Hapushet/CallTheKnowingWhisper

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Call the Knowing Whisper

Cost: 10 motes (committed)
Target: One summoned automaton

Casting this spell requires a brief, five-minute ritual on the part of the sorcerer, who must whisper a secret known only to himself into the winds. If the secret is known by any other living person or spirit, the ritual fails. If the secret remains safe, the sorcerer then binds Essence to the core of the secret, creating a variety of automaton called a Knowing Whisper. The Whisper manifests as a brief gust of wind, on which the faint sounds of mocking laughter can be faintly heard.

Whispers are naturally dematerialized and cannot materialize, but they remain in telepathic communication with the sorcerer and will serve him faithfully for the duration of the spell – one day. During this time, they will not roam more than (the sorcerer’s Essence) yards away. While the spell remains in effect, the sorcerer may reflexively borrow the senses of the Whisper, which allows him to both perceive and understand any dematerialized beings he might encounter. Attacks made solely through the Whisper’s eyes suffer a +1 difficulty penalty, thanks to the awkward viewing angle. As a reflexive action, he may direct the Whisper to use its Charms on any target the Whisper can see; the Whisper will take its next action to examine the target in the manner specified by the sorcerer and report back. The Whisper will also immediately alert the sorcerer to the presence of any dematerialized beings that approach, as long as the Whisper is able to perceive them, and will attack such entities or defend the sorcerer from them if commanded to do so. The Whisper’s combat prowess is extremely limited, however, so most sorcerers choose not to waste their summoning in such fashion.

This spell was created by Teresu Gido of Lookshy to assist in his dealings with the local gods, but even he is not fully aware of the spell’s inner workings. When the spell ends, the committed Essence is released and the Whisper dissolves into gusts of giggling breeze, but the secret that formed the core of the Whisper is carried away as well and does not disappear into nothingness. Most often, it is drawn back to the Essence of another Whisper. A newly summoned Knowing Whisper carries within it the knowledge of one secret used in the creation of a previous Whisper for every point of Essence the Whisper possesses. No other information learned in previous incarnations is retained. Though Gido and the few allies to whom he has taught this spell are not currently aware of this aspect of the spell’s function, it is only a matter of time before it – and the secrets the Whispers carry – come to light.

Knowing Whispers

Attributes
Physical: Strength 1, Dexterity 4, Stamina 1
Social: Charisma 1, Manipulation 2, Appearance 1
Mental: Perception 5, Intelligence 3, Wits 1

Abilities
War: Awareness 5 (Dematerialized Beings +3), Dodge 4
Life: Linguistics 4, Stealth 2
Wisdom: Investigation 2, Lore 2 (Charms +3), Occult 2 (Spirits +2, Exalts +1)

Advantages
Virtues: Compassion 4, Conviction 3, Temperance 1, Valor 1
Willpower: 3
Essence: 2

Essence Pool: 39

Charms: These Charms an inherent to the nature of the Knowing Whispers, and thus cannot be learned by Eclipse Caste Solar Exalts or other being capable of learning Charms that are not their own.

Name the Heart</b>

<b>Cost: 5 motes

Duration: Instant

By rolling Perception + Awareness against a difficulty of the target’s Permanent Essence, the Whisper can learn a great deal of information about the target’s Essence and Charms. For each success, the Whisper learns one piece of information in the following order:

1) Whether the target can channel Essence or not.

2) The nature of the being (mortal, Exalt – including type, god, demon, etc.).

3) The being’s Permanent Essence.

4) All Charms currently affecting the target (the Whisper must make an Intelligence + Lore roll against a difficulty equal to the Essence minimum of the Charm in order to specifically identify an unusual or custom Charm).

5) All Charms known by the target associated with a single Trait (a Virtue, Ability, Attribute or other Trait). The same Intelligence + Lore roll applies to identifying unusual Charms.

Each additional success beyond five allows the Whisper to select an additional Trait and learn the Charms associated with it known by the target.

Whispers From Within</b>

<b>Cost: 5 motes

Duration: Scene

The telepathy practiced by the Knowing Whispers is not limited solely to the sorcerer. By focusing its perceptions onto a target, it becomes sharply attuned to the moods and shifts in thought that lie behind the target’s eyes. For the duration of the scene, any attempts to lie made by the target must achieve a number of successes greater than the Whisper’s Compassion in order to fool it. The Whisper is also constantly aware of the target’s emotional state; the target may attempt to conceal his or her emotions by making a Manipulation + Presence roll with a difficulty equal to the Whisper’s Compassion, but must be aware that they are under the Whisper’s scrutiny in order to make the attempt.

The Whisper’s attention cannot be divided between multiple targets when using this Charm – if it activates this Charm on a new target, its link to the previous target fades immediately.

Pain of Wrongful Thought</b>

<b>Cost: 6 motes, 1 Willpower

Duration: Instant

The Knowing Whisper’s most dangerous – and, in fact, only – weapon, this Charm sends a stab of mental agony deep into the target’s psyche. The Whisper rolls its Perception + Conviction as an attack; if the Whisper is currently using Whispers From Within on the target, it may add its Permanent Essence as automatic successes. In order to defend, the target must be able to perceive the Whisper and must be able to parry attacks from dematerialized beings; the Charm cannot be dodged. (Any weapon that can attack a dematerialized being can parry this attack.) If the attack hits, the target loses one Willpower point for every success on the roll. If the attack rolls more successes than the target has remaining Willpower points, the target suffers the difference in unsoakable bashing Health Levels.

Base Initiative: 5
Attack: Gust of Wind

Spd 5, Acc 3, Dam 1B, Def 3, Rate 5

Dodge Pool: 8
Health Levels: -0, -0, -0, -0, -4, Inc.
Soak: 0L/1B