(Warning: Though the content of this story hedges on the edge of being 'PG-13,' I consider the language pretty tame all around, and the events depicted not too harsh for those used to the World of Darkness universe. However, if there is a major objection to this story's placement, do let me know and I'll make the proper adjustments - CM)
A Right Proper Meal
By
Chanlin Marr
Well he was a right bastard though, weren't he? Not 'sif he dinnae have it comin' to him, th' dumb bastard. And Uncle Colin, ah, he shoor gave it to him a'right. Tough bastard too, alive and expir'd. I'm havin' t' double chew his blasted gristle just t' make it go down smooth, which is odd inna of itself as I've not actually eaten a'thing in years. But 'tis easier t'eat 'em away than t' dump 'em on th'roadside now, innit? Least, that's what Uncle Colin tells me.
See, this bugger here, Danny Connely, he were set up as shippin' manager at one of'r dockside outfits. Now, use'ly those gigs're reserv'd for proper kin. But this Connely, well he must'a show'd Uncle Colin somethin' special, 'cause he were given the first taste! And he weren't even one of our'n! Anyways, Danny Boy did his business a'right, kept the cash rollin', and the ol'folks were happy. But Uncle Colin, he's a paranoid geezer, i'nt he? A'course, ye don' get ver'far in this world if ye arn't, right? Nae, Uncle Colin kept his eyes on the lad, plus th' eyes of his "special helpers" as he calls 'em. Uncle Colin, see, he dun' take no chances a'tall.
So fer th' last, oh, three years back all's well. But then the helpers start comin' back, tellin' Uncle Colin 'bout how Danny Boy is skimmin' off the monthly take! And that's jus' bald-faced stealin' now, innit? But Uncle Colin, he don't go all fired crazy on th' git right away or nothin'. Nah, Uncle Colin bides his time, he does. See, he tol' me "The lad is too vested ta star' nickin' from us after all this time, so I'm shoor thar's somethin' else be'ind him, pullin' th' string. We'll watch an wait."
So, e'en though I want t' go thrash th' bastard then an there, Uncle Colin stays my hand. Good thing he did, though. See, about a month'er so later, one of the helpers come's a-callin' an tells us that Danny Boy's bein' visited by the same bugger at his house on a reg'lar basis, but always at night. Now, fer th' life of me, if I still had one, I cannae fathom why it took s'long fer the damn spook t' tell us that bit. But Uncle Colin jus' waved it off, sayin' somethin' about "problems in th' dark'r place that've caused the helpers to be in a bit of a bind." Bind! Ha, that ol' Colin can shoor turn a phrase ev'ry now an a'gin.
Anyways, a'soon as we get that bit'a info, Uncle Colin an I go out th' next week and sit across th' street in front of Danny Boy's house in an ol' lorry. T'weren't nae big waitn' game 'er nothin', as Uncle Colin stuck a helper on th' mystery bastard so's we'd know when he was a'comin'. So, 'round midnight, the knobby git pulls hisself up in front of Danny's place, all hoity toity in his petrol-powered kraut piece a shite. Steps out, this git does, in a friggin' three piece suit, lookin' like he be Lord-fuckin'-Fauntleroy inpectin' his kingdom. Well Uncle Colin an me just about blow the whole deal by laughing our arses off in the truck, but we manage to keep it quiet.
So Fauntleroy starts making all casual up t' the front door, and Uncle Colin makes just as casual as he climbs out th' cab an does his disappearin' act, comin' up right behind Fauntleroy just as he's makin' his third hit on Danny's door knocker. Uncle Colin jus' taps the gent on the shoulder, and Fauntleroy goes all white and bloodless as he spins 'round like a top. An as soon's the git's chin is in line, Uncle Colin jus' decks him one 'cross the kisser, an ye can see an hear th' bastard's jaw dislodge isself an go all cockeyed.
That's about th' time I come runnin' up with th' metal bat and length of chain. Colin steps aside for me to lay him out right and proper with a crack upside the ol' melon, and he's down long enough for Uncle Colin an me to use his worthless arse as a spool for th' chain. Uncle Colin sniffs th' git, an says "Shoor strange. He ha'nt got the blood in'im. He's had a taste, though, that's fer certain. He's jus' th' errand boy."
'Tis about that time that Danny Boy finally answers his door. An i'nt he shocked as all hell t' see me an Uncle Colin with his pal broken and chained at our feet? Shoor he is. But th' oddest thing happens as soon as he looks Fauntleroy in the face. He goes all blank like, and turns around an goes back in th' house. Uncle Colin and I look at each other like "what the bloody hell?" But then Danny's back in a jiff, a paper bag in his hand. He jus' sets it down on the step, as calm as ye please, and then closes the door. Uncle Colin picks up th' bag an inside, would ye believe, is a stack full o' bills. It's the damn skim money, big surprise. Uncle Colin jus' shakes his head, pounds on the door, and knocks 'ol Danny out cold as soon as he sticks his dumb git head out. But Danny, like I say, he's some tough bastard, cuz Uncle Colin had to hit'em twice ere he were out cold. Ne'er seen tha' happen b'fore.
We brought 'em both back t' the farm. Not t' the estate. Nae, never drag your shite t' where ye live, that's what Uncle Colin says. Nae, we chain th' two t'a couple oak tables in the barn, and take turns grillin' Fauntleroy with hot irons an needles an such. He jabbers a bunch o' nonsense a'first, but Uncle Colin an me figure pretty quick that he's had his mind played with, so we weren't goin' t'get much from his mouth. After that, we don't even bother talkin' t' poor Danny Boy, 'cause he proba'ly knows even less than Fauntleroy as to who's givin' it t' th' family up the arse.
So, I figure, an I say this to Uncle Colin too, I figure, "Well hell, aren't gonna get nothin' from these two. Might 'swell slice 'em for the family t' snack on an be done with it." But Uncle Colin, he... well, he stepped over an smacked me upside the head like I was a baby a'gin, didn't he? He slapped me so hard I had t' send some blood t' fix the crack in me skull, an he says, "You'd best ne'er give up so easily if'n you want to keep in my good graces, ye bleedin' whelp bastard. There's always a way t' get what'cha need t' know. Now git in th' farmhouse an set th' table. S'all yer good for right now."
So's I skulk away like some lame pup, jus' as Uncle Colin pulls out the little 'lectric bone saw I nicked from St. Mary's a couple o' months back. I slam th' barn door so hard it nearly come off its hinges. Uncle Colin may be a smart'n but, Christ almighty, he can make ye feel like a damn baby a'gin when he wants to.
Anyway, I get 'cross the way to the house about the time I hear th' high pitched whine of th' saw, and both o' the chained bastards screaming like wee girls while Uncle Colin does what he's doin'. Anyways, I get into the pantry, an like a damn scullery maid I set th' table nice and proper. Uncle Colin, he's always got a stick up his arse when it comes to havin' a meal, though I donno' understand what he needs the table set for, since it's just him and me here. I mean, all th' day'er family are back at th' estate, right?
But, ere I know it, in walks Uncle Colin with an honest-t'-God silver platter in his pale mitts, with a pair of whole brains on it, set side by side like a couple o' sugar cakes. So he sets this down dead center on th' table, and walks out a'gin, and brings back another plate with Fauntleroy's ugly mug on it, peeled clean off the skull, and his scooped-out purple tongue sittin' next t' it. Now me, well, th' smell o' blood is thicker'n th' head on a Guinness in there, an I'm near droolin' over that plus the smell o' fresh meat. So's I sit down and grab a fork, t' suck th' blood out if nothin' else, an Uncle Colin jus' looks me in the eye an growls at me. "Ye think it's supper time, ye queer bastard? Yer almost makin' me regret honorin' my dear sister an givin' ye th' bite. =Now get yer grimy mitts away from me meal an sit still!="
I knew he'd put the eye on me then, 'cause me hands snapped to me sides s'if they were fockin' magnets. So, I'm sittin' there, and Uncle Colin sets himself down, knife and fork in hand, mumbles somethin' t' himself about wittins, an slices into th' first brain, and then starts eatin' th' damn thing! I couldno' hardly believe it. I kept expectin' him t' start retchin' the bloody shite all o'er the place. But there he was, eatin' like he were still a damn day'er. An ere I know it, he's gone and wolfed the whole brain down. An me, I'm going whole crackers with the smell o' blood in me nose, but I cannae move a twitch 'cause of Uncle Colin's givin' me the eye, now can I?
So, he's eaten the whole noggin', an then he jus' closes his eyes, like he's concentratin', an I know he is 'cause his fists ball up s'much he bends the damn flatware in half. Then his peepers snap open, wide as a cheap tart's thighs, and he grins like a tike with his hand up a lass's skirt for th' first time.
"I know what the bastard looks like," he says, "an I know the focker's name t' boot." Now me, I'm just starin' at Uncle Colin like he's jus' said he came from France, or some shite, but then he gets up an grabs th' finger bone of his fav'rit helper off the counter, and calls the tattered bitch to appear. Then he tells 'er t' find out where this git, 'Alec Marsdon' is, and stick t' the bugger's backside 'til sunup, so's Uncle Colin'll know where t' find him. Then, soon as the spook fades off, he sits back down an starts scarfin' down Fauntleroy's face an tongue like they were Christmas sweets, whisperin' some incoherent shite between gulps. An once he's done with that, he mutters somethin' 'bout "givin' Monsieur Marsdon the scare of his unlife tomorra' night."
Then Uncle Colin looks at me like he's jus' remembrin' that I'm there, and stalks off back out t' the barn. I hear th' chop of an axe, an he comes stomping back in with one o' them bastard's hands, and tosses it in front o' me.
"Eat off that gimpy bastard, an keep the bugger's expirin' in mind while ye do. Ye might learn something, ye dumb excuse for a Dunsirn."
Like I said, tough bastard that Danny Boy was. But now I 'ave me a splittin' headache, an I tell Uncle Colin how me head's hurtin'. He jus' laughs at me like I tol' some fockin' joke. I don' understand my family, sometimes.
* * * *
Necromancy
Twaloors Path
By
Chanlin Marr
Though classically disinterested in the arts of nigrimancy, the Dunsirn family of the Giovanni Clan have recently been "asked" by the Giovanni family proper to begin taking up the Discipline more vigorously. The recent loss of so many captured souls due to the Maelstrom in the Shadowlands requires that every faction of the Clan do their part to help replenish what was destroyed. As such, Dunsirn elders and neonates alike have, grudgingly, begun learning the Sepulchre Path in order to begin tithing more souls to the clan Elders.
However, a few of the cannibalistic Scots, upon mastering that essential Path, have gained a newfound interest in death magic, and have begun delving into what might be found within that which made up the bulk of their macabre mortal diet.
Since their initiation into the Giovanni Clan, many of the Dunsirn, after first being given the Proxy Kiss, noticed certain odd effects that would occasionally manifest when eating human flesh. These passing sensations have now been investigated further by the newly schooled Necromancers, and established into a grisly Path all their own. While still a rough and vulgar extension of the Discipline, the Dunsirn have found its gifts very useful. And though the arts of this Path work perfectly well with meat eaten roughly from the bone, Dunsirn connoisseurs tend to make a proper meal of the flesh involved, into either a stew or a nice pot roast. Yum.
Author's Notes:
1. Use of this Path supercedes a Kindred's limitations in digesting food. The eaten flesh is technically "absorbed" into the Necromancer, acting as fuel to power whichever level of the Path is being employed. This exception applies only to uses of this Path, and only to deceased human, non-supernatural flesh (Ghouls are OK). This Path does not grant a Vampire the ability to digest any other sort of food.
2. Human flesh, as applied to the powers of this Path, only remains a viable source of "fuel" for 5 days after the time of death, lest specific actions are taken to keep the meat fresh for a longer period. However, burnt or otherwise damaged sources of meat are still "ok," so long as some blood still remains within the flesh (as mentioned, the character can make a cooked meal out of the meat if he wants to, and still be able to use the powers described).
3. As insular and secretive as the Dunsirn family is, knowledge of this Path is currently limited to a select few family members, and only a handful of Giovanni outside the Dunsirn lineage know of its existence. As such, the attainment of this Path for a Giovanni outside the Dunsirn family should be difficult, and for anyone outside the Giovanni Clan itself should be nearly impossible.
* Collop Daith
The benefits of this basic level of skill were what first inspired the Dunsirn to investigate this Path. Occasionally, a Dunsirn Ghoul, upon having a nice meal, would have certain physical sensations come over him. Upon further contemplation, these sensations were found to correspond to the manner in which the person being consumed had been killed. To eat the flesh of someone who had suffered a heart attack might conjure a ghostly pressure in the chest area; the meat of someone who had been stabbed might incite a sharp jabbing sensation in the corresponding area of the eater's body.
Tabletop: Character must eat all the flesh off the target's right hand, and then roll Perception + Medicine, difficulty 5. The number of successes required corresponds to the number of days since the target died, with a minimum of one success required. From this a Necromancer can gain a subtle physical impression of what lead to the target's death: a sudden spasm to the chest might indicate a gunshot wound, a short, painful headache might indicate an aneurysm, etc.
MET: Character must eat all of the meat from the target's right hand and make a static mental test against 5 traits. Upon success, the character will feel some sort of physical sensation, indicating the cause by which the victim died. A Storyteller or Narrator may be required in order to best describe to the player what he/she is feeling.
* * Collop Virr
Reminiscent to some of the American Dunsirn as harkening back to the ancient legend of the Wendigo, and the absorption of a man's strength through the eating of the flesh, Collop Virr provides a Necromancer a temporary gain in physical prowess by co-opting the strength from his victim's spirit.
Tabletop: Character must eat three good mouthfuls of the victim's muscle tissue from a specific area of the body, in order to gain the benefits of a particular Physical attribute: eating the muscles of the arms allows access to Strength; consuming the muscles of the chest gives benefits of Stamina; eating the muscles of the legs increases Dexterity. Player then rolls Stamina + Willpower, difficulty 6. If successful, depending on which attribute was focused upon, the character then gains one half the number of the target's Physical attribute total, rounded up.
Example: Mike Dunsirn eats the chest muscles of a victim who had possessed Stamina 5. Succeeding on his roll, Mike would then temporarily gain 3 points of Stamina from his victim. These points would apply even if they breached his generational maximum.
These temporary attribute points last for a number of hours equal to the Character's permanent Willpower score.
Once power from a victim has been absorbed (or on a botched roll), additional eating of muscle tissue from that area of the body will provide no further benefit, as that portion of the bodily spirit has now dissipated.
(Note: though it is possible to use this power three times in a given night to gain the benefit of all three Physical attributes, each application of this power in the same night after the first increases the difficulty +2.Thus, the second attempt would be at difficulty 8, and the third at difficulty 10.)
MET: Character must eat three good mouthfuls of the target's muscle tissue, as described above, and then make a static Physical challenge against 6 traits. On a success, the character gains one half of the victim's Physical traits (Strength, Dexterity, or Stamina-based, depending on what was eaten), rounded up. These temporary traits may be bid and lost like normal traits, but may not be replenished by Willpower expenditures or with the use of Prowess. These traits remain present for 2 hours, or until lost through challenges. Every additional use of this power on the same night after the first increases the number of traits that must be tested against by +2.
* * * Collop Wittins
Cannibals of old have long held a belief that the thoughts and memories of a victim may be taken into oneself by dining upon the center of knowledge: the brain. Through use of this level of skill, a Necromancer may gain hidden secrets and bits of knowledge by feasting on another's mind.
Tabletop: Character must eat the target's entire brain (which requires the lengthy process of removing the top of the skull, extracting the brain, and so on). Afterwards, player rolls Perception + Empathy, difficulty 7. The number of successes can gain the character the random benefits described in the chart below:
1 success: The last thought/impression/image on the victim's mind just minutes prior to his death.
2 successes: The thought/impression/image of most concern to the victim on the day prior to his death.
3 successes: A small, specific bit of knowledge (computer password, phone number, person's name, etc.).
4 successes: A slightly complex piece of information (directions to a location, formula for a chemical, personal information of an associate, etc.)
5 successes: Complex information (in which location to find a particular book that contains a particular ritual, the details of the victim's past and specific memories/images, etc.)
If the player is seeking specific information from the victim's mind, a temporary Willpower point must be spent at the time of the initial roll, and the Storyteller can then weigh from the number of successes how detailed the sought-after information is.
Optional: The Storyteller might rule to grant the player temporary (or permanent) points in particular Knowledges the victim possessed as the benefit of this particular power.
MET: Character must eat the victim's brain, and then must make a static Mental challenge against 7 traits. Achieving a success, the player may then either gain what little bit of knowledge the success has garnered him, or spend additional Mental traits (up to a maximum of four) to increase the detail and/or complexity of the information gained. If the player is seeking specific information from the victim's brain, a temporary Willpower trait must be spent at the time of the initial challenge. The Storyteller can then decide whether additional Mental traits must be spent to gain the information.
Optional: The character might gain temporary points in certain Knowledge-based Skills for the remainder of the night, or perhaps a permanent gain in Lores or Skills, at Storyteller discretion.
* * * * Collop Vyce
In almost a literal demonstration of "consuming" someone, Collop Vyce allows the Necromancer the ability to absorb not only the victim's visage for his own use, but also the ability to duplicate the deceased person's voice perfectly. Of course, devouring the face and tongue of the victim might have something to do with it…
Tabletop: The character must consume all the skin on a target's face and/or eat the whole of the target's tongue. Player then spends a temporary Willpower point and rolls Stamina + Performance, difficulty 8. If successful, the character may spend two blood points at any time during the power's duration to alter his facial features and/or voice to duplicate the eaten individual. The face and/or voice may be dispelled at anytime, but reactivating them requires another 2 blood points to be spent. The ability to duplicate face and voice lasts for a number of days equal to the character's permanent Willpower score. Duplicating the face includes the hair and eye color of the victim.
Additionally, the benefits of this power (as implied above) may be taken advantage of in whole or in part. If circumstances only allow, or a character's needs only require, either just the face or the voice of his victim, the character can enact this power on just one aspect, but still requiring the consumption of the proper meat, the same roll, Willpower expenditure, and blood cost as described.
MET: Character must eat all of the skin from the face of his victim and/or the whole of the victim's tongue. Player then spends a temporary Willpower trait, and makes a Static physical challenge against 8 traits. If successful, the character may spend two blood traits at any time during the power's duration to alter his facial features and/or voice to that of his victim. The ability to do this lasts for a number of days equal to the character's permanent Willpower score.
Player may opt to merely duplicate either just the face or just the voice, as described above.
* * * * * Collop Kin
This high level of skill, when discovered, was the first indication to the Dunsirn that their penchant for cannibalism and the Giovanni clan's focus on the spirit world could intersect in a productive fashion. Dunsirn eaters found that, after mastering the aspects of the individual's body itself, they could then extend their powers along the very lineage of the devoured victim. By taking in the flesh of one, their ability to call on the spirits of the victim's family line became near child's play, as the spiritual memory of the flesh galvanized their beacon summons in the Shadowlands.
Tabletop: Character must consume the victim's entire liver, and then chant the victim's full, given name continuously for 10 minutes. Player then rolls Manipulation + Occult, difficulty 9. If successful, all uses of Summon Soul are at a -3 difficulty when applied to the spirit of the consumed victim, OR the spirits of anyone of his immediate family (uncle, cousin, stepmother - No; mother, brother, grandfather - Yes). Additionally, the use of this power, and the consumption of the victim's liver, acts as an omnibus "fetter" when summoning spirits of the victim's family. Thus, the character need not have an item of particular significance to the target wraith, as they now have a spiritual part of the wraith's family lineage within them.
This benefit lasts for one hour, but may be extended by an additional hour (only once) with the expenditure of a temporary Willpower point.
MET: Character must consume the target's entire liver, and then chant (hopefully IC) the victim's full, given name for 10 minutes. Once the chanting is completed, player makes a static Social challenge against 9 traits. If successful, player gains 3 additional traits for use in any tests involving the Summon Soul power, as used on either the victim's spirit or anyone within the victim's direct family line (at what point in the victim's familial past this power loses its potency is at the Storyteller's discretion). And, as described above, the need for significant fetters of familial wraiths is now not required. This benefit lasts for a scene or an hour, whichever comes first, but may be extended by one hour (one time only) with the expenditure of a temporary Willpower trait.
(A big thanks to Sierra [#207570] for the linguistic assistance and moral support.)
By
Chanlin Marr
Well he was a right bastard though, weren't he? Not 'sif he dinnae have it comin' to him, th' dumb bastard. And Uncle Colin, ah, he shoor gave it to him a'right. Tough bastard too, alive and expir'd. I'm havin' t' double chew his blasted gristle just t' make it go down smooth, which is odd inna of itself as I've not actually eaten a'thing in years. But 'tis easier t'eat 'em away than t' dump 'em on th'roadside now, innit? Least, that's what Uncle Colin tells me.
See, this bugger here, Danny Connely, he were set up as shippin' manager at one of'r dockside outfits. Now, use'ly those gigs're reserv'd for proper kin. But this Connely, well he must'a show'd Uncle Colin somethin' special, 'cause he were given the first taste! And he weren't even one of our'n! Anyways, Danny Boy did his business a'right, kept the cash rollin', and the ol'folks were happy. But Uncle Colin, he's a paranoid geezer, i'nt he? A'course, ye don' get ver'far in this world if ye arn't, right? Nae, Uncle Colin kept his eyes on the lad, plus th' eyes of his "special helpers" as he calls 'em. Uncle Colin, see, he dun' take no chances a'tall.
So fer th' last, oh, three years back all's well. But then the helpers start comin' back, tellin' Uncle Colin 'bout how Danny Boy is skimmin' off the monthly take! And that's jus' bald-faced stealin' now, innit? But Uncle Colin, he don't go all fired crazy on th' git right away or nothin'. Nah, Uncle Colin bides his time, he does. See, he tol' me "The lad is too vested ta star' nickin' from us after all this time, so I'm shoor thar's somethin' else be'ind him, pullin' th' string. We'll watch an wait."
So, e'en though I want t' go thrash th' bastard then an there, Uncle Colin stays my hand. Good thing he did, though. See, about a month'er so later, one of the helpers come's a-callin' an tells us that Danny Boy's bein' visited by the same bugger at his house on a reg'lar basis, but always at night. Now, fer th' life of me, if I still had one, I cannae fathom why it took s'long fer the damn spook t' tell us that bit. But Uncle Colin jus' waved it off, sayin' somethin' about "problems in th' dark'r place that've caused the helpers to be in a bit of a bind." Bind! Ha, that ol' Colin can shoor turn a phrase ev'ry now an a'gin.
Anyways, a'soon as we get that bit'a info, Uncle Colin an I go out th' next week and sit across th' street in front of Danny Boy's house in an ol' lorry. T'weren't nae big waitn' game 'er nothin', as Uncle Colin stuck a helper on th' mystery bastard so's we'd know when he was a'comin'. So, 'round midnight, the knobby git pulls hisself up in front of Danny's place, all hoity toity in his petrol-powered kraut piece a shite. Steps out, this git does, in a friggin' three piece suit, lookin' like he be Lord-fuckin'-Fauntleroy inpectin' his kingdom. Well Uncle Colin an me just about blow the whole deal by laughing our arses off in the truck, but we manage to keep it quiet.
So Fauntleroy starts making all casual up t' the front door, and Uncle Colin makes just as casual as he climbs out th' cab an does his disappearin' act, comin' up right behind Fauntleroy just as he's makin' his third hit on Danny's door knocker. Uncle Colin jus' taps the gent on the shoulder, and Fauntleroy goes all white and bloodless as he spins 'round like a top. An as soon's the git's chin is in line, Uncle Colin jus' decks him one 'cross the kisser, an ye can see an hear th' bastard's jaw dislodge isself an go all cockeyed.
That's about th' time I come runnin' up with th' metal bat and length of chain. Colin steps aside for me to lay him out right and proper with a crack upside the ol' melon, and he's down long enough for Uncle Colin an me to use his worthless arse as a spool for th' chain. Uncle Colin sniffs th' git, an says "Shoor strange. He ha'nt got the blood in'im. He's had a taste, though, that's fer certain. He's jus' th' errand boy."
'Tis about that time that Danny Boy finally answers his door. An i'nt he shocked as all hell t' see me an Uncle Colin with his pal broken and chained at our feet? Shoor he is. But th' oddest thing happens as soon as he looks Fauntleroy in the face. He goes all blank like, and turns around an goes back in th' house. Uncle Colin and I look at each other like "what the bloody hell?" But then Danny's back in a jiff, a paper bag in his hand. He jus' sets it down on the step, as calm as ye please, and then closes the door. Uncle Colin picks up th' bag an inside, would ye believe, is a stack full o' bills. It's the damn skim money, big surprise. Uncle Colin jus' shakes his head, pounds on the door, and knocks 'ol Danny out cold as soon as he sticks his dumb git head out. But Danny, like I say, he's some tough bastard, cuz Uncle Colin had to hit'em twice ere he were out cold. Ne'er seen tha' happen b'fore.
We brought 'em both back t' the farm. Not t' the estate. Nae, never drag your shite t' where ye live, that's what Uncle Colin says. Nae, we chain th' two t'a couple oak tables in the barn, and take turns grillin' Fauntleroy with hot irons an needles an such. He jabbers a bunch o' nonsense a'first, but Uncle Colin an me figure pretty quick that he's had his mind played with, so we weren't goin' t'get much from his mouth. After that, we don't even bother talkin' t' poor Danny Boy, 'cause he proba'ly knows even less than Fauntleroy as to who's givin' it t' th' family up the arse.
So, I figure, an I say this to Uncle Colin too, I figure, "Well hell, aren't gonna get nothin' from these two. Might 'swell slice 'em for the family t' snack on an be done with it." But Uncle Colin, he... well, he stepped over an smacked me upside the head like I was a baby a'gin, didn't he? He slapped me so hard I had t' send some blood t' fix the crack in me skull, an he says, "You'd best ne'er give up so easily if'n you want to keep in my good graces, ye bleedin' whelp bastard. There's always a way t' get what'cha need t' know. Now git in th' farmhouse an set th' table. S'all yer good for right now."
So's I skulk away like some lame pup, jus' as Uncle Colin pulls out the little 'lectric bone saw I nicked from St. Mary's a couple o' months back. I slam th' barn door so hard it nearly come off its hinges. Uncle Colin may be a smart'n but, Christ almighty, he can make ye feel like a damn baby a'gin when he wants to.
Anyway, I get 'cross the way to the house about the time I hear th' high pitched whine of th' saw, and both o' the chained bastards screaming like wee girls while Uncle Colin does what he's doin'. Anyways, I get into the pantry, an like a damn scullery maid I set th' table nice and proper. Uncle Colin, he's always got a stick up his arse when it comes to havin' a meal, though I donno' understand what he needs the table set for, since it's just him and me here. I mean, all th' day'er family are back at th' estate, right?
But, ere I know it, in walks Uncle Colin with an honest-t'-God silver platter in his pale mitts, with a pair of whole brains on it, set side by side like a couple o' sugar cakes. So he sets this down dead center on th' table, and walks out a'gin, and brings back another plate with Fauntleroy's ugly mug on it, peeled clean off the skull, and his scooped-out purple tongue sittin' next t' it. Now me, well, th' smell o' blood is thicker'n th' head on a Guinness in there, an I'm near droolin' over that plus the smell o' fresh meat. So's I sit down and grab a fork, t' suck th' blood out if nothin' else, an Uncle Colin jus' looks me in the eye an growls at me. "Ye think it's supper time, ye queer bastard? Yer almost makin' me regret honorin' my dear sister an givin' ye th' bite. =Now get yer grimy mitts away from me meal an sit still!="
I knew he'd put the eye on me then, 'cause me hands snapped to me sides s'if they were fockin' magnets. So, I'm sittin' there, and Uncle Colin sets himself down, knife and fork in hand, mumbles somethin' t' himself about wittins, an slices into th' first brain, and then starts eatin' th' damn thing! I couldno' hardly believe it. I kept expectin' him t' start retchin' the bloody shite all o'er the place. But there he was, eatin' like he were still a damn day'er. An ere I know it, he's gone and wolfed the whole brain down. An me, I'm going whole crackers with the smell o' blood in me nose, but I cannae move a twitch 'cause of Uncle Colin's givin' me the eye, now can I?
So, he's eaten the whole noggin', an then he jus' closes his eyes, like he's concentratin', an I know he is 'cause his fists ball up s'much he bends the damn flatware in half. Then his peepers snap open, wide as a cheap tart's thighs, and he grins like a tike with his hand up a lass's skirt for th' first time.
"I know what the bastard looks like," he says, "an I know the focker's name t' boot." Now me, I'm just starin' at Uncle Colin like he's jus' said he came from France, or some shite, but then he gets up an grabs th' finger bone of his fav'rit helper off the counter, and calls the tattered bitch to appear. Then he tells 'er t' find out where this git, 'Alec Marsdon' is, and stick t' the bugger's backside 'til sunup, so's Uncle Colin'll know where t' find him. Then, soon as the spook fades off, he sits back down an starts scarfin' down Fauntleroy's face an tongue like they were Christmas sweets, whisperin' some incoherent shite between gulps. An once he's done with that, he mutters somethin' 'bout "givin' Monsieur Marsdon the scare of his unlife tomorra' night."
Then Uncle Colin looks at me like he's jus' remembrin' that I'm there, and stalks off back out t' the barn. I hear th' chop of an axe, an he comes stomping back in with one o' them bastard's hands, and tosses it in front o' me.
"Eat off that gimpy bastard, an keep the bugger's expirin' in mind while ye do. Ye might learn something, ye dumb excuse for a Dunsirn."
Like I said, tough bastard that Danny Boy was. But now I 'ave me a splittin' headache, an I tell Uncle Colin how me head's hurtin'. He jus' laughs at me like I tol' some fockin' joke. I don' understand my family, sometimes.
* * * *
Necromancy
Twaloors Path
By
Chanlin Marr
Though classically disinterested in the arts of nigrimancy, the Dunsirn family of the Giovanni Clan have recently been "asked" by the Giovanni family proper to begin taking up the Discipline more vigorously. The recent loss of so many captured souls due to the Maelstrom in the Shadowlands requires that every faction of the Clan do their part to help replenish what was destroyed. As such, Dunsirn elders and neonates alike have, grudgingly, begun learning the Sepulchre Path in order to begin tithing more souls to the clan Elders.
However, a few of the cannibalistic Scots, upon mastering that essential Path, have gained a newfound interest in death magic, and have begun delving into what might be found within that which made up the bulk of their macabre mortal diet.
Since their initiation into the Giovanni Clan, many of the Dunsirn, after first being given the Proxy Kiss, noticed certain odd effects that would occasionally manifest when eating human flesh. These passing sensations have now been investigated further by the newly schooled Necromancers, and established into a grisly Path all their own. While still a rough and vulgar extension of the Discipline, the Dunsirn have found its gifts very useful. And though the arts of this Path work perfectly well with meat eaten roughly from the bone, Dunsirn connoisseurs tend to make a proper meal of the flesh involved, into either a stew or a nice pot roast. Yum.
Author's Notes:
1. Use of this Path supercedes a Kindred's limitations in digesting food. The eaten flesh is technically "absorbed" into the Necromancer, acting as fuel to power whichever level of the Path is being employed. This exception applies only to uses of this Path, and only to deceased human, non-supernatural flesh (Ghouls are OK). This Path does not grant a Vampire the ability to digest any other sort of food.
2. Human flesh, as applied to the powers of this Path, only remains a viable source of "fuel" for 5 days after the time of death, lest specific actions are taken to keep the meat fresh for a longer period. However, burnt or otherwise damaged sources of meat are still "ok," so long as some blood still remains within the flesh (as mentioned, the character can make a cooked meal out of the meat if he wants to, and still be able to use the powers described).
3. As insular and secretive as the Dunsirn family is, knowledge of this Path is currently limited to a select few family members, and only a handful of Giovanni outside the Dunsirn lineage know of its existence. As such, the attainment of this Path for a Giovanni outside the Dunsirn family should be difficult, and for anyone outside the Giovanni Clan itself should be nearly impossible.
* Collop Daith
The benefits of this basic level of skill were what first inspired the Dunsirn to investigate this Path. Occasionally, a Dunsirn Ghoul, upon having a nice meal, would have certain physical sensations come over him. Upon further contemplation, these sensations were found to correspond to the manner in which the person being consumed had been killed. To eat the flesh of someone who had suffered a heart attack might conjure a ghostly pressure in the chest area; the meat of someone who had been stabbed might incite a sharp jabbing sensation in the corresponding area of the eater's body.
Tabletop: Character must eat all the flesh off the target's right hand, and then roll Perception + Medicine, difficulty 5. The number of successes required corresponds to the number of days since the target died, with a minimum of one success required. From this a Necromancer can gain a subtle physical impression of what lead to the target's death: a sudden spasm to the chest might indicate a gunshot wound, a short, painful headache might indicate an aneurysm, etc.
MET: Character must eat all of the meat from the target's right hand and make a static mental test against 5 traits. Upon success, the character will feel some sort of physical sensation, indicating the cause by which the victim died. A Storyteller or Narrator may be required in order to best describe to the player what he/she is feeling.
* * Collop Virr
Reminiscent to some of the American Dunsirn as harkening back to the ancient legend of the Wendigo, and the absorption of a man's strength through the eating of the flesh, Collop Virr provides a Necromancer a temporary gain in physical prowess by co-opting the strength from his victim's spirit.
Tabletop: Character must eat three good mouthfuls of the victim's muscle tissue from a specific area of the body, in order to gain the benefits of a particular Physical attribute: eating the muscles of the arms allows access to Strength; consuming the muscles of the chest gives benefits of Stamina; eating the muscles of the legs increases Dexterity. Player then rolls Stamina + Willpower, difficulty 6. If successful, depending on which attribute was focused upon, the character then gains one half the number of the target's Physical attribute total, rounded up.
Example: Mike Dunsirn eats the chest muscles of a victim who had possessed Stamina 5. Succeeding on his roll, Mike would then temporarily gain 3 points of Stamina from his victim. These points would apply even if they breached his generational maximum.
These temporary attribute points last for a number of hours equal to the Character's permanent Willpower score.
Once power from a victim has been absorbed (or on a botched roll), additional eating of muscle tissue from that area of the body will provide no further benefit, as that portion of the bodily spirit has now dissipated.
(Note: though it is possible to use this power three times in a given night to gain the benefit of all three Physical attributes, each application of this power in the same night after the first increases the difficulty +2.Thus, the second attempt would be at difficulty 8, and the third at difficulty 10.)
MET: Character must eat three good mouthfuls of the target's muscle tissue, as described above, and then make a static Physical challenge against 6 traits. On a success, the character gains one half of the victim's Physical traits (Strength, Dexterity, or Stamina-based, depending on what was eaten), rounded up. These temporary traits may be bid and lost like normal traits, but may not be replenished by Willpower expenditures or with the use of Prowess. These traits remain present for 2 hours, or until lost through challenges. Every additional use of this power on the same night after the first increases the number of traits that must be tested against by +2.
* * * Collop Wittins
Cannibals of old have long held a belief that the thoughts and memories of a victim may be taken into oneself by dining upon the center of knowledge: the brain. Through use of this level of skill, a Necromancer may gain hidden secrets and bits of knowledge by feasting on another's mind.
Tabletop: Character must eat the target's entire brain (which requires the lengthy process of removing the top of the skull, extracting the brain, and so on). Afterwards, player rolls Perception + Empathy, difficulty 7. The number of successes can gain the character the random benefits described in the chart below:
1 success: The last thought/impression/image on the victim's mind just minutes prior to his death.
2 successes: The thought/impression/image of most concern to the victim on the day prior to his death.
3 successes: A small, specific bit of knowledge (computer password, phone number, person's name, etc.).
4 successes: A slightly complex piece of information (directions to a location, formula for a chemical, personal information of an associate, etc.)
5 successes: Complex information (in which location to find a particular book that contains a particular ritual, the details of the victim's past and specific memories/images, etc.)
If the player is seeking specific information from the victim's mind, a temporary Willpower point must be spent at the time of the initial roll, and the Storyteller can then weigh from the number of successes how detailed the sought-after information is.
Optional: The Storyteller might rule to grant the player temporary (or permanent) points in particular Knowledges the victim possessed as the benefit of this particular power.
MET: Character must eat the victim's brain, and then must make a static Mental challenge against 7 traits. Achieving a success, the player may then either gain what little bit of knowledge the success has garnered him, or spend additional Mental traits (up to a maximum of four) to increase the detail and/or complexity of the information gained. If the player is seeking specific information from the victim's brain, a temporary Willpower trait must be spent at the time of the initial challenge. The Storyteller can then decide whether additional Mental traits must be spent to gain the information.
Optional: The character might gain temporary points in certain Knowledge-based Skills for the remainder of the night, or perhaps a permanent gain in Lores or Skills, at Storyteller discretion.
* * * * Collop Vyce
In almost a literal demonstration of "consuming" someone, Collop Vyce allows the Necromancer the ability to absorb not only the victim's visage for his own use, but also the ability to duplicate the deceased person's voice perfectly. Of course, devouring the face and tongue of the victim might have something to do with it…
Tabletop: The character must consume all the skin on a target's face and/or eat the whole of the target's tongue. Player then spends a temporary Willpower point and rolls Stamina + Performance, difficulty 8. If successful, the character may spend two blood points at any time during the power's duration to alter his facial features and/or voice to duplicate the eaten individual. The face and/or voice may be dispelled at anytime, but reactivating them requires another 2 blood points to be spent. The ability to duplicate face and voice lasts for a number of days equal to the character's permanent Willpower score. Duplicating the face includes the hair and eye color of the victim.
Additionally, the benefits of this power (as implied above) may be taken advantage of in whole or in part. If circumstances only allow, or a character's needs only require, either just the face or the voice of his victim, the character can enact this power on just one aspect, but still requiring the consumption of the proper meat, the same roll, Willpower expenditure, and blood cost as described.
MET: Character must eat all of the skin from the face of his victim and/or the whole of the victim's tongue. Player then spends a temporary Willpower trait, and makes a Static physical challenge against 8 traits. If successful, the character may spend two blood traits at any time during the power's duration to alter his facial features and/or voice to that of his victim. The ability to do this lasts for a number of days equal to the character's permanent Willpower score.
Player may opt to merely duplicate either just the face or just the voice, as described above.
* * * * * Collop Kin
This high level of skill, when discovered, was the first indication to the Dunsirn that their penchant for cannibalism and the Giovanni clan's focus on the spirit world could intersect in a productive fashion. Dunsirn eaters found that, after mastering the aspects of the individual's body itself, they could then extend their powers along the very lineage of the devoured victim. By taking in the flesh of one, their ability to call on the spirits of the victim's family line became near child's play, as the spiritual memory of the flesh galvanized their beacon summons in the Shadowlands.
Tabletop: Character must consume the victim's entire liver, and then chant the victim's full, given name continuously for 10 minutes. Player then rolls Manipulation + Occult, difficulty 9. If successful, all uses of Summon Soul are at a -3 difficulty when applied to the spirit of the consumed victim, OR the spirits of anyone of his immediate family (uncle, cousin, stepmother - No; mother, brother, grandfather - Yes). Additionally, the use of this power, and the consumption of the victim's liver, acts as an omnibus "fetter" when summoning spirits of the victim's family. Thus, the character need not have an item of particular significance to the target wraith, as they now have a spiritual part of the wraith's family lineage within them.
This benefit lasts for one hour, but may be extended by an additional hour (only once) with the expenditure of a temporary Willpower point.
MET: Character must consume the target's entire liver, and then chant (hopefully IC) the victim's full, given name for 10 minutes. Once the chanting is completed, player makes a static Social challenge against 9 traits. If successful, player gains 3 additional traits for use in any tests involving the Summon Soul power, as used on either the victim's spirit or anyone within the victim's direct family line (at what point in the victim's familial past this power loses its potency is at the Storyteller's discretion). And, as described above, the need for significant fetters of familial wraiths is now not required. This benefit lasts for a scene or an hour, whichever comes first, but may be extended by one hour (one time only) with the expenditure of a temporary Willpower trait.
(A big thanks to Sierra [#207570] for the linguistic assistance and moral support.)