Ciphon

By Malcus Dorroga (malcus@xtdl.com)

"So, how long have you had that little pet?"
"Oh, about three months. Stupid spirits; I'm surprised you can see the thing."
"A master of the Umbra can see whatever he damn well pleases. What is it?"
"Punishment."
"And when will it go away, do you think?"
"At the rate I'm going, probably when I die."
-- an overheard conversation between Hermetics, bani Flambeau.

Level Five Paradox Spirit

Statistics

Willpower: 8
Rage: 2
Gnosis: 6
Power: 20 (+ special)

Charms: Mind Speak, Attach (cost 5; the spirit attempts to attach itself to the mage, thus allowing the use of its Curse Magick charm. Roll Gnosis vs. the target's Willpower; a single success allows the Ciphon to attach), Curse Magick (special cost; see below)

Associations

Spirit, Prime, Entropy

Background

One of the most persistent Paradox spirits, and possibly one of the rarest, Ciphon is a curse that can last months, possibly even years, because it perpetuates itself every time the mage tries to use his power. It appears as an arachnid-like creature, about the size of a human hand, with a 3-foot long tail.

Ciphon began its first recorded official appearances during World War II. Marauders and Nephandi conjured up so much Paradox during this time that pockets of it coalesced in the air and began to form into spirits. These spirits, looking to absorb more Paradox, began attaching themselves to mages and drinking in the generated Paradox. Being spirits of Paradox, however, they soon began using the consumed power against their hosts, thereby creating more Paradox. Mages came to fear these spirits, and for good reason.

When a Ciphon appears, it speaks to the offending mage and gives it a single chance to revoke the vulgarity. If the mage does not respond properly, the spirit attempts to attach itself to the willworker, and will continue to do so until it either succeeds or is destroyed somehow. Once attached, the Ciphon converts the Paradox that created it into a "Curse pool". Every time the mage uses his power, the Ciphon can spend up to 3 "curse points" to pull successes away from the roll. If this causes a botch, a Paradox backlash immediately ensues, and the Paradox is absorbed into the Ciphon's pool.

Example: Dr. Simbaka, a Son of Ether, experiences an 8-point backlash and Ciphon pops up. Refusing to undo the ultra-cool laser-mirror effect he just acomplished, the good doctor finds the Ciphon attached to him with an 8-point Curse pool. Later that day, when Simbaka attempts to use his Backflux nullifyer to stop a Nephidic fireball, he rolls 3 successes and a single one, giving him 2 successes. The Ciphon, seeing an investment opportunity, uses 3 Curse points to nullify all 3 successes, leaving the etherite with a single one: a botch. Not only does the fireball knock him back and blow up his lab, but he suffers a backlash that feeds the Ciphon's pool.

There are two ways to get rid of a Ciphon. If the mage can step into the Umbra before it attaches, he can fight it and destroy it. If it attaches, the mage can simply stop using magick; the Ciphon loses one Curse point per day the mage uses absolutely no magick. When all Curse points are gone, the spirit dissipates from starvation.