Updated: 17 April 1998

THE CORRUPTION

                    The mysterious source of Corruption whose aura permeates Paris can touch anyone, and have effects similar to those explained in most World of Darkness books.

Known as Nebneferptah, the source tries to reach conscience and awaken from Torpor. But even now, it feels that its enemies are searching for him, and that should it awaken, they would find him and destroy him.

So it tries to draw pawns to it. Drawing power from the various original Vis sources of Paris, it founds that others could try to do the same by drawing power from it. Corrupted power. By becoming stronger, they were becoming willing pawns.

Here is explained the Power, as well as the Price of Power...

HOW IT AFFECTS WHOM?

                    Before starting, let it be clear that there is a difference between being corrupt, and being Corrupt. The first is in the nature of man, and even, in the World of Darkness Mythology, it is a primordial force of what some would call universe.

The second, is being influenced, through various means and from various reasons, by the Coruption Source we will call Nebneferptah, even if it has little to do with the original creature who bore that name. This influence leads, in the end, to total servitude to its will...

Where can someone be affected?

                    Some places, in Paris, are what Meryt-Neith called Thaumaturgical Mirrors. While those places are not corrupting per se, they create throught their influence focal points where the concentration of the Corrupted Vis can lead to Corruption just by exposition. One of the exemple of this is in the dungeons of the Tremere Chantry of St Louis. One of the original Caerns of the Garou was corrupted, and with it the entire Pack...

Those sites can lead to accumulation of Corrupted Vis, or to the thining of the Shroud that separate the World of the living and the Realm of the Dead (and most of the Time, Specters --See Wraith: The Oblivion-- will be given the chance walk through the barrier to physically affect the living), etc.. There is no way to recognize one of those Sites (The Garou would know, by using Sense Wyrm). The Storyteller is encouraged to create a personnal way of corruption. Role-Playing would be cool, but Dice Rolls sometimes works better (oh, it's the third time you asks me if my char follow the unholy light in the tunnel because she's impressed and attracted by it... She won't!). Examples follows:

• Anyone remaining for one night in the site will be subject to corruption: The Victim rolls Humanity (Or Path), Diff:6, and the Storyteller rolls Corruption (of the Site), Diff:8, If the Site has one success, at least, the Victim is now Corrupted and has now a Corruption rating of 1.
• The Site is a Dark Vis Source. Each time a Victim tries to draw Dark Vis (knowingly, or unknowingly), she have to throw a Humanity (or Path) Roll, Diff:6, Vs a Corruption Roll (The number of Vis Point taken), diff:8. If the Corruption wins, with at least one Success, then the victim is Corrupted, and has now a Corruption rating of 1.

Is Humanity the fundamental Trait?

                    In fact, for the Kindred (and mortals), Humanity is the surviving conscience of the original soul, fighting against the Beast, that is the primal instincts (as well as willpower) of this soul.

But some (most of them Kindred) have learnt other philosophies that can protect them from the fall into bestiality. These are called Path of Illumination, Road of Enlightment, Via, etc. For the Kindred, the important is the ''distance'' between the conscience and bestiality, not the philosophy that protect someone from it. So the deeper someone sunk into bestiality, the easier is for the Corruption to take a hold over her. Most animals can be corrupted automaticaly (but lack any power to make them usable pawns).

Note that some World of Darkness denizen don't have the Humanity rating (while most mortals have). For the Lupines, who are better protected against the Corruption's influence, the corresponding Trait is Gnosis+2 (yes, a bonus in the dices...). For the Mages and Wraiths, the Storyteller will have to select an Humanity rating corresponding to the general behaviour of the creature (If the Mage already killed without feeling remorse, then her Humanity should not be far from 2...)

The Malkavian Clan is another case: Due to their own twisted derangement, they are harder to corrupt. A Malkavian will have a Bonus of 2 Dices in their Path Roll to resist Corruption.

For those using the Black Widows Bloodline, please note that the Dark Widow is not a corrupted version of the Black Widow's soul. It is very different in nature from the Shadow of a Wraith (with leads to Oblivion) and others Demons Souls (for Kindred of the East). A Black Widow has her own, very powerful and loner Dark Side that will not be influenced by the general corruption. The difference between the two is the difference between Corruption and Evil. Should a Black Widow be ''corrupted'', the effect is cancelled, awakening the ''Dark Widow'' instead.

Can someone draw the attention of the Corruption to her?

                    Yes, of course. By using the Vis from Dark Nodes, as described before, but through acts that can lead to a great weakening of someone's philosophy.

• Anyone having to make a Conscience Roll for an action that is very wrong in her mind (i.e.: Humanity of 7 having to roll for an act numbered as Humanity 3, for example) and failing the roll will automatically attract the Corruption's attention and win a Point of Corruption.
• Anyone commiting a Diablerie while in Paris will automatically win a Corruption point.
• Anyone having Vicissitude will have to roll a Willpower Roll (see Storyteller Handbook to the Sabbat, p63) for each level she has, and after, each level she wins). This is another roll, having little to do with the roll described in the Storyteller Handbook to the Sabbat, giving Derangements, etc. In fact everyone, even Tzimisce (if in you chronicles Tzimisce are immune to those Derangements) have to make this Roll. Each failure is another point of Corruption

HOW IT MANIFESTS?

                    Now the subject has tasted corruption. And Corruption will give power enough to finish the conversion to its cause. With the corruption comes some mark, which can be the telltale witch niple, but can also be a tattoo of alien design, a malformation, a twisted Derangement, etc.. The storyteller can even chose to give no apparent mark: After all, Vicissitude is corruption enough...

Corruption is a Trait determining a corruption rating, a Virtue, but as well a Discipline: Each level is won as an Virtue (2 per level), and each level gives access to a new power.

The Corruption Discipline

                    Each Level of Corruption gives access to one type of power. And (surprise!) the Corruption is not limited by anything, even Generation!

• 1 Demonic Investment of equal or lower level (See Storyteller Handbook to the Sabbat, p58-63, or even Kindred of the East, in the Demon Shintai chapter).
• 1 Discipline power of equal of lower level.
• Easy access to a ''Demonic'' Discipline (Daimoinon, Nihilistics, Obtenebration and any other Discipline the Storyteller sees fit) at the price of a Clan Discipline, without needing any teacher.
• Easy Access to Vicissitude without any teacher and without any Generation Limitation! (but at the risk of increasing one's level of Corruption quite drastically!
• Easy access to Dark Thaumaturgy, at normal cost, without the need of a teacher (at least for the Discipline, one Path and one Ritual)
• Easy access to the Path of Evil Revelations, with Nebneferptah being the Master (See Storyteller Handbook to the Sabbat, p51): Simply switch paths, but add one point: So Humanity 2 becomes Path of Evil Revelations 3.

The Corrupted Side:

                    The price to pay is sometimes lapses of conscience. Suddenly, sometimes without any apparent reason, the ''victim'' will forget what's happening, and will awaken in another place, minutes, hours and even days after.

In truth, the Corrupted Side took over her: To see if this happen, roll Humanity or Path, Diff:6, vs Corruption Diff:6. If the Corruption has more successes then it takes the control, and the victim's conscience falls into Torpor. The number of excedental successes shows how long the control will last:

Note that the Corrupted Side knows how long the control will be effective!

While this time, the Corrupted Side will act to feed its own twisted desires (with no consequences on the subject's Humanity of Path), or follow the empathic suggestions of Nebneferptah (whatever the Storyteller sees fit to further the aim of the corruption of Paris).

Most of the time, the Corrupted side is independant enough to want to continue its existence, and won't follow death missions. But sometimes...

Note that the conscience of the victim will not know what happened, and is not conscious when her Corrupted Side is controlling her body.

What Happens if Corruption reaches 10?

                    In truth, it can happen before: Each time the Corruption increases, there is a secret Corruption Roll, Diff:15+Humanity/Path-Corruption ratings. If this Corruption is successful, then the character automaticaly turns to the Path of Evil Revelation, as its Corrupted Side takes the control. In most cases, the character is now NPC...

Isn't there anymore hope?

                    Err... Yes. A victim can decrease its Corruption rating by some ways (bathing in the Styx... See Outcasts: The Book of Pariah, p61), but most of them should be role-played. There is no fast rules for this, and somehow, it is similar to the quest of Golconda.

For a character whose Corrupted Side took over, there still a little hope: His Humanity (Path) rating. If the Storyteller accepts this, one can now play his character for some times, taking over the Corrupted Side by confronting her Humanity/Path rating vs the Corrupted Side's Path of Evil Revelations rating.

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