The bailiwick of the Messengers, the Regis Numen gives Wraiths power over the minds of Mortals, Wraiths and Ghosts. It gives them the means to command their actions, tamper with their hearts and rework their minds to suit their desires. As for their ends: the Messengers say that they use this Numen to protect life - all life. But there are those who suspect much darker motives at work. How could such absolute power not corrupt absolutely? The Messengers would respond that these Arts are not without danger - for both those who use and receive them. Wraiths who are cavalier with others' hearts and minds will suffer a great toll to their souls: one of the many reasons their Concord seeks to restrict knowledge of it as much as possible.
Paths Regis has three recognized Paths {known as Keys to the Messengers}: The Path of Command is the Key to Action, and is used by the Heralds to turn others into their servants: implanting both sudden orders and long-term mandates within them. These Wraiths are rightly feared for their skills, which many say could only come from the Gods. But using this Key risks a great amount of Tainted Essence, which is why wise Dead are very careful with it. The Path of Memory lets the Harbingers use the Key of the Mind, so they might unlock its doors, move about in its rooms and leave messages on its walls. They can implant thoughts great and small, replay the memories of others, and even implant memories within the brain. They often store and replay the best moments of someone's life for their loved ones {or, as punishment, the last moments to those who took their lives}, but some of the more mercenary amongst them run "Memory Bazaars" in the Marketplaces, so that other Wraiths might enjoy salacious thoughts. The Path of Desire, which is used by the Companions, is the Key to the Heart through its desires. These Wraiths can alter, create and remove desires, with varying degrees of strength and exactness. They say they do it all for the good of their "friends," but some wonder if these Wraiths are fit to make that judgment, given how wracked with Tainted Essence they are.
Those Who Know The Messengers hold a near-monopoly on Regis. They view this Numen as an important secret, and have tried to keep it far from others' hands, so that they might not fall prey to its dangers. But given their strong moral code, they will not destroy other Wraiths in order to safeguard it, preferring to remove or rework others' memories of its use, instead. That said, the Messengers have not been entirely successful
in their quest. The Order is quite conversant with lower-level
Arts of the Paths of Command and Desire, so that they may enforce
The Injunction on their own Wraiths. There's also talk of the
Haunters learning it as well, which bothers the Messengers to
no end.
Basic Art * Distraction All Wraiths have the ability to look at another's beliefs and desires through the Soulsight Affinity, but that power only tells part of the story. For example, it may tell a Wraith that her enemy wants to destroy her, but most likely won't explain why her enemy feels that way. The Regis Numen allows for a much greater comprehension of another's mind. With * Distraction, the Wraith can go digging through a target's thoughts, and find the deep-seated reasons for her beliefs, desires and plans. She can also hunt down relevant memories and copy them, though there is some difficultly in the latter. The Basic Art has another use as well: while the Wraith is looking through the target's mind, the strange feeling it gives the target causes her to pause in what she was thinking and doing - momentarily sidelining the topmost idea or desire in her mind. The Messengers often use this side-effect to stop someone from carrying out a violent act, and the pause usually lasts just long enough for the victim to fight back or get away. System: The Wraith must look her Target in the eyes, which is not necessarily the same as "eye contact" - especially when Regis is used upon the living. She must spend a Turn doing this, and then spend one Essence, and roll her Wits + Presence + Regis. Each success allows the Wraith to root through her target's mind and find a either 1) a belief, an idea or a desire, or 2) a memory. These are revealed to the Wraith in flashes of vision, seen through the "eyes" of the target, and are disclosed in order from most important/defining to least important/defining. A belief, idea or desire is "explained" in full for each success, though the Wraith may need to make an Intelligence + Empathy roll to understand what she sees, unless it's really clear. An Exceptional Success explains what the Wraith sees in no uncertain terms. Memories are easier to interpret than desires, but viewing them in the mind is more difficult. Each success gives the Wraith about 15 somewhat-disjointed seconds of memory if the Wraith is uncertain of what she's looking for, and 10 seconds of fairly clear recall if she is. An Exceptional Success jars a memory out in its entirety, so that the Wraith can see it perfectly. If the Wraith wants to remember that memory in exacting detail, she must spend an additional Essence, and roll her Intelligence + Composure + Regis. Success means that she's got an exact copy of ten seconds' worth of the memory, with each success past the first doubling the amount of time captured {20, then 40, then 80}. An Exceptional Success gives the entire memory in pristine detail, along with a slight trace of what came just before and just after. Once the memory has been copied, the Wraith must roll Wits + Manipulation + Regis to store it correctly, so that she won't confuse it with her own memories, and can whistle it up whenever she cares to, after spending a Turn to look for it. Failure means that it's been lost, and the Wraith has to go back to the start. If a Dramatic Failure occurs, the memory escapes into her own mind, and is lost amongst her own memories. There is no limit to the amount of memories that a Wraith can absorb with * Distraction. No matter what's found through the use of this Art, the target
is distracted for a Turn for each success. After the first Turn,
she can try to get herself back on track by rolling her Resolve
+ Composure, minus one die for each success the Wraith got past
the first. If the target succeeds, the diversion ends and she
can carry on with what she was about to do. A Dramatic Failure
leaves her confused and unable to do anything for an entire Scene. |