The Quick should find their own places. All my days as a living soul I spent my time surrounded by the wonders created by man. The carefully carved furinture and fine draperies held more fascination for me than ever a person could. The human form was awkward, built only to grow old and fragile. It is the works made by the living, not the living themselves that can be eternal. This art allows a wraith to manipulate and animate objects created by the living, regardless of whether the objects have any true value. Many Alchemists claim that the act of creation has imbued the items with a life of their own, and that this pseudo-life is what permits them to give false life to the objects in the first place.
Flux -- Alchemists
For centuries, the guild known as the Alchemists studied the energy within objects. Just as the Usurers understood the flow of energy from one being to another, the Alchemists' experiments centered on the relative strength and weakness of objects. Like their mortal counterparts, the Alchemists tried to understand the components of matter, and thereby learn how best to manipulate it. Of course, this Guild was always in demand by those who wished to obtain relics, as well as those who sought to protect their Fetters in the Skinlands. Alchemists worked in tandem with their sister guild, the Artificers, until Charon disbanded the guilds. At that time, the force of Charon's Dictum Mortum began to discourage congress with the Skinlands even further, and the Alchemists were driven from Stygia.
Basic Abilities
Grave Mold: The wraith may cause spontaneous growth of lichen and mildew in small areas. By repeated use of this ability, the wraith can spread decay throughout a house. The mold does not have any effect on living matter. Sense Fluxion: The wraith may, after careful examination, sense when others are using Fluc upon an object in the Skinlands.
1 - Rot By use of this art, the character may age a small, non-living item. Fabric and paper will yellow and begin to crumble when touched by the wraith, but other, heavier objects are unaffected. The weight and density of objects altered by Rot must be small for this art to have any significant effect. Rot is sometimes used in place of Inhabit to bring small, fragile objects across the Shroud as relics. Only one object may be affected at a time. This art costs one point of Pathos for every use.
2 - Strengthen This art allows the wraith to manipulate the object in such a way that it becomes more resistant to decay and damage. By doing so, the Alchemist alters the structure of the object so that any attempt to damage or break the object will be significantly more difficult.
3 - Decay This Art allows a wraith to promote significant decay in manmade objects. With a sufficient number of successes, wood crumbles at the lightest touch and iron rusts to the point where it loses all structual integrity. The Alchemists' Guild found this ability very useful in convincing the Quick to avoid areas where they were not wanted. Later modifications -- such as using this Art on moving vehicles -- assured the Alchemists that they had found a certain method of keeping the living at bay. The effects cause by Decay can be impressive, despite the fact that the actual area covered is often only that of a single link of chain or a similarly small component. Like Rot, this art is often used in place of Inhabit to bring small objects across the Shroud as relics. This art costs two Pathos.
4 - Puppet Theatre This art allows the wraith to animate several small objects at one time, typically several objects of like nature. A wraith might animate an entire collection of dolls from a dollhouse, and the dollhouse as well, or animate a bowl full of marbles, or a jar of pencils. The collection as a whole has the same Physical Attributes as the wraith, but only a fraction of those Attributes individually, and all objects are limited by their nature. A collection of stuffed animals could move about on all fours or even grapple a target, but a collection of pencils could only be used to stab, write or erase. Wraiths are still able to use their senses through the object they animate. This art costs 1 Pathos or each item in the collection that is animated, plus any Willpower the character decides to spend.
5 - Automaton This art allows a wraith to literally build a body from objects in their vicinity. The body can be made from debris in a junk yard, or from sheaves of paper, or from virtually any object created by humans. The body has the same Physical Attributes as the wraith, but is still limited by the laws of physics. A body comprised entirely of tissue paper does not stand up against torrential rainfalls very well, and is likely to be thrown about by strong breezes. The automaton created by use of this art is capable of sight, and even speech. This art also allows the wraith to create a cyclone of manmade objects capable of doing damage equivalent to the wraith's Strength. The cyclone created by this method is fully under the control of the wraith, and can gather in additional objects to replace those that are lost in its mad rampage. This art costs 3 Pathos and 2 Willpower to use, and the character receives 2 additional Angst from the use.
