The Dark

Original Concept and Thesis: Justin Killam
Discovery, Exploration, and Experimentation: Damien Hunt
Observation, Examination and Documentation: Justin Killam
Haiku By: Damien Hunt

Chapter One: Lost In The Dark

"The Stars grow dim in their places, and the Moon pales before me, as though a Veil were blown across its flame. Dog-faced demons approach the circumference of my sanctuary. Strange lines appear carved on my door and walls, and the light from the Window grows increasing dim.

A wind has risen.

The Dark Waters stir.

This is the Book of the Servant of the Gods..."

-- Testimony of the Mad Arab in the Necronomicon

The Children of Caine call it the Beast. The Enchanted Fae call it the Unseelie Court. The Shifting Warriors of Gaia call it Rage. The Eastern Kuei-Jin call it their P'o, and the Restless Dead call it the Shadow.

To each of them it is their greatest adversary, yet an essential part of their very beings. Most spend their existence suppressing it or even trying to obliterate it. Yet those with the wisdom to discipline and accept it into a coexistence within themselves open paths to unimaginable freedom, peace, power, and transcendence.

To all of the above mentioned denizens of the World of Darkness there is an intense struggle and importance to the darker side of the soul. The beings are supernatural, which is often the cause for the darker side of the soul to awaken, and the characters are usually in possession of a strong lighter psyche which must both resist and incorporate the darker side to exist peacefully. Although some of the beings have it easier than others -- the Changelings may switch courts to balance their light and dark psyche's while the Kindred's dark psyche is a raging beast -- this struggle becomes an important aspect of every Chronicle and Character.

The possibility of a stronger dark side has only been explored in a couple of games, and there is no real exploration of the dark side of a mortal's soul other than a few rules clarifications, such as Ghouls being susceptible to frenzy and the effects of humanity loss. Which brings me to the question that has been the inspiration for this supplement: what if an everyday mortal cultivated his dark side? Not just allowed it to surface, but willed it into dominance. Would they be axe-wielding psychotics, emotionless observers, grim and morbid freaks, or crazed looneys? Possibly, but if they had the willpower to do it without going mad they would more likely be people with the will to be less repressed, more indulgent, and more truthful to themselves. Although the potential is certainly there this is not a game about evil, but about the side of your soul that screams to be let out yet can only be heard as whispered thoughts that you would never consider saying or doing. The dark side of your soul does not have to be evil, it just has to be . . . well darker.

"I only smile in the dark, my only comfort is the night gone black."
-- Garbage, "Only Happy When It Rains"

What exactly is the Dark? By its essence the Dark must never be known or defined. It is the unknowable, a symbol for that which is enigmatic, secretive, and hidden. For this reason the Dark has become the focus for those that wish to know or at least taste that which is hidden within them, the secrets that they are to scared to look at become revealed and they become stronger for it. They open themselves up to a power that is terrifying to others. This power is as obscure as the secrets that they explore, indeed the power is one of the secrets that they begin to discover. These sudden insights are almost always experienced as whispers when the mortal is in deep meditation in a dark, comfortable place. This darkness that whispers to them seems to be sentient and many worship it as a god. It is not known whether or not this is true, nor shall it ever be, for it is not to be known, but in whatever form it takes or is imagined by the Darkened it is for all The Dark, the source of all their power.

The Dark is not without its weaknesses however. The first and most powerful nemesis that it has is the Torch of Regression. This torch is the fire of fear, fear of the truth and the madness that comes with it. It burns the freedom away from the Darkened and sends him back to the ignorance of his former self. It is a danger that all Darkened must face, the light of oppression and opposition. If it is not confronted and triumphed over it can lead to the Dawn, a total loss of the darkness within. The once glorious Darkened loses everything including his knowledge of what he was and he becomes a drone, blissfully unaware. They say that ignorance is bliss, and it is probably the Dawn's greatest weapon, the promise that all the unpleasantness will just go away if the Darkened wants it to.

The Dark has other enemies, which include the Darkened themselves -- for just as the dark is undefinable, so are its followers. A few loose classifications may be made about some of them, but for the most part they are as enigmatic as their source. Some Darkened become ascetics, focusing on themselves and their advancement within the darkness, but these are few. Others enter the world of darkness head on, trying to change it in some way. Some help the evil, mad and other darker denizens of the world, while others see these same creatures, when compared to themselves, as pathetic attempts at darkness and hunt them down. Some are mad, some are sane, some appear sane and are really mad and visa versa. There are as many different kinds of Darkened as there are Darkened themselves.

Even though the Dark is by nature undefinable, there are a few pointers to mark the way to the Dark. Examples of favored traits of the Dark include Madness, Evil, Grim, Enigmatic, Deep Water, The Night, Shadows and Smoke, Concealed, Fear, Impulsiveness and Indulgement. Examples of what the dark can lead to include Truth, Horror, Liberty, Fear, Freedom, Joy, Madness, Power, Death and Revelation.

The following excerpt might help clarify the dark and how to reach it a little more. I started writing The Dark before I read this book, but after finishing it in just two days (a masterpiece!) I had to add this little excerpt from it. It describes an aspect of the Dark very well.

"There is a thin line between rage and madness. Every human has, at one time or another, experienced both emotions, in varying increments of strength. While gripped in rage's white-hot hand, an otherwise sane man may commit acts he would never dream of in other calmer moments. But most do not succumb to passion-born madness because they fear the repercussions such actions might hold. Fear, more than virtue, holds humanity rigid within its social orbits. Fear of censure, fear of punishment, fear of the unknown, fear of changing things forever, and not for the better."

A perfect look at what the Dark can be. This passage and indeed the whole book is worth reading by anyone that loves vampires, monsters, darkness and anything else that goes bump in the night. Also look for Nancy Collins original trilogy, The Sonja Blue Collection; it is truly a classic of the gothic-punk, anti-heroine vampire.

Chapter Two: Emerging from the Shadows

"Don't let the dark into me."'
-- Gary Numan, "Dark" (Dark City soundtrack)

We all have a dark side, one that we repress so that we can live in "comfort" and acceptance. We live in denial of a part of ourselves. We all say that we are good and decent, but when TV shows such as When Animals Attack come on we watch in mock horror and say "that's terrible!", yet we continue to watch and some of us actually laugh. Jerry Springer is the worst talk show on the air, yet it has one of the highest ratings. Action flicks make millions at the movies, we all love them, but at the same time we delude ourselves with the title of "action flick" when it should truthfully be called a "violence flick". Come on, it is a bunch fighting, guns, death and destruction. But let me make my point clear, the movies, the shows and everything else just like them are not bad and I don't want them to be taken off the air or anything like that, it is our self-delusion that I wish to focus on, our lighter psyche. It can be just as destructive as the darkest heart. It represses the spirit, subdues the spark that makes life worth living, and makes us lumbering zombies, stuck in a repeating cycle of banality. Cultivating this dark side doesn't have to be a bad thing, it may help one be happier and more true to themselves. For us in reality it must be accepted carefully and not too fully. The Dark is a fictional game that explores those mortals that say "fuck that!" and go all the way over the edge.

All Darkened start as normal mortals, whatever normal is, but something happens to them and they start the voyage into the Dark. This voyage is extraordinary in that its goal is not to allow the dark to coexist with the light, but to will it into total dominance. Something happens, some event that causes the mortal to reject his brighter side, a complete reversal of his view of the world. There are many different paths that a mortal may take, and this beginning of the voyage leaves a lasting effect, a wake, on the Darkened that will determine his relationship to, and understanding of, the Dark. The Wake describes the characters journey into the Dark, how it happened, what started it, and how it has effected his outlook on the world and the dark. It is important to note that the Wake is just that, something that the character has already been through and left behind, it does not necessarily describe what the character has become, although it does guide him a little. All characters must choose a Wake.

The Disciples

"I am the darkness that crawls into you."

-- Gary Numan, "Dark" (Dark City soundtrack)

Worshipers of the Dark as a sentient being that will grant them power in exchange for their total obedience. Most are older mortals who have spent their lives searching the occult for power. They are usually over-achievers and have, along with occult knowledge and power, substantial mortal influence and power. A very few worship the Dark out of faith alone and follow the Dark as a true religion, accepting any power they gain as a secondary benefit.

The beginning of this Wake usually starts with a normal mortal, young and ambitious, the perfect example of a parent's pride and joy. Yet these mortals find that the power rush of success fades quickly and they race for more power to fill the empty feeling they have. It is this ambition and hunger for fulfillment that leads the mortal to more unconventional means of power. They usually turn to the arcane. Not new age shit, but the powerful, realistic, and usually the least moralistic. This first taste of darkness causes them to feel true freedom for the first time, and sometimes this is enough. At this point they may find some little measure of power, some Numina that they pick up, but again this leaves them empty. Some start to see through the illusions that these bogus rituals and cults create and they leave, seeking more. Most never find it, but for those that happen on some great secret or revelation the voyage is well under way. This revelation is up to the player to create, but it is must somehow be related to the supernatural. A freak encounter with a Vampire or some other creature, or finally finding a bit of arcane knowledge that is pure and real.

Mortals on this Wake slowly begin to open up to their own personal darkness and find a spark of fulfillment as all the repression that they experienced in pursuit of mommy and daddy's dreams begins to break away and they can start to express and experience their own truth. This slow realization, influenced by their occult experiences, leads them to the threshold of darkness. When Disciples become Darkened they not only receive the trinity of insights, but also they receive the basic insight to the Vesper of the Prayer. Thus as they cross the threshold they are filled with the undeniable impression of a sentience that watches over them and has guided them throughout their voyage.

Many Disciples believe that their new found happiness is a gift from the Dark and they continue to serve it for more power, joy and fulfilment. A few Disciples realize the reasons they were unhappy in the first place and believe the Dark simply pushed and guided them in the right direction and serve it out of gratitude and further guidance. Fewer still come to believe in the Dark as a God and worship it unquestionably and form their own religion that may attract others. Regardless of a Disciples beliefs all Disciples have one thing in common, their worship and love of the sentient Dark.

Bestowments: All Disciples start with the Basic Insight of the Vesper of the Prayer and may continue learning the Prayer without instruction. Many may continue and start to learn the Vespers of the Dark Providence without instruction. Disciple characters may also have True Faith and other Numina.

The Torpid

"Normal? Anyone acting normal is hiding something!"

-- The Stick Man, while flipping the bird to some dip-shit preppie suit

Deranged, mad, crazy, and insane are all accurate descriptions of the Darkened known as the Torpid. A typical inmate of an asylum is your typical Torpid and it may be that most asylum inmates actually are Torpid Darkened, the rest of the Darkened just don't know for sure, nor would they really want to.

Torpid start out as mortals with a strong, or in most cases a suddenly stronger, dark side and without the strength of will to resist it. The start of a Torpid's voyage occurs with a sudden shift in dominance and then a trip beneath the waves of sanity. Most on this voyage become lost in the madness or are killed for their common psychopathic frenzies, but a few somehow resurface and become true Darkened. This is not how the Eclipse works, the Eclipse is another Darkened's deliberate molding of another's dark side so that it slowly emerges, the Torpids voyage is a sudden slip from the heights of sanity into the depths of the void and it is quick, unexpected, and totally mind shattering.

As the Darkness takes over, violently in all cases, the mortal finds his humanity bleeding from him just as fast as the blood did from his latest victim. When the mortal loses all his humanity, it is the psyche's battle for permanent dominance. Although it would be nice to think that the lighter side might win and the mortal restored, this in not the case. Even if the lighter side does win, which always happens at least once, the mortal's Humanity is restored only to one, and the mortal gains a derangement which only helps to fuel his next fall. The sooner the psyche gives its place to the Darkness the better off. The harder it fights the worse the mortal becomes until he emerges in a shopping mall a raving lunatic with a few running chainsaws strapped to his body and heads towards the most crowded section merrily laughing and skipping the whole way. These are quickly gunned down by the local law enforcement or anyone else nearby with a gun and half a brain.

The Torpid that make it past the threshold of darkness and become Darkened are the strangest, and sometimes the most normal, of the Darkened. Most have a knowledge and understanding of the darkness that even other Darkened would have great difficulty comprehending without losing it. The drawback of course is that the Torpid have lost it, and whether or not they have actually regained it is open for debate, way open! Regardless of the many questions that this group of Darkened raise and the fact that every one of them is different they do share one common trait, madness. All Torpid have at least one major derangement, and most have more.

Bestowments: All Torpid have at least one major derangement and most have at least two. Most derangements are subtle in nature, as is the Dark, but this is not the rule, just the recommendation. All Torpid have the secret of the Pentacle within them, but to access it they must journey through the Vesper of Madness, which again opens them up to the waves of insanity. The further they journey into the power of the pentacle the further they slip from reality and sanity. Specific rules for this are up to the Storyteller to make up.

The Prodigy

"Born of Lust, Turn to Dust; Born of Sin, Come right In."

-- Stephen King, Storm of the Century

When we were children we were uninhibited. Well, at least we were not as restrained as we are now. Carefree, without thought of consequence, and without care for anything but ourselves, true innocence. What the hell happened? Parents, school, the colorful phrases (reform, shape up, behave better, think about what you have done young man, we have heard them all), etc. All that freedom, unrestraint, and innocence. . . lost.

Not for the Prodigy. The dark side that becomes dormant from years of discipline still glows in these children. All Prodigy start off as troublemakers, brats, little devils, class clowns, etc. Most are in special classes and are on the edge, or beyond, of manic-depression caused by the euphoria of just being themselves and the punishment that they are gifted with for it. All Prodigy have an undeniable innocence, even the meanest brat is still a kid and can turn from brat to prince in the blink of an eye, although this weakens as they fall further into depression.

The voyage for the Prodigy is a short one, for they are all still children (5 - 14). All have grown with a confidence and will that can rival most adults, and because of this strong will they have resisted all efforts to institutionalize them. Their dark sides are very close to the surface, and are closely messed with their psyche. But even the most confident kid is still a kid and the years of punishment and discipline weaken them. Most drown at this stage.

For those that continue to fight and be true to themselves, mood swings begin, a mild form of manic-depression. One moment they are children having the greatest time creating whole imaginary worlds and adventures with an empty box, then they stop, sinking into a deep depression triggered by a stray memory that last time they played in an empty box they knocked over mommy's fancy jar (priceless vase) and got sent to their room for the night without supper, and then grounded for a week from playing with their friends or watching TV. In the World of Darkness not as many Prodigy-to-be are developed or destroyed by caring parents as by uncaring parents. Prodigy-to-be at this stage are in danger of falling into total depression and must confront their parents in some manner to escape this stage. The threshold for the Prodigy is a final confrontation or resolve by the child, most run away, some have even killed their parents. The Prodigy crosses the threshold and becomes Darkened after or even during this final confrontation.

The Prodigy are powerful in their connection to the Dark; they never truly lost it, and are the true children of the Dark. Unfortunately, all Prodigy have a strange case of manic-depression that causes them to shift their disposition directly from Stoic to Volatile, and of course they are still children. Of all the Darkened this group reflects an innocence that no other group could ever hope to have, an innocence that comes from the darkness itself.

Bestowments: All Prodigy are children (see the Flaw of Child) and may never enter the disposition of Endured as they flow through their manic depressive mood swings. All Prodigy display a powerful aura of innocence (see the Merit of Sanctity) and as they cross the threshold of darkness they gain the basic insight of the Vesper of the Adept as well as the basic insights of the Trinity.

The Reapers

"I am the ghost that reminds death of you."

-- Gary Numan, "Dark" (Dark City soundtrack)

Dealers in and lovers of nothing more than Death itself, these are the most rare of all Darkened, the Harbingers of Death. Hidden within the depths of the Dark is rumored to be a seed of the destroyer of reality, preserved in its true form. This destroyer, named the Wyrm by some, is at the moment mad and is attempting to destroy all of reality. This hidden seed carries the Wyrm's true purpose, the recycling of reality so that it does not become stagnant, or simply death. From this seed comes the Darkened known as the Reapers. Their purpose is two-fold: Take over the corrupted Wyrm's duties and bring death to that which needs it and destroy the corrupted Wyrm so that it may be reborn pure once more.

All of these Darkened start their mortal lives as morbid and necro-obsessive mortals. Murderers, assassins, doctors, morticians, and grave keepers or robbers are all examples of mortals that may become Reapers. Usually their interest in the dead lead them to illegal activities and the study of the arcane. In this way the mortal begins to strengthen the darkness within, but even if this leads the mortal to the threshold of darkness he does not simply become a Reaper, all Reapers have tried (truly tried, not just attempted) to commit suicide, and most succeed. Those that fail for some odd reason become Darkened Reapers, while those that die become Darkened Wraiths, the Caulgrim. Dead and living Reapers may communicate to each other across the veil at will. This final threshold is the tie the bonds all Reapers together and their touch with death infuses them with the truth and charge that they must then carry out. If any Reaper drops his duties then he ceases to be a Reaper and all other Reapers that meet him will instinctively know it.

Bestowments: All Reapers must carry out the duties given to them by death (see the Flaw of Driving Goal), but to give them help in battling the forces of the Wyrm they receive the basic insight of the Vesper of the Deliverance. Reapers may continue to learn the Deliverance and other Vespers of the Many Faces of Death without instruction.

The Reborn

"I am the Demon that waits inside you."

-- Gary Numan, "Dark" (Dark City soundtrack)

The Darkened are by definition enigmatic and unknowable. For this reason a final Wake exists to group all Darkened that cannot be grouped. These are named the Reborn, the unnameable Darkened, with odd and rare voyages into the darkness. Many of these Darkened were victims of The Eclipse, but most have crossed the threshold and have become Darkened in their own special way. Players that wish to create a completely original voyage have this Wake, or with the Storytellers help may create a new one. The relationship that these Darkened have to the dark is unique to each of them.

Notes

You might notice that unlike other character descriptions in the World of Darkness series there is no real hard description in The Dark of the different wakes, just a bare boned skeleton. The reason is simple, the Darkened are all individualistic, absolutely no two Darkened are alike and even though the Wake does influence them in similar ways it by no means categorizes them with easy labels and descriptions. The Dark is meant to be ripped apart and reconstructed as the user wishes. Used loosely The Dark will accomplish it's highest goals of gaming.

"Don't let the light shine on me."
-- Gary Numan, "Dark" (Dark City soundtrack)

Once the mortal has become Darkened the true voyage begins. Repressed emotions, urges, behaviors, and habits come flooding out of the Darkened for a while. This first period of time is called the flood, for a good reason. When it is over and the Darkened is more stable he enters a three part cycle. This cycle is called the Disposition. All Darkened follow it, although never at the same speed. The Disposition is the cycle of the Darkened's release of his repression. It allows the Darkened to revitalize and strengthen the darkness within himself. All characters must choose a Disposition to start with.

The Endured

This is the longest of the dispositions, coming before the Volatile and after the Stoic. It is a time of balance and stability, as stable as a Darkened can get that is. Darkened in this stage don't repress anything, but they don't go on too many "week long" rampages or "twenty to one" orgies. Their emotions and urges are neither repressed or amplified.

The Volatile

This disposition of the cycle is a return to the flood, although it is shorter and not quite as bad. The flood gate is suddenly flung open and every urge, emotion, and whim is amplified and acted upon without a single thought of consequence. A dangerous, but exciting time of rampage and excess. It should be noted however that Darkened are not stupid during this part of the cycle, just extremely impulsive. During this time if a Darkened wishes to resist his urges for some reason he can, but he must take care for this can lead to the Regressed and even into the Dawn. Of all the Dispositions this is the shortest one.

Bestowments: All Actions requiring a clear and calm mind or enduring concentration lose a success automatically, but the Volatile Darkened gains an extra point of Willpower for the duration of the disposition (this may increase the Darkened's willpower beyond the normal limit of 10).

The Stoic

This disposition of the cycle follows the Volatile and is a time of recovery and inner speculation. All of the emotions and urges have been released to such a degree that there are none left. Left in a state of withdrawn emotionlessness the Darkened becomes meditative and without motivation. It is also a time of intimacy to the dark, and many revelations are discovered during this time. The Darkened may stir himself from this reverie, but risks the Regressed and even the Dawn by doing so.

Bestowments: All Actions requiring a clear and calm mind or enduring concentration gain an automatic success, but the Stoic Darkened loses a point of Willpower for the duration of the disposition. If this reduces the Darkened's Willpower to equal the Darkened's Self Control he enters the Dawn as usual. Stoic Darkened are also prone to sudden unsought insights and revelations while in deep meditation, especially when in a place favored by the Dark.

The Regressed

There is a fourth disposition that is not part of the normal cycle: the Regressed. This disposition is entered when the Darkened fails in his convictions and begins to doubt himself (see Willpower). It may also be entered if the Darkened tries to contain himself during the Volatile or rouse himself from the Stoic dispositions. A Willpower point is spent and Willpower is rolled when the Darkened attempts this (diff is up to the Storyteller, but should be around 6 or 7); if succeeded the Darkened moves from his currant disposition to the next. If failed the Darkened enters the Regressed Disposition, and if botched the Darkened enters the Regressed and loses a Willpower point permanently.

During the Regressed the Darkened is in constant doubt over himself and must face his fears to move past this stage. The Darkened will be tempted to repress the urges that he feels as he is unsure of himself and the dark. If he succeeds in acting on those urges he will sone enter into the Volatile disposition, if he represses these urges he will continue to lose Willpower until he faces the Dawn, a reversion to his former self. This disposition is a sort of voyage, each temptation and urge must be faced. Each successful acting on an urge makes it easier for the next roll or a regaining of lost WP (but not WP lost permanently), and each repression of an urge causes the loss of a Willpower, any botch causes a permanent loss of a WP point. See the Dawn for more details of falling into Regression. It is possible for a character to start in this disposition, but the player would be crazy to do so as he may lose his character before he has a chance to actually play it.

"In order to make an omelet, you have to break a few eggs."
-- Usually someone who just broke your fucking eggs

Character creation is similar to any other White Wolf Game, with a few slight adjustments listed below. Feel free to bend, mold, and twist any of the rules listed below, or anywhere else in this book, to suit your own unique vision, that is what the imagination is for, go hog wild. Concept

All players should choose a concept to base their character around. It should be done before the rest of the generation is done, but if the player does not have anything really specific in mind he can base a concept around what he chooses for now. Choose a Concept, Nature, and Demeanor. Note that it is not uncommon for a Darkened to have their Nature and Demeanor either the same or completely opposite and that especially during the Volatile disposition it is not uncommon for the Darkened to completely change his Demeanor or possibly even his Nature.

The Dark

All players must choose a Wake and Disposition to start with and make adjustment notes to reflect the disposition chosen. All players must also choose something to put in the "The Dark" position on the character sheet. This is open to the player, but should sum up how the character sees The Dark. For example if you are playing a Disciple you might envision The Dark as a sentient god, thus you can put that, or even have a title or name for it. This is entirely open and should be unique and personal to the character.

Traits

All players start with Attributes 7/5/3, Abilities: 13/9/5, Vespers: 1, Backgrounds: 5 (choose and adapt ones from other White Wolf games), Virtues: 5, and Freebie Points: 35 (should spend at least 14 on Numina or on the three or four Vespers that the character starts out with basic insight to). Note that Darkened must always start with a higher rating in Willpower (should be at least two higher) than in Self Control.

Finishing Touches

Choose Merits & Flaws, specialties if any, powers and other Numina. A good character should also have an in-depth background including a story of his or her voyage into the darkness that corresponds loosely with his or her Wake.

Freebie Points and Experience Points

Vespers require 7 freebie points for a dot, but only Vespers that the character begins with may be bought, no new ones. To gain the basic insight of a new Vesper the character must spend at least a month in meditation and training with someone who has at least three dots in the Vesper. At the end of the month, if the meditation was not interrupted, the character gains the basic insight and may begin to spend experience on improving the Vesper. Vespers of the Trinity of Insights cost 5X current level to improve, all other Vespers cost 7X currant level in experience points. The rest of the different character traits correspond to the same traits in other White Wolf games.

A Final Recommendation

The preceding rules for character creation are the basic, Storyteller system equivalents. In my vision of the Darkened they have access to much more power, but with little or no control or knowledge of such. Therefore I recommend adding this rule to character creation, although it is ultimately up to the individual storyteller wether or not it is used.

When the mortal crosses the threshold and becomes Darkened he is gifted by the Dark with a large amount of power. There are a number of reasons for this. One, all Darkened are the product of a long and arduous voyage and therefore deserve a reward for their efforts. Second, because the Darkened are so unique and rare (only about one for every hundred Kindred, or one for every 100,000 normal mortals) the Dark bestows them with more power so that they are not accidently destroyed by the hoards of other night creatures. To implement this without overbalancing the power of the character in relation to other characters the powerful but still fledgling Darkened gains extra dots in Vespers and other Numina, but doesn't know what they are. The newly born Darkened must slowly discover and learn their other powers.

After the character is done the Storyteller looks over the character and makes a few notes so that the assigned power fits the character concept. Then he assigns an extra 10 dots in Vespers and other Numina to the character, but does it on his own sheet. These extra powers should be in powers the character doesn't already possess and should be limited to three or four new powers at most. Vespers gained should be in a division that the character already has access to, such as the Disciples and the Dark Providence. This information must never be shown to the player; he must figure it out for himself. These powers come out in stages of control before the character may control them well.

Stage 1: Whenever the Storyteller wishes (usually in times of high emotion, stress or dire need) the player may suddenly find strange and unknown powers bursting forth from within. Unless this happens during meditation the Storyteller must drain Willpower from the character, and inform him of this, but only needs to drain a Willpower point for every level accessed (to access a level five power costs 5 Willpower, not 15). The storyteller then rolls any appropriate rolls to determine the outcome. At this stage the only way the character can attempt to control the powers is by spending a Willpower point and rolling his Willpower (diff = 4 + level of power). If this roll botches the power either fails utterly or flares wildly out of control, and the character enters the Regressed disposition. Stage two is entered after the character has successfully controlled each of his extra powers at least 10 times.

Stage 2: At this stage the character may attempt to summon his powers, he has experienced them enough to understand what they are and basically how they work. To do this he must spend a Willpower point and attempt to access a specific level of power as normal (normal meditation time and Willpower expenditure), then roll « Willpower (diff = level of power). If this roll is botched the character enters the Regressed disposition. Characters may attempt to harness and control an outburst of power the same as in stage one, but don't have to spend a Willpower point. Stage three is entered after the character has successfully controlled or summoned each extra power a total of twenty times.

Stage 3: At this stage the character may summon or control an extra power by rolling Willpower (diff = 5). After successfully summoning or controlling each power a total of 30 times the character gains each extra power as normal.

Powers of the Adept must be handled a little differently. Any power that the storyteller deems appropriate to the character may be given as long as the Darkened (probably a Prodigy) has the same level in the Adept. All powers must be looked at and revised to fit with the stages and mechanics of the Darkened. It should be just as hard to access these other powers as it is to access and control extra Vespers.

Chapter Three: As One's Eyes Adjust

"In the old world, Louie, they called it the dark gift, and I gave it to you."
-- Lestat, Interview With The Vampire (the film)

The subtle powers of the dark, like mists of the night, flow into the Darkened. Named after the late night vapors and mists, the Vespers are the many powerful, yet subtle gifts bestowed upon the Darkened mortal by the dark.

It is important to note that, except for the Trinity, which are known by all Darkened, Vespers are a personal and subtle expression of the characters relationship to the dark. Players and Storytellers are highly encouraged to create their own powers and characters, including new Wakes and even new personal Dispositions, and rename anything that is listed here and used by their character so that is messes with their concept. The nature of the Dark is mystery and the unknowable, keep it that way, please don't use what I have created as a crutch when the freedom to fly with this supplement is within such an easy grasp.

The powers of the Darkened may, at the Storytellers discretion, have other effects that are not under conscious control of the darkened, the dark is rumored to be sentient and assists its most favored Darkened. These "favors" are not known to the character, accept for the occasional rumor, and the effects, if any, are completely up to the storyteller and should only be used if it improves the story.

When a Darkened has learned the extent of each power in a division he becomes a master of that series (The Trinity, The Pentacle, etc.) and gains access to the highest level of power within that division of powers. This is not easy, a test of some sort is usually required which is up to the Storyteller, and the attainment of mastery of a division can be life threatening or worse. Of course it is worth it; the mastery of a division allows the Darkened access to power that is greater than the sum of the division's parts. In some of the divisions it is not known for sure if all of the division's Vespers are known. If a character masters all of those he knows he may try to attain mastery; it is up to the Storyteller if he succeeds or not. He may not because there are still Vespers to be learned or he may attain mastery in a limited way because he did not take the time to learn the full extent of the division, thus limiting his mastery. It is up to the Storyteller.

This meditation and range chart is used for most Vespers. If meditation is required then the Darkened must spend the listed time in meditation to access that level of power. Of course the Darkened must possess the level of skill that he is trying to access before trying to access it. A Darkened in dire need may spend Willpower to forgo the required meditation or to lessen it unless otherwise explained in the vesper. To lessen it by one he must spend one WP. To lessen it another he must spend another two WP, and so on. To unleash a level 5 power without meditation would require a total expenditure of 15 points of Willpower, an unlikely feat.

*	One Turn	Within the Building
**	One Scene	Within the Block
***	One Hour	Within the City Section
****	One Day	Within the City
*****	One Week	Within the Country

This group of powers is named "The Insights" because all Darkened gain access to them when they cross the threshold into the Darkness. Each has a basic insight that the Darkened gains immediately. Unlike the other dark powers, no training is required to learn the highest levels of these powers. All of the powers of the Trinity have the following flaw, any use of them causes the target to suddenly get a strong chill, like that described as "someone walking over my grave", but a little stronger. This is the trademark flaw of the Trinity.

The Obscurity

The Obscurity allows the Darkened to shroud his presence in the shadows of reality and others minds. This allows him to hide his physical presence, but he must remain in shadowed areas for it to work. The Obscurity also allows the Darkened to shroud his presence from others minds much like Obfuscate.

Basic Insight: The Darkened retains his mortal seeming, no powers such as Auspex and the like will detect anything unusual or unnatural, and all Darkened will appear to be nothing more than normal mortals.

System: The Darkened must be in a shadowy area to shroud himself physically (this will fool all senses including sensory equipment such as cameras). Anyone with powers such as Auspex must have a power level equal to the Darkened's level to enter a challenged roll to see him, this roll is vs. the Darkened's Willpower (both diff are 5). The Darkened can extend this power to another to shroud his presence, but for every other person that is shrouded he losses one level of power and he must retain at least one level. The Darkened can also shroud his presence from others minds much like Obfuscate. This works the same way as the above accept that it will not fool sensory equipment such as cameras, but it does not need to be done in a shadowy area.

This Vesper does not require the meditation key.

Favors: Rumored Favors include an automatic shroud from an unknown danger or surveillance and the shrouding of ones identity within the system making it hard for someone to track a Darkened through his records (like the Mage trait of Arcane).

The Recognition

The Recognition allows the Darkened to sense the Darkness of others and the strength of Darkness in others. This includes other Darkened, Kindred, the Wyrm, Wraiths, etc. The more Dark the presence the easier it is to sense it. Darkened shine like stars along with sites of Wyrm infestation, Nihils overrun with spectres, etc. Areas that a lot of Dark creatures are gathered are sensed as a haze of darkness while the darkest creatures shine bright and clear. What exactly is defined as Dark is up to the Storyteller, but it is safe to include evilness, madness, hatred and other extreme unrepressed emotions or emotionlessness.

Basic Insight: The Darkened can immediately sense the presence of another Darkened within his immediate surroundings and will recognize another Darkened from pictures, such as on a magazine or the T.V., the sound of his voice, and sometimes even from descriptions, stories, or rumors from others.

System: At the end of the meditation the Darkened has a clear picture in his mind of the locations of Darkness. The radius of this power depends on the level of power used and is centered on the spot of meditation, see the range chart. The larger the radius the less sensitive the power will be, only the Darkest presences and largest concentrations of Darkness will be detected within the country. This image will last for a full 24 hours, but to see it the Darkened's eyes must be in darkness (to see the image during the day he will have to blindfold himself for a moment or be in a dark room).

This Vesper does require the use of the meditation key but can be influenced by spending Willpower.

Favors: Rumored Favors include an instinctual pull towards another Darkened, maybe one that has knowledge that is needed or desired, a sudden urge to turn on the T.V. or turn it to a specific channel just in time to see a Darkened and the same with radio or magazines, and other sudden urges that lead to an unexpected recognition.

The Eclipse

The Eclipse is the Darkened's ability to influence the dark side of others. The Darkened can will another's dark side into dominance immediately, causing a Kindred to frenzy, a Shadow or P'o to take control, a Garou to rage, etc. Mortals will suddenly act out there most repressed urge or emotion without thought of consequence. The Darkened can also carefully cultivate and strengthen the dark side of another, allowing it to have more power.

Basic Insight: In the presence of a Darkened, other's dark sides and repressed urges begin to get stronger and will rise to the surface more often. This includes the supernatural: Kindred will frenzy easier, Garou will regain Rage faster, Shadows and P'o will take control easier, etc.

System: To unleash the dark side of another the Darkened must roll his Willpower against the target's Willpower, diff 5. If the target fails he enters into a sort of frenzy. The Darkened may sacrifice power levels to try to affect multiple targets; the Darkened only rolls once, and the remaining power level may be rolled (diff=target's Willpower) to try to influence the targets actions (very limited, like make the vampire frenzy in the opposite direction instead of towards you).

This use of this vesper does not require the use of the meditation key.

When meditation is completed he rolls his Willpower vs. the target's, diff 5. He can sacrifice levels of power to gain automatic successes. If the Darkened wins he can strengthen the Darkness of the target with temporary points of Darkness (one for every level of power). If ten temporary points are accumulated they will become one permanent Darkness point.

This Vesper does require the use of the meditation key but can be influenced by spending Willpower.

Darkness Points: Mortals and other targets will find that they reveal the most repressed sides of their personality more often (burn a temporary darkness point to manifest a repressed urge). If a Permanent point of Darkness is gained then the dark side of the target's soul becomes sentient and they must make a Shadow.

Kindred: At the whim of the Storyteller the Kindred will lose a temporary Darkness point and enter into a Frenzy, which may be resisted as usual. If a Kindred gains a permanent darkness point he has to create a Shadow. Please note that a Kindred's shadow becomes sentient and although it is still highly instinctual it is no longer simply the Beast and when a kindred frenzies the shadow takes control.

Shape Shifters: At the whim of the Storyteller the shape shifter will lose a temporary darkness point and enter into a Frenzy, which may be resisted as usual. Temporary darkness points may be spent as Rage points. If a Shape Shifter gains a permanent darkness point he has to create a Shadow. Please note that this shadow is not related in anyway to the Wyrm and the character does not become tainted in anyway.

Mage: Mage are immune to this power as their soul, both sides, are already awakened and enlightened. Mage cannot gain Darkness points.

Wraiths: For Wraiths the temporary Darkness points simply become temporary Angst points.

Changelings: At the whim of the Storyteller the Changeling will lose a temporary darkness point and suddenly manifest their Unseelie Court for a turn. If a permanent Darkness point is gained then the Changeling's Unseelie Court becomes the characters Shadow.

Kuei Jin: Temporary Darkness points can be used as Demon Chi, but if a Kuei Jin gains a permanent darkness point it becomes a point of P'o.

Darkness Shadows: For all targets that gain a new Shadow it is made much like a Kuei Jin or Wraith Shadow. It does not have any powers or thorns, but it can attempt to take control of the character, can offer shadow dice (up to the permanent Darkness rating, shadow gains one temporary Darkness point for every dice accepted) and can spend temporary Darkness points to influence the character as listed above for each kind of target. The shadow can also spend experience points, gained while in control of the character, on powers that only the shadow has (for example a Kindred's shadow can spend experience to get Potence one, but only the shadow has access to it). The shadow can offer the character access to these powers; if accepted the shadow gains temporary Darkness points equal to the level of power given (if the Kindred shadow offers Potence one to the character and it is accepted the shadow gains a temporary Darkness point). Dark passions are not needed, only a shadow nature, but it is important to note that shadows created from darkness points are not nihilistic like a wraith's shadow; they do not seek oblivion, so the relationship between a character and his shadow is not quite as antagonistic as the wraith's.

If permanent Darkness ever becomes higher than the character's permanent Willpower then the shadow may attempt to take over completely. To do this the shadow must engage the character in a contested Darkness / Willpower roll (diff 5). Successes cancel each other out; the first to accumulate 10 successes wins. If the Character wins the Darkness of the shadow is cut in half. If the shadow wins the character crosses the threshold of darkness, gains the Trinity of Insights and becomes a Darkened with the Willpower of the shadow's Darkness rating. In most cases this will cause the character to become lost to the player, but Storytellers may allow him to continue to play the character in his new state.

Mastery of The Trinity

Every Darkened is skilled in the powers of the Trinity, and although few actually master it, more master the Trinity than any other division of powers. Because of this the power gained by mastery of the Trinity is different for every Darkened. If a character gains mastery of the Trinity the player and the Storyteller must work out the greater power. This is limited only by the general guideline that it must be dark (no shit!), it should reflect the character, and it is better if it does not mimic some other power but is unique. It may be helpful to look at the three powers of the Trinity and try to creatively combine a pair or all three of them in a specific way to create a new effect.

Example power, the Dark Clone: With this power the Darkened can recognize a Darkness similar to his own and simultaneously cultivate it and shroud it from its lighter psyche. This takes months, maybe even years, and is extremely dangerous. If unsuccessful the target becomes the Darkened's nemesis, hunting the Darkened until one of them is dead. If successful it creates a new Darkened which is like a twin of the character, an exact duplicate of the Darkened's psyche. All attributes of the targets psyche that did not match the Darkened's are destroyed and even more stunning is the fact that the target does not care. The two become linked and in effect one, both working together and without conflict. The new Darkened does not share any of the powers of the original, he is a new character, just the psyche is shared. Like super Siamese twins.

The Darkened known as the Disciples are the origin of this group of Vespers. After spending most of their lives searching for the Darkness in the form of cults, sects, and other religious arcane sources this group has collectively, but not entirely, as the odd disciple does not share this view, come to the conclusion that the Dark is sentient, and have developed the Dark Providence as a form of communication, connection, and worship to the Dark. It is not known if the Dark is truly sentient or not, but these Vespers support the theory. It is interesting to note that these Vespers form a sort of power that is similar to True Faith, but maybe that is appropriate considering that most of the practitioners of this power believe it to be a true religion.

All of the powers of the providence must be done at night, the time of the Dark. When ever a Darkened is using or under the influence of these Vespers his eyes glaze over and become pure dark orbs. This does not include the actual meditation time, only the actual time that the power is in effect. This flaw is the trademark of the providence.

Favors: This is both easy and vague. The Dark may gift his worshipers with favors at anytime, any gift. This is completely open and subject to the whim of the Storyteller. This is the same for all of the Vespers in this group.

The Prayer

The Prayer is usually the first Vesper learned by one who is studying the Dark Providence. It is a simple yet profound power. By meditating and praying the Darkened may receive sudden gifts. The "gifts" can be almost anything, but note that by nature all Vespers are subtle and enigmatic. The most common include sudden insight to a question that is concentrated on during the meditation or just sudden knowledge that comes to be useful later, the Darkened may receive a vision of some sort, many darkened that reach the limits of this power claim to receive direct two way communication with some immense entity they believe is the dark or some messenger sent by him. Other gifts include sudden spells of extreme luck later on after the meditation, or surprising gains like winning the lottery or finding something important that was lost. This power can be expanded like crazy, but it is always up to the Storytellers judgement wether or not something will happen no matter how successful the roll is.

Basic Insight: The Darkened that receives the basic insight suddenly feels that he is not alone in his world. He feels an immense presence watching over him and feels that this entity is the receiver of his prayers. In times of great distress and helplessness or while in a site favored by the Dark the Storyteller may rule that the Darkened may regain lost Willpower from the sudden revitalization of this feeling of not being alone.

System: A successful meditation / prayer session may allow the Darkened to be granted the prayer, or be blessed in some other way that is up to the Storyteller. There is no real system for this except the basic guideline that the more ability in this Vesper the more valued the Darkened is to the dark.

This Vesper does require the use of the meditation key and cannot be influenced by spending Willpower.

The Evoking

The Evoking is the calling upon the sentient power of the dark to awaken around the Darkened. Then the Darkened attempts to embrace it into himself, and make the dark a part of himself for a time. In effect the successful use of this power allows the Darkened to become a divine being for a short time, truly an angel of darkness.

Basic Insight: The Darkened gains the ability to recognize and attune himself to sites of Darkness, much like hallowed ground, but hallowed for the Darkness. These favored sites allow the Darkened to meditate in peace and ease and are required for some of the Vespers of the Providence. Note that favored sites have nothing to do with the normal power sites of the other denizens of the World of Darkness; a node has no favor with the Dark unless it happens to be in a dark-like setting.

System: After finding a favored site and meditating, the Darkened evokes the dark energies infused within the site. The Darkened then rolls his WP vs. the power level of the site (diff 5). If he succeeds the energies flood into him and he becomes for a duration a little closer to his god, the Dark. The Darkened adds his skill level (limited to how long he meditated) in the Evoking to the power level of the favored site. He then divides them between power and control. For every hour that passes the Darkened must sacrifice a level of power or control until the power is gone. For each point of control he can keep the power in check (it often lashes out and effects the Darkened without his consent) and for each level of power he can do one of the following per turn:

• Add the power to one of his physical attributes.
• Evoke an aura of fear or allure (to resist targets must roll WP diff=5 + level of Power).
• Become an actual shadow (intangible to physical attacks and takes 6 turns - power level).
• Fly at speeds equal to 100 Mph per power level (must be all or nothing and become a shadow first).
• Travel the shadows and exit nearby (1 mile per power level and has to be all or nothing).
• Call a horde of Dark (for every level of power a person appears within minutes with a strong Dark side in dominance and willing to serve the Darkened for as long as he continues to will it).
• Summon the shroud (the Darkened may sacrifice a level of power to summon a cloud of enigmatic energy. This causes all within to suddenly gain a short-term amnesia limited to events involving the Darkened. For every level of power sacrificed he can summon a cloud of range similar to the recognition).
• Other Effects have been known, these are the most common, others are up to the player's exploration and the Storytellers discretion.

This Vesper does require the use of the meditation key and cannot be influenced by spending Willpower.

Favored Sites: The sites favored by the Dark are always ones of mystery and darkness. No sun touched nature lovers glade will fit into this category. Included might be secluded pools of deep water, or underwater caves. Caves themselves, including the labyrinths of abandoned sewer and subway tunnels. Insane asylums, cemeteries, ancient structures such as Stonehenge could be favored. It is up to the Storyteller what constitutes as a favored site, and it is recommended that he create each one as a unique and rare area. For each level of power the site has the Darkened can sense intruders (features, what they are carrying, etc.) within 10 feet without interrupting his concentration. Favored sites also allow the Darkened to meditate with less difficulty and may, at the Storytellers discretion, allow him to access higher levels of power than what he possesses. The most powerful sites are often claimed by single or groups of powerful Darkened and may be open only to them, other sites have had temples built on them, strengthening their darkness.

The Service

In gaining many gifts the true worshiper of the dark must also give of himself. The Service is just that, giving yourself completely to the Dark. Darkened doing this are possessed by their lord and are used to do its earthly chores. Sometimes the Darkened remembers what happened, sometimes he doesn't. Often they find that during their lord's errands a favor has been done for them, and rumors flow at the powers exhibited while in this state. Those that wish to truly be skilled in the Vespers of Providence must learn this and perform it often; those that don't find that over time they begin to lose skill and power as they supposedly anger their lord.

Basic Insight: The Darkened begins to find himself doing things suddenly for no apparent reason, yet finds great satisfaction in doing them. It is believed by most that this is the Dark using him to further his earthly objectives, yet others claim that because these urges are so minute that no god would be bothered with them and that this is just a self-delusion that the Darkened use to affirm their belief in the sentience of the Dark.

System: The Darkened must find a favored site and meditate. The more power accessed the more powerful the link, and the more power the lord has to further his needs during his time in possession. Then the lord takes control and does his thing. This lasts for one night and it is up to the Storyteller to decide on wether or not the Darkened remembers anything, and just what has happened.

This Vesper does require the use of the meditation key and cannot be influenced by spending Willpower.

The Halo

The status symbol of the Darkened's power and favor with the Dark, this Vesper allows the Darkened to help those on the voyage of Darkness to navigate towards a greater relationship with the Dark. While this is supposed to be a power to help those who have lost the way it is very easily twisted to serve its users, without any real benefit to its targets. Of course it may be that it is meant to be used this way, one can never know. Whatever the users intent the Halo summons an aura of commandment and charisma that inflicts all around the Darkened with a sense of trust in his words. Those that use this Vesper often are called Preachers. The Halo may also be used as a aura of protection causing fear in all that behold the Darkened using it.

Basic Insight: The Darkened is able to sense those that are susceptible to the words of the Dark, he knows a good mark when he sees one. The most susceptible are those that are already Dark, the more Darkness that one has the more easily it will be to reach him.

System: This aura lasts for an hour, and then the Darkened must sacrifice a level of power, and range, for it to last another hour. While this Halo of power is in effect other people will become attracted to the Darkened and heed his word, all in the range must immediately roll a Willpower roll (diff = 10 - Humanity + any Permanent Dark Point he may have). Those that succeed are unaffected, but those that fail immediately find themselves drawn to the Darkened and find his speeches and commands extremely powerful. Anyone that wishes to resist this aura or the Darkened's commandments must roll a contested Willpower roll with the Darkened, same diff as before for target, diff = 5 for the Darkened.

This use of this Vesper does require the use of the meditation key but can be influenced by spending Willpower.

The Darkened may cause his Halo to flare into a aura of fear at will. The target, must be within his immediate surroundings, must make a contested Willpower roll against the Darkened, diff = 5. For every level of power that the Darkened has in the Halo he gains an extra, not automatic, success for this roll or he may affect an extra target.

This use of this Vesper does not require the use of the meditation key.

Mastery of the Providence

To gain mastery of Dark Providence the Darkened must also have Mastery of the Trinity. For this reason it is very rare that a Darkened has mastery of the Providence. Because the Providence is so rich in currents of religious influence and the time required to master it is immense all of the Darkened that strive to attain, and have attained, the heights of this power are part of The Cult. No known Darkened has attained mastery of the Providence outside of The Cult although it is theoretically possible.

When mastery is attained the Darkened enters a year long meditation, and prayer, in a powerful favored site. He moves little, meditates at all times of conscious, and it is rumored that even when asleep he is in a form of meditation, and must have servants look after his every need so the meditation is not interrupted. If this long vigil of prayer is successful the Darkened is blessed by the Dark to receive a small part of the Darkness, and the Darkened enters a transformation from mortal to Templar. No Templars are known to currently exist, but stories are passed of Templars that have long since vanished. What a Templar is? Everyone seems to know, but no two opinions are alike.

The Reapers come back from the brink of death as Darkened, as Reapers, with the true knowledge of death, and with the power of that which they revere. With the ability to tap the powers of death, or to put it more correctly the ability to cut off the powers of life, the Reaper is a formidable foe, and an eerie ally.

The Faces have no trademark flaw except that only a Reaper may teach these Vespers to other Darkened. Many of the Vespers of the Faces have their own trademark flaws.

Shades

With this Vesper the Darkened gains the ability to see through the Shroud that separates the world of the living from the land of the dead. With this ability the Darkened can access the sight of the dead, seeing the world through the Shroud of death. This mimics the Wraith's senses including Death and Life sight. The trademark flaw of this Vesper is that the Darkened must obscure his normal vision somehow, like wearing a pair of shades or darkened glasses, while using it. Among the numerous uses of this ability is the most important, spotting those that deserve death and yet have evaded it. Reapers use this Vesper to hunt those that death desires.

Basic Insight: The Darkened can see through the shroud into the shadow lands of the dead. While doing this the Darkened can try to communicate with any wraith he sees. A Caulgrim will always recognize a reaper, and visa versa. A Reaper may also recognize the living that Death desires, these are usually people who's spirit is dead or corrupted and remain alive taking up valuable space, and can immediately recognize the Wyrm and it's taint.

System: After meditating, while the Reaper's vision is obscured he may utilize the senses of the dead. He must use all or nothing, so while in use the Darkened gains the Deathsight, Lifesight and Heightened Senses of a Wraith.

Deathsight: The world appears as a mirror of the amount of death it holds. Humans display their greatest weaknesses, and those that are close to death will appear to be corpses. Buildings and other objects appear to be years older and in a state of great disrepair. With this sight the Darkened may assess the weaknesses of any target within his sight. If this weakness can be utilized the Darkened gains his level of power in this Vesper in rolls against the target while utilizing the weakness.

Lifesight: The living aura of all living creatures is open for the Darkened using this power to read. States of mind, nature, etc. can be divined. See the Auspex aura chart for examples. For those that can hide their presence with some power, such as Obfuscate, use the level of the Darkened's skill in this Vesper to challenge the others power.

Heightened Senses: The hyper-sensitivity of the dead flows into the Darkened and all rolls involving the senses are increased by the level of skill possessed. The Darkened's senses are boosted by a multiplication of his skill level.

This Vesper does require the use of the meditation key but can be influenced by spending Willpower.

Favors: Darkened that are gifted with favors through this Vesper usually find their sight shifting across the shroud in time to see a wraith that is up to no good concerning the character. Or one of his senses may suddenly increase to alert him of danger. Cases of favor almost always involve one of the senses kicking in to help avert danger from the Darkened.

The Deliverance

Delivering the gift of death upon those that are deserving can be a challenge when they do not wish to accept it. Thus the Reapers gain access to heightened physical abilities from the darkness so that the package is sure to received. Darkened that access this power often are called "Zombies" or "Corpses" as their skin becomes pale and they begin to look like the kindred. Indeed many Darkened use this power to fool the leeches into accepting them as one of their own.

Basic Insight: The Darkened begin to see those that have similar powers of heightened physical prowess, such as Celerity and Potence or a Garou. Thus they gain the ability to sense when they might need to access the Deliverance. They do not gain the ability to sense what powers they have, just that they have them.

System: For times of a hunt the Darkened needs to spend the appropriate time in meditation. The Vesper then lasts for a night, and may be extended by 24 hours by spending Willpower, one WP point for every 24 hours it is extended. In times of dire need the Darkened may spend a Willpower point to access his full level of power for the rest of the scene.

While under the influence of this Vesper the Darkened may add the power level to any one of his three physical attributes, take an extra action per power level or add his power level to his initiative dice pool. This may be changed every turn at will, so he may be very fast one turn and then incredibly strong the next.

This Vesper does require the use of the meditation key but can be influenced by spending Willpower.

Favors: The Deliverance may boost a Darkened's physical attributes in times of need.

The Tempest

For the Darkened the barriers between life and death are weakened and with his Vesper they may be breached. A Darkened may travel the realms of the eternal storm of darkness, called the Tempest. This journey is dangerous and requires a great deal of preparation, but many passengers may be taken along and no physical barrier can stop the Darkened from arriving at his intended destination if it is a destination in the world of the living. There are also rumors of great lands of myth and power that exist in the deep realms of the dead and these may be searched for. When this Vesper is used it causes the Shroud to be torn, and the energies released from the Tempest cause wild storms to form as the Darkened prepares to cross and later as he crosses back, this is the trademark flaw of Tempest riding. This power does not allow a Darkened to wander the Shadowlands.

Basic Insight: The realm of the dead is dotted with openings to the Tempest that are connected throughout the world. These are called Nihils. The Darkened that gains this basic insight can sense these and the approximate location of connected Nihils. By spending a turn concentrating on a Nihil the Darkened may sense any presences within that may sabotage any attempt at travel through it and were the Nihil might lead.

System: Normal travel through the Tempest requires the appropriate length of meditation and preparation, which must include any travelers that wish to go along. After the time the travelers disappear into the Tempest. They travel in a boat, its size depends on the amount of time in preparation, and the time it takes to get to their destination is totally up to the Storyteller, but time in the Tempest is longer than in the lands of the living, so a month long trip may only really take a day or two. It is recommended that the journey be role-played for maximum effect. While in the Tempest the level of power accessed is the amount of power the boat has. It acts as a speed, toughness to attacks, evasiveness to detection, and power of weaponry scores. A score of one is a little row boat with a paddle as speed and weaponry, defense and detection evading is as simple as ducking to the bottom. A score of five is a large cruiser ship with armor siding, protected gun ports, massive engines and a large cloak of fog around it. These are just examples; they are up to the creativity of the player and Storyteller. Willpower is rolled to control all aspects of Tempest travel.

Nihils may be used to speed up the trip. If one is used then meditation time is reduced by one point, but it must be used to travel to a connected Nihil. Travel time between Nihils is short; most of the time it is mere minutes, but the journey is fast and turbulent as the travelers fly through the most violent parts of the tempest, which is usually swarming with Specters. Good Luck!

Willpower can't be used to shorten meditation time, but when in need a Darkened may attempt a dangerous use of this Vesper called jumping. It involves the spotting of a Nihil and jumping into it immediately, after spending a Willpower point, without checking out its exits and dangers. Without meditation the jumper has only one power level and must attempt to navigate the tunnels and find his way back to the land of the living. Storytellers have fun. This is usually only used in extreme danger or extreme stupidity.

This Vesper does require the use of the meditation key and cannot be influenced by spending Willpower.

Favors: Favors received through this Vesper are strange and rare, but most include luck during the journey or the finding of a Nihil at just the right moment or one that goes right were the Darkened needs it to.

The Shadows

The flames of pure entropy and death. These amazing pyrotechnic flames of darkness spring from the body of the Reaper at his will. His body and will are but the vessel as these flames come through the Shroud directly from the seed of pure death that all Reapers have touched. Only Reapers may learn this Vesper; no other may learn it, and thus only Reapers may master the many faces of death. The Shadows are called and directed by the Reapers will alone and are so empty of heat and life that they burn. A powerful weapon they are also a tool of purification for the corrupted minions of the Wyrm. Bathing a Wyrm creature in these flames may cause it to become free of the leash of dominance by the Wyrm. Those that are freed may be cured of taint and revert to their once normal bodies, stay the same but no longer under the Wyrm's influence or become true servants of the pure entropy. The trademark flaw of this Vesper is that the Reaper's body becomes cold and icy to the touch permanently, not just while he is summoning the flames.

Basic Insight: The Reaper's body becomes a permanent channel to the forces of death; thus his body becomes cold and any heat is slowly leeched from his surroundings. On the up side the Reaper does not need to ever worry about getting frost bit again. Except for extreme temperatures the Reaper is never hot and is unaffected by the cold. The Reaper's body leeches heat fast enough that if he cupped a few drops of water in his hand for a few minutes it would start to freeze.

System: As the Reaper gains skill and power in this Vesper his ability to channel the shadow flames increase. He may use the level of skill he has to soak any extreme or arcane heat or cold attacks.

The Reaper may channel a small amount of shadow flame at will, enough to suddenly freeze some liquid, snuff a light, or cause someone to have a violent chill. By spending a Willpower point the Reaper may channel the full amount of shadow flame as his power permits. Attacks are swift and deadly and are controlled with the Reapers Willpower (diff is up to the Storyteller). Damage is equal to the Reapers power level. It is important to note that the flames are somewhat tangible and all sorts of creative uses can be thought up.

This use of this Vesper does not require the use of the meditation key.

Rules for using the shadow flames as a purifying ritual on a Wyrm or Oblivion creature are totally up to the Storyteller, but it is recommended that it be a long and engaging ritual. Make it hard for them.

Mastery of the Many Faces of Death

Mastery of this division of Vespers is virtually unknown, yet it is rumored that those that have attained mastery of the Many Faces of Death were responsible for bringing the power of The Risen to the restless dead. Masters of the Many Faces also claim responsibility for the Ritual of Life that created the Ancient Mummies of Egypt. From this it is surmised that mastery of the many faces gives the Reaper the power over his own life, and that masters may die and be reborn or rise again at will.

The rare and enigmatic lore of the Pentacle is much prized by all Darkened and may be one of the only things that they may become truly antagonistic towards each other over. By themselves they are powerful and expanded powers, but if mastery of the Pentacle is attained it is rumored that the doorway to the Dark Avatar is opened. A Darkened becomes awakened to the true powers of Magick and he becomes a Dark Mage.

From the Prodigy spring the Vesper of learning. This Vesper, the Adept is not a division, allows those that are skilled in it to learn from other denizens of the World of Darkness. While all Darkened may learn Vespers and the numerous Numina available to all mortals, practitioners of this Vesper may learn the Disciplines, Gifts, Arts, Arcanos and other powers of the various supernatural inhabiting the World of Darkness. Darkened may not learn from a true Mage, only an awakened may learn of the Spheres and a Darkened Adept may not just go up to a Kindred and say "Heh buddy can you teach me how to do Celerity?" It doesn't work like that. It requires a willing and able teacher and they must spend much time together meditating and learning and teaching. For all its drawbacks, the potential is there for an boundless horizon of power, and although it may take time, and a few stories worth of roll playing, it isn't impossible for a Darkened to make friends with the supernatural.

Basic Insight: Adepts find that they can figure out powers as they experience them. They have a strong intuition about the powers of the supernatural. For example: An Adept sees two Kindred battling, the Adept would catch on that one was using a power which allows him to move at superhuman speeds and that the other is using another power which allows him to manipulate the passions of another such as fear and attraction. This is not instantaneous; quick flashes of insight may be gained from the Storyteller while the powers are being observed, and after the Adept may meditate on what he saw and learn more. Adepts don't usually gain the names that others use, but tend to make up there own, Celerity -- The Flash, Presence -- The Hearts Sway.

System: A teacher is obviously the first step, but knowledge gained via the basic insight of this power helps. The Adept and Teacher must spend a month together in teaching/learning and meditation. If successful then the Adept gains the first dot in a power. To learn it further the Adept must spend a number of months with the teacher equal to the level that he wishes to learn (to get the second dot in a power it requires two months), and the Adept cannot learn any power past the skill that he has in this Vesper and of course the teacher must possess the level of power that the Adept wishes to learn. The Storyteller may rule that powers of subtlety such as Dominate are easier to learn than ones that are non-subtle, such as Celerity, or that non-subtle are harder to learn than normal. This is to reflect the nature of the Dark. Storytellers may rule any power unlearnable for any reason at any time. Certain powers that require expenditures of some sort must be looked at by the player and Storyteller and rules over their use must be created. For example: how to use Celerity?

This Vesper does not require the use of the meditation key.

Favors: An Adept may suddenly find a new friend that has knowledge of a power that he is willing to teach to the Adept. The Adept may find soon after he has learned it that he has a sudden great need of it. Or powers that are learned may suddenly be boosted to equal the Darkened's skill at the Adept just when he needs it the most.

Mastery: There is no mastery for this Vesper; it is only one Vesper and considering the doorway of power that it opens up for the character, no mastery is needed. There are rumors that some Adepts have found a way to learn powers above the limit of five.

"If you only knew the power of the Dark Side."
-- Darth Vader, The Empire Strikes Back

Looking at some of the rules and ways that the Darkened can use their Willpower may have some of you confused. During The Volatile Disposition, a time of reckless, uninhibited behavior the Darkened's Willpower is increased by one, what the hell? Well wonder no more, the Darkened's Willpower is somewhat reversed from normal Willpower. For a normal mortal, Willpower is the ability to fight sudden unwanted impulses such as instincts, urges, emotions, etc., and keep themselves in control. This is the antithesis of what the Darkened, in essence, is. For the Darkened, Willpower is the ability to allow all these so called "unwanted" impulses to emerge as they naturally should. Dark Willpower can still be used to resist another's attempts to control the Darkened, but a Darkened's power flows from his ability to be completely unreserved. Darkened do not have any kind of special trait that measures the power of their Dark side, for them it is their Willpower.

Darkened still have Virtues and Humanity as any other mortal has, and they may lose humanity just any other mortal can through inhuman acts, but in certain situations the Darkened may do stuff that he believes is right and normal, but inhuman in the classical sense. An example of such a belief is a Reaper murdering a person that was desired by death. The Reaper wouldn't see it as murder because the mortal was already dead in spirit, thus for him it would be natural to send her to her natural place, the grave. Contrary to what you probably believe I'm going to say a Darkened in this situation does have to roll Conscience to see if he losses Humanity, although the Storyteller might make the difficulty a little less to reflect the convictions of the Darkened. Humanity rolls that are failed are indications that the Darkened is having doubts or that the strength of his convictions is in question, even if he doesn't know it. If the Storyteller wishes, a failure may cause the Darkened to not only lose Humanity, but to also fall into the Regressed, and a botch may cause him to immediately fall into the Dawn.

Quick Note: Darkened follow the same rules for loss of Humanity and gaining of Derangements as normal mortals, and most Derangements will be most unpleasant (Storyteller, do not go easy on them, they made the choice to voyage into the darkness so let them have it in full force).

With the conflict of a dark will on a Darkened's Conscience and Humanity explained there is still the problem of the virtue of Self Control. Courage is no problem for the Darkened; they use it and value it as any mortal would, but Self Control poses a paradox as it seems to clash with the nature of the dark. Well, the problem is solved for you here. Self Control and the Dark are enemies, but even in the most unrepressed psyche there can come times when a little self control may be needed or appreciated. Thus creating a character with no Self Control will rob the character of both a part of his Humanity (as it effects the beginning Humanity of a character) and his ability to consciously control his outbursts so that the point of stupidity is not crossed. Remember that Darkened are not stupid, just impulsive. Do not breath easy yet, just because it is useful doesn't mean it is not still the opposite of the nature of the Darkened. Anytime that a Darkened wishes to exhibit a little self control he may roll, but he risks entering the Regressed Disposition. The difficulty for the roll is the Darkened's Willpower plus any adjustment made by the Storyteller, based on the power of the urge he is trying to resist. Success means he has resisted the urge without any side effect. Failure means that he has not resisted the urge, but no other side effect occurs. A botch means that the urge is resisted, but the Darkened enters the Regressed disposition.

Using Willpower

• A single Willpower point may be spent to add an automatic success to an action. This is similar to the use of Willpower by the supernatural.
  
  
• Certain effects from the powers of other supernatural creatures may be fought with the expenditure of Willpower.
  
  
• Willpower points may be spent to reduce the meditation time of some Vespers. One point spent will reduce the time by one level, two more will reduce it another level, three more will reduce it by another level, and so on. A total of 15 points of Willpower would be required to reduce it be Five levels, a near impossible feat.
  
  
• A Willpower point may be spent to move from to the next stage of the cycle of Disposition, but a Willpower roll is also needed, and if failed leads to the Disposition of The Regressed.
  
• A Willpower point may not be used to resist an action of instinct, primal urge, or gut reaction.
  
  
• A permanent Willpower may be spent to replenish the characters Willpower pool, but this point may not be regained except through experience.
  
  

Regaining Spent Willpower

• Fulfilling the nature Archetype of the character causes a regain of one to three WP points depending on what was done.
  
  
• At the end of a Story the characters regain all of their spent Willpower.
  
  
• An exceptional event that causes the character to gain a renewed sense of self confidence can cause lost Willpower to be regained.
  
  
• By indulging oneself a Darkened may regain spent Willpower as the Darkness is replenished and made stronger.
  
  

When a Darkened falls into Regression he will be in a stage of constant doubt of his feelings, urges and powers. He will constantly be tempted to repress the urges that he feels and is unsure of the Darkness. Each urge will become a test of his Darkened will (Note: this will be a great test of the players role-playing skill, any player who really plays up the struggle and doubt and urges that his character would normally have should receive extra experience, if he pulls through that is).

System: Each and every major urge that the character would normally have must be faced, and expressed. If a situation comes up were the Darkened would normally indulge himself then he must act, no he must seize the opportunity to strengthen the Darkness or face the Dawn and see his dark side burned away. If the Darkened uses Self Control during the regressed then he immediately loses a Willpower point.

Upon every urge that presents itself the Darkened must roll Willpower (diff=Self Control+4). Success means that he regains a lost Willpower point, but not any permanent Willpower lost. Failure means he loses a Willpower point, and a Botch means he loses a permanent Willpower point. If he is successful and is at full strength of Willpower then this success allows him to re-roll, this time to see if he can break out of the Regressed (same diff). If he has no strength of Will left then failure means he loses a permanent Willpower point (note that the Darkened may sacrifice a permanent Willpower point to regain his full will and thus only lose a non-permanent Willpower point). If the Darkened's permanent Willpower drops to equal his Self Control then the Darkened enters the Dawn.

"The early bird catches the worm."
-- Random Smart-Ass Morning Person right before ducking a flying mug of scalding hot java.

The Terrible Dawn, as it has been dubbed by the Darkened, is the "fate worse than death" for the dark souls. It is the total loss of the dark half of the soul, and a total dominance by the lighter side. Most Darkened would rather die and brave what little they know of the other side than become what they most despise.

If for any reason the Darkened's Willpower ever drops to equal his Self Control then he enters the Dawn. If he is not already in the Regressed disposition he enters it immediately. The Dawn is the final battle between the Darkness and what is left of the Light. If the Light side wins it does so for good; the Dark side is shattered and blown away as nothing more than dust. Because of this the Dawn is the Darkened's most feared nemesis.

System: When a Darkened first enters the Dawn his Willpower and Self Control are equal. At this point it is possible for the Darkened to leave the Dawn and the Dark and return to his former life. He releases the Darkness and again becomes an average mortal, although I'll bet a wiser and more experienced mortal. If the Darkened chooses this path then all Vespers are lost (although any other powers, including powers learned from The Adept, may be kept if the Storyteller allows it) and he starts as normal mortal with a normal Willpower equal to his self control. If the Darkened chooses not to follow this path the battle is waged.

If the Dawn is followed to its furthest reaches the battle begins as the Light and the Dark try to destroy each other. This can be done in two ways, the quick rolling way or the more encouraged role-playing way. The quick system involves the player rolling two sets of dice, one Light (self control) and one dark (Willpower), in a contested roll (diff =8). For each success over the other sides successes the other side loses a permanent point from their trait or the side that succeeded gains a permanent point in their trait. A botch means that a permanent point is lost along with the regular effects of the other sides successes. It is recommended that the Storyteller roll for the side of the Light unless the player is a good role-player and can keep the perspective of both sides without favoring one over the other. The winner is the one that is not completely obliterated.

This is the basic mechanics of the Dawn, but if the Storyteller is ambitious he may set up a Dawn scenario ahead of time for the player to play out. This scenario must be intimately tied in with the character and should still loosely follow the basic mechanics described above. This kind of Dawn is easiest to come up with when the character enters the Regressed, which gives the Storyteller time to think of something spectacular. Storytellers: Make it good, make him feel it!

If the Dark wins then his self control is gone for now and he enters the Volatile disposition. This will last until he regains a little self control (spends exp to regain a point of self control). The Willpower that he has left over is permanent.

If the Light wins then the Dark and its powers are gone forever and may never return. The mortal will repress all emotion, urge and become like the Vulcan race of Star Trek. His Self Control is boosted by one point and may go beyond the normal limit of five and his normal Willpower equals his resulting Self Control.

Regardless of the outcome it is up to player if he wishes to continue playing the character and it is up to the Storyteller if he wishes to allow the character to continue to be played. All three outcomes may make a new an interesting character, and although this book does not explore the extremes of the Light, it could become a subject of great interest for a Storyteller and a player that has just lost his Darkened to the Light side. Explore, and have fun.

Chapter Four: Shades of Black?

"You can't always pick the dark you find, maybe I wasn't what you had in mind..."
-- Econoline Crush, Home

How does one play a Darkened? Well there are no simple rules to this; if there were it wouldn't really be the Dark. First of all it is important to remember that Darkened are still mortal, most still have to pay the bills and some might actually have families. Most Darkened shy away from this "normal" life however. Jobs are scarce for someone who doesn't care if a customer is insulted. Thus most Darkened are into odd and most likely illegal jobs. A lot of the places that they end up cross into the realms of influence of other supernatural creatures, which don't know the Darkened exist. This is an often overlooked aspect of characters, their daily routine and life. This is an important part of the character, his background should be filled in completely to get the most out of the character. For the Darkened most of the important events will occur during his normal daily routine, although for the Darkened "normal" and "routine" are used very loosely.

The second thing to realize is that, even for the Darkened, the Dark is virtually unknown. The crossing of the threshold into the Dark is just the first step in a very long, if not endless, voyage. Always keep this fact in mind. This aspect of the Dark is essential for the Storyteller who can use it to keep the chronicle fresh and new. Mystery and Enigmatic is the rule and best theme of stories, use them well.

Finally it is not easy to play groups of Darkened together, just as it is not always easy to play a bunch of different clans in the same group. Players will have different goals; most of the time they will be in opposition to each other, and it is hard to find a central force to bind the group together. As a long time Storyteller I have always had trouble with this aspect of White Wolf's games, but don't get me wrong this by no means is a weakness, but one of the strengths of the game. A strong reason for the group to work together will create a cohesive group and make gaming more enjoyable. Even with a coherent group there will always be a conflict of certain interests and even this makes the game better. Some of the best games I ever ran or played in had the characters arguing quite often. Although it can destroy any chance of the group accomplishing anything if let get out of hand, a strong coherent group with strong differences of opinion allow different perspectives in situations and allow the realm of the imagination to be more fully explored. It is essential and it is life, not everything flows smoothly. Darkened are the same; no two are the same and thus a group of them should argue as normal. Creating a bond for the group is just as important. Some examples are: a group of wanderers endlessly searching to strengthen their understanding of the Dark and the unseen world around them and helping each other through it, or a group of Darkened with a similar view of the other supernatural beings around them and helping each other hunt or help these other denizens of the World of Darkness (see the Ronin Foundation), or maybe even a group of Darkened helping a Reaper hunt and convert the forces of the Wyrm along with the Garou and other shapeshifters. Darkened can also create bonds for crossovers of the other games; the Reaper with a group of shapeshifters and maybe a Dreamspeaker Mage all fighting the Wyrm, or a Darkened with a group of various supernatural beings bonded together out of disdain for their separate societies (again see the Ronin Foundation). All of these work, and there are a lot more possibilities than this meager serving of ideas.

One of the most confusing aspects of the Darkened is how they willingly enter the threshold into the Darkness. Throughout The Dark, the threshold is described as the dark side of the soul suddenly taking over and the lighter side going dormant. Although this is essentially correct it does sound a lot like whoever attempts it will end up being the dormant psyche and thus will not gain any power, but will actually lose it to his darker psyche. This is both true and untrue. For those that have their dark side eclipsed over time it is more true as the beginning psyche probably doesn't want the dark side to take over, but by the time the dark side is close to control the victim usually has altered his perception of what is happening to him. This new perception is identical to the perception of the mortal who is on the verge of the threshold.

This perception of the Dark and the what really happens up to and as the threshold is crossed it the reason that the Dark is sought and embraced. As threshold is approached, the darkness within slowly seeps into the psyche as the light side is bled out, thus the psyche of the voyager is not actually lost or dominated, it is slowly changed in accordance of the voyagers new convictions. There are no dormant personalities imprisoned within the Darkened yelling "What the hell, this wasn't supposed to happen, let me the fuck out of here!," or anything like that. The only trace of the Light side of the soul is the ever present danger of the Dawn. Of course maybe that is exactly what the Dark wants us to think, one can never really know now can they.

"The Other was free. And there was going to be Hell on Earth to pay."
-- Sonja Blue, A Dozen Black Roses by Nancy Collins

What if? The most powerful question a player can ask, and the most annoying for the Storyteller. Yet from this question can lead and endless amount of reinterpretation, and creativity. This very book is in existence because of the very question. What if? In this section the question will be asked again, what if a kindred becomes Darkened?, what about a Garou, etc. Originally I had planned on exploring most, if not all, of the denizens of the World of Darkness, but after a bit more consideration I concluded that for those that are not explored, tough shit, make up your own mind. Besides, some things are best left undisturbed.

The Wassail

The interpretation of the Kindred's dark side is a tough call. The Beast is the seat of total instinct and reaction, yet as its name implies this is instinct without true intelligence. Thus my reaction is that no Kindred may become Darkened by themselves. If they tried it would simply be like losing their Humanity, a total rampaging animalistic monster with little thought except for gratifying its hunger and running from what it is afraid of.

But that does not mean the Kindred cannot be the target of the Eclipse. A Kindred's Beast may be molded and shaped by a skilled Darkened over time. This slow period of molding leads to the threshold of Darkness. When reached the Kindred enters Wassail, the final release and last frenzy. Usually Wassail occurs when a Kindred loses his humanity and falls into madness, and if the threshold is unsuccessfully crossed or the dark side is still too bestial this is exactly what occurs, but if the threshold is crossed and the Darkened has sufficiently molded the Kindred's beast then the Kindred enters Wassail with his sanity intact and becomes Darkened.

Because the Kindred enter and never fully leave Wassail the few Darkened Kindred have taken the title as their own, the Wassail. The Wassail are few and are a sort of secret society within the society of the damned. A true Wassail is rare as all Darkened Kindred have been shaped by the use of the Eclipse by another Darkened, which more than likely had a servant in mind while doing it, and thus most become a sort of thrall to the mortal Darkened that has created them. Those that are their own masters become Wassail.

Wassail are powerful beings with access to both Kindred disciplines and Darkened Vespers, and they are accepted by Kindred, who know nothing of their new status, and Darkened, who don't give a fuck if they breath or not. Quick Note: the Vesper of Obscurity still masks the Darkened, but does not mask the fact that he is still Kindred. And other powers may have different effects because of the Wassail's unique status, but are up to the Storyteller to explore. Wassail have all the advantages of being Kindred, such as immortality, the power of their blood, etc, as well as all their flaws, sunlight, stakes, etc. Because Wassail are quite powerful, to create one as a character is a 10 point merit. The most important aspect of the Wassail is the melding of the cycle of disposition and the frenzy.

The Volatile: The Wassail enters a near frenzy-like state of total indulgement and instinct. The character is conscious of his actions and can control himself to a point. If anything happens that would cause a frenzy in a Kindred then the Wassail enters frenzy immediately. If the Wassail wishes to resist then he may roll Self Control as normal, but the difficulty is at least three higher or more. If the roll fails he enters the Regressed after the frenzy and if it is botched he enters the Regressed and loses a permanent point of Willpower after the frenzy (resistance-failed frenzies tend to last for a long time -- Storyteller's have fun and be creative). Rötschreck may be controlled by rolling courage with a penalty of +1 difficulty, but no other penalties. A Volatile Wassail may enter frenzy at will, still gains the bonuses and penalties Volatile Darkened and may try to force himself into the next disposition like mortal Darkened. The Volatile is the longest and most common disposition for Wassail.

The Stoic: The Wassail enters a state in which frenzy becomes nearly impossible. While in this state the only way to frenzy is to force himself into the next disposition, with the normal risks. If the Kindred possess the merit of Berserker then he may roll Willpower (diff = Self Control) to enter a frenzy, but if this roll botches he enters the Regressed. All normal bonuses and penalties of this disposition remain the same for the Wassail. For Wassail the Stoic is extremely short.

The Endured: The Wassail enters a state that is as close to normal as he can get and may enter frenzy like normal, but difficulties to resist are one extra.

The Regressed: This disposition is the same for Wassail as mortal Darkened. If the Wassail enters the Dawn and loses his dark side he has no instincts or wants and soon enters Torpor; it is unknown if they ever wake and what they are if they do, but the words thrall and zombie come to mind. Thus the Dawn is twice as horrifying to the Wassail.

Embraced Darkened: OK so a Kindred that is Eclipsed into a Darkened becomes a Wassail, so what happens to a Darkened that is Embraced? After some deep contemplation I have come to a conclusion after a few insights. First of all is the fact that a Darkened has already willed the dark into dominance, so there is no Beast that comes roaring out of the Kindred's subconscious, but at the same time the blood that carries the curse of Caine carries the Beast with it. My second realization is the fact that a Kindred siring a progeny usually blood bonds it, thus the Darkened is again affected as all young Kindred are. In conclusion the Embraced Darkened become the same as a Reborn Kindred, a Wassail. The beast flows into the Darkened's veins and mixes with the dark already there. Embraced Darkened will have different Wakes, Kindred that become Darkened are part of the Reborn Wake, and the effect of having a sire must come into play. In terms of rules they are identical except that the Embraced Darkened don't spend quite as long a time in the Volatile as do the Darkened Kindred.

Character Creation: For a Reborn Kindred, create a normal Kindred character, spend 10 freebie points for the Merit of Darkened and come up with some sort of new funky character sheet. For an Embraced Darkened create a normal Darkened and spend the 10 freebie points for the merit of Embraced and again come up with some sort of wiggy character sheet. After this it is time for some major background writing, make it good!

The Caulgrim

The Darkened known as the Reapers are bound together by the shared experience of touching the pure seed of entropy upon committing suicide. Those that somehow return become the mortal Darkened named the Reapers. Those that do not return become the Caulgrim, a true Darkened Wraith, untouched by the taint of Oblivion. Caulgrim is the joining of two terms, Grim which is obviously taken from the Reaper title of the living and Caul, which is the membrane that covers a Wrath when it first enters the realms of the dead. Caulgrim take this title to represent the fact that they are born into the restless dead as Darkened, and that they unfortunately did not make back to the lands of the living like their counterparts, the Reapers. A few Caulgrim come to resent their counterparts because of this, although it is said that this reaction comes from falling to the temptations of Oblivion.

From the experience of touching the pure force of death, the Caulgrim along with the Reapers believe that the currant force of death and entropy, the Wyrm for the living and Oblivion for the dead, is corrupted and tainted. It is the duty of the Reapers to battle and convert the forces of the Wyrm, while it is the duty of the Caulgrim to do the same against the forces of Oblivion. What makes the Caulgrim different from other Wraiths comes from this interpretation as Oblivion being tainted. A normal Wraith has a Shadow, his dark side, awaken upon his death, but for some reason all shadows have a sort of "death wish", well death for the dead or Oblivion. Shadows either succeed in erasing the Wraith or taking it over and becoming a Specter, in servitude to Oblivion. This "death wish" of a normal Wraiths shadow is the work of the tainted influence of Oblivion. Caulgrim do not have this as they are born into death at the same time that they are born to darkness, and in touching the seed of pure entropy they become protected against the taint of Oblivion.

Caulgrim do not have a Shadow, they are the Shadow, and thus they are not in a constant battle with themselves. But they are in a constant battle with the corruption of Oblivion that continuously assaults them throughout their existence. As Dark dominant Wraiths they may never truly transcend, and if they ever succumb to Oblivion's taint, somewhat like the Dawn but called The Erasure, then they may become regular Wraiths, or become consumed by Oblivion by losing. Other than that, character creation is similar to a normal Wraith, 10 point Merit of being Darkened, there is no Shadow and when creating the character remember that as Darkened most Passions and such will be more Shadow-like. All Caulgrim have the Wake of The Reaper.

Mortal Darkened that die may remain Darkened throughout the transition into the Shadowlands, but how this is done is up to the Storyteller. If a Darkened does remain Darkened he becomes a Caulgrim instead of a Normal Wraith.

Wraiths that are reborn into darkness from the use of The Eclipse by another Darkened are similar to the Caulgrim. They choose the Wake of Reborn and do not have the Shadow anymore. The major difference is that Oblivion's taint has touched them and thus they find it harder to resist its temptation. More details on the different traits of Wraith and combining them with the traits of the Darkened will not be forthcoming as I have not actually played Wraith in a long time and my focus is exploring the Darkened in the lands of the living. I'll leave it up to you to make your own decisions about these little details.

Mage

Mages cannot become Darkened and are not effected by the Eclipse, nor can Darkened really become Mages. The reason is simple: the Darkened squashes the lighter psyche of its soul and becomes dominated by the dark side and to be Awakened requires a unified soul, the Avatar. There are rumors that a Darkened can transcend to become a Mage of Darkness through mastery of the Pentacle, but it is unknown if anyone has ever achieved this.

"Where the hell?"
-- Ash, Army of Darkness.

Wakes, Voyages, Cycles, Dispositions, Vespers, Darkness and the Dawn. You've been through just about all of it, and have emerged reasonably unscathed, no permanent scars anyway. What else is there? Well this is just a few ideas. Now don't get your hopes up too much; these are not well-developed or anything. They're just some ideas that you can use to soup up your chronicle a little bit. Feel free to use them in anyway you want. I have no current plans to expand on any of them. Although it is not recommended, a Darkened may be a member of more than one of these groups, but no character should start as a member, let them earn it in the chronicle.

The Cult

Mentioned vaguely throughout this text is an organization of Darkened called the Cult and that is exactly what it is, a huge Cult. No other name is appropriate for this Disciple dominated group as there are almost as many sects within the Cult as there are members. The only thing that binds them together is a shared respect and ritualistic worship of the Dark. All religious ideas and theories are tolerated and may be expressed or followed. Largely this group meets informally quite often and the different sects fluctuate in size constantly as members flow from one speaker to another. This is somewhat like a fad, young followers flowing from one speaker to another, following the newest idea like a bunch of teens running around the mall in a hurry to be the first to try the newest in thing. But what else can you expect from the most impulsive mortals on earth.

Behind all the fads and ideas is a somewhat organized and thoughtful think tank of truly religious leaders constantly pondering the mysteries of the Dark and its purpose. These elite Cultists have been dubbed the Faithful. Most are Disciples; a very few are other Darkened, but they all have one trait in common, True Faith. They are not seekers of power for power's sake, but seek truth and thus have found power in it's discovery. The Faithful are composed of the most intelligent and wise of the Darkened, and also of the most calm. True Faith seems to allow the Darkened to lengthen the periods of the Stoic disposition, allowing deeper meditations and clearer thinking on the mysteries of the Dark. It has been said that a Faithful's Volatile stage, however shorter than normal, is a hell of a lot wilder too. Among the Darkened these are the wisest of the sages, and the most tolerant of beings. If knowledge is sought, seek it here.

The Beloved

Creatures of the night, lovers of the fathomless depths of the deep, passionate romantics and enigmatic artists of the strange and disturbing. These are the Beloved of the Dark, those that embrace the very essence of impulsiveness in a very strong and warm fashion, like a blanket that they wrap themselves in at all times. Beloved usually find themselves drawn to the Dark very quickly in their lives and are usually young upon becoming Darkened. The Prodigy have the most Beloved among them.

Beloved are expressionists, and the only thing they like to express is the Dark. Like the Cult this group of Darkened has many different divisions. There are those that express themselves in the dark arts of love, lust and passion. There are the artists, bringing their darkest visions to solidity and form in painting, sculpting, music, and other forms, some not as acceptable as others. There is also a group that call itself the Smoke Jumpers, named after the firemen that jump into inaccessible areas to battle forest fires. Like the Smoke Jumpers these Darkened jump straight into the flames of danger, riding the rush that accompanies it. All Beloved share a few traits; they start to become nocturnal, spending the day sleeping and the nights involved in their passions. These passions, however, start to consume them, as it does normal mortals who become too obsessed with their vices. However the Dark seems to value these Darkened; it is said that the Dark feeds on the potent energy generated by the Darkened's obsessive behavior. Thus the Dark sends power back to the Darkened, fueling the basic needs that become neglected by the obsessions that occupy their minds every moment. This power has been harnessed by some creative Darkened, creating new Vespers that allow them to express their passion in new ways that surpass any normal mortals obsessive creativity.

The Nihilistic

Evilness, Destruction, Madness, and Foulness may be some of the nastier aspects of the Dark, but they are still aspects of it and thus there are the Nihilistic. Psychotic, murdering, mad, insane, and just plain evil are these Darkened, following their every immoral impulse. They do so without thought of consequence or reaction and are known to murder without hesitation or the thought that maybe a cop is nearby. This usually means that Nihilistic do not last long; only the most cunning last for any real length of time. The flame that burns twice as strong lasts only half as long.

There is a purpose to their madness however. They believe that by taking away that which someone takes for granted that person awakens, or becomes enlightened. This is an extension of the Reapers goals, to take away those that are truly dead in spirit so that they may return to real life. The Nihilistic are teachers. The lesson is destruction, misery, and finally realization. It is unfortunate for those that are being taken for granted, for they are usually the objects that are taken away from the Darkened's new student. Of course this explanation for their horrendous actions maybe just an excuse, for it is evident that they feel no remorse for what they do and take great pleasure in the chaos.

Because of their strong actions in a world of quick and brutal justice, these Darkened don't usually last a long time, and are not recommended as characters. The Dark does seem to sanction these mad Darkened and their actions. In times of dire need, happens often, they may call upon the Dark for assistance. This assistance is up to this Storyteller, but I recommend using a system somewhat like a Wraith may call upon his Shadow for help, shadow dice. If a character is created as one of the Nihilistic it is recommended that the Storyteller throw all he can at them, for it is what they thrive on.

The Zealots

There is rumored to be a militaristic organization of Darkened that bands together to battle whatever nemesis the Darkened have. The most notable foe that this army battles is the Wyrm and as such most of its members are Reapers. As with most military organizations and like all other Darkened groups there are different sections of this group. These different groups are the different specialist operatives that make up the whole army. Demolitions, Covert Ops, Snipers, Command, and Marines are all examples of the different specialists. Each specialist gains power from the Dark in the area of his specialty to the point of becoming a new Vesper, but this may only be used against the nemesis that the Zealots have banded together against. Any Zealot Vespers a Character has may not be used anytime, only within an operation of his specific field against the Darkened's nemesis. Although there have been numerous reports of this group in action, although no real proof of its existence has been presented. Its effectiveness in dealing with its enemies has made it a major target of the Wyrm and other agents that the Zealots are in conflict with, thus they have become a very secretive organization, even to the point of hiding their affiliation to the group from other Darkened and even from their closest friends.

The Ronin Foundation

A large, resource-rich and enigmatic organization founded and directed by a mysterious figure. The Ronin Foundation is an odd and rare gem of hope in a world that is inhabited only by various degrees of self-interest. The Ronin Foundation is involved in a project called New Dawn. Although this may seem to be in the least interest of Darkened, there are those that do wish to help the unprotected masses of mortal lives that are in constant peril of the unseen forces flowing around them. This is the New Dawn project's goal, to help those in need, those that cannot help themselves.

To achieve this goal the Ronin Foundation was created. All are accepted by the foundation, Ronin Garou, Caitiff Kindred and other Pariahs are all welcome to join. They are placed in small groups with a director as the only link to the rest of the organization. This is to protect the core of the foundation and project, so that it cannot be sabotaged by infiltrators. As mysterious as this organization is, its purpose is clear and its small groups are surprisingly effective, mostly because of the accuracy of the intelligence information that is given the group from it's director from the foundation. The Ronin Foundation is my favorite concept for use of the Dark in the World of Darkness. It will allow a group to play all Darkened, with a common bond or it can be used as an effective base for a crossover game, creating a potpourri of supernatural creatures in one well bonded group. Its major drawback is that members will most likely be outsiders to their separate societies, and if they are not they are in jeopardy of becoming so. Still it is a good idea, one I recommend for a chronicle.

Chapter Five: A Shot in the Dark

"Aunt Mary says they have the darkness there in their eyes. . . ."
-- Marcy Playground, Saint Joe on the School Bus

The following are sample characters that may be used for any reason. Non-Player characters, or if you want to test out the game without going into making your own here are a few testers. My original plan was to write a short story to be included in this supplement, but unfortunately the summer is coming to an end and I find that I am having a hard time writing any more for this supplement. The story that I had planned involved the following characters, more specifically it was going to be about the rebirth of Blackjack into the Dark. Maybe someday, after a little break from the Dark, I will come back and write the story; we well see. Character Sheets for The Dark and the following sample characters can be downloaded from my home page (site address below). Enjoy. . . .

Blackjack

Brian Johnson, or Blackjack, is among the elite members of the largest black market network of America. Although he is a well-skilled dealer and fence, Blackjack's specialty is videos. More specifically he is America's top dealer and distributor of Blackjack videos, videos that involve the real life death of cast members. Mostly sexual in nature, these videos are all real. No fakes are ever accepted, but that is not to say that they are all accidental. Many, in fact most, are created with unwilling victims. In blackjack video circles, Blackjack is the source of all top rated works, although he himself is never the creator, just the dealer and reviewer.

Blackjack is tall, physically fit, has long, unkept and greasy brown hair, and a bad case of acne which has scarred much of his face. This unfortunate affliction offsets his attractive athletic build and tireless stamina. He tends to tie back his hair into a loose messy ponytail, is quite pale from spending most of his time at night and in dark rooms and has dark brown eyes.

Not only is Blackjack's appearance lacking, but so is his personality. Spending most of his life alone, in dark rooms obsessing over death and his videos has left him with little ability to interact with others. Fortunately he has learned to manipulate people with cunning games of acting and subterfuge.

When with others his most obvious character trait is his obsession with blackjack videos, having fun and gaining more material wealth. He cares little for anyone but himself and his wants. Underlying this is his criticism of everything and everyone. Very little is good enough to meet his standards. The most obsessive targets of Blackjack's criticism are his videos and himself. Before he crossed the threshold into the darkness his obsession with death and his own self-worth, or his believed lack of, took him to the gates of afterlife. There he touched the Purity, a seed containing darkness, truth, and the perfect death. His life was saved by the intervention of Father Midorn, a priest of the Dark. For the first time in his life Blackjack felt a calling greater to his own and his rebirth has given him purpose, the hunting of Death's enemies.

Blackjack still follows his old ways, is still among the greatest of black market dealers and lords over his collection of blackjack videos, but spends most of his time performing his duties for the Purity. He is still the critic and applies this to everything in his life. Nothing is more important to Blackjack than the perfect party, the perfect deal, the perfect video, the perfect kill and the perfection of himself. His driving goal is to attain unity with the purity and help bring about it's rebirth.

Blackjack has an extensive network of black market contacts. He makes an impressive amount of money, but spends most of it on continuing his duties and expanding his black market empire. Thus the amount of resources that Blackjack has access to are limited. Blackjack usually wears dark clothes and always wears long dark overcoats to hide whatever illegal items he is carrying with him at the time and there is always a few.

Role-playing Tips: Everything is imperfect so have as good of a time as possible, especially in the areas of your greatest interest (blackjack videos, dealing, and death), but if they are currently unavailable a good party will do in a pinch. Be critical of everything and everyone; very little will live up to your standards. Be especially critical of yourself and blackjack videos. Always perform your duties above anything else. By perfecting your actions on behalf of the purity you bring yourself closer to the purity and perfection. Volatile: Sleep is for wimps. Drink thick coffee and never stop. This is a time for constant dealing, and heavy hunting. You may even come close to finally creating your own blackjack films during this time.

Stoic: The time of the critic. During this time, slow down and take a good look over your latest work and actions so that you can get a clearer look at their quality. Meditate often to gain an reflective look at your progress towards the Purity.

Chaid

While Chad Lewis, or Chaid, may only be eleven years old, he is in possession of a wisdom and self-confidence years beyond his age. Seemingly born into darkness Chaid has always had a close connection to the Dark. Unfortunately, this set him apart from everyone else and made him an outcast. True to the Prodigy, Chaid never let this or anything else effect or deter him from his goals. Chaid's childhood was plagued with misfortune and misery. Growing up in a small farm country town with every kid twice his size and fond of preying on the weak, Chaid soon became their most prominent target. They continuously beat him, trying hard to break him, but he never gave in or backed down. Many times he was found in a ditch, broken and bloody. Even worst was his parents apparent lack of concern or compassion. Chaid found comfort in the small forests surrounding the small town, alone accept for the trees and animals. Chaid's misfortunes continued until they reached a climax when he was nine. Alone on one of his nature hikes he was ambushed by the most of the other children in a small clearing. The beating he received, along with the amount of time before anyone found him, left him in a coma for nearly six months. After recovering quite suddenly and apparently unharmed by his ordeal, Chaid spent seven days quietly going about his normal routine. On the eighth day after his recovery Chaid slipped out of his house just after dusk, and quickly murdered every other child in the town. Special detail and care was taken in the excruciating death of those that beat him into a coma. Chaid was never found, and it was assumed that he was also a victim of the killer. The unknown killer is still at large and is still wanted by authorities in Canada. This night long vengeance marked the crossing of Chaid across the threshold and into the Dark. There he met the Father, a perception of the Dark as the his true parent and a model to look up to.

Chaid is small and skinny, has recently shaved his head and has the cutest, most innocent smile ever imagined, although it is rarely seen. His favorite pastime is watching movies and he has recently adopted the style of the stranger child from Dark City. Oversized overcoats and top hats are his usual outfit, but occasionally he will dress more appropriate to his age.

Chaid is still somewhat childlike in that he is unafraid to behave true to his personality, instead of hiding his nature behind a mask or filtering it through a demeanor. Thus, unless he is intentionally attempting to hide his true intentions, his strong, rage-filled bravado will be instantly apparent. No one intimidates this small boy, but his true rage is reserved for those that think they can because they are older than him. Those who use their age as an advantage over the young is target for Chaid and his boiling rage. No mercy is shown to those unfortunate to be in his path.

Currently Chaid is known to be working closely with the Darkened known only as the Stick Man. The two partners have torn away any thread of a normal life and wander endlessly searching for an unknown prize or destination. Although the goals of this duo are unknown, Chaid does make his personal intentions quite clear. He searches, whereever he goes, for those that deserve his protection or, if he is too late, his vengeance. Children, abused in any way, become the wards of Chaid and the abusers become the punished. Instrumental in Chaid's crusade is the strange arcane blade that has mysteriously appeared in Chaid's possession. Renamed recently to coincide with the movie Dark City, the Tuning Blade is a unique and ancient dagger (diff=4 dam=S+1 aggravated) that holds within it the spirit of a powerful and dormant Tremere Kindred. So far the only power that Chaid has gained access to is the power of Telekinesis, or the arcane path Movement of the Mind, but much more power may be accessed, especially if the now dormant spirit were to awaken. To access this power Chaid must spend a Willpower point. He then gains access to the full power of Movement of the Mind (up to a Ton) for a number of turns equal to his permanent Willpower rating.

Role-playing Tips: You are the bully, the tougher, and the better. Show it to any that might try to show you otherwise. Never back down, especially to those that are older than you. Show mercy only to other children, protect the weak, and punish the abuser, always. Relentlessly try to make Father proud.

Volatile: There is no endured disposition for the Prodigy so the Volatile is the same as above.

Stoic: A time of rest and meditation. Research possible targets for your vengeance or protection during this time. Spend time attempting to recapture a little of your lost childhood by regressing a little.

Father Hugh

Even at the tender age of ten Victor Hugh knew that he was special and that one day he would be called upon by the Lord. Years later and finally a priest Father Hugh's opinion about what he and the Church are supposed to be and do have been greatly stained by bitter experience. Years of attending school and church, studying and becoming part of the clergy while wracked with uncontrollable yearnings and unclean wants left Hugh miserable and close to suicide. The only thing holding him back from release was his fear of breaking God's law and the continued assurance he still felt that he was destined for a purpose or revelation.

Father Hugh's day finally occurred in his small church on the outskirts of San Francisco when his true feelings erupted into a vision of his true purpose and what God really is. The trigger was a young man that had been unfaithful to his wife. Hugh, always able to coax the truth from someone, was able to uncover that the marriage was a loveless one and that the man was afraid to end it because of his fear of breaking God's laws. The pressure pushed him into his act of unfaithfulness and so deep in misery was the man that he was on the verge of a breakdown. Hugh saw the parallel between the man's torment and his own problems. Instead of chiding the man for his unfaithfulness the man went home forgiven and confident that he would be serving God better if he ended the unhappy marriage, freeing him and his wife to live much better lives.

Father Hugh's vision was of a God that only wanted his people to be happy. Man, in his free will, was the creator of misery and only in accepting what one was, instead of following someone else's stupid laws, would man kind become genuinely happy. One that day God revealed truth to Father Hugh which lead him to be eventually reborn to the Dark. Now a priest with a holy cause, Father Hugh has become active in his community and has turned it from a slum of pain to, well it hasn't become a gem, but most of the people are happy and content with their lives. To Hugh the Volatile is a necessary part of life and should be embraced. It allows all desires to be satisfied and drained so that one may live a happy, fulfilled, and godly life. Knowing that to preach this openly would be tragic, he preaches his message through his favorite duty, the confession. By listening to the confessions of another he can teach them to release their desires in a more acceptable manner and assure them that they are not going against God or his plan.

Father Hugh is in his late forties but still retains a pleasing, if not handsome face. His striking dark brown eyes hold a glimmer of wisdom and power and his short raven hair has began to show a streak of silvery grey. Although he is beginning to get a little old he is not completely out of shape, but then he was never really in shape so nothing has changed. Father Hugh is never without his priestly vestments, a silver cross and small well-used bible in a leather carrying case. Father Hugh rarely carries any kind of weapon with him, instead trusting that his faith will protect him from harm. If he does deem it necessary to be armed he prefers small pistols.

Father Hugh still resides in his small church, preaches what he can without going completely heretical and does his most holy work in the confession booth. His superiors, happy with his success in the community, leave him alone, confident in his abilities. Soon after his revelation Father Hugh's convictions were strengthened by an encounter with a strange shrouded person in his confession booth. Hugh never sees who it is or gets a name, but instinctively knows on which nights the stranger will appear and always meets with him in the confession booth. The stranger has become an important and powerful tutor and mentor for Hugh, and has the same beliefs as Hugh. Through the stranger Hugh has been able to attend many Cult meetings and has acquired some recognition as someone to listen to and who's words are to be seriously contemplated. A few of the younger and more serious Darkened drop by Father Hugh's church to meet, visit and study under him. Although the identity of the stranger is still not known Hugh is convinced that he is a high ranking and powerful member of the faithful.

Role-playing Tips: You are an older and wiser man, a man of action and conviction, but not a physically violent one. You hold a divine revelation and worship the Dark as God. You continue to follow the rules and tenants of your position unless you're in the disposition of the Volatile, then anything goes. Your passion is the confession and helping the confessors find happiness. You live to help others, but especially yourself. Always have faith.

Volatile: You change completely upon the arrival of the Volatile. Although yours doesn't last as long as others, you seek privacy during this time and usually take a trip to the inner city to let loose. Typically this time is short, harsh and usually intensely sexual.

Stoic: You tend to stay Stoic longer than usual and use the time to pray and meditate on God and his plan. You feel closer to him during this time. You are happiest during this time as you feel it is the most natural state of man to be in, without desire or misery.

Stick Man

"The Past? Nope, never had one. I awoke one day and have been going ever since, so fuck off!"

-- Stick Man, on a good day

Whether or not Stick Man has a past or not is a subject of much debate, even for himself. No known name or record has ever been found for Stick Man and he appears to be content with that; besides the Stick Man has many other problems to contend with. He is crazy, has two dominating derangements and is involved in a fanatical search for some strange and enigmatic thing to bring back "The Sleeper." In times of heavy stress Stick Man may suddenly regress to that of a child. While in this state he requires someone to take care of him and make him feel safe. Fortunately he has somehow gained the support from a number of people that will take care of him during these episodes and he has partnered himself with the child prodigy Chaid, whom cares for him as well. Stick Man is also plagued by a morbid sense of hysterical humor, any morbid and inappropriate scene, such as funerals or tragedies, set him off into a fit of uncontrollable laughter.

Stick Man is aptly named for he is literarily a stick in cloths. Although he is extremely agile and smooth motioned he is physically weak and has very little stamina. This shows in his very tall and bony body, usually swathed in many layers of loose fitting clothing. He is pale, sickly looking with thin pale blond hair and very small beady dark eyes. Not only is he physically unattractive he has absolutely no personality, unless you count the deviant behavior that he consistently displays. The only way he can interact with people is if he is manipulating them in some way. For all his social downfalls the man is insightful, wise, and clever. Nothing escapes his attention and he possesses a sharp mind.

For Stick Man the hunt for this mysterious and arcane item is everything. He has extensive contacts in many circles of the supernatural and occult and a great knowledge of the arcane which makes him a leading source on all unnatural activity in the San Francisco area. This hunt is a sort of mystical quest for him. His Dark is asleep and it is his duty to awaken it so that it may once again feel the joy of living.

Role-playing Tips: Your quest is everything, unless it is not. Act weird, have fun, make more acquaintances. Never forget your goal, but always forget your past. Care little for the consequences of your actions, care even less about preventing your actions, and never care what danger might exist around the next corner. The sleeper must awaken.

Volatile: The Volatile is a vacation from your quest. A time to enjoy life as the sleeper should and someday will. Unless a major breakthrough has happened, then full steam ahead. Use the energy of the volatile to break new ground. The sleeper must awaken.

Stoic: A time of rest. Sleep long and hard during this time. It is the time of the sleeper's torment, and to know i's pain is to understand how to end it. In your dreams the sleeper speaks, so listen.

Well it is finally done, our first non-revision, totally original work. Feels gooood.... Anyway if you have any thoughts, questions, or shouts of anger pleas feel free to send them our way. You can reach Damien Hunt or Justin Killam at this e-mail address:

damienhunt@xoommail.com

You can see the home of Damien Hunt and the creative team of Hunt & Killam at the following web site:

http://members.xoom.com/damienhunt/

The Dark was a damn good idea. Well I believe so, but I am thankful it is done. Working too long on the same thing can sour it, so now on to something new. I may come back to it someday though. I have some more ideas that could be expanded, but not anytime soon. Be on the lookout for more kick ass gaming material from Hunt & Killam. And we will see ya all later....

The Dark
Night Eclipses Light
Shall Resonate Deep Within
Dark Will, Be Revealed.