Blood Harp

By Andrew Weitzman (a_weitz@alcor.concordia.ca)

Author's notes

Hola, folks. A few months ago a terrific little story titled "Bloodharp" appeared in F&SF. The instrument featured in this fantasy story felt very WoDish; the article below adapts the powers of the bloodharp in Mage 2ed terms. I'm interested in any reactions.

Arete

4

Effects

Mind 2, Entropy 3/Forces 2, Prime 3

Quintessence

20

Description

The Toreador clan of vampires speak of the Blood Harp in hushed tones. Some say it is the twisted creation of a Tzimince who had warped an errant childe into a musical plaything. Others insist it is possessed of a bit of the soul of the clan's Antediluvian founder. All accounts say playing it can fire the Muse of a kindred as if mortal blood flows through their veins. None of the accounts mentions the price. The Blood Harp is a large harp, man-high, fashioned of the finest ash. Carvings of the highest order, depicting scenes of Greek musicians plying their art, decorate its spine. Strings spun from thin steel wire beckon for a finger's touch. The unwary player will find that they will cut the hand at the slightest pressure; they are razor-sharp, and seem to hunger for blood.

In a way, they do. The instrument is, in fact, a powerful magickal Talisman. At the orders of a Toreador elder in the 12th Century, the great Hermetic mage Adolphus Tremaine crafted the Harp to be the greatest means of musical expression in the Tellurian. Even the most mediocre player can achieve performances of stunning beauty. The hardest hearts of mortal and Awakened alike have been known to melt before its swwet song.

Adolphus was rewarded well for his service; his throating was as quick and painless as his Kindred sponsor could arrange. But the canny old mystick had been possessed of an ironic sense of humor. The elder found that his new toy demanded a high price for its use. Vitae had to be sacrificed for the Blood Harp to sing. "Pouring one's heart out" in the pursuit of Art has never had such a literal interpretation.

Three Effects form the basis of the Blood Harp's power. A Resonance effect, implanted by Mind 2, creates a favorable impression of the music it produces in the minds of an audience. A conjunctional application of Entropy 3 and Forces 2 ensures that all sounds emanating from the Harp are of perfect pitch and tone. The Prime 3 Effect, though, is at the heart of the Harp's power. Attuned solely to Kindred vitae, the Harp will extract a point of Quintessence for every two Blood Points a vampire expends by slashing her fingers on the sharp strings. In game mechanics, a character may add the Arete of the Blood Harp to the relevant Performance dice pool.

For Toreador, owning the Blood Harp is an adventure in exquisite agony. The urge to play such an instrument is nearly overwhelming...yet anything more ambitious than a chamber piece risks draining one to the point of frenzy. Desperate owners have been known to steep the Blood Harp in stolen vitae in an attempt to lessen the toll.