Post by Lorekeeper on Mar 25, 2007 13:38:07 GMT -8
Dark Arts are restricted to memebers of the Shadow Court
Dark Arts
Contempt: One of the forbidden "Dark Arts" of the Shadow Court, Contempt is used to stir trouble, discontent, and revolutions. It is also used to counteract Sovereign. Contempt is detailed in The Shadow Court.
*Mockery. Mockery is used to overcome the Protocol cantrip (Sovereign *), and might encourage targets to misbehave, or otherwise demonstrate inappropriate behavior.
**Disobedience. Those affected by this cantrip will tend to disregard authority, and disobey orders for while it affects them. It is also used to counter the Dictum cantrip (Sovereign **).
***Insolence. Used to inspire riots in large groups, Insolence is the Unseelie answer to Grandeur. The outcome of this cantrip is usually violent. Insolence directly opposes Grandeur (Sovereign ***).
****Devil's Advocate. The caster uses this cantrip in conjunction with a speech, enabling them to convince the audience of whatever it was that was being said. It may also be used to postpone the affects of a Geas (Sovereign *****), perhaps giving time for the caster of the Geas to be convinced to reconsider.
*****Condemnation. This is the ritual of the Shadow Court which is used to bring new members in, and to declare new titles of authority within the court. It also obscures Shadow Court proceedings, making it more difficult for onlookers to understand what is happening. Only the highest ranked officials, called "Instigators", are permitted to learn this cantrip.
Delusion: The second of the "Dark Arts", Delusion bears some resemblance to Chicanery at first glance. Shadow Court members have learned to use the Mists as a weapon, and bend it to their will with this Art, enabling them to hide many of their atrocities. Delusion is detailed in The Shadow Court.
*Innocence. This cantrip enables the caster to hide secrets from other magical abilities, such as mindreading or divination, that might be able to extract the truth about activities the caster would like to remain unknown. Innocence can be used to lie to a Gwydion sidhe, without them being able to see through it.
**Facade. With a Bunk that involves disguising the subject, Facade makes that disguise believable. It takes time and effort to cast, but it also lasts for a pretty long time. Facades fade with time though, and eventually the disguise will degenerate to the point of uselessness. The exact same Facade may never be cast more than once.
***The Mists of Memory. Similar to Fugue (Chicanery ***), this allows the caster to obscure memories. Unlike Fugue, this cantrip buries those memories deep enough that they will never surface again without assistance. This cantrip can never overcome the loyalty of a troll, the chivalry of a sidhe, an oath, a geas, or true love.
****The Depths of Will. This diabolical cantrip will have the subject perform a task set by the caster, and then forget about performing it. The casting must involve an explanation, true or not, about why the activity is important.
*****The Darkest Heart. This cantrip sends a subject on a year long quest, the conclusion of which will cause them to bury the memory of something which they regret so that they will be troubled by it no more. The conclusion of this quest is one of the few ways to reduce permanent Banality.
Shadowplay
Trait: Intelligence
An old favorite of the sluagh, as well as Unseelie members of Houses Ailil and Eiluned, Shadowplay permits a caster mastery of darkness itself, which he may shape and weild with the power of Glamour. Despite the popularity and impressiveness of this power, which permits the caster to animate his own shadow, and attack other beings through harming the shadows they cast, it is practiced only with care. Even the cantrips of this Art hint at great secrets and forbidden knowledge, and its greatspells require a dedication to magical darkness that even many Unseelie are unprepared for. Those who master this Art cast long and twisted shadows, and seem to have a palpable darkness about them at all time. Many who reach for such powers find themselves becoming increasingly light-sensitive; those who fail may be cursed to fade away as shadows themselves, or be taken by the darkness completely.
* Enshroud
This simple cantrip permits the caster to cloak himself in darkness, hiding in shadow or night so that he cannot be seen. This power extends to the clothing that the caster wears, and any items he is carrying. o Fearsome Eyes
Once the caster uses this cantrip, he is able to see in darkness, even magical darkness created through the use of Shadowplay or similar Arts. For those who are able to see the caster's eyes while he uses this power, they often appear as cat's eyes, or other night-seeing creatures, sometimes becoming utterly monstrous and strange. Some changelings use this power merely to intimidate, calling upon it even in bright light to shock the beings around them. There is no penalty for the use of this power in bright light or sunlight. o Speak with Shadows
Through this cantrip, the caster may speak with the shadows around him, which have rudimentary sentience. The shadows of living beings are generally more intelligent than those of inanimate objects, and darker shadows are able to maintain communication easier than weaker ones. The best aspect of this power permits the caster to ask the shadows around him to watch for certain signs and speak to him when they see them, providing an early detection system. While shadows may be asked about events in the past, few of them ever pay enough attention to ordinary events to provide reliable information.
* Darken
This charm is used to blanket an area in supernatural darkness, thereby quenching any non-magical light in the area. Even magical light sources may be required to enter into a contest of magics against the caster's Darken effect, in some cases.
** Dancing Shadows
More than the mere casting of darkness, the weilder of this charm may shape the shadows around him, providing for a number of predominantly illusory effects. These shadows may be used for simple purposes, such as depicting events on a wall, or for more complex purposes, such s fooling a character into believing that a room is full of people even when it is all but empty.
*** Harm Shadows
This powerful charm permits a character to strike at another being's shadow and thereby inflict damage directly on him. This process usually involves striking a shadow with a blade, club, or even punching or kicking the surface it rests on. The benefit of striking a character's shadow rather than his person comes from any soak rolls made; characters may use their Stamina to soak damage from their shadow, but not any armor they are wearing, real or chimerical. Defensive magics, such as the Lorica cantrip of Chicanery, still protect a character, as his shadow falls under the purview of his body for mystical purposes.
**** Night's Portal
Through the use of this greatspell, the caster may use two shadows as portals, moving into one and emerging from the other, even at considerable distance. The use of this magic naturally permits the caster to find a shadow at his chosen destination, provided he has visited it at least once before. Though the transfer between two points is relatively quick, it is possible for a quick-thinking character at the destination point to suddenly increase ambient lighting at the destination, thereby destroying the shadow portal there. Characters foiled in mid-transit are launched back out of the portal they entered with considerable damage done to their person by the energies of the shadow-world they attempted to cross through.
***** Craft Darkthings
The ultimate masters of Shadowplay, once a caster can Craft Darkthings, he may literally shape the shadows around him to produce chimera made of raw darkness. These chimera may be "real," so that they may effect Unenchanted beings, or may exist entirely in the chimerical world, physical only to changelings. This greatspell permits the caster to create guardians, steeds, servants, and a host of other creatures out of raw darkness. Though these chimera never last for long, they make ideal minions for powerful Unseelie.
The ultimate masters of Shadowplay, once a caster can Craft Darkthings, he may literally shape the shadows around him to produce chimera made of raw darkness. These chimera may be "real," so that they may effect Unenchanted beings, or may exist entirely in the chimerical world, physical only to changelings. This greatspell permits the caster to create guardians, steeds, servants, and a host of other creatures out of raw darkness. Though these chimera never last for long, they make ideal minions for powerful Unseelie.
Dark Arts
Contempt: One of the forbidden "Dark Arts" of the Shadow Court, Contempt is used to stir trouble, discontent, and revolutions. It is also used to counteract Sovereign. Contempt is detailed in The Shadow Court.
*Mockery. Mockery is used to overcome the Protocol cantrip (Sovereign *), and might encourage targets to misbehave, or otherwise demonstrate inappropriate behavior.
**Disobedience. Those affected by this cantrip will tend to disregard authority, and disobey orders for while it affects them. It is also used to counter the Dictum cantrip (Sovereign **).
***Insolence. Used to inspire riots in large groups, Insolence is the Unseelie answer to Grandeur. The outcome of this cantrip is usually violent. Insolence directly opposes Grandeur (Sovereign ***).
****Devil's Advocate. The caster uses this cantrip in conjunction with a speech, enabling them to convince the audience of whatever it was that was being said. It may also be used to postpone the affects of a Geas (Sovereign *****), perhaps giving time for the caster of the Geas to be convinced to reconsider.
*****Condemnation. This is the ritual of the Shadow Court which is used to bring new members in, and to declare new titles of authority within the court. It also obscures Shadow Court proceedings, making it more difficult for onlookers to understand what is happening. Only the highest ranked officials, called "Instigators", are permitted to learn this cantrip.
Delusion: The second of the "Dark Arts", Delusion bears some resemblance to Chicanery at first glance. Shadow Court members have learned to use the Mists as a weapon, and bend it to their will with this Art, enabling them to hide many of their atrocities. Delusion is detailed in The Shadow Court.
*Innocence. This cantrip enables the caster to hide secrets from other magical abilities, such as mindreading or divination, that might be able to extract the truth about activities the caster would like to remain unknown. Innocence can be used to lie to a Gwydion sidhe, without them being able to see through it.
**Facade. With a Bunk that involves disguising the subject, Facade makes that disguise believable. It takes time and effort to cast, but it also lasts for a pretty long time. Facades fade with time though, and eventually the disguise will degenerate to the point of uselessness. The exact same Facade may never be cast more than once.
***The Mists of Memory. Similar to Fugue (Chicanery ***), this allows the caster to obscure memories. Unlike Fugue, this cantrip buries those memories deep enough that they will never surface again without assistance. This cantrip can never overcome the loyalty of a troll, the chivalry of a sidhe, an oath, a geas, or true love.
****The Depths of Will. This diabolical cantrip will have the subject perform a task set by the caster, and then forget about performing it. The casting must involve an explanation, true or not, about why the activity is important.
*****The Darkest Heart. This cantrip sends a subject on a year long quest, the conclusion of which will cause them to bury the memory of something which they regret so that they will be troubled by it no more. The conclusion of this quest is one of the few ways to reduce permanent Banality.
Shadowplay
Trait: Intelligence
An old favorite of the sluagh, as well as Unseelie members of Houses Ailil and Eiluned, Shadowplay permits a caster mastery of darkness itself, which he may shape and weild with the power of Glamour. Despite the popularity and impressiveness of this power, which permits the caster to animate his own shadow, and attack other beings through harming the shadows they cast, it is practiced only with care. Even the cantrips of this Art hint at great secrets and forbidden knowledge, and its greatspells require a dedication to magical darkness that even many Unseelie are unprepared for. Those who master this Art cast long and twisted shadows, and seem to have a palpable darkness about them at all time. Many who reach for such powers find themselves becoming increasingly light-sensitive; those who fail may be cursed to fade away as shadows themselves, or be taken by the darkness completely.
* Enshroud
This simple cantrip permits the caster to cloak himself in darkness, hiding in shadow or night so that he cannot be seen. This power extends to the clothing that the caster wears, and any items he is carrying. o Fearsome Eyes
Once the caster uses this cantrip, he is able to see in darkness, even magical darkness created through the use of Shadowplay or similar Arts. For those who are able to see the caster's eyes while he uses this power, they often appear as cat's eyes, or other night-seeing creatures, sometimes becoming utterly monstrous and strange. Some changelings use this power merely to intimidate, calling upon it even in bright light to shock the beings around them. There is no penalty for the use of this power in bright light or sunlight. o Speak with Shadows
Through this cantrip, the caster may speak with the shadows around him, which have rudimentary sentience. The shadows of living beings are generally more intelligent than those of inanimate objects, and darker shadows are able to maintain communication easier than weaker ones. The best aspect of this power permits the caster to ask the shadows around him to watch for certain signs and speak to him when they see them, providing an early detection system. While shadows may be asked about events in the past, few of them ever pay enough attention to ordinary events to provide reliable information.
* Darken
This charm is used to blanket an area in supernatural darkness, thereby quenching any non-magical light in the area. Even magical light sources may be required to enter into a contest of magics against the caster's Darken effect, in some cases.
** Dancing Shadows
More than the mere casting of darkness, the weilder of this charm may shape the shadows around him, providing for a number of predominantly illusory effects. These shadows may be used for simple purposes, such as depicting events on a wall, or for more complex purposes, such s fooling a character into believing that a room is full of people even when it is all but empty.
*** Harm Shadows
This powerful charm permits a character to strike at another being's shadow and thereby inflict damage directly on him. This process usually involves striking a shadow with a blade, club, or even punching or kicking the surface it rests on. The benefit of striking a character's shadow rather than his person comes from any soak rolls made; characters may use their Stamina to soak damage from their shadow, but not any armor they are wearing, real or chimerical. Defensive magics, such as the Lorica cantrip of Chicanery, still protect a character, as his shadow falls under the purview of his body for mystical purposes.
**** Night's Portal
Through the use of this greatspell, the caster may use two shadows as portals, moving into one and emerging from the other, even at considerable distance. The use of this magic naturally permits the caster to find a shadow at his chosen destination, provided he has visited it at least once before. Though the transfer between two points is relatively quick, it is possible for a quick-thinking character at the destination point to suddenly increase ambient lighting at the destination, thereby destroying the shadow portal there. Characters foiled in mid-transit are launched back out of the portal they entered with considerable damage done to their person by the energies of the shadow-world they attempted to cross through.
***** Craft Darkthings
The ultimate masters of Shadowplay, once a caster can Craft Darkthings, he may literally shape the shadows around him to produce chimera made of raw darkness. These chimera may be "real," so that they may effect Unenchanted beings, or may exist entirely in the chimerical world, physical only to changelings. This greatspell permits the caster to create guardians, steeds, servants, and a host of other creatures out of raw darkness. Though these chimera never last for long, they make ideal minions for powerful Unseelie.
The ultimate masters of Shadowplay, once a caster can Craft Darkthings, he may literally shape the shadows around him to produce chimera made of raw darkness. These chimera may be "real," so that they may effect Unenchanted beings, or may exist entirely in the chimerical world, physical only to changelings. This greatspell permits the caster to create guardians, steeds, servants, and a host of other creatures out of raw darkness. Though these chimera never last for long, they make ideal minions for powerful Unseelie.