Lore of Realms

Associated Apocalyptic Form: Ereshkigal, The Visage Of The Realms
Associated House: Slayer (Halaku)

Although they're known today as the Angels of the Second World, the Slayers were originally mere agents of change, eliminating plants and animals that had outlived their purpose to make way for new, better generations. The Lore of Death granted them the power to end life quickly and painlessly, then render the bodies of the dead back into their constituent particles for the earth to absorb and begin anew. Of all the Houses, the Halaku were forced to evolve the most in the wake of the Fall. With the loss of mankind's immortality, the Slayers were thrust into a difficult and painful situation of ending human life, often well before its time, then surrendering the spirit to an unknown fate. The Lore of the Spirit grew from the Slayers' desire to prevent the loss of these souls, anchoring them to places on the earth in their former bodies, but this wasn't enough to protect the ghosts from the depredations of loyalist Reapers. Finally, the Halaku decided on a more desperate course: The construction of a haven outside the physical universe where God's Reapers couldn't find the souls of the dead. The first step in this plan was to learn the ways of stabilizing and traveling to pockets of reality that existed outside the physical cosmos, leading to the evolution of the Lore of the Realms and culminating in the creation of the spirit realm.Although they're known today as the Angels of the Second World, the Slayers were originally mere agents of change, eliminating plants and animals that had outlived their purpose to make way for new, better generations. The Lore of Death granted them the power to end life quickly and painlessly, then render the bodies of the dead back into their constituent particles for the earth to absorb and begin anew. Of all the Houses, the Halaku were forced to evolve the most in the wake of the Fall. With the loss of mankind's immortality, the Slayers were thrust into a difficult and painful situation of ending human life, often well before its time, then surrendering the spirit to an unknown fate. The Lore of the Spirit grew from the Slayers' desire to prevent the loss of these souls, anchoring them to places on the earth in their former bodies, but this wasn't enough to protect the ghosts from the depredations of loyalist Reapers. Finally, the Halaku decided on a more desperate course: The construction of a haven outside the physical universe where God's Reapers couldn't find the souls of the dead. The first step in this plan was to learn the ways of stabilizing and traveling to pockets of reality that existed outside the physical cosmos, leading to the evolution of the Lore of the Realms and culminating in the creation of the spirit realm.


* Sense The Barrier [ Demon: The Fallen -- Page 213 ]
The Slayer is able to sense the relative strength of the barrier between the physical and the spirit realms in an area as large as a city block, allowing the demon to home in on regions where the boundary is exceptionally thick or thin.

System: Roll Perception + Awareness. If your roll is successful, your Slayer can zero in on any regions of unusual strength or weakness in the barrier between the realms. As a rule of thumb, the barrier between realms tends to be strongest in areas where the influence of human faith is weakest. Therefore, a science lab that promotes cold intellect over intuition might have a strong barrier, while a graveyard or a church might have a weak barrier. Your demon can read an area that's 10 square yards multiplied by his Faith score.

Torment: Monstrous demons can sense only areas where the barrier is weak, drawn by the call of the spirit storm raging just beyond.


** Step Beyond The Veil [ Demon: The Fallen -- Page 213 ]
This evocation allows the Slayer to physically cross the barrier into the shadow world, a lifeless mirror image of the mortal world. Doing so allows the demon to travel vast distances in the shadow realm at the speed of thought and return to the physical world at a corresponding location

System: Roll Dexterity + Awareness. The difficulty is determined by the relative strength of the barrier in the area where your Slayer tries to cross. Doing so at a weak point (a church or graveyard) is difficulty 6. Crossing over in an old house or apartment building that's seen generations of occupants is difficulty 7. Crossing from a shopping mall is 8. Once in the Shadowlands, your character can fly across the bleak landscape with the speed of thought. Roll Dexterity + Athletics (difficulty , allows the demon to cover a mile each turn per success rolled. The roads and buildings in the shadow realm are just as real to your demon as are their physical world counterparts. She must traverse any physical obstacles and find her way to her destination just as she would in the mortal world. Upon reaching her destination, the demon can return automatically to the corresponding place in the physical realm, appearing as if from nowhere. All other actions are performed as normal in the spirit realm, but the furious storm raging there increases difficulties to 8, at the least. Furthermore, your Slayer loses a point of temporary Willpower each time a roll botches. If the demon loses all her Willpower, she's torn from her mortal host. The body is returned to the physical realm and the disembodied soul must fight the pull of the Abyss while searching for another anchor. Your character can't take passengers with her to or from the spirit or living realms. Encountering and communicating with spirits in the deadlands is similar to meeting people in the living world. Spirits have their own identities and agendas and may be willing or unwilling to interact with visitors. Demons can use Lore of the Spirit to encourage such interaction.

Torment: Monstrous demons that cross into the spirit world create a "seam" I the barrier that draws restless spirits into the physical world, resulting in temporary but intense hauntings. This seam remains in the area for a number of days equal to the demon's Torment score.

*** Ghostwalk [ Demon: The Fallen -- Page 214 ]
This evocation allows the demon to exist simultaneously in both the physical and spirit realms. She can interact with both mortals and spirits, and pass through objects in both places.

System: Roll Stamina + Awareness. The difficulty is determined by the relative strength of the barrier in the area where the Slayer performs the evocation. Doing so at a weak point (a church or graveyard) is difficulty 6. Crossing over in an old house or apartment building that's seen generations of occupants is difficulty 7. Crossing from a shopping mall is 8. If you roll is successful, your demon becomes a hazy, insubstantial form, bale to see and be seen by individuals on both sides of the barrier. She passes through objects without harm, and vice versa, though she can interact with one realm or the other in a given turn with a Willpower roll (difficulty . If the roll succeeds, the Slayer can speak to individuals, handle objects, attack or be attacked in the realm to which she has attuned herself, just as if she were solid. The effects of this evocation lasts for a number of turns equal to the character's Faith rating. Your character can't take any other beings with her to this "middle ground" between realms.

Torment: When monstrous demons perform this evocation, it causes the energies of the spirit storm to leak into the physical realm around her, causing wild and unpredictable spirit manifestations and hauntings.

**** Reach Across The Barrier [ Demon: The Fallen -- Page 214 ]
The Slayer can peer into and reach across into the spirti realm the same way a mortal retreves something from a cupboard, placing or retrieving items between the realms at will. During the War of Wrath, this evocation was used extensively to place powerful weapons or other items beyond the reach of the Slayers' enemies. Many still remain there to this day, waiting to be found.

System: Spend one Faith Point and roll Dexterity + Awareness. The difficulty is determined by the relative strength of the barrier in the area where the Slayer performs the evocation. Doing so at a weak point (a church or graveyard) is difficulty 6. Crossing over in an old house or apartment building that's seen generations of occupants is difficulty 7. Crossing from a shopping mall is 8. If your roll is successful, your character can see into and "reach" across the barrier between realms -- her hand and arm literally vanishes fro mortal eyes until she withdraws it again. She can place or remove any item that can be easily lifted with one or two hands. Mortals or demons can't be forced across the barrier using this evocation. Items can be hidden away from the spirit world, from deadlands inhabitants. But, of course, that might mean that real world beings could find the items.

Torment: Monstrous demons who perform this evocation risk allowing traces of the spirit storm to leak through into the physical world, causing surreal and terrifying side effects. If the evocation succeeds, the Storyteller makes a Willpower roll with the difficulty equal to your Slayer's Torment. If the roll fails, the winds of the storm seep through, subjecting all mortals in the immediate area to Willpower rolls (difficulty . If their rolls fail, they flee in terror. If their rolls botch, they also suffer a temporary derangement.

***** Pierce The Barrier [ Demon: The Fallen -- Page 214 ]
This evocation enables the Slayer to create a temporary doorway between the living and dead realms, allowing other demons to cross into the Shadowlands if the portal's creator wishes.

System: Spend one Faith Pont and roll Stamina + Awareness. The difficulty is determined by the relative strength of the barrier in the area where the Slayer performs the evocation. Doing so at a weak point (a church or graveyard) is difficulty 6. Crossing over in an old house or apartment building that's seen generations of occupants is difficulty 7. Crossing from a shopping mall is difficulty 8. if your roll succeeds, your Slayer creates a portal that other demons may bodily pass through into the shadow realm, allowing them to interact with the spirits of the dead and to travel through the deadlands. As many other demons may enter as you get successes on your roll. Living mortals and thralls can't pass. Non-Slayers who make the transition are at a considerable disadvantage compared to the Halaku, being more susceptible to the ravages of the Maelstrom than those of the Seventh House. Furthermore, they can't travel as quickly across the shadow realm as the Slayers can. They cover distances only as fast as they could in the physical realm. The dice pools for all actions taken by uninitiated demons are halved (rounded up), and these fallen lose one temporary Willpower Point each day that they remain in the spirit realm. When their Willpower is exhausted, her mortal body dies and her spirit is drawn back into the Abyss. The doorway created by this evocation lasts for only a single turn, and it's a one-way. spirits from beyond can't normally use it to enter the living world.

Torment: Monstrous demons who perform this evocation cause the effects of the spirit storm to rage in the physical world in the immediate vicinity of the doorway, drawing spirits and causing horrifying manifestations to linger for a number of days equal to your character's Torment.