but this has yet to be proven.

Basic Abilities
Locate Fetter: The wraith may "check up" on any of his Fetter, scanning its surroundings. This ability also permits the wraith to sense a Fetter's distance and direction.

System: The player rolls Perception + Lifeweb (difficulty 6). Each success allows him to use one die form his Perception + Alertness pool to survey the Fetter's area. He may also roll Intelligence + Lifeweb to get a general estimate of how far he is from the Fetter and in which direction it is.

· Sense Strand
The wraith can scrutinize the patterns of energy surrounding wraiths and Fetters. He may perceive the links between a wraith and her Fetters, sense whether something is in fact a Fetter or not, and if so, identify the wraith attached to it.

System: The player rolls Perception + Lifeweb (difficulty 8 ) to study another wraith. Each success reveals one clue about a Fetter belonging to the subject. This study must be done firsthand, and with a successful Perception + Subterfuge roll, the subject will realize she is being analyzed. Forewarned subjects may make a Willpower roll to resist Sense Strand.

To scrutinize a possible Fetter, the player rolls Perception + Lifeweb (difficulty 6). To trace a Fetter's connections in either direction, the player rolls Intelligence + Lifeweb (difficulty 6). The number of successes determines how accurately the wraith may gauge direction and distance. A wraith only examine a Fetter once per day.

Sense Strand costs 1 Pathos.

·· Web Presence
The wraith may use this art to affect a Fetter's immediate area from a distance. She may use Arcanoi, communicate with any wraith there, or make any roll involving Mental or Social Attributes.

System: The player rolls Charisma + Lifeweb (difficulty 8 ).

This art costs 1 Pathos per turn of use.

··· Splice Strand
The wraith may create an attachment with a person, place or thing, making it a temporary Fetter. Both the wraith involved and the object must be touched in some manner by the Monitor doing the splicing, at which point the connection is made. The Fetter may be maintained from day to day, but only one temporary Fetter at a time can be maintained with this art.

System: The player rolls Manipulation + Lifeweb (difficulty 7). The new Fetter has a rating of 1. This art can also be used to reattach another wraith to a Fetter that has been Severed, although the difficulty becomes 8.

The affinity costs 1 Pathos to create and 1 Pathos per day of maintenance. The maintenance cost is paid by the wraith attached to the Fetter.

···· Sever Strand
The wraith exercising this dread art can tear another wraith from his Fetter. She can only accomplish this in the presence of the target Fetter, but can rip it away through raw force of will.

System: Once the wraith has identified and arrived at the target Fetter the player rolls Strength + Lifeweb (difficulty of the Fetter owner's Willpower). The target may resist this roll with Willpower.

A wraith whose Fetter has been thus severed may reattach it by two methods. First, he may simply expend one permanent Willpower while in contact with the former Fetter. Alternately, he may use Splice Strand (or have another wraith use it in him) to reconnect the link. This cannot be done with Fetters severed by Harrowings, or otherwise lost "naturally," but only those which Lifeweb has separated from him. He may spend a Willpower point to make the Splice Strand effect permanent, but only if the object was previously one of his Fetters.

This art costs 2 Pathos and 1 Willpower.

····· Soul Pact
The wraith who has mastered this art can claim a willing mortal's soul as his own. This is usually done as part of a contract where the mortal promises her soul in exchange for help from "the other side." Thereafter, while the mortal lives, she becomes a Fetter of the wraith.. When the mortal dies, the wraith becomes instantly aware; if the mortal becomes a wraith, she and the Monitor continue their link.

System: The player rolls Charisma + Lifeweb (difficulty of the subject's Willpower). The target then becomes a one-point Fetter. If the subject becomes a wraith after death (and most do), she and the Monitor each receive a one-point Passion to protect one another.

This art costs 5 Pathos and 3 Willpower.

RrrrrrraaaaaaAAAAAHHHH! Scared you didn’t I?!
There are several ways to affect the living world from the Shadowlands. Outrage is the Arcanos that manifests a wraith’s strength of will as a kinetic force. Its arts are all physical or violent in some form or another, as are its practitioners.

The Guild
The Spooks Guild was almost not a Guild at all; its members were such fractious troublemakers that they had difficulty relating even to each other. Their lack of internal structure hampered their ability to deal with other Guilds, and they enjoyed only moderate demand for their arts. Only the Artificers found constant employment for the Spooks, enlisting them in the creation of relics.
Consequently, the Spooks weren’t hit that hard by the disbanding of the Guilds. They drifted back into their usual activities with little difficulty, and ex-Guild members can still be found starting fights and fires in the roughest parts of cities. They enjoy brandishing blunt weapons such as maces, and often spend time in the company of their fellow miscreants, the Haunters. The typical Spook has oddly knotted, powerful muscle groups and a somewhat misshapen look.

Botches
A botched Outrage attempt might strike the wrong target, or play over the wrong area of effect. The wraith might put too much of herself in the effort, losing some Stamina or Willpower for a scene or so. Even worse, excessively violent effects might well feed the Shadow large amounts of Angst.

Basic Abilities
Leap of Rage: By focusing his emotion and the will in the Shadowlands, the wraith becomes capable of extraordinary leps and jumps.

System: The player rolls Dexterity + Outrage (difficulty 6). The wraith may add any successes to thos he would normally score when making a leap or jump. This art can also be used to change direction in the Tempest.

· Ping
This basic level allows the wraith to manipulate the smallest objects in the material world. The wraith may only mive objects about the size of a bottle cap, and these just a small distance in any direction. This tends to be useful for attracting the living's attention or pressing small buttons.

System: The player rolls Strength + Outrage.

This art costs 1 Pathos per use.

·· Wraithgrasp
This art permits the wraith to affect the Skinlands more fully. Wraithgrasp may only be used to lift things, although a powerful wraith may lift sizable objects (and then drop them at his leisure). The object can be lifted to a fair height before the wraith releases it.

System: The player rolls Strength + Outrage. The number of successes indicates what can be lifted (see "Feats of Strength"). Objects may only be lifted, not pushed around, manipulated or moved in any other way.

Each use of this art costs 2 Pathos.

··· Stonehand Punch
The wraith summons his anger and lashes out across the Shroud, striking his target with raw force. This art can also be used on objects in the Underworld, including other wraiths.

System: Each success on a Strength + Outrage roll inflicts one Health Level (or Corpus Level, if the target is a wraith) on the subject.

This art costs 2 Pathos per strike.

···· Death's Touch
The wraith may now manipulate objects in the physical world. This art permits typing, opening windows and so on, just as if the wraith were solid. The wraith may alternately choose to create friction, starting fires without any sort of material sourse of flame.

System: The player rolls Dexterity + Outrage. The wraith's delicacy and control depend on the number of successes rolled. The power lasts up to one minute per success.

To start a fire, the wraith rolls Strenth + Outrage (difficulty 8 ). The number of successes indicates the haeat and extent of the fire.

This art costs 3 Pathos.

····· Obliviate
This hideous art allows a wraith to damage someone or something so severly that it can be sent to Oblivion. Material objects thus destroyed venish into Oblivion, unless Inhabited by a wraith (in which case they become relics). Using this art on objects or relics in the Shadowlands sends them directly into Oblivion.
This art can also destroy wraiths or mortals, forcing thier souls into Oblivion.

System: The player rolls Strength + Outrage against the local Shroud. If trying to affect another wraith, the difficulty is the target's Stamina +3. Each success inflicts one level of aggravated, non-soakable damage. Living creatures suffer Health Levels of damage, but their souls fall into a Destruction Harrowing if they are slain. Wraiths reduced to zero Corpus through this art immediatly fall into Destruction Harrowings.

This art costs 3 Pathos. The wraith also gains 2 Angst each time he uses Obliviate.

Surprised? You shouldn’t be. Are not all things possible in dream? Here, sit back under the Clockwork Tree. Have a sip from the flask of liquid daylight beside you. The Pageant of the Oneiric Ossuary is about begin!

Phantasm is the Arcanos of dreams. Those with mastery of its arts can slide a sleeping mortal’s soul out of its flesh and bring it along on a Shadowlands journey. The sleeper will remember the events he engages in as a vague dream, if at all, but on a dreaming level they are real indeed.

This Arcanos is a good way to involve mortals directly in a wraith’s doings. A vivid dream can inspire or frighten a person into changing his behavior. The wraith can even alter elements of the dream to his tastes, instructing or horrifying his audience.

Dreamers brought into the Shadowlands are treated as wraiths with particularly solid forms. They may only be damaged by special Artifacts or attacks that inflict aggravated damage on wraiths. Attacked dreamers slip instantly back into their bodies, almost always waking up unharmed. Only the mightiest wraiths can permanently damage or kill mortals in their dreams.
Note: The arts of Phantasm can be used to beneficial or malefic effect, and this has a direct effect on the price of using the Arcanos. With the exception of Agon, any Phantasm art that is used to harm another’s soul also grants the user a point of Angst. The same art can be used for healing and entertainment without giving the Sandman in question Angst; what determines the cost is the Sandman’s intent.

The Guild
The Sandmen’s Guild was once a glorious place to work. Charged with artistic fervor and a love for the dramatic, the Sandmen sculpted stages of dreamstuff and performed great works in the theatres of sleep. Deathlords and Anacreons bartered for their services, and the arts of Phantasm granted considerable prestige.

When the Guilds were broken, the Sandmen did their best to carry on the show. Phantasm was more than a job to them, it was a labor of love. Even today, wandering troupes of Sandmen bring their shows to Necropoli across the world, recounting tales and rumors because they love nothing better.

Sandmen clothe themselves in gossamer, a faintly incandescent material borrowed from dreams. They are also distinguishable by their often over-dramatic mannerisms and bearing.

Botches
Botching Phantasm usually has a horrible effect on the dreamer (unless, of course, that was the wraith’s aim). Woven illusions can spin rapidly out of control, sometimes inflicting recurring nightmares on the subject. The wraith’s Shadow may also take control, tormenting the dreamer with its twisted imagination. Creating such ravaging visions typically add to the offending wraith’s Angst.

Basic Abilities
Sleepsense: The wraith may watch a mortal's dreams, or tell where he is along his sleep cycle (of REM sleep, deep sleep and transition).

System: The player rolls Perception + Phantasm. The wraith may watch the mortal's dreams for one turn per success.

· Elysia
The wraith may gently take hold of a sleeper's soul, pulling it free without harming it. When the soul is loose, the wraith may carry it with her as she likes.

System: The player rolls Dexterity + Phantasm. The difficulty depends on the target's current sleep cycle: REM sleep (6), transitional sleep (7) or deep sleep (8 ). The mortal may remain in the dreamscape for one scene per success. Elysia may be used on subjects watching television or in a similar hypnotic state. However, the difficulty is 10, and the target may stay in the dreamscape for two fewer scenes (i.e., if the wraith rolls one or two successes, the Elysia attempt fails).

This art costs 1 Pathos.

·· Lucidity
The wraith may alter details of a mortal's dream. Say she enters a dream where the dreamer is surrounded by crocodiles in his grandfather's swimming pool. The wraith could remove the crocodiles or change them to sharks, change day to night, or transform the pool into a swamp. If she changes enough details, she can twist a pleasant dream into a nightmare or vice versa.

System: First, the Storyteller assigns a difficulty, based on the extent of the desired changes. The player rolls Manipulation + Phantasm; the change becomes more vivid and lasting for each success.

This art costs 2 Pathos.

··· Dreams of Sleep
The wraith may make other wraiths fall asleep and dream, just as if they were alive again.

System: The player need not rolls if the subject is willing. If he is unwilling, the player rolls Charisma + Phantasm (difficulty of the target's Willpower). The target may resist with an opposed Intelligence + Subterfuge roll.

This art costs 1 Pathos.

···· Phantasmagoria
The wraith may weave Pathos into illusions. Phantasmagoria affects all five senses, but the durations is limited. These illusions are only solid to other wraiths if she invests Corpus in them. If she Embodies, she can craft these illusions in the material world.

System: The player rolls Charisma + Phantasm (difficulty 6). The number of successes equals both the number of successes needed (on a Perception + Alertness roll) to see through an illusion and the number lasts of turns it lasts. The wraith must invest at least one Corpus Level to make the illusion quasi-material (and dangerous). The illusion can take as many Corpus Level of damages before being destroyed as the player is willing to invest. A wraith may not "heal" a damaged illusion; he must craft another one.

If the illusion is potentially damaging, the player may roll Dexterity + Phantasm (difficulty 7), inflicting one point of soakable damage per success.

Phantasmagoria costs 3 Pathos to activate, plus 1 Pathos per turn.

····· Agon
The wraith may directly rip a mortal's soul from her sleeping body. This is excruciatingly painful and often debilitating to the dreamer.

System: The player rolls Strength + Phantasm (difficulty 8 ). The number of successes indicates how many scenes the wraith may hold the dreamer's soul The dreamer also loses an equal number of Health Levels upon awakening. She may resist the wraith by rolling Wits + Subterfuge (difficulty 8 ), making this use a true struggle. Botch on either side are best left to the Storyteller's imagination.
Agon costs 3 Pathos, and the wraith's Shadow gains 2 Angst per use. Botching usually bestows more Angst.

I’m glad we could come to an agreement. Seal the deal with a handshake, and I’ll get you what you need. I’m nothing less than fair, friend.

In death as in life, nothing’s free. Pathos is the currency of the afterworld, and Usury is the Arcanos of barter. It is the delicate dance of the deal, of shifting Pathos and Corpus from one source to another. Those with Usury can act as healers, mendicants, merchants, or extortionists, and sometimes all at once. It all depends on how reputable they choose to be.

Usury involves power of death energy, and is accordingly mistrusted in some circles. Many point to the Shadow as the source of this Arcanos, citing innumerable “deal with the Devil” stories as proof. They are not so mistaken; repeated use of Usury can raise a wraith’s Temporary Angst to unhealthy level rapidly. When used upon the Quick, Usury is nothing less than the theft of life itself.

A wraith must touch his subject to use Usury. To affect mortal, this requires another Arcanos, such as Puppetry, Embody, Inhabit, or Phantasm. The life energy thus stolen is visible to other wraiths as a vivid light, which dims as it is absorbed.

The Guild
In their heyday, the Usurers were a Guild of considerable repute and political power. Ever alert for the next opportunity, they cast in their lot with the other Guilds when the Artificers led the coup against Charon.

However, as it became clear that the attempt was doomed to failure, the Usurers quickly reversed their position, stranding the forces of the other Guilds without desperately needed resources of Pathos and Corpus. This betrayal, more than any of the others, doomed the revolt.

The Usurers have since had to resort to secrecy to protect themselves, both from zealous Stygian patrols and from vengeful Guild members who resented their “treachery.” Even now, those in need of quick Corpus or Pathos must follow a series of clues on a wild and unorthodox hunt to find a Usurer. If nobody follows the client, and if she seems reliable, the Usurers will see her. Although this tends to restrict business somewhat, the Usurers console themselves by charging higher prices to clients for whom they don’t particularly care.

Usurers tend to speak in precise, numerical terms. All carry some form of scales, allowing them to keep track of the balance of energy transferred.

Botches
Botching a Usury roll usually reverses the path of transferal; if stealing Corpus, a wraith might suddenly find herself pouring her own Corpus into the target. If trying to heal a mortal, the wraith might find herself stealing Health Levels. The Storyteller should feel free to have the wraith’s personal energy levels fluctuate as another possibility.

Basic Abilities
Assessment: The wraith can gauge the relative levels of life and death within an individual. Careful scrutiny can reveal some idea of the person's relative Stamina, Health or Corpus. Wounds appear as vivid black slashes in the person's form, and the observer can estimate their severity. The wraith may also perceive life energy in general within a specific area.

System: The player rolls Perception + Usury (difficulty 6). The more successes on the roll, the more accurate the Assessment.

· Transfer
The wraith may transfer Pathos between herself and another wraith. She may lend her Pathos to the subject, or steal her victim's Pathos away. This transferal is always visible to onlookers as a vivid halo around the wraith receiving the Pathos.

System: The player must roll Manipulation + Usury. If the wraith is donating Pathos to her subject, the difficulty is her client's current Pathos score. If stealing Pathos, the difficulty equals her target's Willpower. The number of successes equals the amount of Pathos that may be transferred.

When stealing Pathos, this art grants a temporary Angst.

·· Charitable Trust
By infusing a mortal or wraith with his own Corpus, a wraith may heal wounds. The wraith breathes out his Corpus into his target. This art can even be used on mortal's without using any other Arcanos to manifest.

System: The player rolls Stamina + Usury. The difficulty equals his subject's current Corpus or Health Levels. The wraith may transfer one Corpus Level for each success on this roll.

This art costs 1 Pathos per use.

··· Early Withdrawal
The reverse of Charitable Trust, this art allows a wraith to steal another person's life energy with but a touch.

System: Once the wraith is in contact with her prey, she rolls Manipulation + Usury (difficulty of the victim's Willpower). Each success steals a Health or Corpus Level; the victim marks off the levels on his sheet while the Usurer adds them to her's. The wraith may only use this art as long as she is below her maximum Corpus; if she is unharmed, she has no place to "put" any stolen Corpus unless she possesses the Exchange Rate art (below).

This art gives the Usurer a temporary Angst point.

···· Exchange Rate
Any wraith may covert Pathos to Corpus Levels. Wraiths who know this art may do the opposite, transforming their Corpus Levels into Pathos. They may simply convert their own Corpus, or use this art along with Early Withdrawal (above).

System: Each success on an Intelligence + Usury roll (difficulty 6) allows one Corpus Level to be converted into Pathos. There is a cost of one Pathos for each time this art is used, sort of a metaphysical transaction fee.

····· Investment
This art allows a wraith to pour Corpus and/or Pathos into a relic, storing it for future use. The wraith must focus on the relic in question, channeling and carefully sealing his energy into. The energy may then be accessed by anyone who know the seal's gesture or command phrase.

System: The player spends 2 Pathos, then marks of the number or Pathos or Corpus points that he wishes to invest. Each success on an Intelligence + Usury roll (difficulty 7) invests one point (up to the set limit) into the relic. All excess points "gambled" are lost. To seal the points in place, the wraith must spend a Willpower point and assign a command phrase or gesture to "unlock" the stored reserve. A given relic may only store or type of energy. This art is the means by which soulfire crystals are created and maintained.