Pyretics

By J. Lance Alloway (lanja@cbn.net.id) for the Salamander kith

Description

This is simply put, the art of molding fire to one's will. It is almost exclusively the domain of the Salamander Kith, as few outside this group can withstand the intimate contact with roaring flames necessary to learn and use the art. It is believed that the origin of this Art lie with a Fae master of the Primal Art who made the first contact between Arcadia and the elemental realms of flame found in the Umbra. Thus did the first Salamander come into being, and soon thereafter did Arcadia learn of the art of Pyretics. This Art is especially important for Salamanders because, in addition to the specific powers gained at each level of mastery, it represents the degree to which they have learned to harness and use the power of their Heartsflame. Masters of the Art are capable of producing prismatic displays of living fire, which can astound, captivate and potentially terrorize onlookers, while the novice must concentrate on simple tricks such as summoning fire in her hand. The greater a Salamander's mastery of Pyretics, the larger and more complicated the possible effects may be.

Attribute

Dexterity

* Tongues of Flame

This subtle but useful aspect of Pyretics is the ability to literally speak with flames. The Salamander casting this Cantrip can communicate with the elemental spirits of fire, and can even strike up a conversation with any normal flame she encounters. This is very much like in the Primal Art's ability Whisper (though at any volume desired), and provides the clearest proof of ties between the two arts.

What the flame knows depends on its size and the length of its existence. A campfire could speak of those who gathered around it and their immediate surroundings, while a volcano could tell you about anywhere its lava has spread over the centuries. The trick is that when the fire goes out so does its awareness. Picking up a cigarette lighter and asking the flame who owns it would most likely get the response, "You, I guess." On the other hand, one could also dig though the ashes of a burnt out building, and learn all its secrets if only a single ember remains alive.

As mentioned above, this Art taken as a whole represents the degree to which a Salamander has learned to cultivate control of her Heartsflame. At this initial stage the Salamander can only produce small and simple effects such as creating fire in the palm of her hand or turning her hair into a corona of flame. To create any such effects, the Salamander rolls Dexterity or Wits (player's choice) + Performance/Artistic Expression or Intimidation (depending on the desired effect). The Storyteller assigns difficulties, depending on the complexity of the display. Flames created in this manner are still Chimerical unless the Wyrd is invoked. It requires one point of Glamour to make the flames real and capable of causing real damage.

Effect: Chimerical or Wyrd

** Feeding Flames

Now not only is the Fae unharmed by flames, she can also gain sustenance from them. So long as there are flames present, the Salamander need not eat food or drink water. Everything her body needs may be drawn from the essence of the flames. This is extremely useful when travelling in the Umbra where supplies are generally few and far between.

At this level of mastery, a Salamander can begin to create larger and more complicated effects using her Heartsflame. Such creations may also be maintained without being in contact with the Salamander's body. Flames created in this manner are still Chimerical unless the Wyrd is invoked. For real flames them to exist out of direct contact with the Salamander for more than a turn, there must either be some fuel present to feed off of, or an additional point of Glamour must be spent. A normal fire so created can be controlled as easily as the Heartsflame, but the Salamander is still limited to one such effect at a time. This distinction grows somewhat blurry as a single effect begins to spread throughout a room or area.

*** Dragon's Breath

This power is one of the reasons Salamanders are so greatly feared. Like the Dragons of legend, possessors of this power can belch forth gouts of searing flame incinerating targets up to ten feet away. For each Glamour point spent, the Salamander does up to 3 dice of aggravated damage, depending on how directly she hits her target (one die of damage for each glamour point spent per success up to 3 successes for a direct hit). Tongues of Flame at this point can be used to create intricate and multi-colored pyrotechnic effects with multiple components. Bonfire-sized conflagrations can be created at will, though fuel must still be present, or Glamour expended, to maintain them.

**** Firewalker

This cantrip's name is at once very descriptive and very deceptive. It does not simply allow the caster to walk unharmed through fire. Even the youngest Childling Salamander can do that with ease. Instead it allows the caster to use fire as a portal to the elemental realms of fire within the umbra. From there, the Salamander may travel normally within the Umbra or cross back to anywhere on earth where a fire burns. The number of successes how quickly the Salamander crosses from point A to point B.

Successes	Travel time
1	One hour or more
2	Five minutes
3	one minute
4	Ten seconds
5+	Instantaneous

The Tongues of Flame Cantrip at this level of mastery is capable of generating truly beautiful and terrible panoramic effects involving complicated effects and moving shapes. An interesting side effect of the firewalking ability makes maintaining seemingly impossible aerial effects much easier. The Salamander may tap into fires on the ground to funnel fuel into such, effects thus avoiding the need to expend more Glamour. At this point, an area the size of a concert hall can be instantly consumed in Chimerical flames.

*****Of One Nature

One side effect of this power is that, over time, it causes the Salamander's Heartsflame to expand and grow. As a result, more and more of the Salamander's form can be transformed into living flame, until at this stage, the Salamander's entire body can be so transformed. When in this fiery state, the Salamander cannot be harmed by physical means. Nor can fire of any kind cause damage. Only the effects of water, cold and entropy can harm the Salamander. Directed attacks of these varieties cause one level of damage per success. It is left to the Storyteller to determine when the intensity of such attacks result is sufficient to cause aggravated damage. If a Salamander is brought to Incapacitated while in this fiery form, he is not actually rendered unconscious, but instead reverts to her normal form, and temporarily loses the use of her elemental powers (though if some fire is present, a permanent Willpower can be used to escape via Firewalker).

In the hands of a master of Pyretics, the effects possible using one's Heartsflame are truly astounding. Whole city blocks can be transformed into a raging inferno. Gigantic, airborne beasts of sentient, living flame can be summoned forth from the Umbral realms of fire. But the most terrifying aspect of this power is that the Salamander need only choose whether her effects are Chimerical or real, so strong are her ties to the fiery realms.