Chapter Three: As One's Eyes Adjust

Vespers: The Power of the Darkened. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . "In the old world, Louie, they called it the dark gift, and I gave it to you." . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . - Lestat, Interview With The Vampire (The Movie based on Anne Rice's exquisite Novel).

The subtle powers of the dark, like mists of the night, flow into the Darkened. Named after the late night vapors and mists, the Vespers are the many powerful, yet subtle gifts bestowed upon the Darkened mortal by the dark. It is important to note that except for the Trinity which are known by all Darkened, vespers are a personal and subtle expression of the characters relationship to the dark. Players and Storytellers are HIGHLY encouraged to create their own powers and characters, including new wakes and even new personal dispositions, and rename anything that is listed here and used by their character so that is messes with their concept. The nature of the dark is mystery and the unknowable, keep it that way, please don't use what I have created as a crutch when the freedom to fly with this supplement is within such an easy grasp.

The powers of the Darkened may, at the Storytellers discretion, have other effects that are not under conscious control of the darkened, the dark is rumored to be sentient and assists its most favored Darkened. These "favors" are not known to the character, accept for the occasional rumor, and the effects, if any, are completely up to the storyteller and should only be used if it improves the story.

When a Darkened has learned the extent of each power in a division he becomes a master of that series (The Trinity, The Pentacle, etc.) and gains access to the highest level of power within that division of powers. This is not easy, a test of some sort is usually required which is up to the Storyteller, and the attainment of mastery of a division can be life threatening or worse. Of course it is worth it, the mastery of a division allows the Darkened access to power that is greater than the sum of the division's parts. In some of the divisions it is not know for sure if all of the division's vespers are known. If a character masters all of those he knows he may TRY to attain mastery, it is up to the storyteller if he succeeds or not. He may not because there are still vespers to be learned or he may attain mastery in a limited way because he did not take the time to learn the full extent of the division, thus limiting his mastery. It is up to the Storyteller.

Meditation Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . This meditation and range chart is used for most vespers. If meditation is required then the Darkened must spend the listed time in meditation to access that level of power. Of course the Darkened must possess the level of skill that he is trying to access before trying to access it. A Darkened in Dire need may spend Willpower to forgo the required meditation or to lessen it unless otherwise explained in the vesper. To lessen it by one he must spend one WP, to lessen it another he must spend another two WP, and so on. To unleash a level 5 power without meditation would require a total expenditure of 15 points of Willpower, an unlikely feat.

* . . . . . . . . . . . . . One Turn . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . Within the Building

** . . . . . . . . . . . . One Scene . . . . . . . . . . . . .. Within the Block

*** . . . . . . . . . . . One Hour . . .. . . . . . . .. . . . Within the City Section

**** . . . . . . . . . . One Day . . . . . . .. . . . . .. . . Within the City

***** . . . . . . . . . One Week . . . . . .. . . . . . . . Within the Country

The Trinity of Insights. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . This group of powers is named "The Insights" because all Darkened gain access to them when they cross the threshold into the darkness. Each has a basic insight that the Darkened gains immediately. Unlike the other dark powers, no training is required to learn the highest levels of these powers. All of the powers of the Trinity have the following flaw, any use of them causes the target to suddenly get a strong chill, like that described as "someone walking over my grave", but a little stronger. This is the trademark flaw of the Trinity.

The Obscurity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Obscurity allows the Darkened to shroud his presence in the shadows of reality and others minds. This allows him to hide his physical presence, but he must remain in shadowed areas for it to work. The Obscurity also allows the Darkened to shroud his presence from others minds much like Obfuscate.

Basic Insight: The Darkened retains his mortal seeming, no powers such as auspex and the like will detect anything unusual or unnatural, and all Darkened will appear to be nothing more than normal mortals.

System: The Darkened must be in a shadowy area to shroud himself physically ( this will fool all senses including sensory equipment such as cameras ). Anyone with powers such as Auspex must have a power level equal to the Darkened's level to enter a challenged roll to see him, this roll is vs the Darkened's Willpower (both diff are 5). The Darkened can extend this power to another to shroud his presence, but for every other person that is shrouded he losses one level of power and he must retain at least one level. The Darkened can also shroud his presence from others minds much like Obfuscate. This works the same way as the above accept that it will not fool sensory equipment such as cameras, but it does not need to be done in a shadowy area.

This vesper does not require the meditation key.

Favors: Rumored favors include an automatic shroud from an unknown danger or surveillance and the shrouding of ones identity within the system making it hard for someone to track a Darkened through his records (like the Mage trait of arcane).

The Recognition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Recognition allows the Darkened to sense the darkness of others and the strength of darkness in others. This includes other Darkened, Kindred, the Wyrm, Wraiths, etc. The more dark the presence the easier it is to sense it, Darkened shine like stars along with sites of Wyrm infestation, Nihil's overrun with Specters, etc. Areas that alot of dark creatures are gathered are sensed as a haze of darkness while the darkest creatures shine bright and clear. What exactly is defined as dark is up to the storyteller, but it is safe to include evilness, madness, hatred and other extreme unrepressed emotions or emotionlessness.

Basic Insight: The Darkened can immediately sense the presence of another Darkened within his immediate surroundings and will recognize another Darkened from pictures, such as on a magazine or the T.V., the sound of his voice, and sometimes even from descriptions, stories, or rumors from others.

System: At the end of the meditation the Darkened has a clear picture in his mind of the locations of darkness. The radius of this power depends on the level of power used and is centered on the spot of meditation, see the range chart. The larger the radius the less sensitive the power will be, only the darkest presences and largest concentrations of darkness will be detected within the country. This image will last for a full 24 hours, but to see it the Darkened's eyes must be in darkness (to see the image during the day he will have to blindfold himself for a moment or be in a dark room).

This Vesper does require the use of the meditation key but can be influenced by spending willpower.

Favors: Rumored favors include an instinctual pull towards another Darkened, maybe one that has knowledge that is needed or desired, a sudden urge to turn on the T.V. or turn it to a specific channel just in time to see a Darkened and the same with radio or magazines, and other sudden urges that lead to an unexpected recognition.

The Eclipse. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . The Eclipse is the Darkened's ability to influence the dark side of others. The Darkened can will another's dark side into dominance immediately, causing a Kindred to frenzy, a Shadow or P'o to take control, a Garou to rage, etc. Mortals will suddenly act out there most repressed urge or emotion without thought of consequence. The Darkened can also carefully cultivate and strengthen the dark side of another, allowing it to have more power.

Basic Insight: In the presence of a Darkened, other's dark sides and repressed urges begin to get stronger and will rise to the surface more often. This includes the supernatural, Kindred will frenzy easier, Garou will regain rage faster, Shadows and P'o will take control easier, etc.

System: To unleash the dark side of another the Darkened must roll his willpower against the targets willpower, diff 5. If the target fails he enters into a sort of frenzy. The Darkened may sacrifice power levels to try to effect multiple targets, the Darkened only rolls once, and the remaining power level may be rolled (diff=targets willpower) to try to influence the targets actions (VERY limited, like make the vampire frenzy in the opposite direction instead of towards you). This use of this vesper does not require the use of the meditation key. When meditation is completed he rolls his willpower vs the target's, diff 5. He can sacrifice levels of power to gain automatic successes. If the Darkened wins he can strengthen the darkness of the target with temporary points of darkness (one for every level of power). If ten temporary points are accumulated they will become one permanent darkness point.

This Vesper does require the use of the meditation key but can be influenced by spending willpower.

Darkness Points: Mortals and other targets will find that they reveal the most repressed sides of their personality more often (burn a temp darkness point to manifest a repressed urge). If a Permanent point of Darkness is gained then the dark side of the targets soul becomes sentient and they must make a Shadow.

Kindred: At the whim of the Storyteller the Kindred will lose a temporary darkness point and enter into a Frenzy, which may be resisted as usual. If a Kindred gains a permanent darkness point he has to create a Shadow. Please note that a Kindred's shadow becomes sentient and although it is still highly instinctual it is no longer simply the Beast and when a kindred frenzies the shadow takes control.

Shape Shifters: At the whim of the Storyteller the Shape Shifter will lose a temporary darkness point and enter into a Frenzy, which may be resisted as usual. Temporary darkness points may be spent as Rage points. If a Shape Shifter gains a permanent darkness point he has to create a Shadow. Please note that this shadow is not related in anyway to the Wyrm and the character does not become tainted in anyway.

Mage: Mage are immune to this power as their soul, both sides, are already awakened and enlightened. Mage cannot gain darkness points.

Wraiths: For Wraiths the temporary darkness points simply become temporary Angst points.

Changelings: At the whim of the Storyteller the Changeling will loose a temporary darkness point and suddenly manifest their Unseelie Court for a round. If a permanent darkness point is gained then the Changeling's Unseelie Court becomes the characters Shadow.

Kuei Jin: Temporary darkness points can be used as Demon Chi, but if a Kuei Jin gains a permanent darkness point it becomes a point of P'o.

Darkness Shadows: For all targets that gain a new Shadow it is made much like a Kuei Jin or Wraith Shadow. It does not have any powers or thorns, but it can attempt to take control of the character, can offer shadow dice (up to the perm darkness rating, shadow gains one temp darkness point for every dice accepted) and can spend temp darkness points to influence the character as listed above for each kind of target. The shadow can also spend experience points, gained while in control of the character, on powers that only the shadow has (For example a Kindred's shadow can spend exp to get Potence of One, but only the shadow has access to it). The shadow can offer the character access to these powers, if accepted the shadow gains temp darkness points equal to the level of power given (if the Kindred shadow offers Potence of One to the character and it is accepted the shadow gains a temporary darkness point). Dark passions are not needed, only a shadow nature, but it is important to note that shadows created from darkness points are not nihilistic like a wraith's shadow, they do not seek oblivion, so the relationship between a character and his shadow is not quite as antagonistic as the wraith's.

If permanent darkness ever becomes higher than the characters permanent willpower then the shadow may attempt to take over completely. To do this the shadow must engage the character in a contested Darkness / Willpower roll (diff 5). Successes cancel each other out, the first to accumulate 10 successes wins. If the Character wins the darkness of the shadow is cut in half, if the shadow wins the character crosses the threshold of darkness, gains the Trinity of Insights and becomes a Darkened with the willpower of the shadows darkness rating. In most cases this will cause the character to become lost to the player, but storytellers may allow him to continue to play the character in his new state.

Mastery of The Trinity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . Every Darkened is skilled in the powers of the Trinity, and although few actually master it, more master the Trinity than any other division of powers. Because of this the power gained by mastery of the Trinity is different for every Darkened. If a character gains mastery of the Trinity the player and the storyteller must work out the greater power. This is limited only by the general guideline that it must be dark (no shit!), it should reflect the character, and it is better if it does not mimic some other power but is unique. It may be helpful to look at the three powers of the Trinity and try to creatively combine a pair or all three of them in a specific way to create a new effect. Below is an example...

The Dark Clone: With this power the Darkened can recognize a darkness similar to his own and simultaneously cultivate it and shroud it from its lighter psyche. This takes months, maybe even years, and is extremely dangerous. If unsuccessful the target becomes the Darkened's nemesis, hunting the Darkened until one of them is dead. If successful it creates a new Darkened which is like a twin of the character, an exact duplicate of the Darkened's psyche. All attributes of the targets psyche that did not match the Darkened's are destroyed and even more stunning is the fact that the target does not care. The two become linked and in effect one, both working together and without conflict. The new Darkened does not share any of the powers of the original, he is a new character, just the psyche is shared. Like super siamese twins.

Dark Providence. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . The Darkened known as the disciples are the origin of this group of Vespers. After spending most of their life searching for the darkness in the form of cults, sects, and other religious arcane sources this group has collectively, but not entirely as the odd disciple does not share this view, come to the conclusion that the dark is sentient, and have developed the dark providence as a form of communication, connection, and worship to the dark. It is not known if the dark is truly sentient or not, but these vespers support the theory. It is interesting to note that these vespers form a sort of power that is similar to true faith, but maybe that is appropriate considering that most of the practitioners of this power believe it to be a true religion.

All of the powers of the providence must be done at night, the time of the dark. When ever a Darkened is using or under the influence of these vespers his eyes glaze over and become pure dark orbs. This does not include the actual meditation time, only the actual time that the power is in effect. This flaw is the trademark of the providence.

Favors: This is both easy and vague. The dark may gift his worshipers with favors at anytime, any gift. This is completely open and subject to the whim of the storyteller. This is the same for all of the vespers in this group.

The Prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . The prayer is usually the first vesper learned by one who is studying the dark providence. It is a simple yet profound power. By meditating and praying the Darkened may receive sudden gifts. The "gifts" can be almost anything, but note that by nature all vespers are subtle and enigmatic. The most common include sudden insight to a question that is concentrated on during the meditation or just sudden knowledge that comes to be useful later, the Darkened may receive a vision of some sort, many darkened that reach the limits of this power claim to receive direct two way communication with some immense entity they believe is the dark or some messenger sent by him. Other gifts include sudden spells of extreme luck later on after the meditation, or surprising gains like winning the lottery or finding something important that was lost. This power can be expanded like crazy, but it is always up to the storytellers judgement wether or not something will happen no matter how successful the roll is.

Basic Insight: The Darkened that receives the basic insight suddenly feels that he is not alone in his world. He feels an immense presence watching over him and feels that this entity is the receiver of his prayers. In times of great distress and helplessness or while in a site favored by the Dark the storyteller may rule that the Darkened may regain lost willpower from the sudden revitalization of this feeling of not being alone.

System: A successful meditation / prayer session may allow the Darkened to be granted the prayer, or be blessed in some other way that is up to the storyteller. There is no real system for this except the basic guideline that the more ability in this vesper the more valued the Darkened is to the dark.

This Vesper does require the use of the meditation key and cannot be influenced by spending willpower.

The Evoking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . The Evoking is the calling upon the sentient power of the dark to awaken around the Darkened. Then the Darkened attempts to embrace it into himself, and make the dark a part of himself for a time. In effect the successful use of this power allows the Darkened to become a divine being for a short time, truly an angel of darkness.

Basic Insight: The Darkened gains the ability to recognize and attune himself to sites of darkness, much like hallowed ground, but hallowed for the darkness. These favored sites allow the Darkened to meditate in peace and ease and are required for some of the vespers of the providence. Note that favored sites have nothing to do with the normal power sites of the other denizens of the world of darkness, a node has no favor with the dark unless it happens to be in a dark like setting.

System: After finding a favored site and meditating the Darkened evokes the dark energies infused within the site. The Darkened then rolls his WP vs the power level of the site (diff 5). If he succeeds the energies flood into him and he becomes for a duration a little closer to his god, the dark. The Darkened adds his skill level (limited to how long he meditated) in The Evoking to the power level of the favored site. He then divides them between power and control. For every hour that passes the Darkened must sacrifice a level of power or control until the power is gone. For each point of control he can keep the power in check (it often lashes out and effects the Darkened without his consent) and for each level of power he can do one of the following per round:

- Add the power to one of his physical attributes.

- Evoke an aura of fear or allure (to resist targets must roll WP diff=5 + level of Power).

- Become an actual shadow (intangible to physical attacks & takes 6 rounds - power level).

- Fly at speeds equal to 100 Mph per power level (must be all or nothing and become a shadow first).

- Travel the shadows and exit nearby (1 mile per power level and has to be all or nothing).

- Call a horde of dark (for every level of power a person appears within minutes with a strong dark side in dominance and willing to serve the Darkened for as long as he continues to will it).

- Summon the shroud (the Darkened may sacrifice a level of power to summon a cloud of enigmatic energy. This causes all within to suddenly gain a short term amnesia limited to events involving the Darkened. For every level of power sacrificed he can summon a cloud of range similar to the recognition).

- Other Effects have been known, these are the most common, others are up to the players exploration and the storytellers discretion.

This Vesper does require the use of the meditation key and cannot be influenced by spending willpower.

Favored Sites: The sites favored by the dark are always ones of mystery and darkness. No sun touched nature lovers glade will fit into this category. Included might be secluded pools of deep water, or underwater caves. Caves themselves, including the labyrinths of abandoned sewer and subway tunnels. Insane asylums, cemeteries, ancient structures such as Stonehenge could be favored. It is up to the storyteller what constitutes as a favored site, and it is recommended that he create each one as a unique and rare area. For each level of power the site has the Darkened can sense intruders (features, what they are carrying, etc.) within 10 feet without interrupting his concentration. Favored sites also allow the Darkened to meditate with less difficulty and may, at the storytellers discretion, allow him to access higher levels of power than what he possesses. The most powerful sites are often claimed by single or groups of powerful Darkened and may be open only to them, other sites have had temples built on them, strengthening their darkness.

The Service . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . In gaining many gifts the true worshiper of the dark must also give of himself. The Service is just that, giving yourself completely to the dark. Darkened doing this are possessed by their lord and are used to do it's earthly chores. Sometimes the Darkened remembers what happened, sometimes he doesn't. Often they find that during their lords errands a favor has been done for them, and rumors flow at the powers exhibited while in this state. Those that wish to truly be skilled in the vespers of providence must learn this and perform it often, those that don't find that over time they begin to lose skill and power as they supposedly anger their lord.

Basic Insight: The Darkened begins to find himself doing things suddenly for no apparent reason, yet finds great satisfaction in doing them. It is believed by most that this is the dark using him to further his earthly objectives, yet others claim that because these urges are so minute that no god would be bothered with them and that this is just a self delusion that the Darkened use to affirm their belief in the sentience of the Dark.

System: The Darkened must find a favored site and meditate. The more power accessed the more powerful the link, and the more power the lord has to further his needs during his time in possession. Then the lord takes control and does his thing. This lasts for one night and it is up to the storyteller to decide on wether or not the Darkened remembers anything, and just what has happened.

This Vesper does require the use of the meditation key and cannot be influenced by spending willpower.

The Halo. . . .. . . . . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . .. . The status symbol of the Darkened's power and favor with the dark this vesper allows the Darkened to help those on the voyage of darkness to navigate towards a greater relationship with the dark. While this is supposed to be a power to help those who have lost the way it is very easily twisted to serve its users, without any real benefit to its targets. Of course it may be that it is meant to be used this way, one can never know. Whatever the users intent the halo summons an aura of commandment and charisma that inflicts all around the Darkened with a sense of trust in his words. Those that use this vesper often are called Preachers. The Halo may also be used as a aura of protection causing fear in all that behold the Darkened using it.

Basic Insight: The Darkened is able to sense those that are susceptible to the words of the dark, he knows a good mark when he sees one. The most susceptible are those that are already dark, the more darkness that one has the more easily it will be to reach him.

System: This aura lasts for an hour, and then the Darkened must sacrifice a level of power, and range, for it to last another hour. While this halo of power is in effect other people will become attracted to the Darkened and heed his word, all in the range must immediately roll a Willpower roll (diff = 10 - humanity + any Permanent Dark Point he may have). Those that succeed are unaffected, but those that fail immediately find themselves drawn to the Darkened and find his speeches and commands extremely powerful. Anyone that wishes to resist this aura or the Darkened's commandments must roll a contested Willpower roll with the Darkened, same diff as before for target, diff = 5 for the Darkened.

This use of this Vesper does require the use of the meditation key but can be influenced by spending willpower.

The Darkened may cause his Halo to flare into a aura of fear at will. The target, must be within his immediate surroundings, must make a contested Willpower roll against the Darkened, diff = 5. For every level of power that the Darkened has in the Halo he gains an extra, not automatic, success for this roll or he may affect an extra target.

This use of this Vesper does not require the use of the meditation key.

Mastery of the Providence . . .. . . . . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . To gain mastery of Dark Providence the Darkened must also have Mastery of the Trinity. For this reason it is very rare that a Darkened has mastery of the providence. Because the providence is so rich in currants of religious influence and the time required to master it is immense all of the Darkened that strive to attain, and have attained, the heights of this power are part of The Cult. No known Darkened has attained mastery of the providence outside of The Cult although it is theoretically possible.

When mastery is attained the Darkened enters a year long meditation, and prayer, in a powerful favored site. He moves little, meditates at all times of conscious, and it is rumored that even when asleep he is in a form of meditation, and must have servants look after his every need so the meditation is not interrupted. If this long vigil of prayer is successful the Darkened is blessed by the Dark to receive a small part of the darkness, and the Darkened enters a transformation from mortal to Templar. No Templars are known to currently exist, but stories are passed of Templars that have long since vanished. What a Templar is? Everyone seems to know, but no two opinions are alike.

The Many Faces of Death. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . The Reapers come back from the brink of death as Darkened, as Reapers, with the true knowledge of death, and with the power of that which they revere. With the ability to tap the powers of death, or to put it more correctly the ability to cut off the powers of life, the Reaper is a formidable foe, and an eerie ally.

The Faces have no trademark flaw except that only a Reaper may teach these Vespers to other Darkened. Many of the Vespers of the faces have their own trademark flaws.

Shades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . .. . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . With this vesper the Darkened gains the ability to see through the shroud that separates the world of the living from the land of the dead. With this ability the darkened can access the sight of the dead, seeing the world through the shroud of death. This mimics the Wraith's senses including Death and Life sight. The trademark flaw of this Vesper is that the Darkened must obscure his normal vision somehow, like wearing a pair of shades or darkened glasses, while using it. Among the numerous uses of this ability is the most important, spotting those that deserve death and yet have evaded it. Reapers use this Vesper to hunt those that death desires.

Basic Insight: The Darkened can see through the shroud into the shadow lands of the dead. While doing this the Darkened can try to communicate with any wraith he sees. A Caulgrim will always recognize a reaper, and visa versa. A Reaper may also recognize the living that Death desires, these are usually people who's spirit is dead or corrupted and remain alive taking up valuable space, and can immediately recognize the Wyrm and it's taint.

System: After meditating, while the Reaper's vision is obscured he may utilize the senses of the dead. He must use all or nothing, so while in use the Darkened gains the Deathsight, Lifesight and Heightened Senses of a Wraith.

Deathsight: The world appears as a mirror of the amount of death it holds. Humans display their greatest weaknesses, and those that are close to death will appear to be corpses. Buildings and other objects appear to be years older and in a state of great disrepair. With this sight the Darkened may assess the weaknesses of any target within his sight. If this weakness can be utilized the Darkened gains his level of power in this vesper in rolls against the target while utilizing the weakness.

Lifesight: The living aura of all living creatures is open for the Darkened using this power to read. States of mind, nature, etc can be divined. See the Auspex aura chart for examples. For those that can hide their presence with some power, such as Obfuscate, use the level of the Darkened's skill in this vesper to challenge the others power.

Heightened Senses: The hyper-sensitivity of the dead flows into the Darkened and all rolls involving the senses are increased by the level of skill possessed. The Darkened's senses are boosted by a multiplication of his skill level.

This Vesper does require the use of the meditation key but can be influenced by spending willpower.

Favors: Darkened that are gifted with favors through this vesper usually find there sight shifting across the shroud in time to see s wraith that is up to no good concerning the character. Or one of his senses may suddenly increase to alert him of danger. Cases of favor almost always involve one of the senses kicking in to help avert danger from the Darkened.

The Deliverance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Delivering the gift of death upon those that are deserving can be a challenge when they do not wish to accept it. Thus the Reapers gain access to heightened physical abilities from the darkness so that the package is sure to received. Darkened that access this power often are called "Zombies" or "Corpses" as their skin becomes pale and they begin to look like the kindred. Indeed many Darkened use this power to fool the leeches into accepting them as one of their own.

Basic Insight: The Darkened begin to see those that have similar powers of heightened physical prowess, such as celerity and potence or a Garou. Thus they gain the ability to sense when they might need to access the Deliverance. They do not gain the ability to sense what powers they have, just that they have them.

System: For times of a hunt the Darkened needs to spend the appropriate time in meditation. The vesper then lasts for a night, and may be extended by 24 hours by spending Willpower, one WP point for every 24 hours it is extended. In times of dire need the Darkened may spend a Willpower point to access his full level of power for the rest of the scene.

While under the influence of this vesper the Darkened may add the power level to any one of his three physical attributes, take an extra action per power level or add his power level to his initiative dice pool. This may be changed every round at will, so he may be very fast one turn and then incredibly strong the next.

This Vesper does require the use of the meditation key but can be influenced by spending willpower.

Favors: The Deliverance may boost a Darkened's physical attribute in times of need.

The Tempest. . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . For the Darkened the barriers between life and death are weakened and with his vesper they may be breached. A Darkened may travel the realms of the eternal storm of darkness, called the Tempest. This journey is dangerous and requires a great deal of preparation, but many passengers may be taken along and no physical barrier can stop the Darkened from arriving at his intended destination if it is a destination in the world of the living. There are also rumors of great lands of myth and power that exist in the deep realms of the dead and these may be searched for. When this vesper is used it causes the shroud to be torn, and the energies released from the Tempest cause wild storms to form as the Darkened prepares to cross and later as he crosses back, this is the trademark flaw of Tempest riding. This power does not allow a Darkened to wander the Shadowlands.

Basic Insight: The realm of the dead is dotted with openings to the Tempest that are connected throughout the world. These are called Nihil's. The Darkened that gains this basic insight can sense these and the approximate location of connected Nihil's. By spending a round concentrating on a Nihil the Darkened may sense any presences within that may sabotage any attempt at travel through it and were the Nihil might lead.

System: Normal travel through the tempest requires the appropriate length of meditation and preparation, which must include any travelers that wish to go along. After the time the travelers disappear into the tempest. They travel in a boat, its size depends on the amount of time in preparation, and the time it takes to get to their destination is totally up to the Storyteller, but time in the tempest is longer than in the lands of the living, so a month long trip may only really take a day or two. It is recommended that the journey be roleplayed for maximum effect. While in the tempest the level of power accessed is the amount of power the boat has. It acts as a speed, toughness to attacks, evasiveness to detection, and power of weaponry scores. A score of one is a little row boat with a paddle as speed and weaponry, defense and detection evading is as simple as ducking to the bottom. A score of five is a large cruiser ship with armor siding, protected gun ports, massive engines and a large cloak of fog around it. These are just examples, they are up to the creativity of the player and storyteller. Willpower is rolled to control all aspects of Tempest travel.

Nihil's may be used to speed up the trip. If one is used then meditation time is reduced by one point, but it must be used to travel to a connected Nihil. Travel time between Nihil's is short, most of the time it is mere minutes, but the journey is fast and turbulent as the travelers fly through the most violent parts of the tempest, which is usually swarming with Specters. Good Luck!

Willpower can't be used to shorten meditation time, but when in need a Darkened may attempt a dangerous use of this vesper called jumping. It involves the spotting of a Nihil and jumping into it immediately, after spending a willpower point, without checking out its exits and dangers. Without meditation the jumper has only one power level and must attempt to navigate the tunnels and find his way back to the land of the living. Storytellers have fun. This is usually only used in extreme danger or extreme stupidity.

This Vesper does require the use of the meditation key and cannot be influenced by spending willpower.

Favors: Favors received through this vesper are strange and rare, but most include luck during the journey or the finding of a Nihil at just the right moment or one that goes right were the Darkened needs it to.

The Shadows. . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The flames of pure entropy and death. These amazing pyrotechnic flames of darkness spring from the body of the Reaper at his will. His body and will are but the vessel as these flames come through the shroud directly from the seed of pure death that all Reapers have touched. Only Reapers may learn this Vesper, no other may learn it, and thus only Reapers may master the many faces of death. The Shadows are called and directed by the Reapers will alone and are so empty of heat and life that they burn. A powerful weapon they are also a tool of purification for the corrupted minions of the Wyrm. Bathing a Wyrm creature in these flames MAY cause it to become free of the leash of dominance by the Wyrm. Those that are freed may be cured of taint and revert to their once normal bodies, stay the same but no longer under the Wyrm's influence or become true servants of the pure entropy. The trademark flaw of this vesper is that the Reaper's body becomes cold and icy to the touch permanently, not just while he is summoning the flames.

Basic Insight: The Reapers body becomes a permanent channel to the forces of death, thus his body becomes cold and any heat is slowly leeched from his surroundings. On the up side the Reaper does not need to ever worry about getting frost bit again. Except for extreme temperatures the Reaper is never Hot and is unaffected by the Cold. The Reapers body leeches heat fast enough that if he cupped a few drops of water in his hand for a few minutes it would start to freeze.

System: As the Reaper gains skill and power in this vesper his ability to channel the shadow flames increase. He may use the level of skill he has to soak any extreme or arcane heat or cold attacks.

The Reaper may channel a small amount of shadow flame at will, enough to suddenly freeze some liquid, snuff a light, or cause someone to have a violent chill. By spending a Willpower point the Reaper may channel the full amount of shadow flame as his power permits. Attacks are swift and deadly and are controlled with the Reapers Willpower (diff is up to the Storyteller). Damage is equal to the Reapers power level. It is important to note that the flames are somewhat tangible and all sorts of creative uses can be thought up.

This use of this Vesper does not require the use of the meditation key.

Rules for using the shadow flames as a purifying ritual on a Wyrm or Oblivion creature are totally up to the Storyteller, but it is recommended that it be a long and engaging ritual. Make it hard for them.

Mastery of the Many Faces of Death . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mastery of this division of vespers is virtually unknown, yet it is rumored that those that have attained mastery of the Many Faces of Death were responsible for bringing the power of The Risen to the restless dead. Masters of the Many Faces also claim responsibility for the Ritual of Life that created the Ancient Mummies of Egypt. From this it is surmised that mastery of the many faces gives the Reaper the power over his own life, and that masters may die and be reborn or rise again at will.

The Pentacle of Transcendence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. The rare and enigmatic lore of the Pentacle is much prized by all Darkened and may be one of the only things that they may become truly antagonistic towards each other over. By themselves they are powerful and expanded powers, but if mastery of the Pentacle is attained it is rumored that the doorway to the Dark Avatar is opened. A Darkened becomes awakened to the true powers of Magick and he becomes a Dark Mage.

The five vespers that make up the pentacle are the vespers of Madness, Passion, Death, Time and Space, and Dreams. Knowledge of each specific vesper allows the Darkened to manipulate all aspects of that realm, but nothing else is known of these elusive powers. It is recommended that the storyteller make up his own mind exactly how these powers work, and that they be made VERY difficult to learn.

The Adept . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . From the Prodigy spring the Vesper of learning. This Vesper, the Adept is not a division, allows those that are skilled in it to learn from other denizens of the World of Darkness. While all Darkened may learn Vespers and the numerous Numina available to all mortals, practitioners of this Vesper may learn the Disciplines, Gifts, Arts, Arcanos and other powers of the various supernatural inhabiting the World of Darkness. Darkened may not learn from a true Mage, only an awakened may learn of the Spheres and a Darkened Adept may not just go up to a Kindred and say "Heh buddy can you teach me how to do Celerity?" It doesn't work like that. It requires a willing and able teacher and they must spend much time together meditating and learning and teaching. For all its drawbacks, the potential is there for an boundless horizon of power, and although it may take time, and a few stories worth of roll playing, it isn't impossible for a Darkened to make friends with the supernatural.

Basic Insight: Adepts find that they can figure out powers as they experience them. They have a strong intuition about the powers of the supernatural. For example: An Adept sees two Kindred battling, the Adept would catch on that one was using a power which allows him to move at superhuman speeds and that the other is using another power which allows him to manipulate the passions of another such as fear and attraction. This IS NOT instantaneous, quick flashes of insight may be gained from the Storyteller while the powers are being observed, and after the Adept may meditate on what he saw and learn more. Adepts don't usually gain the names that others use, but tend to make up there own, Celerity - The Flash, Presence - The Hearts Sway.

System: A teacher is obviously the first step, but knowledge gained via the basic insight of this power helps. The Adept and Teacher must spend a month together in teaching/learning and meditation. If successful then the Adept gains the first dot in a power. To learn it further the Adept must spend a number of months with the teacher equal to the level that he wishes to learn (to get the second dot in a power it requires two months), and the Adept cannot learn any power past the skill that he has in this Vesper and of course the teacher must possess the level of power that the Adept wishes to learn. The storyteller may rule that powers of subtlety such as Dominate are easier to learn than ones that are non-subtle, such as Celerity, or that non-subtle are harder to learn than normal. This is to reflect the nature of the dark. Storytellers may rule any power unlearn able for any reason at any time. Certain powers that require expenditures of some sort must be looked at by the player and storyteller and rules over their use must be created. For example: how to use celerity?

This Vesper does not require the use of the meditation key.

Favors: An Adept may suddenly find a new friend that has knowledge of a power that he is willing to teach to the Adept. The Adept may find soon after he has learned it that he has a sudden great need of it. Or powers that are learned may suddenly be boosted to equal the Darkened's skill at the Adept just when he needs it the most.

Mastery: There is no mastery for this Vesper, it is only one vesper and considering the doorway of power that it opens up for the character, no mastery is needed. There are rumors that some Adepts have found a way to learn powers above the limit of five.

Willpower, Virtues and Humanity: The Dark Side.. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . "If you only knew the power of the dark side" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . - Darth Vader, Empire Strikes Back.

Looking at some of the rules and ways that the Darkened can use their willpower may have some of you confused. During The Volatile Disposition, a time of reckless, uninhibited behavior the Darkened's willpower is increased by one, what the hell? Well wonder no more, the Darkened's willpower is somewhat reversed from normal willpower. For a normal mortal, willpower is the ability to fight sudden unwanted impulses such as instincts, urges, emotions, etc., and keep themselves in control. This is the antithesis of what the Darkened, in essence, is. For the Darkened, willpower is the ability to allow all these so called "unwanted" impulses to emerge as they naturally should. Dark willpower can still be used to resist another's attempts to control the Darkened, but a Darkened's power flows from his ability to be completely unreserved. Darkened do not have any kind of special trait that measures the power of their dark side, for them it is their Willpower.

Darkened still have Virtues and Humanity as any other mortal has, and they may loose humanity just any other mortal can through inhuman acts, but in certain situations the Darkened may do stuff that they believe is right and normal, but inhuman in the classical sense. An example of such a belief is a Reaper murdering a person that was desired by death, the Reaper wouldn't see it as murder because the mortal was already dead in spirit, thus for them it would be natural to send them to their natural place, the grave. Contrary to what you probably believe I'm going to say a Darkened in this situation DOES have to roll Conscience to see if he losses Humanity, although the storyteller might make the difficulty a little less to reflect the convictions of the Darkened. Humanity rolls that are failed are indications that the Darkened is having doubts or that the strength of his convictions is in question, even if he doesn't know it. If the Storyteller wishes, a failure may cause the Darkened to not only lose Humanity, but to also fall into the Regressed, and a botch may cause him to immediately fall into the Dawn.

Quick Note: Darkened follow that same rules for loss of Humanity and gaining of Derangements as normal mortals, and most Derangements will be most unpleasant (Storyteller - DO NOT go easy on them, they made the choice to voyage into the darkness so let them have it in full force).

With the conflict of a dark will on a Darkened's Conscience and Humanity explained there is still the problem of the virtue of Self Control. Courage is no problem for the Darkened, they use it and value it as any mortal would, but Self Control poses a paradox as it seems to clash with the nature of the dark. Well the problem is solved for you here. Self Control and the Dark are enemies, but even in the most unrepressed psyche there can come times when a little self control may be needed or appreciated. Thus creating a character with no Self Control will rob the character of both a part of his Humanity (as it effects the beginning Humanity of a character) and his ability to consciously control his outbursts so that the point of stupidity is not crossed. Remember that Darkened are not stupid, just impulsive. Do not breath easy yet, just because it is useful doesn't mean it is not still the opposite of the nature of the Darkened. Anytime that a Darkened wishes to exhibit a little self control they may roll, but they risk entering the Regressed Disposition. The difficulty for the roll is the Darkened's Willpower plus any adjustment made by the Storyteller, based on the power of the urge he is trying to resist. Success means he has resisted the urge without any side effect. Failure means that he has not resisted the urge, but no other side effect occurs. A botch means that the urge IS resisted, but the Darkened enters the Regressed disposition.

Using Willpower . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . .. . . . . . - A single Willpower point may be spent to add an automatic success to an action. This is similar to the use of Willpower by the supernatural.

- Certain effects from the powers of other supernatural creatures may be fought with the expenditure of Willpower.

- Willpower points may be spent to reduce the meditation time of some Vespers. One point spent will reduce the time by one level, two more will reduce it another level, three more will reduce it by another level, and so on. A total of 15 points of Willpower would be required to reduce it be Five levels, a near impossible feat.

- A Willpower point may be spent to move from to the next stage of the cycle of Disposition, but a Willpower roll is also needed, and if failed leads to the Disposition of The Regressed.

- A Willpower point may NOT be used to resist an action of instinct, primal urge, or gut reaction.

- A permanent Willpower may be spent to replenish the characters willpower pool, but this point may not be regained except through experience.

Regaining Spent Willpower. . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . - Fulfilling the nature Archetype of the character causes a regain of one to three WP points depending on what was done.

- At the end of a Story the characters regain all of their spent Willpower.

- An exceptional event that causes the character to gain a renewed sense of self confidence can cause lost Willpower to be regained.

- By indulging oneself a Darkened may regain spent Willpower as the darkness is replenished and made stronger.

The Dawn. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . "The early bird catches the worm." . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . .. . .. . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . - Random Smart-Ass Morning Person right before ducking a flying mug of scalding hot java.

The Terrible Dawn, as it has been dubbed by the Darkened, is the "fate worse than death" for the dark souls. It is the total loss of the dark half of the soul, and a total dominance by the lighter side. Most darkened would rather die and brave what little they know of the other side than become what they most despise.

The Regressed . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . When a Darkened falls into regression he will be in a stage of constant doubt of his feelings, urges and powers. He will constantly be tempted to repress the urges that he feels and is unsure of the darkness. Each urge will become a test of his darkened will (NOTE: this will be a great test of the players roleplaying skill, any player who really plays up the struggle and doubt and urges that his character would normally have should receive extra experience, if he pulls through that is).

System: Each and every major urge that the character would normally have must be faced, and expressed. If a situation comes up were the Darkened would normally indulge himself then he must act, no he must SEIZE the opportunity to strengthen the darkness or face the dawn and see his dark side burned away. If the Darkened uses Self Control during the regressed then he immediately loses a Willpower point.

Upon every urge that presents itself the Darkened must roll Willpower (diff=Self Control+4). Success means that he regains a lost Willpower point, but not any permanent Willpower lost. Failure means he loses a Willpower point, and a Botch means he loses a permanent Willpower point. If he is successful and is at full strength of Willpower then this success allows him to re-roll, this time to see if he can break out of the Regressed (same diff). If he has no strength of Will left then failure means he loses a permanent Willpower point (note that the Darkened may sacrifice a permanent Willpower point to regain his full will and thus only lose a non-permanent Willpower point). If the Darkened's permanent Willpower drops to equal his Self Control then the Darkened enters the Dawn.

The Dawn . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. If for any reason the Darkened's Willpower ever drops to equal his Self Control then he enters the Dawn. If he is not already in the Regressed disposition he enters it immediately. The Dawn is the final battle between the darkness and what is left of the light. If the light side wins it does so for good, the dark side is shattered and blown away as nothing more than dust. Because of this the Dawn is the Darkened's most feared nemesis.

System: When a Darkened first enters the Dawn his Willpower and Self Control are equal. At this point it is possible for the Darkened to leave the Dawn and the Dark and return to his former life. He releases the darkness and again becomes an average mortal, although I'll bet a wiser and more experienced mortal. If the Darkened chooses this path then all Vespers are lost (although any other powers, including powers learned from The Adept, may be kept if the storyteller allows it) and he starts as normal mortal with a normal Willpower equal to his self control. If the Darkened chooses not to follow this path the battle is waged.

If the Dawn is followed to its furthest reaches the battle begins as the Light and the Dark try to destroy each other. This can be done in two ways, the quick rolling way or the more encouraged roleplaying way. The quick system involves the player rolling two sets of dice, one light (self control) and one dark (willpower), in a contested roll (diff =8). For each success over the other sides successes the other side loses a permanent point from their trait or the side that succeeded gains a permanent point in their trait. A botch means that a permanent point is lost along with the regular effects of the other sides successes. It is recommended that the Storyteller roll for the side of the Light unless the player is a good Role player and can keep the perspective of both sides without favoring one over the other. The winner is the one that is not completely obliterated.

This is the basic mechanics of the Dawn, but if the Storyteller is ambitious he may set up a Dawn scenario ahead of time for the player to play out. This scenario must be intimately tied in with the character and should still loosely follow the basic mechanics described above. This kind of Dawn is easiest to come up with when the character enters the Regressed, which gives the storyteller time to think of something spectacular. Storytellers: Make it good, make him FEEL it!

If the Dark wins then his self control is gone for now and he enters the Volatile disposition. This will last until he regains a little self control (spends exp to regain a point of self control). The willpower that he has left over is permanent. If the Light wins then the Dark and its powers are gone forever and may never return. The mortal will repress all emotion, urge and become like the Vulcan race of Star Trek. His Self Control is boosted by one point and may go beyond the normal limit of five and his normal Willpower equals his resulting Self Control.

Regardless of the outcome it is up to player if he wishes to continue playing the character and it is up to the Storyteller if he wishes to allow the character to continue to be played. All three outcomes may make a new an interesting character, and although this book does not explore the extremes of the Light, it could become a subject of great interest for a Storyteller and a player that has just lost his Darkened to the light side. Explore, and have fun.

Chapter Four

Back to Table of Contents