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

Denizens of Avernus and the other Planes have been recorded since the dawn of history, appearing to the living seemingly from a gaseous mass, bubbling into existence before melting and evaporating away. Galsterei then discovered their own ability to disperse their elemental forms was, in fact, Apparation.

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 enough 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 unlock it.

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 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, Scourges by Expert, and Elder Dracolyches, Psychoplasm without a medium is twice as costly in Miasmata to wield without channeling it through a medium such as a Galsterei's Elemental Embrace, a Nihilisk's goo, or a Contrivance made with Miasmatic Alkemicals contacting the body.

Frequency

Then intensity of Psychoplasm vibrations determines its visibility 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.

• For a Ghost, their baseline frequency is so high that they are invisible to all but a Mystic or other ghosts. Even so, they may push their frequency even higher to fall out of their view yet more, floating freely through materials in this way. 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 some of their water to be as dense as another material.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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 struggles to move as they exceed the natural hardness of their own body, muscles frozen stiff yet still able to cast and 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.

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 manifest individual Tendrils of Psychoplasm from their body or - if they are gifted with Remnant - their own attachments that they are in the presence of. Unlike standard frequency manipulation, a Tendril is a quick and focused change from naught to as hard as the Apparator can go. These can be slung outward, cutting like a heavy mace or blade, launched like darts that quickly grow brittle and dissolve, or manipulated as winding tentacles coiling around prey. They might even be manipulated with memories of a favored or weapon, taking at least the form of that object, while Aquari could wield their Tendrils through water to create solid water-whips.

As the Apparator progresses, they learn to wield more Tendrils at once. Manifesting a Tendril or changing its hardness is considered a spell - manipulating or attacking with them is not. One's effectiveness with wielding Tendrils would depend on any relevant Combat Skills such as One-Handed, Ranged, or Unarmed.

Drift

To Drift is to move an Apparated body through the air. 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.

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. This allows an Apparator to Drift with their attached companion or cherished 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.

Mageburn Symptoms

All forms of Apparation except for Drift and manipulating created Tendrils 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.

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 may manifest one 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.
• Redistribute:
  • Redistribute is not yet available to the Novice.

Apprentice

An Apprentice of Syphon is beginning to adapt to the process of stealing Metaphor, but has not yet learned any advanced techniques.

• Frequency:
  • An Apprentice may Apparate towards the limit of gaseous mist, or make their natural form as hard 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 may manifest two Tendrils at a length of up to ten feet. When corporeal, they are up to as hard as stone.
  • At this stage, a Tendril can be shaped into any weapon the Apparator is familiar with.
• Resonate:
  • Resonate is not yet available to the Apprentice.
• Redistribute:
  • Redistribute is not yet available to the Apprentice.

Journeyman

By Journeyman, those with Syphon have begun to get comfortable with their abilities, branching out into Redistribution and Impartation. They have also begun to experiment with Conduit, if they are a mage.

• Frequency:
  • A Journeyman may Apparate their natural form towards the hardness 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 barely conduct Recognition, and will be drained of Miasmata in doing so.
• Tendril:
  • A Journeyman may manifest two Tendrils at a length of up to ten feet. When corporeal, they are up to as hard as iron.
  • At this stage, a Tendril can be shaped into any weapon the Apparator is familiar with.
• Resonate:
  • Resonate is not yet available to the Journeyman.
• Redistribute:
  • Redistribute is not yet available to the Journeyman.

Expert

An Expert of Syphon has come fully up into their own. They are able to pull their prey aside and snack on them in the same time it would take for someone to dine on a full meal. By now, they are able to use every ability of Syphon, and they understand implicitly how to do so.

• Syphon Rate:

• Ten minutes, on average, before draining a mundane being of their Metaphor entirely.

• Consume:

• Consume is fully available to an Expert.

• Impart:

• Impart is fully available to an Expert.

• Redistribute:

• Redistribute is fully available to an Expert.

• Funnel:

• Funnel makes Syphon half again as fast (6.6 Minutes).

• Conduit:

• Conduit is fully available to an Expert.

Master

There are many wraiths and strange beings which are themselves Masters of Syphon, but few live to tell the tale of these dangerous predators capable of sucking the Metaphor out of someone in seconds.

• Syphon Rate:

• Thirty seconds, on average, before draining a mundane being of their Metaphor entirely.

• Consume:

• Consume fully is available to the Master.

• Impart:

• Impart is available to the Master.

• Redistribute:

• Redistribute is available to the Master.

• Funnel:

• Funnel makes Syphoning twice as fast (15 Seconds).

• Conduit:

• Conduit is fully available to the Master.

Ascension

Upon Ascension, the Arcanovore is a terrifying being capable of sucking the Metaphor out of nigh-anything in mere moments. There have been few known Arcanovore in history, but those that do exist have roused firm rebukes by Arcane societies fearing their power.

• Syphon Rate:

• Ten seconds, on average, before draining a mundane being of their Metaphor entirely.

• Consume:

• Consume is fully available to the Arcanovore.

• Impart:

• Impart is available to the Arcanovore.

• Redistribute:

• Redistribute is available to the Arcanovore.

• Funnel:

• Funnel makes Syphon three times as fast (3.3 Seconds), and now costs half as much Miasmata to perform.

• Conduit:

• Conduit now costs half as much Miasmata to perform.

Artifacts

Sundering

Syphon is a process often imparted upon Artifacts. Impart can be used during the Sundering process to instill Metaphor in its creation, or they might confer the ability for this object to Consume Metaphor from other beings or Alkahest if it was made with a Soul Stone.

Consume, Impart, Redistribute, Funnel, and Conduit are each considered to be individual spells when creating an Artifact capable of using Syphon. However, a Charm of an appropriate tier will limit how much Metaphor is lost to Consume, halving its rate of consumption while conferring immunity to the added rate of Funnel.

Alchemy

Alchemy may utilize Syphon aided by Alkahest more efficiently than Artifacts, albeit at fractional potency in its Alkemicals.

• Consume and Impart can be used to confer new methods of reaction to Alkemicals, creating Contrivances that drain or instill Metaphor at a touch whilst themselves degrading. Common applications include withering arrowheads that drain Saol when embedded in someone, or 'Nursing Stones' that Impart Saol at a slow rate to mend the body.

“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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