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The Darkened Paths
The Chevernaise worship the ancient and terrible spirits of the Rothos mountains. These dark forces are potent and capricious. A special class of people possess a greater sensitivity to these beings and can attempt to act as intermediaries between them and the mortal Chevernaise. Such people are considered Darkened, as the shadow of the spirit world falls across them.
While the Blessed Paths deal with benign nature spirits, the Darkened Paths deal with unpleasant and often malign entities. As such, the Chevernaise have a very different attitude towards the spirit world; they worry about placating dark spirits, and ignore the bright ones entirely.
The Darkened trait applies towards Darkened Lore, Augury, and Weather Sense.
There are 6 "Paths" that a Darkened character may study. Each Path is bought as a separate skill; you must have at least a d4 in a Path to use it at all. The paths are Placating Spirits, Speaking with Spirits, Walking the Darkened Paths, Eating Sins, Vesseling Spirits, and Creating Totems.
There is also a section on the results of Failed Invocations, and a short discussion of Interactions between Blessed and Darkened magic.
To use a Darkened Path, you must roll your Darkened Trait and your skill at the appropriate Path vs the difficulty, as a damage roll. Like Blessed magic, the better the conditions, the easier the check.
The conditions are Ideal if every one of the following is true:
The invoker has been ritually purified (thoroughly cleaned in the purest waters and at least 12 hours of fasting)
The invoker is in a pure state (no existing injuries or diseases, celibate for at least a year)
The invoker is sky-clad, and has the appropriate ritual implements (the implements vary according to the spirit, and include things like swaths of silken cloth or special rattling gourds)
The invoker is free to dance and sing the spirit's praises
The invoker is accompanied by appropriate music
There are no outside distractions (such as loud noises or nearby combat)
The place is associated with the spirit being contacted
An appropriate sacrifice is being offered (usually by burning it)
For each point that can't be met, reduce the conditions by one step. The other factor is how long the Darkened character takes to perform the ritual. Since Darkened Paths involve unpleasant spirits, it is generally slower to use than Blessed magic, and cannot be used as a counteraction.
If a state is really, seriously violated, (the invoker is utterly filthy, the invoker is gagged and bound, a completely inappropriate sacrifice is being offered), it counts against the conditions twice.
Note that there are 8 primary conditions to be met, rather than the 7 associated with Blessed magic, even though the difficulty tables are very similar. This is because dark spirits are just plain more trouble to deal with.
Difficulty of Invoking a Darkened Path
Conditions
Third-Rank
Full Minute
Full Hour
Seven Hours
Ideal
2d6
2d4
1d6
1d4
Good
2d8
2d6
2d4
1d6
Fair
3d8
2d8
2d6
2d4
Poor
2d10
3d8
2d8
2d6
Bad
3d10
2d10
3d8
2d8
Worse
3d12
3d10
2d10
3d8
Worst
4d12
3d12
3d10
2d10
Impossible
failure
failure
failure
failure
Unlike Blessed magic, the exact nature of the invocation is normally specified by the Path being used. All that matters is seeing whether or not the Darkened character scored enough "hits" to produce the desired effect.
Many paths list special conditions that modify the number of hits required. If a modifier is listed as "+2 hits", then two additional hits must be scored in order to successful produce that effect.
Placating Spirits
Through a ritual of dance and rhythmic song, the Darkened character soothes the anger of a dark spirit and lulls it back to quisience. The more hits scored, the better the result and longer it will last.
How Long the Target Spirit will be Calmed
Hits Minor Spirit Major Spirit Godlike Being 1 hit 1 hour ----- ----- 2 hits 1 day 1 minute ----- 3 hits 1 year 1 hour 3 rounds 4 hits Until awoken 1 day 1 day 5 hits 1 year 1 hour 6 hits Until awoken 1 day 7 hits 1 year Modifiers +1 hit the spirit is extremely angry (ie- its sacred place was seriously damaged) +2 hits the spirit is already on a rampage A spirit which is calmed "until awoken" will no longer interact with mortals until deliberately contacted again using the Darkened Paths. It will be as though the spirit had lost all interest in the physical world. Only the strongest of provocations could awaken its ire without using the Darkened paths.
A spirit can also be pacified when it is not yet angry; this gives you a brief period during which you can do something that would normally offend it, without attracting its notice. Of course, if there is some noticable sign of the offense after the period of calm ends, the spirit may become very angry, indeed.
Speaking with Spirits
Through ritual dance and song, the Darkened character attempts to attract the attention of a particular spirit without angering it. If they succeed, the spirit will manifest itself peacefully. This enables them to speak with it, and possibly ask it questions.
Hits Results of conversing with a Minor Spirit 1 hit The spirit may speak if it desires, but it cannot hear you 2 hits You may converse with the spirit for a scene 3 hits The spirit will also answer any one question with a riddle or enigmatic statement 4 hits The spirit will also answer any 3 questions with riddles or 1 question openly 5 hits The spirit will also answer any 3 questions openly Modifiers +1 hit conversing with a Major Spirit +2 hits conversing with a Godlike Being If the questions are inappropriate for the spirit in question (like questioning a fire spirit about events at sea), it will probably not know the answer.
Questioning spirits is useful because they are often able to answer questions that mortal beings cannot. They can sometimes see events in the future and past and in far-away places. The more powerful the spirit, the greater its abilities as an oracle. Godlike beings are difficult and dangerous to deal with, but can answer almost any question.
Of course, if the spirit wants to answer your question (for example, if you asked it who has angered it so that you can go punish them, it will probably answer quite willingly), all that you need is the minimum level of hits to have a conversation.
Minor Spirits can generally answer questions about their immediate vicinity and past events which they witnessed.
Major Spirits can generally answer questions about events within a dozen leagues, whether in the past or present.
Godlike Beings can answer questions about events pretty much anywhere in Calabria not ruled over by another Godlike Being, whether in the past, present or future. There may be distinct gaps in their knowledge however, as they are limited in ways that are not always obvious.
Walking the Darkened Paths
By rite and ritual, the Darkened character seeks entry into the spirit world. This could be to try and rescue someone taken away by a dark spirit, or as a way to travel great distances. They must contact a particular spirit and ask it to guide them through its realm and return them safely.
If the Darkened character seeks to travel, the number of hits required will be based on the distance desired, with some modifiers. The character must choose a distance before beginning the rite; falling short of the required hits can cause the ritual to fail, or, worse, leave the character trapped in the spirit world. The "transit time" will be just as long as the time that the character spent performing the rite, so if they took seven hours to perform the ritual, seven hours will pass before they emerge from the spirit world at their new location.
Hits Distance Traversed Type of Spirit Required 1 hit Up to 3 paces Minor 2 hits 12 paces Minor 3 hits 1 league Minor 4 hits 100 leagues Major 5 hits Anywhere in Calabria Godlike 6 hits Other continents Godlike Modifiers +1 hits the character is taking a cluster of companions along +2 hits the character is taking a group of companions along +1 hits the character isn't going with the person(s) travelling +1 hits the destination is a city or similar site of science and civilization +1 hits the destination is only vaguely or incorrectly described If the ritual succeeds with 1 or more extra hits, then the character(s) emerge exactly where they wanted. Otherwise they will tend to arrive in the general vicinity of the desired area, but not the exact location.
If the character invoking this path rolls a Botch or falls at least 3 hits short of the desired amount, then the character(s) will still enter the spirit world, but will not succeed in re-emerging into the mortal world. They will be trapped in the spirit world and at the mercy of the spirits that live in the Darkened Paths. Returning to the mortal world will probably require either a "rescue" from outside (using Walking the Darkened Paths and trying to score as many hits as the lost character was trying to achieve) or bargaining with a major spirit or godlike being for your freedom. Such a bargain will always come at a very dear price, and often takes the form of a magical compulsion to do that spirit's bidding in the mortal world.
This path can be used as an attack, by commanding a spirit to carry away one's enemies to some forsaken or outright lethal location. But this is generally attempted only by fools; if the character falls even a single hit short of the required amount, he or she could easily find themself cast into that forsaken place instead. Dark spirits appreciate irony.
Eating Sins
By rite and ritual, the Darkened character attempts to drain away the tiny malign spirits that cling to mortal souls. Unlike most rites, the Darkened character need not sing or dance; instead they perform a quiet, somber ritual.
This power can be used on the living, or the recently deceased (to better help their spirit rest). It isn't pleasant for the Darkened character, and they generally charge fees for their service (traditionally 2 denar for a dead peasant and 2 aureals for a dead noble; double or triple that for people who aren't dead or dying, but just want relief from their guilt). Eating sins is most often performed by the less powerful Darkened. Potent Darkened are too valuable to waste with this service, and will only perform it on special occasions, such as the death of a particularly important Chevernaise leader.
Eating Sins is a special case- since the only "spirit" involved is the person whose sins are being drawn out, the requirement that the place be appropriate to the spirit instead means that the rite be conducted in a locale important to the person (ie- their home or workplace). Furthermore, the "sacrifice" is generally offered by the subject or their family: traditionally it consists of bread, pure water, salt, and placing the appropriate coinage over the subject's eyes.
Once you absorb someone's sins, they afflict you instead of them. It will take time for you to purge them from your spirit. If you botch the roll (all ones), you will absorb their sins permanently. The only way to get rid of them then is to have another Sin Eater successfully draw them out of you.
Hits Time Required to Purge the Sins Botch Forever 1 hit 1 year 2 hits 7 months 3 hits 3 months 4 hits 1 month 5 hits 1 week 6 hits 1 day 7 hits purged immediately For as long as you have someone's sins, you acquire all of their emotional Flaws associated with those sins. Furthermore, if they were being tormented by nightmares or madness, it will periodically strike you, too. If you are actually curious about the details of their crimes, an augury roll vs 2d8 can enable you to remember events associated with those sins, but the mental stress of doing so may inflict 1 or more points of Fatigue on you.
If you eat the sins of a dead or dying person, this merely ensures that their spirit rests peacefully. Eating the sins of a living person also relieves that person of the guilt and torment of their sins and gives it to you, instead. Their emotional Flaws even vanish for a time, but not forever. As soon as they start doing something that would normally be associated with one of those Flaws anyway, they will reassert themselves.
Vesseling Spirits
By rite and ritual, the Darkened character beseeches a spirit to enter into their body and work its will through them. So long as it "rides" upon them, the Darkened character has access to the spirit's powers, but the spirit can influence and sometimes outright control their actions.
A single spirit can generally only be vesseled by one person at a time, and lesser spirits will not be able to respond to any other invocations while being vesseled.
Hits Duration of the Possession 1 hit 1 full combat round 2 hits Up to 7 minutes, but leaves after the first actual use of its powers 3 hits 7 minutes 4 hits 7 hours 5 hits 1 full day 6 hits 1 week 7 hits Until convinced to leave Modifiers +1 Vesseling a Major Spirit +2 Vesseling a Godlike Being While possessed by a Minor Spirit, the character acquires the Eerie Flaw (if they didn't already have it), one Flaw associated with the spirit in question, and receives an additional d4 in Intimidation and Augury. It takes a Psychology check vs difficulty 2d10 to recognize the presence of the spirit (difficulty 2d6 if using Second Sight instead). People who know the character well should receive bonuses to the Psychology roll.
While possessed by a Major Spirit, the character acquires the Eerie Flaw and generally at least two other Flaws associated with the spirit in question. They receive an additional d8 in Intimidation, Augury, and Resolve. The difficulty of spotting the change is only 2d6 (1d4 if using Second Sight). The spirit will occasionally urge the character to do something that it wants to do; to resist this command, the character must roll Mind & Will vs difficulty d6. After making a demand, the spirit will generally be quiescent for at least an hour. If the character wants to do something that the spirit strongly opposes doing, they must also roll Mind & Will vs a d6 to do so. If they succeed, they can act as they wish for 1 minute before the spirit can interfere again. If they fail, they must wait at least an hour before trying again.
While possessed by a Godlike Being, the character causes everyone who sees them to make a Fear Test vs d12. They are generally glowing with unnatural energies; there is no check necessary to notice something amiss. People who succeed at the fear test once do not have to roll again during the same possession. The spirit will be in charge- if the character wants to do something that the spirit isn't interested in, or wants to prevent the spirit from doing something that it does want to, they must roll Mind & Will vs d12 difficulty. Success never gives the character complete control- only the ability to influence the spirit's actions.
In general, Minor Spirits can cast any Apprentice level spells appropriate to their nature. Major Spirits can cast appropriate Journeyman level spells, and Godlike Beings can cast appropriate Master level spells. The magic point costs of these castings is absorbed by the spirit, not the Darkened character. Spirits, of course, also have other abilities available, which cannot be easily represented by spells. The GM will have to adjudicate those abilities personally.
Creating Totems
A Darkened character can beseech a spirit to bless a physical object, which becomes a totem. This allows a Darkened character to create magical devices infused with the powers of the spirit that created them. The more hits scored, the longer the device will last. Once the duration runs out, the totem's magical powers will fade, and the item will often crumble away as though aging rapidly.
Normally the device to be so enchanted will be hand crafted by the Darkened character and ritually purified before the ritual. However, it can be performed on almost any available device if necessary.
Hits Duration 1 hit 1 hour 2 hits 1 day 3 hits 1 week 4 hits 1 month 5 hits 1 year 6 hits 7 years 7 hits Forever Modifiers +2 hits Invoking a Major Spirit +4 hits Invoking a Godlike Being +1 hit Totem object that the Darkened character did not create themselves +1 hit Totem object made out of metal, glass, or other "civilized" materials +1 hit Totem object with moving parts, such as a gun or crossbow +1 hit Per additional totem object already created by the same spirit +1 hit Per additional function desired after the first one -1 hit Totem object can only be used once A Minor Spirit totem receives a special trait of d6 which applies to one use (which must be appropriate to the spirit in question and appropriate to the device itself) of it.
For example, a spear could be enchanted as a totem with the aid of a minor spirit. The spear would receive a d6 trait that would apply to a specific task. The Darkened character would decide whether the d6 trait was added to the spear's damage, its attack rolls, or as some other minor benefit, such as adding a d6 to the wielder's Intimidation skill. If they wanted the spear's enchantment to apply to both damage and attack rolls, it would take 1 additional hit to produce the effect (the bonus would then apply to two things, rather than just one).
A shield could be enchanted to apply an additional d6 to Shield rolls, to grant a d6 magic resistance, to grant a d6 of Intimidation, or any other minor benefit the GM sees as suitable.
A Major Spirit totem receives a special trait of d12 which also applies to one use. The spirit can also influence the user's behavior under special circumstances, when their will is very weak (ie- very drunk, drugged, or sleep walking). If the totem is left alone and unused too long, it tends to try and attract attention to itself.
A Godlike Being's totem receives a special trait of 2d12. The spirit can attempt to influence the user's behavior once per day; the user must roll Will & Resolve vs a difficulty of 1d8 to resist. If they botch, the spirit has actual control of them for up to an hour. If the spirit's desire ties in with one of the user's own Flaws, the difficulty rises to 1d12.
There is an inherent danger in using any totem object. So long as the totem is only used in a fashion which the spirit approved of, it is generally safe. But if the spirit grows discontented, or feels that the user is not using the item "properly", the spirit can attempt to Influence the owner through the totem. The spirit's Influence roll is equal to the bonus dice that the totem received (generally d6, d12 or 2d12). The user rolls Mind & Will to resist. On a regular success, the spirit can subtly influence the user's actions. On an overwhelming success, the user actually falls into a trance-like state and the spirit takes charge. The resistance roll should be penalized if the spirit's desire coincides with one of the wielder's own Flaws or Passions (ie- attempting to instill rage in a warrior with the Wrathful Flaw). Bonuses may be awarded if the spirit's desire strongly contradicts the same (ie- attempting to instill rage in a devout pacifist).
A Minor Spirit can attempt to use this Influence power no more than once per month. The duration of its effect will only be 3 combat rounds. A Major Spirit can try once per week, and the duration is generally a scene. A Godlike Being can try daily, and the duration is an entire day. Thus a weak-minded individual who acquires a totem from a Godlike Being could easily find themselves becoming the slave of the totem for days or even weeks at a time.
Failed Invocations of the Darkened Paths
When a Darkened character attempts a ritual but fails, there are always malign effects, although their exact nature tends to vary according to the spirit in question and how badly the character failed. Some common effects are listed below.
The spirit drains the Darkened character's life, inflicting 1 Wound for every hit that the invocation fell short.
The spirit deliberately misinterprets you, attempting to perform your requested miracle in such a fashion that you wish they hadn't.
The spirit is able to possess you as though you had Vesseled it, without you having any control over its powers.
The Darkened character is cursed in some fashion, to punish them. This could range from a purely cosmetic problem (your fur falls out or becomes discolored) to acquiring a temporary mental flaw (Dread or Wrathful, perhaps) to a magical effect that makes the character's life more difficult (you take a wound which will not heal, or perhaps all food spoils rapidly as soon as you touch it). The duration of the curse is commonly a week for invocations involving a minor spirit, up to a year for a major spirit, and a curse from a godlike being can be permanent. Proper use of the Placating Spirits path may convince the spirit to revoke its curse.
Interactions Between the Blessed and Darkened Paths
While the Doloreaux Blessed and the Chevernaise Darkened rarely cross paths, they are really two sides of the same coin.
Where the dark spirits are strong, the bright ones are weak, and vice versa.
The difficulty of any Darkened Path invocations is increased by one step when performed within a league of a Lutaran shrine (or anywhere else where the Blessed paths are used regularly), by two steps when performed within 72 paces of it, and by three steps if actually performed there.
Similarly, use of the Blessed Paths becomes one step more difficult when within the territory of a minor spirit, by two steps when within the territory of a major spirit, and by three in the territory of a godlike being. Since much of the Rothos are inhabited by nameless, malign spirits, Blessed characters travelling through the mountains tend to find that their powers become unreliable there. Lutarists only rarely agree to accompany the Doloreaux caravans that travel to Epinian. It is widely considered to be an accursed area.
Bright spirits will defend you; dark spirits will not.
There is no entry for "Defense" in the difficulty table for the Darkened Paths. While the Blessed Paths can be invoked hurridly to save yourself from harm, the dark spirits of the Rothos are not likely to bestir themselves in such a fashion.
When the two kinds of spirits conflict, they tend to negate each other.
The normal effect of any kind of conflict between Blessed and Darkened magic is for both of them to subtract the other's hits from their rolls. If either invocation then falls short of the necessary hits, it fails to occur.
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