Path of Requiem

Necromancy -x- Giovanni

Introduction

Memories are the lifeblood of the dead; the psychic remnants of their breathing days leave an indelible legacy upon their afterlives that flows through their plasmic veins. Ghosts draw strength from the memories of people and places significant to them in life, and those who remember the departed continue to feed the spirits in the hereafter.

A necromancer with the Requiem Path may delve into these fading threads of memory and manipulate them in order to force spirits to act at his behest. A few less mercenary individuals might use the Requiem Path to give final rest to lingering spirits, and it is speculated that perhaps such was the original purpose of the path. Unfortunately, final rest for the spirits does not play into the Giovanni’s grand scheme.

· Memoriam

Spirits are fueled by passion, and the primary source of their emotional strength is the memories that bind them to the world of the living. Knowing the passions that a spirit clings to can give the necromancer a great deal of sway over the ghost. For example: knowing that a spirit lingers on so that he can protect his living daughter gives the necromancer a valuable bargaining chip. More noble vampires might offer to help protect the ghost’s child, while more ruthless individuals might threaten the child’s life unless the ghost cooperates... System: The vampire must have either summoned the ghost, or be able to see the ghost in question (either through Aura Perception or other Necromancy powers), and must roll Perception + Empathy, difficulty of the spirit’s Wits + Subterfuge. For each success, the necromancer learns one of the following details about the spirit’s psyche:

• One emotional link to the land of the living, such as love or hate for a living person, or the desire to finish some important task.

• The relative strength of a given emotional link (weak, moderate, or intense). *Whether the passion is attuned to the wraith’s normal personality (the psyche) or the darker- half of his soul (the shadow).

• One detail concerning an emotional link: the person, object or task that the ghost is linked to.

Storytellers who are implementing elements of Wraith might give more detailed information concerning the ghost’s Passions: for instance, 3 successes might reveal the Passion "Destroy the relationship of my wife and best friend" (Envy 4). If the storyteller does not wish to use Wraith terms, he might simply say that the ghost has a strong emotional need to break up the relationship between his wife and his former best friend, and that the driving emotion is Envy.