Syphon

Everything that lives must eat. Everything that doesn't live must also eat, to keep itself in perpetual animation. Those who do not feed will weaken, and soon perish. This is the way of the natural world, and the Planes. Syphon requires a Minor Merit to pursue unless you are a Ghost or a Wisp.

Syphon

History

Sucking the life out of things has been a mainstay of certain Spirits and the living dead since the cycle of life and death began. Ever since, Syphon has been used to steal Metaphor from all manner of beings and things.

Acquisition

As any Poetics, Syphon is a consequence of one's state of being. Ghosts universally possess this skill, and they use it to rejuvenate their degrading existence. Otherwise, the living may awaken their soul to Syphon should so much Aether be Consumed from their soul by a Syphoner that it begins to lose structure, growing hungry for the substance while leaving the initiate feverishly bedridden or comatose for weeks. Galdr who fall into Major Aetheric Mageburn might develop the ability to Syphon as a consequence, but this is exceedingly rare and not well studied.

Draugr, and Cambion Spirits which possess souls are also able to foster Syphon naturally, but must expend a Minor Merit to unlock it.

The Blighted exist in a state between the living and the dead, and may expend a Minor Merit to adapt Syphon by expanding upon how they feed from their victims. Null suck the Life Force out of those who touch their primordial ooze, and Devorare conduct Syphon through blood, while Rusalka can do so through intimate acts. Further, Nightwalkers may learn to Syphon from their kills, rejuvenating themselves during the hunt, and Scourges develop Syphon as their bodies age to suck the youth out of others, making themselves appear younger and less accursed.

Anyone who possesses Syphon may retain it should they lose the state of being enabling it; those returned to life will always keep their Poetics.

Spells

Like all Poetics, Syphon uses the Metaphor of whatever is conferring the ability to cast. For the undead, this is Miasmata, while a Deep One might use Imber.

Consume

Syphon functions by burning up one Metaphor in order to draw in another, usually but not always Saol or Miasmata. This necessitates touching a magical object with that Metaphor, or the victim, maintaining contact throughout. What benefit or detriment Syphon yields depends on the Metaphor stolen. Mundane materials are not saturated with Metaphor enough to derive any benefit from them.

• Miasmata can be taken from the ailing living or the dead, temporarily subduing the Anima of a disease or injury to stabilize the dying, or sapping the volatile emotions from others. This takes ailments or negative emotion into oneself, degrading the body and mind of the Syphoner. This confers a greater capacity for Poetics and Nekros, rebuilding and strengthening the Ashes of predatory Ghosts while stealing Ashes from ghostly prey. Utilizing Consume with Miasmata does not in turn expend it.

• Saol can be taken from the living, from people or animals. This weakens and withers the victim, but the predator benefits by revitalizing their flesh, strengthening their muscle and providing a greater capacity for Glamour and Nimhea. The Undead are tumultuous beings riddled with Miasmata; feeding on Saol introduces it to their state of death, helping to balance and calm an otherwise volatile mind. Undead who do not feed on Saol sometimes fall to crazed lunacy given time.

It can be assumed that taking in the relevant elemental Metaphor would rejuvenate such manifestations or biology, while starving the victims of that Metaphor and sickening the biology of a predator ill-equipped to handle it. These will be fully detailed, with time.

Noble Metaphor

Spell Reserves are referred to by Syphoners as Noble Metaphor; sources of these may be consumed to renew the already spent Spell Reserves of the Syphoner consuming them. This is accomplished naturally when skill in Syphoning at least matches what remains within the source it is drawing from. This will also confer Mageburn penalties upon the victim based on the Metaphor taken, inevitably leading to death or annulment of the Syphoned target.

• Arcana Spell Reserves belonging to other beings may be consumed for that Metaphor, emptying their Spell Reserves.
• Draoidh Groves and Memorare Memorandums or similar may be tapped into for their relevant Metaphor at about one Novice Spell Reserve per acre of territory drained; this will cause the plants within a grove to wilt and grow ill, while the memories of a Memorandum will be cracked and partially absorbed into the mind of the Syphoner.
• Magical Fauna, Flora, or Materials may be drained for Spell Reserves equal to their Challenge Rating tier, but their Seasonal Points cost must be accounted for as if they were owned; CR5 would be a Master-cast, for example.
• Alkahest may be drained for Spell Reserves equivalent to its tier; dust would be a Novice-cast, for example.

• Ensorcelled Exaltations may be drained weekly of their Spell Reserves.

• Fauna may be fed upon to confer Spell Reserves equivalent to their Challenge Rating, usually Saol unless the beast uses a different Metaphor.

Redistribute

The predator might also wield Consume upon themselves to redistribute a Metaphor within their form. As an example, Saol may be redistributed within the body, strengthening against ills, bolstering muscle, or mending wounds at the price of fostering illness in other parts of the body while reducing casting capacity. Miasmata might be manipulated to bring emotional relief at the price of sickness, or the body could be stabilized at the brink of death by driving the patient insane. Redistribute may be performed at Journeyman.

Impart

Beings which Syphon can share that same Metaphor with others, giving up a part of themselves to aid or facilitate exchange with another. This functions exactly as Consume, but in reverse, even allowing for Redistribution. Impart may be performed at Journeyman.

Funnel

By burning up Metaphor, a soul can open up even more, hastening the time it takes to absorb Metaphor throughout the timeframe of a single act. Syphon is a slow and difficult process requiring contact with a victim, meaning that Funnel might be interrupted, but the price for Funneling will leave them weakened and wanting. Funnel is available at Expert.

Conduit

Conduit allows a predator of Metaphor to use any substance they hold Arcane sway over as a conduit for Syphoning, pulling absorbed Metaphor back to the mage as they in turn bring the material into themselves. Incorporeal beings may naturally wield Syphon through their Tendrils, so Conduit is not so important to them.

This process is usually wielded as a last resort, as the added cost of Metaphor from Conduit, Consume, and Funnel together burdens a cast with what is functionally three more spells coming from their Spell Reserves. Not every spell is capable of maintaining contact for long enough that this remains feasible, either.

Metaphor Consumption Rates

As a being learns to Syphon, their alacrity - or potency - with doing so improves at the expense of efficiency. Consume may also be downcasted to slowly Syphon away higher-tier Metaphor.

• Novice Syphon: About a day - Saol will replenish at this same rate.
• Apprentice Syphon: Three hours.
• Journeyman Syphon: Ten minutes.
• Expert Syphon: Three minutes.
• Master Syphon: Thirty seconds.
• Ascendant Syphon: Ten seconds.

• Equivalent tier skill in a Personal Arcana, Resistance, or Meditation will each additively double the time it takes for a Syphoner to fully drain their victim. For example, a being with an Ascension and Grandmaster Meditation could hold out against an Ascended Syphoner for thirty seconds (10 +10 +10) and forty if they also possessed Resistance (+10) or another Ascension (+10).
• Consume when downcasted may slowly Consume even higher-tier Metaphor, in addition to growing more efficient.

Mageburn Symptoms

All forms of Syphon expend Metaphor; Consume is free when Syphoning a sourced Metaphor by touch at a regular rate. Syphoners experience similar Mageburn symptoms to the Metaphor it is derived from, while Imparting or Redistributing will cause a great variety of negative consequences on its own.

Tiers of Mastery

Novice

In the beginning, a Novice learns how to open up their soul to Metaphor in order to feed. This is usually an instinctual process for the Undead and Spirits, driven by need, with the Blighted needing to experiment or be instructed.

A Novice may only Syphon via touch.

• Syphon Rate:

• One day - not enough to kill the living, or destroy another Undead.

• Consume:

• Consume is fully available to a Novice.

• One cast of Consume may replenish up to one equivalent tier Spell Reserve of a Metaphor.

• Impart:

• Impart is not yet available to the Novice.

• Redistribute:

• Redistribute is not yet available to the Novice.

• Funnel:

• Funnel 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.

An apprentice may only Syphon via touch.

• Syphon Rate:

• Three hours, on average, before draining a mundane being of their Metaphor entirely.

• Consume:

• Consume is fully available to an Apprentice.

• One cast of Consume may replenish up to two equivalent tier Spell Reserves of a Metaphor.

• Impart:

• Impart is not yet available to the Apprentice.

• Redistribute:

• Redistribute is not yet available to the Apprentice.

• Funnel:

• Funnel is not yet available to the Apprentice.

• Conduit:

• Conduit 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.

• Syphon Rate:

• One hour, on average, before draining a mundane being of their Metaphor entirely.

• Consume:

• Consume is fully available to the Journeyman.

• One cast of Consume may replenish up to three equivalent tier Spell Reserves of a Metaphor.

• Impart:

• Impart is available to the Journeyman.

• Redistribute:

• Redistribute is available to the Journeyman.

• Funnel:

• Funnel is not yet available to the Journeyman.

• Conduit:

• Conduit is available to the Journeyman, but they may not yet absorb stolen Metaphor back into themselves.

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.

• One cast of Consume may replenish up to four equivalent tier Spell Reserves of a Metaphor.

• 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.

• One cast of Consume may replenish up to five equivalent tier Spell Reserves of a Metaphor.

• 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.

Arcanovore

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.

• One cast of Consume may replenish up to any amount of equivalent tier Spell Reserves of any Metaphor; they may do so now from multiple targets at once with one cast.

• Impart:

• Impart is available to the Arcanovore.

• Redistribute:

• Redistribute is available to the Arcanovore.

• Funnel:

• Funnel makes Syphon three times as fast (up to 3.3 Seconds)

• Conduit:

• Conduit now costs half as many Spell Reserves to perform.

Contrivances

Syphon is a process often imparted upon any manner of arcane creation, born from Ensorcelling, Practices, or a combination thereof. Otherwise, Contrivances may be crafted from the Syphoner's Sundered Alkahest directly.

Ensorcelling

Impart can be used in place of Alkahest for a Conjuration, or it might confer the ability for said object to Consume the Metaphor from other beings and objects. As with any form of Poetics, you will need Alkahest matching the Metaphor you are able to cast with.

Alchemy

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.

“Augh. I feel like death. I should have known better than to stay the night at a haunted inn.” - A Traveling Merchant

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