Path of Augury

By James Agle (agles@mindnet.org) (based on a conversation between J. Agle and Mike Borsum)

History

Madam Eleyne Dannov, of the Ravnos family of the Rom, was one of the most prestigious soothsayers of her time in the years before the French Revolution. Her kumpania never feared persecution from the gaje as she foresaw such dangers effortlessly. By the time she reached her early forties, her fame as a Satarma Seeress had spread to most every kumpaniyi in Europe. She took pride in her visions, and strove to serve the Rom as best she could, her only regret the fact that she never married. Few men have the inclination to wed a seeress of her ability . . .

Tomas Lazaros, a Silent Strider kinfolk, brought a package into their camp one night that changed her life. Her kumpania was camped on the estate of a local nobleman who had offered his family's lands to the Rom -- an unusual act in most circumstances, but this particular nobleman was a Ravnos shimulo, one of the undead. In a strange way, this made him . . . not quite family, but not quite gaje. The nobleman vampire, Jean-Luc, intercepted Lazaros, who was delivering an incredibly valuable package. One touch, and the package sang out to Jean-Luc's blood, and he knew who was meant to receive it. Within the hour, he bestowed Kooserin, the Seed of Earthly Awakening upon Madam Dannov.

For twenty-nine years, she carried the Seed of Truth. Those were, she thought, the hardest years of her life. For a woman who saw too much truth before, bearing Kooserin was nigh unbearable. She saw the world stripped bare of pretense, revealed in all its ugliness. She saw duplicity, ignorance, and senseless waste. What few glimpses she saw of nobility, justice, and honesty were far too rare. Worst of all, the Seed seemed to have an effect that extended her life, so the years came and went, and her work never seemed to end.

Until her seventy-third year. One morning in August, she woke to birdsong and relief. The knowledge was there that she was done. Already the Seed had sent the call to a courier. A week later, Jean-Luc came and collected the Seed, following the instructions that it gave him to the next bearer of Kooserin.

Dannov enjoyed a month of retirement, before she came to regret the loss of her too-clear vision. She had annoyed several people in her years, at least one of whom had been waiting to hear that she was vulnerable. When Coron Niglios found her, he was appalled to find that the smug, all-knowing, mocking shrew he'd spent decades loathing was now a hollow, pathetic shell of a woman. The burden she'd carried had left her wasted, weak, and brittle. He'd come for revenge, and found a joke. In his rage, he cursed her with the very fate she'd failed to warn him against all those years ago -- he forced upon her the tumnios, the embrace. Ravnos she had been in life, and now Ravnos she would remain in undeath.

It would have been so easy for her to greet the dawn, and end her suffering, but it was not in Madam Dannov to surrender. Ever. Kooserin had failed to break her, and she learned to adapt to her new state. Indeed, she learned to excel, and she soon attained the status among the Ravnos kindred that she had enjoyed among the Ravnos Rom as a mortal. She . . . obtained Thaumaturgy and developed a Path based on her knowledge and the insights she'd gained from Kooserin, the Seed of Truth. Over the years, this path has been passed down to those she deemed worthy, or those who she decided needed it. While still rare, those who know of the Path know to respect the words of the Augurists.

Notes

Ravnos PC's should have at least a three in Clan Status before they are eligible to learn Path of Augury, and even then they must already know Thaumaturgy. If the PC has a Ravnos Clan Status of four or higher, it is possible that Madam Dannov will seek him out and teach the path to him (If he doesn't know Thaumaturgy she will teach it to him, with Path of Augury as the Primary Path), something of a mixed blessing. The Ravnos Crone is a smug, arrogant, mocking type who seems to know everything, all the time, and rarely volunteers the proper information at the proper time. If she shows up, it is because something is going to happen and she wants to arrange a good seat in advance.

* Divination

For countless years, gypsies have been casting fortunes to amuse one another and to swindle the gaje. Tarot cards, etched bones, crystals, herbs cast into braziers, the methods are countless, and as fake as a fourteen-dollar bill. Unless, of course, you're dealing with an Augurist, in which case they are actual insights into future events. The signs will be vague, but perfectly valid -- if one has faith. Of course, the future is fluid, so there are no guarantees.

System: The Storyteller rolls the character's Perception + Fortune Telling. The player will not get to see this roll; this is where faith comes into it. Based on the number of successes, the player will receive a fortune, made up by the ST. Even with five successes, though, it should remain vague, and misleading, but clear and obvious in hindsight. Difficulty will start at 10, dropping to a 9 when the third level of Augury is gained, and to an 8 upon reaching the fifth.

** Ring of Truth

Even when it's for the best, even when it's what they asked to be told, many people cannot accept the truth when they hear it. The skilled Augurist has learned to speak the truth in such a way that even the jaded and skeptical are forced to accept it.

System: The player rolls Charisma + Empathy vs. the Target's Willpower (the stubborn rarely hear what they don't wish to). When addressing groups, use the highest Will present. The character, in order to use Ring of Truth, must be telling the whole truth as she believes it, withholding nothing. This ability can not be used for purposes of deception.

*** Taint of Falsehood

The study of Augury is the quest for truth. As such, there are prices that must be paid along the way. The Augurist becomes incapable of telling a lie, as falsehood itself becomes repulsive to her. A lie sounds hollow and harsh as it leaves the liar's lips; even written falsehoods will seem to slither on the page.

System: The player may roll Perception + Empathy (diff. 7) or Perception + Sense Deception (diff. 5) to notice the Taint of Falsehood. Written lies can be detected at a +2 difficulty. For blatant, big, whopping lies, the ST may make this roll for the player, as this power is not entirely under the player's control. As a side-effect, the player gains a Derangement: a loathing of falsehood in general. This means that the player will not ever tell a direct lie, although he may spend a willpower point to dodge a question or give a misleading, albeit still true, statement.

**** True Sight

The Augurist is so open to the Truth around her that information will come to mind unbidden at times. Just a glance at a person, an item, or even a location may trigger a flow of knowledge and the burden that naturally accompanies knowing.

System: The ST will roll the character's Perception + Awareness against diff. 8. If the player does not have the talent Awareness (and face it, most kindred do not) he may purchase it upon attaining this level of Augury. Essentially, this power is a diluted form of the merit Greater Colors, from the Toreador Clanbook. The player cannot choose when True Sight kicks in, she cannot choose to ignore the information provided, and she cannot pick and choose what information is gleaned. For the most part, only situations where a greater truth is behind what shows on the outside will trigger True Sight, but the ST may use it at his whim.

Successes	Effect
Botch	A sense of dread regarding the target . . . Augury will never give a false reading.
None	Nothing
1	General type (vampire, node, talisman, haunt, etc.)
2	Specific type (Gangrel, Black Fury Caern, lvl 3 Talisman, etc.)
3	Name, Archetype if applicable.
4	Significant detail (age, owner, single detail about history, etc.)
5+	Whatever the ST decides the Augurist needs to know.

***** Scrying

Upon mastering the path of Augury, the practitioner perfects a means to view events as they happen, regardless of distance! Each Augurist has her own technique: Madame Dannov gazes into swirling clouds of scented smoke, seeing images take form therein, while Timmy Fingers tunes a television to a blank channel and gazes into the static. Whatever the method, the Augurist may seek out a person, a place, or an item known to herself or to another, provided that other is with her as she makes the attempt. The images are often unclear, and are only visual, but much can be learned, regardless.

System: The player may roll Perception + Awareness against a variable difficulty explained below. Multiple successes will grant a sharper, clearer image, with one being a scene shown from ten meters away through dark, foggy glass, and five being immediate, sharp, crystal-clear images.

(PPT = Person, Place, or Thing) (AQ = Augurist or Querent)

Difficulty	Requirement
7	PPT valuable to AQ, closely related or of sentimental value (My wedding ring, brother, or home).
8	PT property or good friend of AQ, or place frequented (My car keys, workplace, or drinkin' buddy).
9	PPT well-known to AQ (My neighbor, the local Elysium, or item AQ examined once).
10	AQ knows of the PPT, but doesn't know PPT well (I know his name, address, and what he drives, but I've never met the man; what can you show me, Gypsy?).

Note: This is not as versatile as Auspex 6: Clairvoyance, in that it does not provide full sensory awareness of the scried PPT. It takes at least ten minutes of meditation prior to each attempt, and requires the equipment particular to the Augurist.

Feedback welcome, but be gentle. This took a lot of work.