As they go about their daily routine, some of those who watch the living for signs of impending death have seen a new kind of Deathmark: one that rests on the brow, and defies all attempts to decode it.

Not all Reapers have glimpsed it; It would seem that only those with more than a modicum of the Oracles' Art can see it at all. And this has caused confusion, as trying to confirm what they've seen with their fellows leads only to denial: "Deathmark? What Deathmark?" being a common reply.

That is not the only thing odd about The Mark. Whereas most Deathmarks indicate the means of one's death, or a sign of Legional affiliation, this Mark forms the image of an object: a means of keeping time. Sometimes it is a watch, sometimes a clock, sometimes a sundial, digital readout, hourglass, or even a calendar of some kind.

And there lies yet another odd thing about The Mark, for it appears to be different to each person who sees it. Provided a Reaper can find another who can see it, the two will most likely not be able to agree on what it actually looks like. Whatever method of marking the passing of the day that Reaper most prefers, he will see it there, and as no two Reapers are truly alike...

Of course, in a world where the strange and surreal are constant companions, that might not be so terrible a thing. But the problem that the Reapers are having is that those who have this Mark bear no other Deathmarks upon them. The mysterious sign appears to be the sole testament to their doom, and as none who bear The Mark have come across the Shroud, there is no way to be certain what that doom may be.

That is not to say that some have not tried to See what it could mean. However, the consequences of such an act are horrendous: failure alone greets the lucky ones, while others have their Shadow strengthened for their curiosity...

The Rules:

The Mark... is. Not everyone's heard of it, only those with a Fatalism of ** or more can see it, and no one's figured out what it means, yet.

Some might surmise that, since all variations on The Mark's appearance have to do with keeping time, there's something to do with time about the Deathmark's meaning. But many of those who have the mark are young, which would preclude death from old age, surely, as such marks don't manifest until the bearer is old and grey. And whoever heard of anyone dying from time...?

Anyone using Fatalism to gain insight into The Mark must make a roll against the normal, unadulterated Difficulty given with the standard description of the Art in question. If the roll "succeeds," then the user of the Art sees nothing but The Mark, and the sight of it eventually fades from view.

"Kindly" Storytellers might allow for more information to be given, provided the player rolls a predominance of 10s. What the characters learn from such an amazing roll is up to the ST, of course, but it should be something extremely important, given the risk the character's taking for failing a roll {See below}. Remember that, by "extremely important," we do not necessarily mean the answer, but rather an indication of where to get it, who to get it from, or where it might all be heading.

If the previously-described roll fails, then the character feels as though The Mark opened up, swallowed her whole and spat her back out again. Give the character one point of Angst, plus an additional Angst for each '1' rolled. If the roll is a botch, the character not only feels as though she were eaten and regurgitated by The Mark, but receives a point of Permanent Angst for her troubles as well.

If the character continuously tries to use Fatalism to see into The Mark, in spite of making failed roll after failed roll, the ST is within her right to impose the 2 pt Flaw "Obsession" upon the character. The wraith thereafter becomes obsessed with monitoring the passing of time, and must surround herself with as many working timepieces as she can so as to watch for... whatever. If Relic watches or calendars aren't available, then she finds someplace in the Skinlands with a lot of timepieces {the city clock, a watch store, a clock shop, etc.) and must either spend Willpower or make a Willpower roll to leave the area for any point of time.

{As The End approaches, this Flaw might become some kind of benefit, but that's entirely at ST prerogative}