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Vampireratz
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posticon Wraiths in the Crimson Keep World of Darkness

These rules are based upon the guidelines set down by Whitewolf™ and the source-books etc they have developed. But, due to the way in which Crimson Keep Role-play sessions have been vampire-based over the years, a few of the rules regarding wraiths have been edited slightly to work around our storylines and character creation. With this in mind, the rules we work by are stated below, and to maintain a sense of stability, logic and realism should be followed wherever possible. Please take this information into account when including wraiths in a storyline or creating a wraith character.


Last edited by Vampireratz, 4/11/2007, 7:58 pm


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4/9/2007, 12:15 am Send Email to Vampireratz MSN
 
Vampireratz
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Basic rules

Wraiths ‘feed’ on the energy in emotion (known as Pathos) to recharge their passion-pool. A wraith’s passion-pool is the equivalent of a vampires bloodpool.

Their magical abilities (arts of the dead), are known as ‘Arcanoi’ and are similar to a vampires disciplines.

They are bound to the living world by some passion/unfinished business.

Not everybody who dies ends up as a wraith, but all who do so keep their links to the people/places or things from their lives.

Wraiths are normally incorporeal, but can appear among the living in a variety of forms/doing a variety of things due to their powers. For example, moving small objects, ‘whispering’, creating visual illusions.

Every Wraith is split into two personalities: Psyche and Shadow. The psyche is the personality of the Wraith, while the Shadow is the part of the Wraith that craves self-destruction and defeat. Shadows are intelligent foes, who can communicate, hamper and aid the wraith all in order to fulfil their primary goal of making the wraith serve Oblivion (the end of all things). Shadows have their own passions and feed on Angst, the stuff of negative emotions. Shadows can take over the Psyche temporarily (an act called Catharsis), and if a Shadow becomes too powerful, they can take over the wraith permanently, turning the wraith into a Spectre.

Wraiths manifest more effectively in ‘‘haunted’’ sites/places of great suffering/torment - places where the sudario (barrier between the world of the living and world of the dead) is weakest.

Conventional fights between wraiths and vampires are impossible. Vampires can influence wraiths by manipulating a wraith’s fetter (an object/person of importance to that wraith in life), or they can effect the wraith directly with disciplines like thaumaturgy and necromancy. Wraiths can posses a mortal to directly attack a vampire, or invisibly propel an object at them.

Wraiths are normally invisible, unless they choose to be seen. But, vampires can perceive them via auspex.

Wraiths can heal most damage through ‘slumber’, however if a wraith takes too much damage (the equivalent of death), they are plunged into a ‘harrowing’. Harrowings are surrealistic passion plays where the Wraith is psychologically tortured by his Shadow into surrendering. But, it is also possible for a harrowing to be triggered for reasons besides damage, for eg, losing a fetter.

Although wraiths may find effecting items and beings in the world of the living difficult, they can easily inflict damage upon those who visit the Shadowlands.

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4/9/2007, 12:23 am Send Email to Vampireratz MSN
 
Vampireratz
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Types of Wraith

(The numbers indicate the max level in the discipline screen of vamp, out of the 5 spots available).

Recently deceased (has been dead less than 10 years - living world time)
Confident, with significant ties to the mortal world, but inexperienced in the ways of the Shadowlands.

Equivalent disciplines=

Auspex 1
Chimerstry 1
Dementation 2
Dominate 1
Vicissitude 1




Spectre
Driven by fear/hatred/rage etc and consumed by darkness/bitterness etc. Spectres seem to communicate by way of a shared consciousness, and if one requires aid, at least 3 more will answer its summons.

Equivalent disciplines=

Auspex 2
Chimerstry 4
Dementation 4
Obfuscate 2
Obtenebration 3
Presence 2
Protean 2
Vicissitude 4




Old Soul
May have been dead for as little as a decade, or as long as many centuries. Some of the connections these wraiths have to the mortal world have been worn away. Rarely seen in the Shadowlands - the strongest and most feared of wraiths.

Equivalent disciplines=

Auspex 2
Chimerstry 1
Dementation 4
Dominate 3
Presence 2
Thaumaturgy 3 (Lure of the flames 3, movement of the mind 3)
Vicissitude 3


Last edited by Vampireratz, 4/9/2007, 12:44 am


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4/9/2007, 12:31 am Send Email to Vampireratz MSN
 
Vampireratz
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The underworld

Structure:

The Underworld is a bizarre dimension inhabited by Wraiths. It is broken into several discrete locations. Wraiths begin and spend most of their time in the Shadowlands, which is a reflection of the living world where wraiths can interfere with the living.

Necropoli, or cities of the dead, are sprinkled throughout the Shadowlands, usually as a ghostly counterpart of an existing city with a large population.

Underneath the Shadowlands is the Tempest which is a giant storm of memory and madness that permeates the entire underworld.

Somewhere in the midst of the Tempest is the ‘Isle of Sorrows’ upon which rests the city of Stygia, the capital city of the Dark Kingdom of Iron - the lands of the western world's dead. Stygia has been built up since before the Roman Empire, and is now a giant necropolis housing uncounted dead; unlike other Necropoli, it does not have a living counterpart.

Past Stygia are other islands in the Tempest, the most important of which are the ‘Far Shores’ and the other Dark Kingdoms. The Far Shores are paradises built by the dead to help others seek Transcendance (or possibly not), while the Dark Kingdoms are the underworlds of other cultures, such as Asia, Africa and India.
 
Underpinning the entire underworld is the Labyrinth a gigantic shifting maze which eventually merges with Oblivion. Oblivion is hungry and seeks to destroy Wraiths, both personally and organizationally. As a result, most of the Dark Kingdoms have developed methods to keep Oblivion from influencing their subjects and cities.

The Underworld has a bizarre set of laws which are more psychological than physical (unfortunately I don’t know these individual laws atm, but will update this accordingly should I acquire more info).

The underworld has a severe shortage of materials. While a small number of relics pass into the underworld when a wraith dies, the majority of things in the underworld are made of souls. While some of these souls are from mindless Drones, soul-forging is a common punishment for wraiths who commit crimes, lose political fights, or have the misfortune to be in the way during a materials shortage. The coins of Stygia, the streets of Stygian roads, the armour and weapons used by almost all Stygian soldiers are made from those unfortunate souls who were thrown into the forges. While every wraith hopes that the forging process destroys consciousness, Stygian coins still mutter and moan.


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4/9/2007, 12:38 am Send Email to Vampireratz MSN
 
Vampireratz
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The underworld

Organisations



Most political organizations in the Underworld exist to stave off Oblivion. The most important of these is the ‘Hierarchy’, which is the government of Western wraiths. The Hierarchy was founded by Charon, the first (and only) Emperor of Stygia.


Opposing the Hierarchy are the Heretics, wraiths who espouse a particular religious perspective on the Underworld (the most famous of these being the Fishers, the wraiths of early Christians). Many Heretics put an emphasis on Transcendence as something all wraiths should work towards, and use their resources to assist others in their efforts.
 

Renegades are wraiths who oppose the Hierarchy for a number of reasons. Some actively rebel against the Hierarchy, while others simply wish to march to their own drum and do not wish to be involved in affairs of state.

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4/9/2007, 12:42 am Send Email to Vampireratz MSN
 


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