Regis

{Uncommon}

The bailiwick of the Messengers, the Regis Numen gives Wraiths power over the minds of Mortals, Wraiths and Ghosts. It gives them the means to command their actions, tamper with their hearts and rework their minds to suit their desires.

As for their ends: the Messengers say that they use this Numen to protect life - all life. But there are those who suspect much darker motives at work. How could such absolute power not corrupt absolutely?

The Messengers would respond that these Arts are not without danger - for both those who use and receive them. Wraiths who are cavalier with others' hearts and minds will suffer a great toll to their souls: one of the many reasons their Concord seeks to restrict knowledge of it as much as possible.

One Mind, Two Numen

Both the Fear and Regis Numen allow Wraiths to play around with others' minds. However, the two Numen seem to deal with different "halves" of the brain.

The Fear Numen preys upon the irrational side, with its fears and nightmares, and the dreaded memories that sometimes fuel them. Regis, meanwhile, subverts the rational side of the mind, twisting motivations, desires and goals into new forms, and adding or subtracting the memories that have helped shape them.

It's not the most clear and clean of divisions, but the mind has always been a mysterious thing. And while there is a possibility that the two Numen spring from a common source, and might join up with one another at some point, no one has ever found that juncture.

At least, not that anyone knows, or can remember...

 

Paths

Regis has three recognized Paths {known as Keys to the Messengers}:

The Path of Command is the Key to Action, and is used by the Heralds to turn others into their servants: implanting both sudden orders and long-term mandates within them. These Wraiths are rightly feared for their skills, which many say could only come from the Gods. But using this Key risks a great amount of Tainted Essence, which is why wise Dead are very careful with it.

The Path of Memory lets the Harbingers use the Key of the Mind, so they might unlock its doors, move about in its rooms and leave messages on its walls. They can implant thoughts great and small, replay the memories of others, and even implant memories within the brain. They often store and replay the best moments of someone's life for their loved ones {or, as punishment, the last moments to those who took their lives}, but some of the more mercenary amongst them run "Memory Bazaars" in the Marketplaces, so that other Wraiths might enjoy salacious thoughts.

The Path of Desire, which is used by the Companions, is the Key to the Heart through its desires. These Wraiths can alter, create and remove desires, with varying degrees of strength and exactness. They say they do it all for the good of their "friends," but some wonder if these Wraiths are fit to make that judgment, given how wracked with Tainted Essence they are.

 

Those Who Know

The Messengers hold a near-monopoly on Regis. They view this Numen as an important secret, and have tried to keep it far from others' hands, so that they might not fall prey to its dangers. But given their strong moral code, they will not destroy other Wraiths in order to safeguard it, preferring to remove or rework others' memories of its use, instead.

That said, the Messengers have not been entirely successful in their quest. The Order is quite conversant with lower-level Arts of the Paths of Command and Desire, so that they may enforce The Injunction on their own Wraiths. There's also talk of the Haunters learning it as well, which bothers the Messengers to no end.


Whispers

In Ancient Times the Gods alone bore the ability to see and command the thoughts and desires of the Living. But the catastrophe of Sundering changed this balance, as it changed many things, and the secret escaped into the hands of the Dead. And over time it has been refined and changed by their hands, and it is now known as the Numen of Regis...

Or so the Messengers say, anyway. Others say that this kind of power could only have come from the other side of the Barrier. And they point out the high cost of the Numen in Tainted Essence to prove this claim.

It is said that the Masters of this Numen are very terrifying to contemplate - quite literally, in fact. It is whispered that they can not only use this Numen on people well out of speaking distance, or line of sight, but on people they have never seen before so long as they have an accurate likeness, or proper name. They also say they can monitor thoughts of everyone in the vicinity, and change people's plans, ideas and desires to suit their needs.

They also say that the Damned practice this Numen extensively, which could account for how many Wraiths and Ghosts they enslave to their bidding. Some Pardoners swear that the Damned can harvest lost memories from the Storms, the better to taunt Wraiths with, though this is somewhat questionable.

{The Messengers also insist that particular rumor has everything to do with the Fear Numen, and nothing to do with them.}

Basic Art

* Distraction

All Wraiths have the ability to look at another's beliefs and desires through the Soulsight Affinity, but that power only tells part of the story. For example, it may tell a Wraith that her enemy wants to destroy her, but most likely won't explain why her enemy feels that way.

The Regis Numen allows for a much greater comprehension of another's mind. With * Distraction, the Wraith can go digging through a target's thoughts, and find the deep-seated reasons for her beliefs, desires and plans. She can also hunt down relevant memories and copy them, though there is some difficultly in the latter.

The Basic Art has another use as well: while the Wraith is looking through the target's mind, the strange feeling it gives the target causes her to pause in what she was thinking and doing - momentarily sidelining the topmost idea or desire in her mind. The Messengers often use this side-effect to stop someone from carrying out a violent act, and the pause usually lasts just long enough for the victim to fight back or get away.

System: The Wraith must look her Target in the eyes, which is not necessarily the same as "eye contact" - especially when Regis is used upon the living. She must spend a Turn doing this, and then spend one Essence, and roll her Wits + Presence + Regis.

Each success allows the Wraith to root through her target's mind and find a either 1) a belief, an idea or a desire, or 2) a memory. These are revealed to the Wraith in flashes of vision, seen through the "eyes" of the target, and are disclosed in order from most important/defining to least important/defining.

A belief, idea or desire is "explained" in full for each success, though the Wraith may need to make an Intelligence + Empathy roll to understand what she sees, unless it's really clear. An Exceptional Success explains what the Wraith sees in no uncertain terms.

Memories are easier to interpret than desires, but viewing them in the mind is more difficult. Each success gives the Wraith about 15 somewhat-disjointed seconds of memory if the Wraith is uncertain of what she's looking for, and 10 seconds of fairly clear recall if she is. An Exceptional Success jars a memory out in its entirety, so that the Wraith can see it perfectly.

If the Wraith wants to remember that memory in exacting detail, she must spend an additional Essence, and roll her Intelligence + Composure + Regis. Success means that she's got an exact copy of ten seconds' worth of the memory, with each success past the first doubling the amount of time captured {20, then 40, then 80}. An Exceptional Success gives the entire memory in pristine detail, along with a slight trace of what came just before and just after.

Once the memory has been copied, the Wraith must roll Wits + Manipulation + Regis to store it correctly, so that she won't confuse it with her own memories, and can whistle it up whenever she cares to, after spending a Turn to look for it. Failure means that it's been lost, and the Wraith has to go back to the start. If a Dramatic Failure occurs, the memory escapes into her own mind, and is lost amongst her own memories.

There is no limit to the amount of memories that a Wraith can absorb with * Distraction.

No matter what's found through the use of this Art, the target is distracted for a Turn for each success. After the first Turn, she can try to get herself back on track by rolling her Resolve + Composure, minus one die for each success the Wraith got past the first. If the target succeeds, the diversion ends and she can carry on with what she was about to do. A Dramatic Failure leaves her confused and unable to do anything for an entire Scene.

Path of Command

Path of Memory

Path of Desire

Crossover Arts

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