Apparation

Every soul that lacks a solid form must find its way to that Metaphor which sustains it, and acquire autonomy. This animation is necessary for it to navigate the Planes, or operate a body of unusual make using its Psychoplasm. Apparation requires a Minor Merit to pursue unless you are a Ghost or a Wisp.

Apparation

History

Apparation has been used by the denizens of Avernus and the other Planes since pre-history, with such entities appearing to the living seemingly from a gaseous mass, bubbling into existence before melting and evaporating away. Sometime in the last twenty thousand years, Fae Galsterei later discovered their own ability to disperse their elemental forms was, in fact, Apparation.

Appearing from nowhere, breaking into homes and vaults as if they had no doors, Apparators have tossed the world of security on its head. Criminals have committed violent acts, disappeared into an alley, and then seemingly vanished without a trace. Burglars have burgled without ever being seen; such is the power of Apparation.

Only those with Upper-Class living standards can assume their home was built with the Contrivanced materials necessary to bar an incorporeal Apparator from entry.

Acquisition

As any Poetics, Apparation is a consequence of one's state of being. Ghosts universally possess this skill, and they use it to traverse the Planes, solidify and hide their bodies, or manifest Tendrils.

Galsterei with elemental forms, Inari with three tails, Elder Dracolyches, Nihilisks, Scourges by Expert, and those Cambion Spirits which possess an incorporeal form are also able to foster Apparation naturally, but must expend a Minor Merit to do so. Just as well, those Galdr who fall into Major Mageburn might develop the ability to Apparate as a consequence of being temporarily discorporated, but this is exceedingly rare and not well studied.

Anyone who possesses Apparation may retain it should they lose the state of being enabling it; those returned to life by Nymhea will always keep their Poetics, but they must spend a Minor Merit on Apparation unless they have already done so, potentially going into experience debt if necessary.

Psychoplasm

Psychoplasm is a material exuded by the soul, made entirely of emotion and memory mixed with Miasmata. It may be controlled by the Apparator, hardened, or made diffuse, and extended as Tendrils.

If one's natural state is not made from Miasmata, they will struggle with Apparation unless channeling it through a medium they hold dominion over. Excepting Ghosts, Inari with three tails, Scourges by Expert, and Elder Dracolyches, Apparation without a medium is twice as costly in Miasmata to wield without channeling through a Galsterei's Elemental Embrace, a Nihilisk's goo, or a Contrivance made with Miasmatic Alkemicals contacting the body.

The size and subsequent Tendril strength of one's Psychoplasm form depends on the size and musculature of their body before they Apparated.

Frequency

The intensity of Psychoplasm vibrations determines its visibility, weight, and solidity. Altering the Frequency of one's entire body requires the expenditure of Miasmata, lasting only for a brief time before the vibrations naturally move towards their baseline. This may be altered towards invisibility and incorporeality, or a certain degree of hardness beyond corporeal. To onlookers, it looks as if gases are congealing to a liquid that builds a solid form, or like perspiration for the solid, as they begin to melt and droop down into a gaseous apparition.

Baseline Frequency

For a Ghost, their baseline frequency is so high that they are invisible to all but a Mystic or other ghosts. In the other direction, a Ghost could slow their vibrations until their body becomes hard and inflexible, shedding Miasmata should they shatter.

For the corporeal, their baseline frequency is quite low, to the point they are solid and must Apparate in the opposite direction towards translucency should they wish to pass through a material or become invisible. An Aquari could learn to wield Apparation to push their Embraced body through solid surfaces. In the other direction, they might Apparate their water to be thick and viscous, or stiff and solid. Water that is apparated into a gas falls out of the jurisdiction of an Aquari's Hydromancy, instead becoming the air of Zephyr - but they may still Drift with this Psychoplasm-filled gas.

Trauma

Being struck while only partially translucent will lead to tearing if solid enough, and blunt force trauma for most; care should be taken to not be struck while Apparating towards translucency as this is also a form of fragility; the mind spreads out across an Embodied or Psychoplasm material, meaning it must stay cohesive and together or the Apparator will lose a part of themselves.

Materials which are closer to a Ghost in frequency like wind - especially air thrust by a Zephyr - will knock an Apparator around much more violently than someone solid, hindering the ability of someone gaseous to Drift. If Psychoplasm is violently dispersed, the Apparator risks their very soul being eviscerated into a Whisper should they lack the Miasmata to come back together.

Structures Contrived from Miasmata Alkahest cannot be Apparated through, and will harm or help to disperse an Apparator.

Limitations

Spells are more costly to cast as one deviates towards incorporeality from their natural translucency; by full incorporeality, casting even Miasmata spells is impossible. Inversely, an Apparator who is not made from Miasmata struggles to move as they exceed the natural Frequency of their own body, muscles frozen stiff to the point they cannot even move their Tendrils.

Unobstructed space is required to Apparate, and being reasonably still is recommended. Apparating anything other than a Tendril while moving is additively twice as expensive in terms of Spell Reserves, and any Tendrils must be fully retracted in order to adjust one's Frequency to be gaseous.

Recognition

Wherever memories tie a location or object to Avernus, an Apparator may heighten their frequency to the point of incorporeality and then pass through a sensation of folding space to the other side - and vice versa. While this seems simple, finding and pulling oneself through that space feels like squeezing through an imperceptibly small straw, straining and squeezing as they ooze into or out of Avernus.

As various beings traverse to and from Avernus with regularity through the same sliver of Recognition, it will begin to widen, affording free travel for well-trafficked areas; these are usually the places where so-called hauntings are taking place.

Tendril

Apparators grow individual Tendrils of Psychoplasm from their body as they progress, taking the shape of black tentacles that might be shaped into other mundane, blackened objects made entirely of Psychoplasm as their ability with Apparation together with a Crafting skill allows. Unlike standard Frequency, a Tendril is a permanent thing extended and retracted as fast as the Apparator can Drift. These can be slung outward, striking like a heavy mace or blade, or manipulated as winding tentacles coiling around prey. Spells can be woven through Tendrils as if they were a part of your own body, creating weapons from elemental Galdr while fulfilling the requirement of touch for Syphon.

Changing the Frequency or shape of a number of Tendrils is considered a spell - manipulating, extending, retracting, or attacking with them is not. One's effectiveness with wielding Tendrils would depend on skill in Whips, or else any relevant Combat Skills and Fighting Styles should the Tendril be transformed into a weapon. For manipulating them independently from one-another, this would be Meditation.

Tendrils can lift or swing with the force of however strong the Apparator's body was in life, and are at least strong enough to maneuver themselves comfortably. However, much like one's own limb, they risk shattering the material if they are too strong or forceful. However, the denser and larger one's Tendrils are, the more strength they require to wield while grounded - an Apparator may find themselves being propelled and jerked around by their own, much heavier Tendrils, walking around on them like a shifting mass of tentacles.

Drift

To Drift is to move an Apparated body through the air, which may be done freely by the incorporeal Apparator - how fast and precise an Apparator might move their Psychoplasm is dictated by their ability to Apparate. Drifting only occurs once the body has lost enough of its consistency that it becomes at least like a liquid - one tenth the listed speed at about half solidarity - only adding a little bit of momentum by this point. Air could be apparated one fourth as quickly, whereas the entirely incorporeal Drift at full speed. Drifting back together after being violently dispersed is functionally an Expert-level spell cast.

Resonate

The most difficult ability for an Apparator is to impart resonance through touch, forcing an object or person to resonate at their own frequency - they already do this with their worn equipment and stowed objects, but this allows an Apparator to Drift with their companion or a larger object, depositing it somewhere more strategic or else taking it to Avernus. They might also grab someone and Resonate their own stiffness, becoming mutually frozen in place.

Apparators of the tier below can resist this ability, and those who disturb the Apparator attempting to do this will force them to start over or abandon the process.

Mageburn Symptoms

Apparating expends Miasmata; those who push this discipline experience the same Mageburn Symptoms as Nekros, and being damaged or shattered while Apparating will cause tremendous damage to one's Psychoplasm - and thus their own Miasmata reserves. If one is destroyed while their Frequency is too high, they risk becoming a Trace without much of a soul left to experience the afterlife with.

Tiers of Mastery

Novice

In the beginning, a Novice learns how to begin modulating their Frequency in order to adjust their solidarity. This is usually an instinctual process for the naturally incorporeal, with others needing to experiment or be instructed.

• Frequency:
  • A Novice may only Apparate halfway towards the opposite of their natural vibration - solid, versus transparent.
  • A Novice may not disperse themselves beyond gaseous mist unless incorporeality is their natural state, nor may they make themselves more durable than any other.
  • At this stage, Apparating takes 5 minutes, and normalizes to the baseline Frequency over the next minute.
• Recognition:
  • At this stage, an Apparator cannot conduct Recognition unless walking through a stretched memory.
• Tendril:
  • A Novice possesses 1 Tendril at a time up to the length of their arm, and it's about as hard as wood.
  • At this stage, a Tendril is merely a tentacle and its shape cannot be changed.
• Resonate:
  • Resonate is not yet available to the Novice.
• Drift:
  • Drift may be used to move up to 10 feet per second at Novice.

Apprentice

An Apprentice of Apparation begins to develop some familiarity with Apparating their body, and begins to experiment with shaping their Tendrils into implements.

• Frequency:
  • An Apprentice may Apparate towards the limit of gaseous mist, or make their natural Frequency as hard and dense as stone.
  • An Apprentice may not disperse themselves beyond gaseous mist unless this is already their natural state.
  • At this stage, Apparating takes 2 minutes, and normalizes to the baseline Frequency over the next 3 minutes.
• Recognition:
  • At Apprentice, an Apparator can barely conduct Recognition, and will be drained of Miasmata in doing so.
• Tendril:
  • An Apprentice possesses 2 Tendrils at a length of up to 10 feet, their Frequency up to as hard and dense as stone.
  • At this stage, a Tendril can be shaped into any one-handed weapon or simple tool the Apparator is familiar with.
• Resonate:
  • Resonate is not yet available to the Apprentice.
• Drift:
  • Drift may be used to move up to 20 feet per second at Novice.

Journeyman

By Journeyman, an Apparator begins to exhibit capabilities that some might consider unnerving - stronger Tendrils capable of taking on unusual shapes. Just as well, they are able to begin experimenting with Resonate, many of them entering Recognized Memories to enter Avernus in spite of its dangers.

• Frequency:
  • A Journeyman may Apparate their natural form towards the Frequency of iron.
  • A Journeyman may disperse themselves totally incorporeal.
  • At this stage, Apparating takes 30 seconds, and normalizes to the baseline Frequency over the next 10 minutes.
• Recognition:
  • A Journeyman, an Apparator can just about conduct Recognition at half the expense in Miasmata. This is still a slow process, taking about a minute to achieve.
• Tendril:
  • A Journeyman possesses 4 Tendrils at a length of up to 20 feet, up to the Frequency of iron.
  • At this stage, a Tendril can be shaped into any weapon, tool, shield, or piece of armor the Apparator is familiar with.
• Resonate:
  • Resonate is available at Journeyman, but this necessitates embracing the target closely and takes four times as long.
• Drift:
  • Drift may be used to move up to 35 feet per second at Journeyman.

Expert

An Expert of Apparation is by now something rather dangerous. They can disappear into an alleyway, never to be followed by perpetrators, ooze themselves into anything that hasn't been reinforced against them, abduct people, or manifest entire sets of large weapons that might overwhelm the common swordsman.

• Frequency:
  • An Expert may Apparate their Frequency towards that of steel.
  • An Expert may disperse themselves totally incorporeal.
  • At this stage, Apparating takes 10 seconds, and normalizes to the baseline Frequency over the next day.
• Recognition:
  • At Expert, an Apparator can conduct Recognition with around 10 seconds of effort.
• Tendril:
  • An Expert possesses 6 Tendrils at a length of up to 35 feet. When corporeal, they have a Frequency as hard as steel.
  • At this stage, a Tendril can be shaped into any weapon the Apparator is familiar with, including other small objects like lockpicks or instruments.
• Resonate:
  • Resonate is available to the Expert, but takes twice as long to achieve.
• Drift:
  • Drift may be used to move up to 50 feet per second at Expert.

Master

Masters of Apparation are hauntingly potent and terrifying to those that cannot make sense of them. They are powerful beings that can manifest wherever they like, exploding outward in a frightening display of violence which then retracts to the imposing form of a knight in blackened armor slowly melting away into a mist before the witness can fully process what just happened.

• Frequency:
  • A Master may Apparate their Frequency towards half again the hardness of steel.
  • A Master may disperse themselves totally incorporeal, beyond the sight of even supernatural senses unless they are of an equivalent tier.
  • At this stage, Apparating takes 3 seconds, and normalizes to the baseline Frequency over the next three days.
• Recognition:
  • A Master may conduct Recognition in a few short seconds.
• Tendril:
  • A Master possesses 8 Tendrils at a length of up to 50 feet, their Frequency up to half again as hard as steel.
  • At this stage, a Tendril can be shaped into any object the Apparator is familiar with, including a shield or a light raiment of armor. Multiple Tendrils can be combined to create a full set of plate armor, one section at a time, or a tangle of Tendrils comprising a facsimile of themselves that they puppeteer from a safe distance.
• Resonate:
  • Resonate is fully available to the Master, but takes half again as long to achieve compared to Apparating their own Frequency.
• Drift:
  • Drift may be used to move up to 80 feet per second at Expert.

Ascension

Upon Ascension, the Wraithplasm is perhaps one of the most feared entities on Antarok. They are seemingly unassailable, with so many Tendrils of hardened steel, and the ability to melt away - or reform anywhere - and they are incredibly fast, able to follow their prey anywhere they might flee.

• Frequency:
  • A Wraithplasm may Apparate their Frequency to be twice as hard as steel.
  • A Wraithplasm may disperse themselves totally incorporeal, beyond the sight of even supernatural senses unless they are of an equivalent tier.
  • For a Wraithplasm, Frequency may be adjusted in the blink of an eye when cast at this tier, and they may no longer have a baseline - they go to whichever Frequency they wish.
• Recognition:
  • A Wraithplasm can instantly move to and from Avernus through any being's Recognized Memory, but must expend an Ascended cast of Miasmata to do so.
• Tendril:
  • A Wraithplasm possesses 10 Tendrils with a length of up to 100 feet, and a Frequency twice as hard and heavy as steel.
  • At this stage, a Tendril can be shaped into any object the Apparator is familiar with. One Tendril can be shaped into a full suit of armor, a siege weapon, an eight foot tall golem to puppeteer, or a tower shield. Multiple Tendrils can be combined together, forming any mundane thing the Wraithplasm intuitively understands - up to the size of a large vehicle like a galleon.
• Resonate:
  • Resonate is fully available to the Wraithplasm, and only takes a second.
• Drift:
  • Drift may be used to move up to 120 feet per second as a Wraithplasm.

Artifacts

Sundering

Adjusting a person or object's Frequency, or filling an object like a whip or extendable limb with a permanent Tendril are all within the capability of a Sunderer. Some items may even pierce into a Recognized Memory of Avernus, stretching it open until one's adjusted Frequency allows them to pass through.

Alchemy

Apparation may be used to fill Alkemicals with a certain grade of Psychoplasm, altering its Frequency to create incorporeal, jelly-like, liquid, or extra durable objects. It might also be used to create potions with similar effects to what a Sunderer could.

“Someone was robbing me! I lit a candle, but he was gone. Like a fart in the wind!” - A Traveling Merchant

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