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Blasphemies: Soul Theft

Soul Theft is the art of taking souls, containing them, and making sure that they can be used. As a general rule, soul theft requires a character to have the force of understanding to take on the shapes that she wishes, or the force of personality to contain them. These Blasphemies commonly use Perception, Intelligence, or Charisma. Many of the effects within Soul Theft require other Blasphemies to be most effective.

Breadth

Soul-Theft Of The Instinctual Creature</b>

<b>Prerequisites: Essence 2, Perception 3

At first, the Nihils can only take souls that are like their own, souls that their own heart recognizes and understands. It often surprises them that simpler souls are more difficult to process, but it is so; only with training can a Nihil learn enough about animals to properly extract their souls. By drawing on this power, the character learns to process and understand the weaker souls of animals. This Blasphemy allows the theft of any animal of Intelligence 2 or higher, such as a horse, squid, bear, or dog. A Nihil is considered to have Affinity to any species that she has taken a soul from. An animal's soul is less complex than that of a mortal being, however; two animals count as a single soul for the purposes of the character's Grasping Heart Background, and the character must sacrifice two such souls to count as one human soul for any effect which requires her to sacrifice souls (such as Essence recovery).

Soul-Theft Of The Mindless Beast</b>

<b>Prerequisites: Soul-Theft Of The Instinctual Creature, Essence 3, Perception 4

With greater mastery over soul-stuff, even the most simplistic of minds can be consumed and understood, adding their potential to the character's own. This Blasphemy adds any animals with Intelligence 1 to the list of acceptable targets to steal a soul from. Such creatures function as more intelligent animals do for the purposes of taking up space and sacrifice. Truly mindless creatures, such as most insects or similar things, have no souls with enough complexity to be stolen or processed, and there is not currently a known upgrade for this Blasphemy.

Consumption Of The Passionate Soul</b>

<b>Prerequisites: Essence 3, Charisma 3

The natural state of soul-theft is to take a human's higher soul, stealing their rational understanding and purpose. However, a cunning Nihil realizes that there are two souls to a human, and can sharpen their talents to steal the lower soul as well. This Blasphemy adds the lower soul of living mortals, as well as hungry ghosts, to the list of acceptable targets for soul theft. A Nihil is considered to have Affinty to anyone who shares an Intimacy with their captured soul, rather than a Motivation. Other than this, lower souls behave exactly as higher souls do. A Nihil can take both the lower and higher soul of a single target, if she has the time and Willpower.

Stealing The Souls Of The Damned</b>

<b>Prerequisites: Essence 4, Intelligence 4, Avatar (2)

A truly wise Nihil realizes that demons are nothing more than the souls of the Primordials, and learns to usurp their power as well. This Blasphemy adds all three Circles of demons or other Primordial souls to the list of acceptable targets for soul theft - it does not add Primordials themselves, who are far too vast to be so constrained. A demon absorbed by this power is lost forever, with whatever consequences that entails for their progenitors. Demon souls behave as the higher souls of Essence-users, making them a source of strong potential power.
There are two variations to this Blasphemy, to steal the souls of gods or elementals. They are identical to the above Blasphemy except that they provide one of those two types of beings instead of demons.

Incarnation of the Eternal Spirit's Theft</b>

<b>Prerequisites: Essence 4, Intelligence 4, Avatar (3)

Even the strange beings known as the Dragon Kings have souls. Their souls are eternal, reincarnating endlessly unless destroyed - and so, foreseeing a potential difficulty in the end of Creation, the Neverborn granted this power to their Chosen. With this Blasphemy, Dragon Kings become valid targets for soul theft. Only the wisest Nihils, with a strong connection to the Neverborn, have the power to contain their souls, but it provides an advantage - such souls never return to the cycle of reincarnation, and are lost forever. They are treated as the higher souls of Essence-wielders for the purposes of Charms and powers.
Variations of this Blasphemy exist for any of the eternally-reincarnating races that might exist. The Mountain Folk are one canonical example, but might not be the only one.

Maintenance

Siphoning The Power Of The Soul</b>

<b>Prerequisites: Essence 2, Intelligence 3

Souls are torn to tatters in the grip of Oblivion, but the rate of their devastation can be slowed. This Blasphemies extends the torment of such souls - and their utility. Whenever the character sacrifices a soul, she may spend 3 motes of Essence in order to instead cause it to lose one dot of Permanent Essence - the character gains the full benefit of having sacrificed the soul. A soul reduced to Permanent Essence 0 dissolves into tatters, but can be sacrificed one final time provided the sacrifice is done within a day; after that day passes, it dissolves into nothing.

Bolstering Oblivion's Might</b>

<b>Prerequisites: Essence 3, Charisma 3

Through raw might, a Nihil can bind her own Essence into a soul she has stolen, granting it power that she can then draw on later. Doing this requires the character to choose a soul she has captured, spend a Willpower and commit 10 motes of Essence; the Essence must be committed for as many days as the soul's new Essence rating will be. At the end of this time, the soul's Essence rating increases by 1. The character may only use this power once on the souls of mortal beings, and twice on the souls of natural Essence-users or Exalts.