By Bryan Rendell, for his re-work of the Assamite clan.
In understanding our awareness of reality, we appreciate that there is no gap between ourselves and our perceptions. To speak of a notion such as pain, we must speak of experiencing pain, for this is exactly what pain is. However, the practitioners of the Path of Inner Silence can achieve a dualism in their perceptions, inserting a gap between their experiences and themselves while still maintaining both. Whether this path actually achieves this end, or simulates the effect in another manner is a matter of debate.
On a practical level, when this path is learned as the inherent path of Thaumaturgy, the powers operate as described below. However, if the path is learned separately, as other paths are, then the Thaumaturge must make a Willpower roll and spend a blood point in the usual way for the use of Thaumaturgy paths.
System: The Thaumaturge rolls Perception + Meditation (difficulty 8) to determine the duration and extent of the effect. Each success results in a duration of 1 minute. Each success will also result in a difficulty shift or a dice pool alteration for all experiences affecting the senses of taste, smell and touch. Thus the difficulty of frenzy rolls inspired by the taste or smell of blood, and wound penalties from injury are decreased by the number of successes attained. Note that these are only two examples of possible effects. The storyteller must judge other cases that might arise.
System: The roll, difficulty and duration of effect are identical to Silence of the Lower Senses. Possible examples of the use of this power are increasing the difficulty of frenzy and Rotschreck rolls. An interesting effect of this power is the ability to see through a number of levels of Obfuscate equal to the successes achieved. The dual effect of this power means that while the mind may be fooled, the eyes are not.
System: The roll, difficulty and duration of effect are identical to Silence of the lower Senses. This power primarily affects the acquisition and effect of derangements. As derangements are largely role played, the storyteller must judge the degree to which the derangement can be ignored based on the number of success achieved. In the aquisition of derangements from botched humanity, frenzy and Rotschreck rolls, the successes gained with this power is the number of botches that can be ignored, with the removal of all botches resulting in no derangements gained. This power can also be used to see through Obfuscate in the manner of Silence of the Higher Senses. These two effects are cumulative.
In addition, the user is largely disjointed from his own past. This is not in any paradoxical sense, but rather a disjunction of association with past events. Such events seem less and less relevant to the character, appearing to be the memories of another person. Thus, traumatic memories seem less so, and it is even possible to re-capture memories lost through trauma. Any other logical consequences of being separated from one's past must be decided by the Storyteller on a case by case basis.
System: The roll, difficulty and duration of effect are identical to Silence of the Lower Senses. Possible examples of the use of this power are subtracting successes from any Dominate and Presence used against the Thaumaturge, ignoring wound penalties and subtracting the difficulties of frenzy and Rotschreck rolls. Note that effects which double those of earlier powers are cumulative with the use of Silence of the Lower and Higher Senses.
Silence of Consciousness largely reflects a disjunction of the character from his present, as Silence of Unconsciousness was a disjunction from the past. Once again, the Storytellers judgement on individual cases must be exercised.
System: The roll, difficulty and duration (where applicable) are identical to Silence of the Lower Senses. If the Kindred so desires and achieves 4 successes on the roll, he can expire on the spot as his soul departs the body. Why he may want to do this is not immediately obvious, but if he do so want, he can. This power can also be used to reduce the difficulty of humanity rolls by an amount equal to successes achieved. Interestingly though, frequent use of this capacity will of itself reduce humanity. This fact seems to suggest that there is not the separation of soul and self that this power is meant to accomplish, although it is still largely effective. It has been suggested that the logical nature of this power would include the disjunction of the subject from his future, in terms of association with future events pertaining to the subject. What the hell this might mean is unknown, however nothing recognisable of such a kind has been observed, although someone once said that you can't get much more disjointed from future events than by killing yourself.