Rusalka

Eternal youth, radiant beauty, bewitching charisma and incredible influence– for a price. 
Rusalka requires a Minor Merit to pursue.

Rusalka

History

The Rusalka are strange, beautiful monsters wrought by Nihilos from the Metaphorical remains of the deceased Godhead Læloch– one whose beauty, whose very domain, was stolen by Elphame, the Dryad queen. Nihilos took what was left of Læloch’s power on that barren moon and twisted it, with the very first Rusalka They created being a Dryad herself– Hyacinth Blooms-In-Twilight. Some say They picked a Dryad in a cruel sort of irony with regards to Læloch, while others claim it was merely a coincidence.

Nevertheless, Rusalka personify what Læloch’s domain once embodied– eternal beauty, envy, majesty. Hyacinth saw the strange curse she’d been granted as a gift. She allowed herself to be led by Nihilos through varying planes, and eventually to Antarok, in order to spread this radiant boon.

She was happy to found Alítheia along with the others when given the opportunity to do so. While grateful for her state of being, she is ultimately tentative about working towards any particular goal aside from her own power and vanity. Such attitudes are common among Rusalka in general, but still, they work with the other Blighted happily– provided they are compensated, that is.

Acquisition

Like all Blights, the curse of the Rusalka is spread from one to another. In order to start the process, the Rusalka, or would-be Domitor, must first Tie their initiate to themselves through Dominate. Then, through one means or another, the Domitor must incite strong emotion in the other, be it the heat of passion, profound joy, primal terror, so on. At the apex of that emotion, the Domitor should feed upon their initiate until they are nearly dead, only then stopping to give them a few drops of blood.

Upon consuming the blood, the would-be initiate will fall into a coma. Sometimes, this lasts for hours, sometimes for days, and sometimes, they will never wake up. If they do reawaken, the Tie will be broken and the initiate born anew as Rusalka, Kinder to their Domitor. But while the Tie is broken, its influence subtly lingers, warping the relationship between the two in one way or another– not dissimilar to the strange dynamic between Sire and Childe of Devorare.

Oftentimes, this process is ritualized and done with great fanfare, though there are others who prefer to keep it private, intimate. Either way, it is never a process done lightly given the potential a powerful Rusalka has to influence those around them.

Living As Rusalka

Somewhere between life and death in a traditional sense, the Rusalka’s appearance is snapshotted at the time of their initiation and they are rendered effectively immortal. They no longer need to eat, drink or breathe, but may continue to do so in order to blend in with those around them.

Emotional Vampirism

In lieu of traditional means of sustenance, the Rusalka feeds on Saol– their own reserves are constantly dwindling and they will die if they run out. This feat is only enabled in moments of heightened emotional expression, such as primal terror when one fears for one’s life or the ecstasy of an intimate climax. With such a condition met, the Rusalka is reinvigorated and renewed for a time.

Perversion of Life

Because the body of a Rusalka is constantly burning Saol and they do not produce their own, they are unable to create new life and are infertile.

Masters and above may regain their fertility by overfeeding roughly 3x their minimum until conception, though those who intend to maintain a pregnancy must feed at this rate for the entire duration thereof.

Feeding

The following metrics are measured assuming the target is an average human and that their Saol is entirely drained, killing them. Larger targets or those more dense in Saol will grant greater yields. However, it should be noted that the Rusalka’s feeding is not inherently lethal and that they may choose to spare their targets for reduced efficiency depending on how much Saol they leave behind.

While those with crueler hearts may leave a wake of bodies behind them, Rusalka with enough of a following don’t have to kill if they don’t wish to, even at ascendant– they need only figure out how to capture a large enough audience.

Novice: Must feed once per two months.

Apprentice: Must feed once per month.

Journeyman: Must feed fortnightly.

Expert: Must feed weekly.

Master: Must feed twice per week to maintain full efficiency, but may survive on one per week.

Ascendant: Must feed thrice per week to maintain full efficiency, but may survive on one per week.

Rusalka feeding methods are an easy bridge to Syphon, allowing the Rusalka to awaken this latent ability at the cost of a Minor Merit should they so wish.

Eternal Radiance

A Rusalka is an alluring entity. Their beauty is unparalleled, their skin and hair unnaturally smooth and soft, their scent irresistible, and their features bewitching. Those who are turned at older ages may even rewind the clock of time, regaining their youth after their first few feedings. Those who were not quite the prettiest of creatures in their past lives will find their features shifting into a more idealized version of themselves.

Heightened Intuition

Rusalka perceive the minutiae of people’s behaviors with greater understanding and clarity than they did before, almost possessing a sort of sixth sense with respect to reading others. Make no mistake, this is not mind reading and leaves a lot unknown, but it allows them to far more easily adapt to social situations.

Mageburn Symptoms

• Lesser: Mood Swings, Confusion, Lethargy
• Moderate: Erratic Emotional Instability, Exhaustion, Fever
• Greater: Delusions, Intense Mood Swings, Coma, Withered Appearance
• Primal Mania: A Rusalka in this state of mania is truly gone. They know nothing any longer but the intense, primeval need to feed, and will desperately find ways to do so whilst contending with all of the other Mageburn Symptoms until they inevitably perish.

Spells

Like all Blights, Rusalka uses the Metaphor of Absentia to cast.

A Rusalka is an entity whose willpower is made manifest by magical means. That being the case, all of their abilities might be fended off by those with sufficient strength of will of their own (Meditation skill of equivalent tier). To resist Dominate, the target must be aware of the spellcast.

Unyielding Will

A Rusalka’s magic is their willpower made manifest, and as such, they themselves become far harder to influence. They may channel this spell in order to use their skill in Rusalka in lieu of Meditation or Resistance when it comes to things that would require mental fortitude to resist.

Idolatry

As the old adage goes, ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholder’– and for the Rusalka, their beauty appears to subtly adapt to those that behold them. Idolatry is an illusory magic that shifts how the Rusalka looks to observers based on their own biases and preferences, making the caster appear as idealized versions of themselves to whomever it is that lays eyes upon them. But make no mistake– this thin veneer of magic does not alter what they truly are underneath.

Emanate

The Rusalka may channel a magical aura using themselves as an anchor that is invisible to those who cannot see magic. The aura can be infused with one of six (Lust, Joy, Calm, Fear, Fervor or Disgust) emotions at a time and can be used to heighten or influence the emotional state of those around them. For example, a Rusalka who wishes to sow terror in others may infuse their aura with primal Fear, whereas one wishing to sway a crowd in righteous anger would opt for Fervor. The strength of the aura depends on the mastery of the Blighted and the effect depends on the caster’s intent.

Note that this does not control others and works primarily through emotional suggestion, instilling a sort of ‘gut feeling’ within those affected by the aura. It makes suggestible people easy to manipulate and heightens existing emotions, but can’t override one’s nature– if somebody is simply not afraid of spiders, this aura will not make it so, for example. 

Auspex

Through touch, and at higher levels remotely, Auspex allows a Rusalka to subtly glean information from folks about that which evokes strong emotional reactions, such as what they may love or enjoy, fear or despise, things that make them laugh or recoil in disgust, etc. Sweeping for information within the purview of any particular emotion requires its own cast of the spell. Therefore, for a fuller picture of a person’s varying tastes, a Rusalka must cast this repeatedly.

Intoxicate

Through touch, a Rusalka may induce a high in others that makes them substantially more susceptible to suggestion or emotional manipulation as well as being physically more sensitive to touch of any sort.

Dominate

Through touch, a Rusalka may concentrate and form a Tie between themselves and another. Once the Tie is established, their victim must obey all of the caster’s commands henceforth until it is broken. The Tie breaks if the Rusalka wills it be so or their target consumes a few ounces of their blood.

Only a limited number of Ties can be maintained at once, and the amount varies based on mastery. This takes time to do but always requires at least several minutes worth of unbroken touch even when casting as an Ascendant. This can be established by force or consensually. Cunning Rusalka may still manage to covertly apply Ties, with the most common way for them to do so surreptitiously being during intimate encounters.

Tiers of Mastery

Novice

Having to learn to adjust to their new lives, the novice Rusalka’s spells are rather weak.

• Unyielding Will:
  • Ineffective at novice.
• Idolatry:
  • One spellcast lasts 30 minutes.
• Emanate:
  • One spellcast lasts 30 minutes.
  • Maximum range is a 120 ft circle around the caster (about the size of a small bedroom).
  • The chosen emotion is but a subtle suggestion.
• Auspex:
  • Unavailable at this tier.
• Intoxicate:
  • Unavailable at this tier.
• Dominate:
  • Unavailable at this tier.

Apprentice

The apprentice’s heightened intuition expands into the ability to cast Auspex at apprentice and their other spells last longer.

• Unyielding Will:
  • One spellcast lasts 30 minutes.
  • Replaces Meditation/Resistance with one’s skill in Rusalka for effects requiring mental fortitude to resist.
• Idolatry:
  • One spellcast lasts 1 hour.
• Emanate:
  • One spellcast lasts 1 hour.
  • Maximum range is a 1050 ft circle around the caster (about the size of half of a singles tennis court).
  • The chosen emotion is but a subtle suggestion.
• Auspex:
  • One spell allows the Rusalka to get a general idea of somebody’s tastes regarding a specific emotion (Lust, Joy, Calm, Fear, Fervor or Disgust).
• Intoxicate:
  • Unavailable at this tier.
• Dominate:
  • Unavailable at this tier.

Journeyman

A journeyman has at this point gotten used to what they must do to survive, having now developed Intoxicate to make the process easier.

• Unyielding Will:
  • One spellcast lasts 1 hour.
  • Replaces Meditation/Resistance with one’s skill in Rusalka for effects requiring mental fortitude to resist.
• Idolatry:
  • One spellcast lasts 3 hours.
• Emanate:
  • One spellcast lasts 3 hours.
  • Maximum range is a 2,100 ft circle around the caster (about the size of a singles tennis court).
  • The chosen emotion is a convincing suggestion.
• Auspex:
  • One spell allows the Rusalka to get a general idea of somebody’s tastes regarding a specific emotion (Lust, Joy, Calm, Fear, Fervor or Disgust).
• Intoxicate:
  • One spellcast lasts 20 minutes.
• Dominate:
  • Unavailable at this tier.

Expert

Expert is where a Rusalka gains their most potent spell: Dominate.

• Unyielding Will:
  • One spellcast lasts 3 hours.
  • Replaces Meditation/Resistance with one’s skill in Rusalka for effects requiring mental fortitude to resist.
• Idolatry:
  • One spellcast lasts 6 hours.
• Emanate:
  • One spellcast lasts 6 hours.
  • Maximum range is a .66 acre circle around the caster (half a football field).
  • The chosen emotion is a very convincing suggestion.
• Auspex:
  • One spell allows the Rusalka to get a general idea of somebody’s tastes regarding a specific emotion (Lust, Joy, Calm, Fear, Fervor or Disgust).
  • Auspex may now read any target within the range of one's Emanate, but only one target at a time.
• Intoxicate:
  • One spellcast lasts 45 minutes.
• Dominate:
  • It takes 30 minutes to establish a Tie.
  • An expert may only have 1 Tie.

Master

Able to create a small coven of obedient thralls, a master Rusalka is an insidious force to be reckoned with.

• Unyielding Will:
  • One spellcast lasts 6 hours.
  • Replaces Meditation/Resistance with one’s skill in Rusalka for effects requiring mental fortitude to resist.
• Idolatry:
  • One spellcast lasts 12 hours.
• Emanate:
  • One spellcast lasts 12 hours.
  • Maximum range is a 1.32 acre circle around the caster (or 1 football field).
  • The chosen emotion is a remarkably difficult to resist suggestion.
• Auspex:
  • One spell allows the Rusalka to get a general idea of somebody’s tastes regarding two specific emotional domains (Lust, Joy, Calm, Fear, Fervor or Disgust).
  • Auspex may now be used on up to ten targets within the range of one's Emanate at once.
    • In order to sift through more than five targets worth of information at once without being overwhelmed, the Rusalka needs at least Expert Meditation.
• Intoxicate:
  • One spellcast lasts 1 hour.
• Dominate:
  • It takes 20 minutes to establish a Tie.
  • A master may only have 6 Ties.

Narimeide

The Narimeide are few in number, but every society likely has one blending in plain sight– the only thing that might give them away is the profound, nigh irresistible impact they have on those around them.

• Unyielding Will:
  • One spellcast lasts 12 hours.
  • Replaces Meditation/Resistance with one’s skill in Rusalka for effects requiring mental fortitude to resist.
• Idolatry:
  • One spellcast lasts 24 hours.
• Emanate:
  • One spellcast lasts 24 hours.
  • Maximum range is a 2.64 acre circle around the caster (or 2 football fields).
  • The chosen emotion is an almost overwhelming suggestion.
• Auspex:
  • One spell allows the Narimeide to get a general idea of somebody’s tastes regarding all six emotional domains (Lust, Joy, Calm, Fear, Fervor or Disgust).
  • Auspex may now be used on all targets within the range of one's Emanate at once.
    • In order to sift through such vast amounts of information, the Rusalka must have Grandmaster Meditation. Master allows for up to 25 targets at once, and Expert allows up to 10.
• Intoxicate:
  • One spellcast lasts 3 hours.
• Dominate:
  • It takes 5 minutes to establish a Tie.
  • A Narimeide may have 12 Ties.

Contrivances

There are many ways one might find use out of a Rusalka’s magical repertoire– the hard part is finding one to work with. The examples below aren't exhaustive, merely directions along which one might take inspiration. Otherwise, Contrivances may be crafted from the Rusalka's Sundered Absentite directly.

Ensorcelling

Ensorcelling with Rusalka is rather useful, and fairly common among the ranks of Alítheia, as conjurations and the like containing spells such as Unyielding Will possess incredible utility even at Apprentice.

Alchemistry

Some find creating Alkemicals that carry the traits of a Rusalka’s Intoxicate to be a useful tool, as well as buoying a specific emotional domain from Emanate onto particular crafts.

”The Grove-settlement of Hespæria is oft described as a cult of personality, distinct for this reason even within Ælheim where many of their Æcturnis attempt to create something like this. Its founder, Hespæride fyn'Seiðr Maebh, commands adoration, loyalty, fear, respect…she’s formed an ironclad bond with her subjects one way or another, somehow. Many theorize that there’s more to it than simple charisma or cultural influence…but nobody can say for certain if this is so.” - An Ælheimar Historian

Articles on Welkin

Main Page