LeviathanTempest:ChapterFour

[PICTURE: Full page, three-quarters top-down view. An alleyway. A man in a black suit, wearing a bronze face mask depicting an impassive man's face in a Sumerian style, recoils from a prone figure. The prone body is a young man with AmerInd features. He is in a flannel shirt and ripped jeans, and is lying in a pool of blood. His teeth are gritted as he glares defiantly at the masked man. The teeth are triangular, and his left eye is a featureless black pool. The blood is rising up unnaturally at his side and forming a distinct shape - a vulture's body with a peacock's tail feathers. Instead of a vulture's head, three serpents emerge from the neck. The central serpent is hooded, like a cobra. The creature is formed out of blood at its feet but solid elsewhere, and is clearly taking flight towards the masked man.]

Chapter 4 : Supernatural Powers

“Can you fill his hide with harpoons, or his head with fishing spears? If you lay a hand on him, you will remember the struggle, and never do it again! Any hope of subduing him is false; the mere sight of him is overpowering.”

• Job 41:7-9

Supplementing the mystical advantages – and afflictions - that separate the Tribe from humanity is the exploration of the power available from their Progenitor's bloodline. While Sheol measures the degree to which a Leviathan is coming to terms with his or her lineage, this method of exploration is not the only one available to them. The Schools of the Tribe emphasize an approach towards definition of the self, and part of that goal is the realization and reclamation of the Tribe's lost power.

Most Leviathans do not spend particularly much energy simply attempting to gain mystical power. While such things can provide considerable control over the immediate circumstances of a Leviathan's life, delving deeply into one's bloodline involves acknowledging the Tribe's inhumanity in a way that can be frightening to an insecure Leviathan, and even the more balanced and stable members of the Tribe often find that they feel more “stable” spending their time on other studies. At least a portion of this anxiety stems from the fact that the Tribe's power expresses itself imperfectly in humanoid visages – a member of the Tribe must become monstrous to make use of the lore encoded in his blood.

Vestiges

The avenues of supernatural power open to the Tribe are referred to as Vestiges. A Vestige is understood as just that, a fragmentary remnant of some facet of the power of the Progenitors which a Leviathan can, with study, seek to emulate. Comprehension of a Vestige, as well as a Leviathan's conception of how that power is achieved, shapes the Leviathan's monstrous forms – the closer he moves towards the far limits of his transformative ability, the more of the power of the Vestige is made manifest. Meditation and exploration of a Vestige also serves as a method of forming a personal image of the Tribe's lost heritage – the Leviathan's School shapes the ways in which he comprehends the Vestiges and the ways in which they become physically manifest as he attempts to achieve an understanding of his bloodline that gives him a goal to aim for. In other words, the Tribe's study of Vestiges is part of their attempt to construct an ideal form in which they will feel “complete.”

The Tribe has access to seven Vestiges, corresponding to the seven most major Strains. All of the Tribe's abilities fall under the blanket of one of these seven categories, and can be further subdivided into Channels. A Channel is a part of the whole – members of Abzu's Camp tend to refer to them as imperfect emanations of perfect concepts – and serves as a manageable portion of an otherwise massive concept. Leviathans explore a Vestige by comprehending its individual Channels. The most straightforward of these are referred to as Ancestral Channels – they represent certain physical concepts that must be grasped before the more esoteric Descending Channels can be understood. Descending Channels involve the conjuration and direction of the forces at the Tribe's command and, as such, require a greater degree of focus and the power of Ichor to invoke.

The Vestiges are a gift shared by all members of the Tribe. While a given Strain may favor certain aspects of the bloodline, there are no aspects of the Tribe's power that cannot be gained by a Leviathan that undergoes proper study. On a practical level this means that there are no Channels that are unique to a given Strain or School, and even if a small group of Leviathans “discovered” a lost Channel, the route they took to this discovery could not be the only one – through meditation and experimentation, it would be possible for a Leviathan with infinite time (and patience) to grasp every Channel of every Vestige. The roadmap to these traits is, after all, contained in the blood of each and every Leviathan, and reproduced in imperfect fragments in the families that gave birth to them.

Birthrights

Remarkably, the first tentative steps taken in the exploration of a Vestige tend to cover similar ground, no matter the Channel being considered or the methods of the Leviathan in question. This “common ground” represents a Vestige's Birthright – the most basic expression of that Vestige, a small blessing that any Leviathan that has explored that Vestige has access to in any form. The trick offered by a Birthright is usually limited, a predecessor to the Vestige's more formal powers, but most members of the Tribe find that the ability to produce their Birthrights at any time more than makes up for the lack of a spectacular effect.

Mechanically, a Birthright is a single power available to a Leviathan regardless of form, which has one effect and an associated Ichor cost. The invocation of a Birthright involves either no transformation or an imperceptible amount of change – it takes supernatural awareness to mark their use. A Leviathan gains access to a Vestige's Birthright upon purchasing any of its Ancestral Channels.

Evolutions

Comparatively, there are paths that a Leviathan can avoid taking in their exploration of a Channel, certain modes of thought or varieties of adaptation that only become apparent to those that search for them specifically. The Tribe refers to these elaborations of the Vestige as its Evolutions. They are of somewhat greater social and mental importance to a Leviathan than the Channels themselves, as they are adaptations that are deliberately sought – by internalizing these traits, a Leviathan is making a claim as to what he believes his (or even the) ideal form ought to be. While the marking of a Progenitor's bloodline causes a Strain to favor certain Vestiges, it is the will of the Leviathan that guides him to more readily undertake a group of Evolutions.

Mechanically, an Evolution is like a Merit – a unique feature purchased separately from other traits. Evolutions are tied to Vestiges or Channels, and provide to the linked powers either additional benefits, new avenues of use, or reduced limitations. Evolutions always have a physical marker that makes them readily apparent to observers – a true scholar of the Tribe might even be able to identify a Leviathan's School and mastered Channels from observing his Evolutions.

Vestiges of Awareness

Birthright of Awareness

The Birthright of the Vestige of Awareness is the Gaze of the Depths. Upon its invocation, the Leviathan's vision ceases to be impaired by water, and he reduces darkness-related vision penalties by his Sheol. He may keep his eyes open underwater, regardless of water quality, without discomfort. These effects last for the rest of the scene.

• Cost: 1 Ichor

Lambent Eyes of Judgment (Ancestral Channel)

The Leviathan's gaze strips away deception and peers into the heart of matters – he seeks out the blackness at the core of all issues, and reads the lines of guilt in the faces of others.

• “Depth 0”: Birthright of Awareness
• “Depth 1”: 9-Again on Empathy rolls
• “Depth 2”: As above, and +1 die on Empathy rolls
• “Depth 3”: As above, but now 8-again on Empathy rolls
• “Depth 4”: As above, but now +2 dice on Empathy rolls
• “Depth 5”: As above, but now +3 dice on Empathy rolls
• “Depth 6”: As above, and the Leviathan is aware of the Vice of all vulnerable subjects inside his Wake.

Evolutions

• Light of Truth (O) In Depth 1 and lower, the Leviathan's eyes (or body, or some new and horrific organ) give off light – roughly equivalent to candlelight (about a yard of illumination). In this region, Wake-vulnerable subjects lose 10-again on their Subterfuge rolls.
• Lantern of Shame (OO, requires Light of Truth): At Depth 3 and below, the light's intensity increases to that of a lantern, and its light removes the ability of Wake-vulnerable subjects to regain Willpower from their Vice.
• Pyre for Sinners (OOOOO, requires Lantern of Shame): At Depth 6, the light's intensity increases to that of a bonfire (ten yards of illumination). In addition to the other effects, Wake-vulnerable supernatural beings in the light cannot make use of occult abilities that involve Subterfuge, such as the Obfuscate ability “The Familiar Stranger” (Vampire pg 137).

Vestiges of Elements

Birthright of Elements

The Birthright of the Vestige of Elements is the Veil of Seas. The Leviathan may compel a body of water of his Size or less to give off a cloud of fog, which inflicts a -3 sight penalty on all relevant rolls made on objects obscured by it. The fog expands considerably – the cloud's radius is roughly (Source's Size) in yards. The cloud lasts until the end of the scene or until mystically disperses, and making use of this Birthright costs 1 Ichor.

Creature of the Luminous Ocean (Ancestral Channel)

Nothing is truly empty. The Leviathan knows this, she swims through what seems to be a void, bathed in a see of luminous power; power that she can bring to bear against others.

• “Depth 0”: Birthright of Elements
• “Depth 1”: 9-Again on Computer and Survival rolls
• “Depth 2”: As above, but now 8-Again on Computer and Survival rolls
• “Depth 3”: As above, and +1 dice on Computer and Survival rolls, and Armor 1 vs. electrical damage
• “Depth 4”: As above, but now +2 dice on Computer and Survival rolls, and electrical damage cannot stun or paralyze the Leviathan.
• “Depth 5”: As above, but now Armor (Size) vs. electrical damage
• “Depth 6”: As above, and the Leviathan can operate computers and other electrical devices within (Sheol) yards without touching them; The Leviathan can effectively swim through electric and magnetic fields at half-speed, this essentially allows for flight.

Evolutions

• Deep Battery (OO): At Depth 3 and below, the Leviathan's touch can provide electrical charge sufficient to power an electrical device of his Size or less. He must maintain contact to keep the device powered, and this contact will damage the device over the course of the scene – effectively inflicting electrical damage equal to the Leviathan's Sheol.
• Thundering Fists (OO) At Depth 3 and below, the Leviathan may make electrically-charged unarmed strikes. This costs the Leviathan 1 Ichor per strike. The strikes are + (Sheol)B weapons with the Stun property, which inflict electrical damage (which most mundane armor cannot negate) and are made with the Brawl Skill.
• Crackling Rebuke (OOOOO, requires Deep Battery): At Depth 6, the smell of atmosphere surrounds the Leviathan, and sparks crackle between his fingertips and shoot out of his mouth when he speaks. At this point foes that strike the Leviathan unarmed suffer bashing damage equal to his Sheol. This damage is electrical in nature. Those that grapple him suffer as though they were exposed to a constant current (World of Darkness, pg. 178).

Vestiges of Fecundity

Birthright of Fecundity

The Birthright of the Vestige of Elements is the Crimson Tithe. By letting his blood mingle with that of another, the Leviathan may open a mystical channel that permits him to infuse a valid subject with his Ichor. This requires an open wound sufficient to draw blood (or one level of bashing damage to represent the creation of one) for both the Leviathan and the intended beneficiary, who must remain touching – generally, the transfer looks like a “blood brothers” declaration, with two freshly-cut limbs held together. The Leviathan may transfer Ichor to the target at his maximum rate of expense, until he decides to stop, breaks contact, or the subject is holding the maximum amount of Ichor that he can.

Magnanimous Host to All (Ancestral Channel)

Teeming with symbiotic creatures that can not properly survive in the lessened world, the Leviathan's body sustains these creatures in exchange for the benefits they provide.

• “Depth 0”: Birthright of Fecundity
• “Depth 1”: 9-Again on Animal Ken and Medicine rolls
• “Depth 2”: As above, but now 8-Again on Animal Ken and Medicine rolls
• “Depth 3”: As above, and +1 dice on Animal Ken and Medicine rolls.
• “Depth 4”: As above, but now +2 dice on Animal Ken and Medicine rolls.
• “Depth 5”: As above, and the Leviathan gains two free specialties to any two skills and may pick a third Skill to apply 8-again to.
• “Depth 6”: As above, and when the Leviathan would be killed by a strike, the damage is negated and he permanently loses one Size. If this would reduce his Size to 0, he dies.

Evolutions

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