How did I find you? Love, it was easier than you think. We had a bond in life; in death it's even stronger. Lifeweb is the study of the ties between wraiths and the living world. A master of this Arcanos' secrets can sense and manipulate the bonds of the Fetters, handling their energy as a weaver manipulates her shuttle and loom. Lifeweb allows a wraith to monitor her Fetters' energy, keeping track of them even at a distance. Some sit at the heart of this web, extending their senses to any "trouble spot" as it is disturbed. Others actively walk among people, places and things, marking some as temporary Fetters in order to watch over them more efficiently.
The Guild
The Monitors were not as vital to Stygian society as the Pardoners, Masquers or Artificers. They often trained their Guild members as Reapers, and as such had considerable influence on the Lemure population. However, their focus on the moretal world kept them from achieving as much influence in Stygia as some of the other Guilds. Since the fall of their Guild, the Monitors have become even more defensive than before. They refuse to teach other wraiths any but the most remedial arts of Lifeweb, unless absolutely convinced of their pupils' trustworthiness. Current rumors accuse certain ex-Monitors of running protection rackets, threatning other wraiths; Fetters unless bribed, and linking wraiths to objects that are about to be destroyed. Monitors never close their eyes, not even in Slumber, and by this they may be detected.
Botches
Misreading the delicate net of Lifeweb can haev several side effects. A botch on a simple sensory scan might lead to a garbled or misread reading. If the character is trying something particularly powerful, a botch might mean he loses track of one of his own Fetters for the duration of the story. Some say that horrible mistakes have led to wraiths accidentally severing their own Fetters, but this has yet to be proven.
Basic Abilities
Locate Fetter: The wraith may "check up" on any of his Fetters, scanning its surroundings. This ability also permits the wraith to sense a Fetter's distance and direction.
1 - Sense Strand The wraith can scrutinize the patterns of energy surrounding wraiths and Fetters. He may perceive the links between a wraith and her Fetters, sense whether something is in fact a Fetter or not, and if so, indentify the wraith attached to it. A wraith may only examine a Fetter once per day. Sense Strand costs 1 Pathos.
2 - Web Presence The wraith may use this art to affect a Fetter's immediate area from a distance. She may use Arcanoi or communcate with any wraith there. This art costs 1 Pathos per turn of use.
3 - Splice Strand The wraith may create an attachment with a person, place or thing, making it a temporary Fetter. Both the wraith involved and the object must be touched in some manner by the Monitor doing the splicing, at which point the connection is made. The Fetter may be maintained from day to day, but only one temporary Fetter at a time can be maintained with this art. The affinity costs 1 Pathos to create and 1 Pathos per day of maintenance. The maintenance cost if paid by the wraith attached the Fetter.
4 - Sever Strand The wraith exercising this dread art can tear another wraith from his Fetters. She can only accomplish this in the presence of the target Fetter, but can rip it away through raw force of will. A wraith whose Fetter has been thus severed may reattach it by two methods. First, he may simply expend one permanent Willpower while in contact with the former Fetter. Alternately, he may use Splice Strand (or have another wraith use it on him) to reconnect the link. This cannot be done with Fetters severed by Harrowings, or otherwise lost "naturally," but only those which Lifeweb has separated from him. He may spend a Willpower point to make the Splice Strand effect permanent, but only if the object was previously one of his Fetters. This art costs 2 Pathos and 1 Willpower.
5 - Soul Pact The wraith who has mastered this art can claim a willing mortal's soul as his own. This is usually done as part of a contract where the mortal promises her soul in exchange for help from "the other side." Thereafter, while the mortal lives, she becomes a Fetter of the wraith. When the mortal dies, the wraith becomes instantly aware; if the mortal becomes a wraith, she and the Monitor continue their link. The target becomes a one point Fetter. If the subject becomes a wraith after death (and most do), she and the Minotors each receive a one-point Passion to protect one another. This art costs 5 Pathos and 3 Willpower.
