Ash Path

Once purchased, this power is always active. You can see and sense the Shadowlands around you, perceiving the echoes of the past that still linger in that other world. You can notice wraiths in the Shadowlands, but you are granted no special ability to communicate with them. If a wraith speaks a language you know, then you can have discourse with it.

By spending 1 Blood and concentrating for three full turns, you can raise or lower the Shroud by one level in an area up to the size of a large room. This effect lasts for the rest of the night. A stronger Shroud makes it more difficult for wraiths to interact with the living world, while a weaker Shroud has the reverse effect. There are three levels of Shroud: low, medium, and high. The typical Shroud rating is medium, though particularly "creepy" areas, such as cemeteries or haunted houses, have a low Shroud; and emotionally sterile places, such as a newsroom or a laboratory, will have a high Shroud rating. Low: The area feels creepy and is plagued with unusual sounds, smells, and occasional apparitions. Wraiths have a particularly easy time interacting with the physical world in this location. Ghosts do not have to spend Pathos to manifest. When manifesting, a ghost has a number of health levels equal to the turns it spends manifesting, with a maximum of 5. Also, a ghost's view of the physical world is very clear, and they can communicate in a whisper, even with individuals who do not have the Medium merit (or any other ability to speak with or see wraiths). A soul that is outside of its body due to use of Soul Steal can spend a Willpower to manifest when the shroud is low. Such a character has access to all of her powers, including Physical powers, and 1 health level. Medium: All activities are as per the standard Shroud level. Ghosts must spend the normal amount of Pathos to cross the Shroud. High: Wraiths have a particularly difficult time interacting with the physical world. Ghosts must spend twice the normal amount of Pathos when manifesting.

By spending 1 Blood and expending your standard action, you can reach into the Shadowlands and draw out common objects and items. Objects retrieved with this power must be small enough for a normal person to hold in both hands. This power can be used to grasp things that naturally occur in the Shadowlands at that location, echoes of objects that existed in the past. Such items are always normal, though they may be quite old, and must sensibly be present within the local landscape of the Shadowlands. You can also use this power to similarly push items through the Shroud to the Shadowlands from the material realm. In this manner, this power's user could use Dead Hand to reach through the Shroud and give her wraith Retainer a gun. Later, at a different location, she could again use Dead Hand to reach into the Shadowlands, where her wraith Retainer (who has been following her around) stands ready to hand back the gun. Items native to the Shadowlands remain in this world for one hour, after which they dissolve into mist and return to their native plane.

Spend 1 Blood and use a standard action to hurl a bolt of plasm from the tempests of the Shadowlands. Make an opposed challenge using your Social attribute + Occult versus the target's Physical attribute + Dodge. If successful, this attack deals 3 points of normal damage, and it can strike individuals in the Shadowlands – including wraiths, physical travelers, and individuals whose souls have been stolen – as well as those on the physical plane.

By focusing on a familiar destination, spending 1 Blood, and chanting for five full turns, you can travel into and through the Shadowlands. You can bring up to three of your zombie minions (Shambling Hordes or other such Retainers) with you on this journey. Time and distance are subjective in the Shadowlands, and it always takes four hours to arrive at your destination, no matter how far you travel in the real world. You can shorten the time it takes to arrive at your chosen location by sacrificing an undead servant, either a zombie or wraith, to the Tempest after you enter Ex Nihilo. For each such Retainer you destroy, your journey takes one hour less to complete. If you sacrifice all three of your zombie or wraith servants, you reduce your travel time to one hour. Alternately, you can enter the Shadowlands without intent to travel. Instead, you may lurk beyond the Shroud and spy on the living world. While in the Shadowlands, you see the real world as a hazy shadow of itself. This allows you to have a general understanding of events around you, but it is difficult to pick out details or overhear conversations. Unfortunately, the Medium merit does not work in reverse to allow you to hear and witness the physical world as you would the Shadowlands. A character can return to the physical world by concentrating for five turns. This transition is slow and noticeable, as the individual slowly comes into focus, gaining solidity as she eases her way back through the Shroud. You cannot bring anyone with you through the Shadowlands, other than your zombie minions. This power can be particularly dangerous if there are hostile wraiths, such as spectres, in the Shadowlands. Such creatures can attack you while you are on their plane. This encounter is treated in all ways like a normal conflict. While in the Shadowlands, you cannot use powers (including Necromancy powers) on targets in the real world.