LIGHT AND SHADOW

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PASSION AND GOAL:

While all wraiths have unfinished business, for a Risen it has to be something more powerful. A Passion so strong, so all consuming
that it subsumes everything else, it can be anything from avenging one’s unsolved murder to needing to get hands on to protect a loved one from certain peril. Left unattended, the Intent will gnaw at and distract a wraith, putting himself and all the other wraiths around him at risk.

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If your current highest rated passion isn't strong or good enough a reason to return, then the player must reorganize his passions so that they are!

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The Risen's  most powerful passion represents their obsession. The Emotion can be as shown in Passions and Fetters on the wraith sheet. However the GOAL of your highest rated passion MUST take the following form.

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VERB: The verb attached to need , often with a sense of constancy to apply pressure to the need: protect, hide, destroy, inform, etc.

MY

NEED : The Need  is a quantifiable thing, something simple to grasp as a concept: a person, a place, an object, a secret.

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EXAMPLE: ​

• A character trying to avenge his own death is seeking to destroy the person responsible. "Destroy MY Murderer "

• A character protecting the stolen money that’s keeping her son’s medical bills paid is either protecting the secret of the theft or the stash of money itself. "Protect My Son" or "Hide My Crime"

Players can make the agenda seem more complex, but it should always boil down to a straight forward object and an easy to understand verb.

“I was murdered by my partner on the force because I wouldn’t play dirty, and now the murderer is trying to seduce my wife” is fine so long as the player remembers that it’s all about “Kill my murderer” or “Protect my wife.”

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It goes without saying that this MUST be personal. It is something that really matters to YOU, it affects YOU. The word "my" is very important in defining your passions "protect MY wife" "avenge MY murder. 

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Goals of course should not be achievable in one session, the character probably has to take many steps in order to achieve his goal, investigating, finding weakness or opportunity to strike. Generally Risen characters with ONE mortal enemy on their hit list are won and done very quickly if that's their only goal. Its a good idea to have a plan that justifies the time frame for your return.

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Player and Storyteller should discuss the Intent before starting any story involving a Risen. The duration of a Risen adventure should guide the character’s obsession. If the story arc is short, the obsession can be easily solved (“Kill my murderer,” “Tell my husband I love him,” “Unearth the money from the robbery,” etc.). If the adventure is 2 years the Risen needs a longer obsession arc that requires detail, work, and attention (“Find my runaway sister,” “Destroy my traitorous partner’s life,” “Protect my unit buddies who became hunters,” etc.)

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THE PACT 

The pact is a deal between yourself and your darker self. The actual pact itself must be something that rewards the shadow, the shadow will know you passions and make its own dark passions to counter this. However the wraith won't know about that until they have struck the deal. The shadow wants something on the surface which will allow you to rise, once this deal is agreed the pact is sealed.

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THE PACT ITSELF:

The storyteller will give you the terms of the deal

 

and it can range from

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“Let the shadow  be in charge when we get back to the underworld”

to

“You have to deliberately feed a Dark Passion when you become Risen"

to

“You must destroy your favourite Artifact before we go,”

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and they’re infinitely fluid until the moment the deal is formally struck. Then, they’re locked in stone.

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• The Shadow Gains 1 Point of Angst Permanently when the deal is struck. 

• The Shadow Gains 1 more point of Permanent Angst should the character not live up to their end of the deal within the established time frame.

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Once agreed you must honor your side of the deal upon completion of the passion (This is where shadow gets tricky, because they will make their top dark passion related to yours!) This dark passion will allow the shadow to complete your quest for you should it get the opportunity! Legalistically the objective is achieved if the shadow or the wraith complete the passion. The "How" is irrelevant. 

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Now that the deal is struck, there is a nasty surprise waiting for the Wraith player.

The Storyteller will write the Shadows New Dark Passion!

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DARK PASSIONS:

One of the reasons the Shadow might want to enable the wraith to become Risen is because the obsession is dangerous and can easily be twisted into something else. “I love her,” can quickly become “Nobody else can have her.” “He got away with my murder,” can transform into “I’ll ruin everything he loves.” “My children need protection” is a small step away from “They’re useless without me.” Everything can be twisted, every
noble motivation broken and made selfish. The Shadow revels in tearing down the Psyche’s delusions, and if it thinks it can turn an obsession against the Psyche, it will cheerfully do so.

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Generally the Dark Passion will be equally ranked to the main characters highest rated passion. "Protect My Son" as mentioned could easily become "My Son Should Be With Me", which means the shadow will likely want to kill the characters son in order to look after them in the afterlife, or simply to put them out of their misery. 

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The Dark passion follows a similar format to the wraiths passion

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METHOD OF ACHIEVING PASSION: This is where the shadow provides their solution to the characters goal.  The Method is a two parter like the original goal. However the Wraith storyteller will Decide the Dark Passion for you based on your Shadow Archetype!

This makes the prospect of rising all the more terrifying for the player character, who may end up destroying the very thing she loves. Don't forget the shadow exists to DESTROY passions.

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VERB

HIS/HER /HE /SHE /THEY/THEM/THEIR

NEED

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EXAMPLE

• "Destroy MY Murderer " leads to the method "Ruin everything he loves" This is sure to involve innocents which will lead to great Angst !

• "Protect My Son" can lead to the method "Kill him to save any hurt" 

•  "Hide My Crime" can lead to the method "Eliminate they who know about it"

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These simplicities give the Shadow a way of obfuscating the terms of the Pact so that what seems like one agenda is, in fact, another. The Shadow may gravitate more toward “Kill my murderer” because of the opportunity for Angst when the real driving force behind the wraith’s actions might be “Protect my wife.”

On technicality all of these fulfil the -duty- of the task. When the shadow takes over, if this passion is ever rolled as the dominant one, you must endevor to do it. With you new Risen abilities.

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THE CONDUIT

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When a wraith steps into her body and reclaims it, the Shadow splits off to reside in the Conduit.

• The Conduit is one of the wraith’s Fetters, usually the strongest one, and being separated from the Conduit pains Risen and Shadow alike.

• This constant distraction puts the Risen at +1 difficulty on all composure + resolve  rolls as long as the two are separated.

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The Conduit is critical for the Risen and, ironically, it’s because the Shadow must be protected regardless of their relationship. The Conduit is a talisman of sorts, a physical part of the Risen, and its fate is tied to her.

• It’s for this reason that the Conduit has 10 health .

• If the Conduit receives damage, the Risen is equally hurt for said damage type and cannot heal.

• Destroy the Conduit, and the Risen is sent screaming into a Destruction Harrowing.

 

Conversely, if the Risen’s body is destroyed and the Conduit is left behind undamaged, it becomes a potent link to the Shadowlands, imbued with the malicious intent left behind by the Shadow. Hunters of such items would pay a fortune to get their hands on said Conduit or do their utmost to kill whoever possesses one. 

 

Because of the significance of Conduits to the Risen and vice versa, the Fetter in question should be small and easily transportable so the Risen can keep it on their body, and more importantly, the Conduit should be near the Risen when she returns to the Skinlands.

Some Risen insist on carrying their Conduit with them at all times for protection, while others prefer to risk the distraction and hide it in a safe place.

 

Sometimes, the positions are reversed and the Shadow slips into the body while the Psyche is forced into the Conduit. This can happen during a Catharsis roll, or when the Risen first attempts to occupy her body. When this occurs, the Shadow must still keep the Conduit safe, but the player still plays her Risen character with the objectives of the Shadow. This means trying to fulfil its Dark Passions, or undermining the Risen’s objectives until the Psyche resumes control.

 

As for the Psyche, during Catharsis, the Shadow can sever its connection to its body’s senses, putting the character in utter, hellish darkness and absolute silence as long as the Catharsis lasts. 

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NOTE: Your wraiths mortal remains may NOT be your Conduit. You are not Wan Kuei after all.

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ANIMAL CONDUIT

Sometimes, a Fetter is too large and the Conduit becomes something tied to it rather than the Fetter itself. A family home is too large to serve as a Conduit, but the family dog who lives there is a much more appropriate size. Should it be chosen as a Conduit, the animal’s psyche is obliterated and the body becomes a husk for the Shadow, which can enjoy a newfound freedom not previously available to immobile Conduits.

 

Animal Conduits tend to follow their Psyches closely, but they’re not frolicsome pets. Empowered with mobility, fully aware Shadows guiding the bodies of animals can provoke all sorts of havoc. If the Psyche is ever forced into the animal Conduit, it can use the animal’s senses just fine, and even “run away” from its owner to force the Shadow to come after it (rather than embarking on mayhem).

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These are the most common ((if such a word can ever be applied to a Risen)) form of animal conduits. Rats ,Cats, Small Dogs, Crows , Ravens, Bats.

Nothing larger may be taken. Large dogs are out of the question.

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NOTE: The animal is NEVER under the control of the Risen character except when the Psyche rather than the shadow inhabits it. 

Sometimes the Shadow might want to point out an opportunity for the wraith to achieve his objective (Hastening his return to the underworld, or allowing an opportunity to gain angst) Wraith storytellers may take initiative to point out an objective to you via the animal, sometimes this can manifest as the animal flying above something, or even letting the wraith character briefly see through its eyes.

Should a passion be in danger then the storyteller will inform the player via use of the animal conduit. 

If you are going the animal conduit route choose a small animal from the  BESTIARY

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