Mnemosynis Symbol

(ne-MO-sin-iss)


nemosynis can either be a powerful cathartic tool or the most inhumanly potent source of pain imaginable for a wraith. Students of this Arcanos learn the arts of tracing memories, and, should the individual worker reach more difficult levels of achievement, of bringing those memories into the present. Obviously Mnemosynis is a powerful tool for obtaining information or ascertaining guilt, and it was a widely held belief that the Mnemoi were incapable of pulling anything save the absolute truth from the psyches of those they work with. This, unfortunately, was not the case.

An early synthesis of the arts of Puppetry and Castigate, Mnemosynis also focused on the control of others. Mnemoi are workers with the stuff of remembrance and the patterns of thought, and only the most skilled have the ability to shape it, rather than merely read or recall it. However, those with the talents to perceive memory as physical stuff may shape it to their satisfaction, thus in essence modifying or creating memories. Those watching the Mnemoi do not see this reshaping of the material of the memory as anything beyond the usual visual effects associated with the Arcanos.

Use the Empathy Ability for retests with the Mnemosynis Arcanos.


***WARNING: This Arcanoi is illegal in the Shadowlands and knowledge of it can get your character killed. You may learn it, just be aware of the dangers this knowledge brings.***

Innate Abilities



Rewind:

With a minimum of effort, a Mnemos is capable of seeing the last minute of another being's existence through that being's eyes. Humans, Spectres, even animals are affected by this power. The clock is constantly ticking on this ability and the time limit is precise, but nothing can be omitted or glossed over when Rewind is employed. The Mnemos using Rewind sees, instead of the world around her, the last minute of the target's experience in the first-person format. The Rewind starts from the moment precisely one minute before the Arcanos is employed. At the end of that minute, reality reasserts itself.

System: By entering a Mental Challenge against her target, the Mnemos activates Rewind and is able to see the world through her subject's eyes. The subject must relate the last minute of her existence to the Mnemos character, omitting nothing. If the Mnemos loses the challenge, the target can either refuse to speak or give false information.

In Memoriam:

In Memoriam brings back a specific memory so that the Mnemos can experience it herself. The memory in question must be specified precisely (i.e., "Let me see your memory of the last time you spoke with your friend Aristophanes," or "Show me what happened just after sundown last Thursday"), and must refer to an event that the questioner knows occurred. "Show me what happened when you dumped Chretien into the Nihil," is not a valid question, unless the Mnemos knows that her target did in fact dump someone named Chretien into a Nihil.

System: The memory is presented in the same manner as one recalled through Rewind. To recall a particular memory, the Mnemos phrases her request for the specific memory and then enters an Extended Mental Challenge against the target. Every success determines the clarity of the image. This power is only good for the last year; each additional five years of range requires the expenditure of a Willpower Trait.

Basic Abilities



Mnemotechnics:

Mnemotechnics brings a moment of the past back for the wraith upon whom it is exercised. When this art is used, the target is instantaneously transported (in her mind) back to a time specified by the Mnemos responsible. The character will perceive herself to be in that past time and will act accordingly. This power can either be a magnificent release or the cruelest of inflicted delusions, and it is used sparingly by those who are aware of its consequences.

System: An Extended Social Challenge against he subject determines whether this power functions. IN addition, if the intent of the Mnemos utilizing Mnemotechnics is to heal painful memories, the number of successes indicates the number of Angst points drained from the target's Shadow (half of this number is added to the Mnemos as Pathos). Conversely, a malevolent use of this power adds a number of Angst points equal to half the number of successes. In either case, the duration of the delusion is determined by the number of successes won as well; one minute for each one. Using Mnemotechnics requires the expenditure of a Pathos and Willpower Trait. In addition, the Mnemos automatically gains an Angst point if the power is used malevolently.

Mindspeak:

This art allows the wraith to communicate short phrases to an individual, and to receive his responses. Like a kind of limited telepathy, this art may only be used to communicate with someone within the user's line of sight. Because the thoughts are being conveyed by means that is beyond language, it is difficult to express find shades of meaning through this art. On the other hand, it is possible to communicate with someone who speaks an unfamiliar language, due to the nonverbal nature of Mindspeak.

System: The wraith must enter a Static Mental Challenge. Each success allows her to communicate one simple phrase, and receive a response. For each additional person the Mnemos wishes to communicate with beyond the first, one point of Pathos must be expended.

Intermediate Abilities



Casting the Scene:

Casting the Scene recalls a moment of the target's past for everyone within a 10' radius. An expense of additional Pathos expands the range of those included in the effect. The request for a memory must be carefully phrased; queries in the "If you didn't bury him in the basement, where did you bury him?" will produce precisely zero in the way of effect. Everyone in the range experiences the memory through the eyes of the target of the Arcanos.

System: For a cost of two Pathos and one Willpower Trait, Casting the Scene can be invoked. The wraith acquires one Temporary Angst point for every minute of memory replayed by this power. To use Cast the Scene, the Mnemos makes a Static Social Challenge. The power is only good for events that occurred in the past year; each additional five years of range requires the expenditure of an additional Willpower Trait.

Advanced Abilities



Onslaught:

This is the ultimate power of the Mnemoi, the ability to amplify and transfer a memory wholly from one person to another. While this may not seem a fearsome power, a compressed and intensified emotional experience can in some cases cause actual damage to the recipient. The person the memory is being transferred from will still recall the memory concerned, but will become more detached from the experience. While this art was initially developed to heal painful memories, it has been adapted to inflict such intense emotional pain that the body actually begins to become physically weakened by the Onslaught. It is the abuse of this power that forced Charon to break the Mnemoi, and Onslaught is feared even to this day.

System: The wraith attempting to use this art must first make eye contact with the subject, and must Embody if the intended target is in the Skinlands and has no means of seeing beyond the Shroud. The Narrator assigns a number from one to 10, indicating the intensity of the memory being transferred. The Mnemos may increase the intensity by spending Willpower Traits on a one-for-one basis, but may not bring the intensity level above a maximum of 10. The subject and the Mnemos then enter into an Extended Static Mental Challenge, counting their successes until both have lost, with a tie counting as a loss for the subject and a tie counting as a win for the Mnemos. The one with more successes inflicts their number of successes in Corpus (or Health, in the case of beings in the Skinlands) Levels of damage to the loser. Using this art will cause the Mnemos to gain four Angst.

Mnemoi Guild: Mnemosynis Arcanos


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