TEXT: BOOK III
  BOOK III
  THE BOOK
  THE BOOK
  OF BANES
  OF BANES
  SourceBook 3 for the Immortal Millennium RPG
  SourceBook 3 for the Immortal Millennium RPG
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
  2
  BOOK III
  BOOK III
  THE BOOK OF BANES
  THE BOOK OF BANES
  Original Design
  Ran Ackels
  Development & Writing
  Rick Don
  Additional Development, Design,
  Testing
   Jake Kuska, Ka'thryn Don
  Produced By
  Paul W. Brown III
  Illustrated By
  Ran Ackels, Jade Hammons
  Cover Model
  Claudia Christian
  Special Thanks
  Ka'te "Kaylin" Don, Jake "Crash" Kuska,
  Steve "Croakus" Pouliot, and all the
  members of the Immortal Mail List for
  keeping the faith.
  IMMORTAL is mature in its situations and themes. Parental
  guidance may be advisable in the case of children wishing to
  participate in the experience. IMMORTAL is a work of fiction.
  Persons having difficulty distinguishing the boundaries
  between fantasy and reality are expressly discouraged from
  reading or taking part in the IMMORTAL experience.
  Copyright  2000 Richard E. Don for Precedence
  Entertainment, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction of this
  book in any manner without the express written consent of
  the publisher is prohibited. IMMORTAL® is a registered
  trademark owned by Precedence Entertainment, Inc. and
  was created by Ran Ackels
  Precedence Entertainment
  P.O. Box 28397
  Tempe, AZ, 85285, USA
  http://www.eternity.com/
  Immortal Support Website
  http://ww.societyeternity.com
  www.eternity.com
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
  3
  "Curses are our reminder that this world is the only pure realm left. It is our last
  bastion against our ancient foes."
  -- Whisper, Court of Fate
  TABLE OF CONTENTS
  Story: ???
  Chapter 1: Outcasts
  xx --
  SOLITAIRES
  After the Golden Age
  Solitaires Today
  Playing a Solitaire
  xx --
  INGENUE
  End of the Exodus
  Ingenue Today
  The Ingenue Character
  Newborns
  xx --
  MINOR ALLIES
  Solitaire Dynasties
  Other Groups
  xx -- 
  MORTAL OUTCASTS
  Making a Believer
  Chapter 2: Maladies
  xx -- 
  TAINT
  Sinning
  Mortal Reactions
  Sanguine Taint
  Mortal Darkening
  Dark Boons
  xx -- 
  BANES AND CURSES
  Mundane Banes
  The Mystical Curses
  Scions
  xx -- 
  FUGUE
  Ticking Time Bomb
  Fugue Triggers
  Influence of Avatars
  The Lash
  Chapter 3: Living in Death
  xx--
  IMMORTAL DEATH
  Aura Spills
  xx--
  GOSSAMERS
  Corporeal Return
  Mortal Spirits
  Spiritual Combat
  xx -- 
  BLUE AIR
  Traversing the Spirit Plane
  Shallows
  General Spirit Rules
  xx -- 
  SANCTUARIES
  Arks
  Rules for Sanctuaries and Arks
  Chapter 4: Glimmer of Hope
  xx --
  TRANSCENDENCE
  What is Transcendence?
  The Path
  xx --
  LIFE IN THE COURTS
  Expanded Philosophies
  Regency Rule
  xx --
  THE PATH OF THE PANTHEON
  Pantheon Rule
  APPENDICES
  APPENDIX A: Banes and Curses Listing
  APPENDIX B: New Boons Listing
  APPENDIX C: New Abilities Listing
  APPENDIX D: Optional Rules and Errata
  APPENDIX E: Adventure - The Dustlight
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
  4
  Story Goes Here
  Story Goes Here . . .
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
  5
  Chapter I: The Outcasts
  “There must always be those who choose to stand alone.  If not, unity would
  have nothing to maintain itself against."
  -- Arturo the Lorekeeper
  SOLITAIRES
  Long ago the Abzulim lost control of the
  elementals they created in the Maelstrom.  In
  order to hunt down and destroy them, the
  Abzulim took the essences of nine elementals
  and created a set of living immortal weapons
  known as the Kai Ra.  Their forms were based
  on the fundamental weapons we know today as
  the sword, polearm, staff, dagger, mace, arrow,
  axe, hammer and spear.  But like the elementals
  they were created from, the Kai Ra eventually
  turned on their masters and vowed to never
  harm another elemental again.
  The Kai Ra eventually fostered the Pride known
  as the Peri.  After which the spear (who would
  later come to be called Solitaire) left the others
  to seek enlightenment.  Ultimately she achieved
  Transcendence, but still remained part of the
  events that transpired here on Earth.  She
  assisted the Terat in breaking free from their
  servitude to the Sanguinary in the Morpheum,
  and traveled the world at length, teaching a
  peaceful philosophy of coexistence to the newly
  developing Prides.
  Eventually the Shouting War began, marking the
  beginning of the end for the Age of Myth where
  immortal and mortal kind lived side by side both
  as heroes and gods.  The Solitaire went to
  Sanctuary and with many Makers forged the
  mantle known as Atlantis, for she had had a
  vision of coexistence between the immortals; a
  society forged of perpetual peace.  As the
  immortals were locked away in Sheol by the
  Shadowen (then called the Nimrod), Atlantis
  grew under the guiding hand of Solitaire.
  When the immortals broke free of Sheol, the
  Solitaire invited them to come live in Atlantis and
  thus the Perpetual Society was born.  Here the
  immortals lived a peaceful life amongst each
  other, even allowing the Nimrod and the Terat to
  become part of their groupings in a truce that
  lasted for a thousand years.
  However, the immortals never ceased toiling
  over how they might stop the Sanguinary and its
  dark workings.  To this end the Stratagem was
  developed to hone the cunning of the Prides in
  practice bouts against each other.
  During their time in Atlantis the immortals also
  divested themselves of many ancient curses
  gained during the Shouting War.  This was done
  through a practice known as creating a Scion; a
  childlike construct made solely for bearing said
  curses.  It is a practice that the Courts of today
  look upon with great shame.
  As time went on and the young Prides debated
  over how to best craft this Stratagem, internal
  strife and catastrophe struck.  Atlantis was all
  but completely destroyed and it was believed
  that the Solitaire was herself slain.  It is still not
  clear what actually happened, but some say that
  it was the Scions who started the rebellion.  Or
  Encryption [6]
  Return Locus: <Natalia at Labyrinth>
  Received By: <Albrecht at Sanctuary>
  Language: Atrana-Cant [Voxtongue] no mortal
  transcription available
  Subject: We have been called
  Summary: Lead on the lost one
  Keyword Search: Shade, Redeem, Oath
  Date: Year of the Pale
  Message as Follows:
  WE DON'T HAVE MUCH TIME, SO GATHER AS MANY
  OF THE OTHERS AS YOU CAN AND MEET ME AT
  OUR SANCTUARY. SHADE HAS SENT ME WORD
  WHERE WE MIGHT FIND HIM AND FINALLY REDEEM
  HER IN THEIR EYES. OUR EVENT HORIZON IS FAST
  APPROACHING SO THERE IS NO TIME TO WASTE! IT
  IS TIME TO FULFILL THE OATH.
  --reddotrot
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
  6
  perhaps even the Makers revolting against the
  immortals not heeding their needs.
  The majority of the disillusioned immortals under
  the guidance of the newly formed Jury filtered
  out of Sanctuary and back onto Earth.  However,
  many still held dear to the teachings of the
  Solitaire and blamed the Prides for the
  destruction of Atlantis and the Golden Age, as it
  was known.  While the strong pantheons known
  as the Prides went about gathering up what little
  power remained from the Age of Myth, others
  chose a different path and became known as
  Solitaires.
  After the Golden Age
  As the Prides went on to finish the formation of
  the Stratagem and assemble into the groups
  that they would be known as up to the Great
  Betrayal, the Solitaires would have nothing to do
  with the Perpetual Society.  They formed their
  own groups known as Dynasties and lived apart
  from their fellow immortals involved in the
  Prides.  Over history the Prides pointed out
  numerous times that the Solitaire never went
  against the formation of the Stratagem,
  however, the Solitaires maintained that it was
  against her teachings, and part of the reason
  Atlantis was destroyed.
  Initially the Solitaires and Perpetual Society had
  little to do with one another.  The Prides spent
  their time perfecting the Stratagem, and the
  Solitaires perfecting the teachings of their former
  mentor.  Relations with the Prides were cool, but
  cordial, in the beginning of the Solitaire society.
  The first Solitaire society spent much of its time
  seeking Transcendence through enlightenment,
  much as the Solitaire herself had.  It was found
  that though rarer, the Solitaires could be blessed
  by the True Light as the Prides could and that
  the Transcendents patroned the Solitaires just
  as they did the Prides.
  The conflict between the two societies was
  caused inadvertently by the Prides.  After the
  Shouting War almost all the Immortals were
  locked away in Sheol.  Aside from the Magdalen
  (predecessors of the Court of Secrets) there
  were almost no organized groups of immortals
  left on Earth during this time.  The remaining
  immortals on Earth were alone in a cold harsh
  world of mortals who slowly began doubting and
  disbelieving their former Gods.
  Many of these immortals, too weak to resist the
  Sanguinary, either became her prey or minions.
  These individuals were eventually named the
  Profane by the Prides since their time alone had
  changed them so.  A few small groups that
  broke away from the Prides in the early years of
  the Stratagem were also given this name.  The
  Prides felt the Profane weak and unwilling to
  fight the Sanguinary, and therefore little better
  than her own minions.
  Over time the Solitaires began to take in some
  of these immortals.  It was at this point that the
  Prides applied the term Profane to the Solitaires
  as well.  Open conflict began between the two
  groups and the Genocide Wall was established.
  The Prides were very adept at outwitting their
  Setting Note: The Genocide Wall
   Any Solitaire who interfered with the Prides, was listed on this wall.  The Solitaire then had one
  year to become part of the Perpetual Society or be hunted down.  Today the wall is still in use,
  against the new breed of Solitaires.  Any Solitaire that achieves the 2nd Tier of Transcendence
  and actively interferes with the Courts' pursuit of the Cause has one year to make amends for
  their actions or join one of the Courts in the Cause.  If not, the Solitaire is hunted down and
  captured, destroyed if necessary.
  Since the Transcendents have said nothing against this practice, it continues.  It is felt by the
  Courts that with the power these Solitaires wield, they will become targets for the Sanguinary or
  the Abzulim, and with no one to assist them they will easily fall into the clutches of these
  ancient enemies.
  Setting Note: Solitary Transcendence
  Though few in numbers, some Solitaires fight the darkness and attempt to carry the True Light
  within them.  Ironically, the Transcendents patron Solitaires just as they do the Courts.
  Solitaires can follow a path of Transcendence, gain power within their auras, and gain the
  boons that come from following the path. The Outlanders act as Lords to the Solitaires, passing
  on the boons as the Transcendents pass on the increased auras and spark of the True Light.
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
  7
  opponents using the Stratagem, and existed in
  greater numbers, therefore the Solitaires and
  their society were nearly destroyed.  If not for
  the appearance of the mysterious Outlanders, it
  is wondered if the Solitaires would have survived
  at all.
  The Solitaires did their best to hold true to what
  they were taught, but the world around them
  was dominated by the Prides now, and they
  were few in numbers.  The Perpetual Society
  had deemed all the Solitaires to be Profane.
  Over the eons many small groups built up into
  new Dynasties and alliances.  Some of them
  began secretly working with those Prides who
  did not carry such a harsh view of the Profane.
  Of these strange alliances, the most powerful
  was D'Arcade, and this group helped to further
  the power of the Prides to a great extent until the
  Great Betrayal.
  During the Great Betrayal, Solitaire and Pride
  differences were put aside in the interest of
  survival.  When it was finally over, the immortals
  all gathered together into the Courts with a
  newfound purpose under the patronage of the
  Transcendents and the various groups of the
  Jury.  With the Stratagem gone, most Solitaires
  now joined with the Courts.  This ended the
  Solitaires, as they had been known throughout
  history.  Both the Prides and the Solitaires
  suffered enough losses that if they had not come
  together as the Courts, neither would have
  survived much longer.
  Solitaires Today
  With Solitaire's followers once again part of the
  Perpetual Society it was thought that the entire
  concept of the Solitaires would end, but this was
  not so.  Within the Solitaires were some
  Dynasties and alliances that were not true
  followers of the Solitaire and her teachings.
  There are immortals that want nothing to do with
  the battle against the Sanguinary since the
  Great Betrayal.  Thus, a new breed of Solitaire,
  much truer to the meaning of the word than the
  immortal that took the name so long ago, was
  born.
  Most Solitaires are just those: solitary immortals
  having nothing to do with the Courts, the Cause,
  or the war against the Sanguinary and the
  Abzulim.  Some of them make use of the war for
  their own ends and gain; posing as mercenaries
  and using their immortal abilities to solely further
  their own needs.  Small groups of these
  Solitaires have banded together in this new age,
  but not for the reasons they did after the fall of
  Atlantis and the departure of their mentor.
  The Solitaires of today live in the shadowed
  underbelly of the immortal race.  They either do
  their best to stay out of sight of all involved in the
  war, or take advantage of the war as much as
  possible.  Those taking advantages of the
  situation work as mercenaries, charlatans, false
  gods or anything else that will gain them power.
  The Outlanders
  These immortals remain one of the greater
  mysteries to the Perpetual Society.  Originally
  appearing during the ancient conflicts that
  erupted between the Prides and the Solitaires,
  these immortals have been something of a
  guiding force behind the Solitaires, both past
  and present.  The Outlanders have power that
  rivaled the Jury, and still rivals the High Lords of
  the Courts today.
  Rumors persist that the Outlanders would have
  been members of the Jury, but were sent into
  the Dominions to hold the Deepwalkers at bay
  long enough for the young Prides to grow and
  survive the Shouting War.  If that is true, then for
  whatever reason their purposes have changed
  due to their battles in the Dominions.  Why they
  appeared to assist the Solitaires remains a
  mystery.
  It is uncertain who the Outlanders once were,
  but they have taken great pains to protect their
  identities from the Courts.  The Outlanders act
  as mentors, guardians, and Lords to the
  Solitaires that manage to find them.  The
  Solitaires seem to have little trouble finding their
  Outlander mentors, though members of the
  Courts who attempt to use Solitaires to find
  Outlanders always meet with no success.
  The Outlanders provide the Solitaires with
  training, protection, and for those few that
  choose to strive for it, a way to work towards
  Transcendence.  The Outlanders show no
  favoritism, regardless of whether the Solitaire
  works towards Transcendence or mere personal
  gain.  It is said that many of the Outlanders can
  still reach the Dominions and wage war against
  the forces of the Deepwalkers scattered
  throughout the ancient star spanning empire.
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
  8
  Life as a Solitaire
  Either by choice or circumstance, the Solitaires
  find themselves outside the Perpetual Society
  that makes up most of the immortal race.
  However, the number of immortals on Earth
  today is much smaller than before the Great
  Betrayal, and many Solitaires can go for quite
  some time without being discovered by the
  Courts, the Sanguinary, or the Abzulim.  Either
  due to simple lack of discovery, or by staying a
  step ahead, the average Solitaire is not part of
  the supernatural war that rages across the
  planet.
  The vast majority of Solitaires live their life as
  mortals, either shunning their abilities, or never
  pursuing the advancement of them.  Others
  don't realize what they truly are and horrible
  tragedies tend to befall them, as some are
  unable to cope with the realization that they are
  different from humanity, but not understanding
  truly how or why.  Many Solitaires simply live as
  a mortal, moving on before it becomes obvious
  to their community that they are somehow
  different from the mortals they live with.  Many of
  these Solitaires learn through sheer instinct the
  abilities necessary to hide themselves and cover
  their true identities in the world.
  There are a number of Solitaires with more self-
  serving goals, attempting to use their abilities to
  gain as much for themselves as possible.  Many
  of these can be found in more mercenary type
  paths, using their talents in the employ of
  various mortals and immortals.  Others combine
  efforts to form small groups of their own, using
  their powers toward their own ends.
  Unfortunately, more and more Solitaires turn
  down this path, forgetting and foregoing the True
  Light in search of more material rewards on
  Earth.
  And yet the Outlanders patron them all.
  If indeed the Outlanders serve the
  Transcendents, then perhaps they are
  constantly seeking those who would turn from a
  more self-serving path to seek redemption
  through the True Light.  If not, then the motives
  of the Outlanders remain even more of a
  mystery to the Courts.
  Solitaires generally hide quite well in the mortal
  communities they have become a part of.  The
  vast majorities of them have not been embraced
  by the True Light and therefore have no telltale
  signs that show their immortal nature.  There is
  no mystical way that immortals immediately
  sense each other unless there is the presence of
  a strong Anthem, taint, or some other more
  obvious effect in place.  Though there can be
  subtle signs such as various boons and banes
  revealing themselves, this is not usually the
  case with the Solitaires.  By living a fairly mortal
  life they avoid the usual detection that most
  immortals striving for Transcendence come
  under.
  Few Solitaires gain worshippers over time,
  though some of the more self-serving ones find
  interesting and unique ways to gain
  "worshippers" for themselves.  The vast majority
  of Solitaires live as much of a normal human life
  as possible.  Many don't think of themselves as
  shape-shifting immortals, but as humans with
  odd powers, even the older ones.  For the most
  part the Courts leave the Solitaires alone, but do
  tend to have a measure of distrust for many of
  them.  Without proper training or anyone to turn
  to, many Solitaires become easy targets for
  recruitment by the minions of the Sanguinary
  and Abzulim alike.
  Playing a Solitaire
  It is possible for a character to be a Solitaire.  In
  order to do so the player must purchase the
  Solitaire boon when creating the character.  This
  means that the Courts (and at the beginning of
  the game the Sanguinary and Abzulim) have no
  interest in your character, or perhaps none of
  them know about your existence.  If the
  character is to be part of a Solitaire Dynasty, the
  Guru boon must also be bought during character
  creation.  This enables the character to call upon
  the resources of the Outlander who patrons the
  Dynasty that the Solitaire belongs to.
  In order for a Solitaire to rise up the Tiers of
  Transcendence, they must come in contact with
  an Outlander on occasion.  This allows the
  Transcendents to gauge the Solitaire's progress.
  It is unknown if the Solitaires' path to
  enlightenment eventually leads them to
  becoming an Outlander.  There are no known
  gatherings of the Outlanders to discuss such.  It
  is only known that the Outlanders all have
  access to technology, abilities, and powers that
  no ordinary Solitaire or member of the Courts
  has access to.  There are no known Solitaires
  that have become Outlanders to the Court's
  knowledge either.
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
  9
  Solitaires do not have any special serenades, or
  boons associated with them.  They pay full price
  for everything.  The greatest benefit in being a
  Solitaire is the anonymity and freedom of actions
  that one has.  There are a few Transcendant
  Boons that are especially helpful to the Solitaires
  however.
  INGENUE
  When the weight of the long ages begins to
  overtake an immortal she has the option of
  entering into the mystical ritual known as Lethe.
  Invented by the Court of Death, during their days
  as the Pride Banjax, the ritual allows an
  immortal to "rebirth" herself. Book One
  describes the process of Lethe and the
  mechanics involved.  Even for an elemental, the
  vox will begin to use surrounding materials
  appropriate for the type of elemental the
  immortal was and create a new form in its
  immediate vicinity.  Though the process of
  rebirth is always the same, how it is entered can
  have a great impact on the new incarnation.
  When the immortal uses the Lethe skill to
  commit the ritual, it takes but a few minutes
  before the body decomposes and the process
  begins.  The benefit of the ritual is the strong
  bond it creates between the avatar and the new
  incarnation.  The new incarnation will generally
  appear as a somewhat younger version of the
  avatar, similar in appearance (with changes
  made for the region the new form was grown in).
  Aside from the changes due to upbringing, the
  new culture, etc., the new incarnation will usually
  tend to be very much like the previous avatar.
  As the new immortal begins to experience his
  immortality again, he will tend to have more
  flashbacks, and will begin to behave very similar
  to his avatar.  These immortals sometimes adopt
  the same name as their avatar eventually and
  rejoin their former Pantheon.  The new
  incarnation will have very similar ideals,
  attitudes, and even the same Court many times.
  This type of Lethe accounts for how a single
  culture can come to alter its views of a particular
  deity over time or how different cultures can
  have very similar deities over the ages.  These
  can all be different incarnations of the same
  immortal who has committed the Lethe ritual.
  When an immortal critically fails a mortal wound
  check, the body decomposes and the Lethe is
  entered, but instead of by ritual, the vox enters it
  instinctually.  No true bond is created between
  the incarnation and the avatar. When this
  happens, only the Calling tends to remain the
  same.  Very little tends to be similar between the
  avatar and the new immortal.  These immortals
  tend to appear as much younger children and do
  not necessarily look anything like their former
  avatar.  They are distinctly different individuals,
  created entirely by the vox, molded by their
  upbringing during the time that the seeming of
  mortality surrounds them.
  There is only one danger to the process known
  as Lethe.  There is a brief period of time (a few
  turns in terms of system mechanics) during
  which the spark of the immortal's essence is
  ingrained into his personality matrix on the vox.
  If the vox is disturbed during this process, the
  Lethe is interrupted. If this happens, the
  immortal does not enter Lethe, but instead
  becomes a gossamer as described in Chapter 3.
  End of the Exodus
  During the Age of Myth, and even up into the
  modern age, immortals coming out of Lethe
  were a great joy to the immortal race.  It meant a
  former brother or sister was returning to the fold,
  with new experiences to bring to the Perpetual
  Society.  With the numerous Believers and other
  immortals dedicated to taking care of and raising
  these immortals, there was little to fear about
  their time in Lethe.
  But in the 1990's the many immortals that had
  been placed into Lethe by the Transcendents
  during the Great Fire of 1666 (known as the
  Exodus) began to resurface.  Unlike other
  immortals, they had lived not just one life as a
  mortal, but many lifetimes.  Somehow they
  never came out of Lethe and proceeded to live
  and die as mortals for some time.  No evidence
  has ever been found of any embryonic states for
  any of these immortals.  Many believe the
  Transcendents placed them into some special
  form of Lethe which forced them to literally be
  born, live and die as mortals for centuries.
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
  10
  These immortals were nothing like the rest of the
  Perpetual Society.  They had spent so much
  time out of the loop that they had fundamentally
  changed.  If it is true that this was done in order
  to prepare them for the Great Betrayal, it did not
  prepare them for the reaction of their former
  brethren.  These immortals were met with
  distrust and paranoia.  The Great Betrayal was
  almost at hand and the Prides were paranoid
  about anything they had no control over.  Thus
  these immortals were given a special name:
  Ingenue.
  Unlike other immortals emerging from Lethe,
  these immortals came back into their physical
  and spiritual powers quickly, but without the
  experience of one who had entered Lethe
  normally.  Many were sought as puppets by the
  jaded Prides and were used and abused as
  pawns in the power struggles that preceded the
  Great Betrayal.  Many of the Prides felt that
  these immortals harbored secret knowledge
  given to them by the Transcendents.
  It has also been found that a number of Ingenue
  had been taken by the Sanguinary and her
  minions.  The deadly truth of the Great Betrayal
  became apparent too late, and if there was such
  a secret, the search ended before it was found.
  Ingenue Today
  The term Ingenue has since applied to
  immortals coming out of Lethe regardless of how
  they entered it.  Ingenue are met with much
  distrust initially as the Sanguinary has greater
  power than it did before, and there are fewer to
  care for these Lethe-bound immortals. In short,
  any immortal coming out of Lethe could be a
  willing, or even unwitting, agent of the
  Sanguinary or the Abzulim.  Therefore it takes
  some time for an Ingenue to gain the trust and
  respect of the Courts.
  Many immortals entered Lethe during the Great
  Betrayal and are unaccounted for.  Without
  knowing what happened to everyone, no one
  can be absolutely sure of the motives of
  someone claiming to be an immortal just out of
  Lethe.  After what happened during the Great
  Fire of 1666, the Courts are leery that the
  Sanguinary may have attempted the same
  "trick" during the Great Betrayal.
  If lucky enough to have been raised by someone
  associated with the Courts, found by them, or
  even found by a Solitaire, the Ingenue begins to
  take their place in the immortal society.  But the
  Courts (and even Solitaires) do not necessarily
  give their trust to the Ingenue.  He must prove
  himself time and again that he is not merely a
  minion of the Sanguinary in disguise somehow.
  Over time the Ingenue comes under the
  patronage of a Lord and eventually becomes a
  member of one of the Courts.  Though the
  physical process of Lethe may have ended after
  a short time (the Narrator grants the missing
  aura ranks that have yet to surface as the vox
  builds up basic power in the immortal's auras),
  the process of fully remembering one's past can
  take decades, even centuries.  It can take years
  for an immortal to fully remember enough about
  his or her past and how they came to be this
  new persona. Since the previous persona is now
  an avatar stored in the matrices of the vox, it is
  not simply a matter of accessing the Ingenue's
  memories of who she was.  The Ingenue does
  not have any more memories than she has
  learned during the game. She does not possess
  all the memories of her previous avatars to go
  through.  This can lead immortals on long
  searches to discover how and why they entered
  Lethe, and who they were before it.
  Encryption [6]
  Return Locus: <Albrecht at Sanctuary>
  Received By: <Ringbearer at Labyrinth>
  Language: Atrana-Cant [Voxtongue] no mortal
  transcription available
  Subject: The forces are marshaled
  Summary: On our way to meet you
  Keyword Search: Lokki, Jamie, Evrin, Kos, Jenks
  Date: Year of the Pale
  Message as Follows:
  NATALIE,
  I'VE GOTTEN MY HANDS ON LOKKI, BUT NO WORD
  FROM JENKS, JAMIE ANNE, EVRIN OR SHAWN. WE
  ARE HEADING TO MEET YOU NOW. WE HAVE ALSO
  PICKED UP A HITCHIKER, OUR FRIEND "KOS"
  SEEMS TO HAVE SOMEHOW GOTTEN WORD ABOUT
  THIS, SO PREPARE THE USUAL GREETING.
  -- Gabe
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
  11
  The Ingenue Character
  This type of character provides a wonderful
  opportunity to explore the very early years of
  one's immortality as well as provide an excellent
  way for a more novice player to join a group of
  more experienced players.
  The Ingenue Bane provides some changes to
  the starting character. Ingenue start with d12,
  d10, d10 to assign to auras (even if an
  elemental).  The additional aura ranks are held
  back by the Narrator until he feels that the
  character is ready for them.  The character can
  have as many avatars as he wishes, but should
  not take skills or abilities outside of the current
  character's own experiences.
  Some memory should be held back to buy skills
  and abilities as the Ingenue begins to have
  memories of the avatar she once was.  The
  Ingenue may not purchase more than one
  serenade, and the Narrator determines when the
  Ingenue "accidentally" sings it for the first time.
  The Ingenue also has no Court, and therefore
  no boons, dominance, etc., until formally
  inducted into one.   The Ingenue does start with
  a Calling (same as the previous avatar's), and
  gains the starting skills for the Calling, though
  some may have only just recently surfaced as
  part of the character's introduction into the
  game.
  The Ingenue Bane allows the character to be
  just finding out about his immortality, or start the
  game completely unaware of it.  This can lead to
  even more complications, as the Ingenue does
  not understand whom or what he is just yet.  It
  also provides a great opportunity for the minions
  of the Sanguinary or the Abzulim to approach
  the Ingenue with all sorts of wonderful stories to
  play on the character's mind.  An Ingenue's
  parents may be Believers, Bright Bloods or
  Immortals who have cared for the immortal while
  in Lethe.  The parents could be normal humans
  who were led to believe that the immortal was
  their child for whatever reason.  One of the most
  interesting parts of playing an Ingenue is the
  discovery of the truth of ones past. The fact that
  the immortal was not born as a mortal, and in
  fact was not "born" at all.  This can lead the
  Ingenue to question the very fabric of her reality.
  Newborns
  There are still shards of the Sanguinary in
  existence that have not imprinted themselves
  into a host.  After all, she shattered into millions
  upon millions of pieces.  It is possible for a shard
  to infect a being even today.  An animal,
  wounded, crawls deep into a cave, its blood
  trickling upon the ground.  The blood comes in
  contact with a shard, which liquefies.  It then
  travels up the bloodstream into the animal and
  reforms as a vox.  The animal is now immortal.
  The animal then undergoes a process very
  similar to what happens to an immortal while in
  the embryonic stages of Lethe, as it begins to
  quickly learn.  Many of these are found by the
  Progeny and unfortunately are taken in by
  minions of the Sanguinary.
  Most often the shards are discovered by unwary
  humans, and carried around for some time
  before they find a way to enter a host body.  The
  human becomes an immortal with a human
  himsati, and will have natures that match
  (beauty, balance, immunities, mimicry, etc.).
  Due to the Sanguinary's connection to all
  immortals, the newborn could develop an animal
  himsati even if the newborn was a normal
  human.  Or the immortal could develop only
  some animal natures.  Plant himsatis and
  natures are much rarer, but do happen.
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
  12
  Playing a Newborn
  Players can take the Newborn bane and opt to
  play a Newborn.  Newborns are generally
  normal animals or humans that have just been
  infected by a shard of the Sanguinary.  The
  shard may be a clean shard, not imprinted with
  any avatars, or could be an already formed vox.
  If someone wishes to play an immortal that was
  made by the implanting of an already formed
  vox, they should take the Ingenue Bane instead
  and follow those rules.
  A Newborn has no avatars and therefore does
  not follow the standard rules for building a
  character.  A Newborn starts with no memory
  save the 10 points gained from the Newborn
  Bane.  The Newborn starts with one d12, one
  d10, and one d8 (even if elemental).  The d10
  and the d8 can be traded down to inferior levels
  in order to gain extra memory.  The d10 can be
  traded to a d12 for 5 points.  The d8 may be
  traded to a d10 for 5 points or to a d12 for 10
  points.  This gives a possible total of 15 extra
  starting memory to buy skills with.
  Regardless of whether the Newborn is an animal
  or a human, he will have a Calling.  This is
  based off the characters role in society, type of
  animal, job as a human, place within a pack,
  etc., prior to becoming immortal.  The Newborn
  does use the standard rules for starting skills
  from Calling and can use the optional skill
  choices presented in this book for Callings.
  Newborns are not part of the Courts and gain
  none of the Court bonuses.  Newborns may
  shape-shift at will with no roll required until the
  Narrator deems the new shard has had time to
  fully form into a vox and adjust to the new host.
  The Newborn may not buy any serenades to
  start the game and does not receive the optional
  25 memory point bonus for serenades from
  Book II, even if offered by the Narrator to other
  players.  The Narrator will provide the Newborn
  with one free serenade (no foci) at a d12 skill
  level, early in the game, based on the how the
  character initially has progressed.  The Narrator
  decides when the Newborn discovers this first
  serenade.  The Newborn takes a one-shift
  penalty to the serenade skill roll until the
  Narrator deems the Newborn understands what
  he is doing in relation to serenades in general.
  Newborns have no Avatars so they may not
  spend memory in mid-game, except with special
  permission of the Narrator (usually to remember
  something from before they became immortal
  that they may have forgotten).  However, they
  have 0 Fugue Rating and therefore do not make
  Fugue Checks.
  MINOR PLAYERS
  Solitaire Dynasties
  There are a few Dynasties that have played a
  significant role in both the Prides and the Courts
  over the years.  Of the Solitaires, these stand
  out as true organized groups with Temporal
  power on Earth.
  D'Arcade (Dark Arcade)
  This Dynasty, which started as an alliance of
  several Dynasties during the times before the
  Great Betrayal, has had more influence over the
  Courts than any other organization to date.
  Originally this alliance worked well with the
  former Prides, providing them a number of
  services in exchange for immaculum and
  services in return.  This ranged from assisting in
  obtaining items necessary to defeat minions of
  the Sanguinary, to teaching various serenades.
  After the Great Betrayal, the services are
  somewhat different and the prices to be paid
  have gone up dramatically.  D'Arcade is literally
  the black market of the immortal society,
  dabbling in the darkest sides of both the mortal
  and immortal cultures.  They provide
  information, mercenaries, illegal substances and
  items, all for a price.  It is also said that the Dark
  Arcade easily works for whomever will pay them
  Setting Note: Newborn Elementals
  It is unclear how the Abzulim made the first elementals (known as the Primals) so long ago.
  Almost no fully elemental himsatis have been born in the modern age due to the low energies
  of Earth's aura. It is not unheard of, however, for an immortal to have some elemental natures,
  but would not be a true elemental. He would not have the problem with serenades, nor would
  the vox exist outside the body, nor would he have wish-giving. Newborns may develop some
  elemental-like natures due to the circumstances present when the vox infected the creature
  (drowning at the ocean floor, buried alive, the person or animal was on fire at the moment,
  etc.).
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
  13
  the most, including the minions of the
  Sanguinary and Abzulim.
  It is said that D'Arcade maintains a mantle with
  physical connections to Antarctica on Earth,
  similar to how the Dreamtime connects to the
  Morpheum.  This mantle, called Nivalea, is said
  to have entryways in nearly every major city on
  Earth as well.  It is said that only in Nivalea can
  one find minions of the Sanguinary freely
  roaming amongst members of the Courts and
  Solitiares. D'Arcade permits no violence in
  Nivalea between its guests.  This makes it very
  frustrating to members of the Courts who see
  minions of the Sanguinary and Abzulim, but can
  do nothing to stop them.  D'Arcade enforces this
  policy with relative ease since they control the
  Makers, who control the reality of the mantle.
  Corsair Dynasty
  The Corsairs were part of the D'Arcade alliance
  until after the Great Betrayal.  They broke away
  when D'Arcade began hiring themselves out to
  the highest bidder.  The current leader of the
  Corsairs is the immortal once known as Robin of
  Locksley, a master thief of the Merchant Calling.
  The Corsairs have also obtained a small number
  of the former members of Pride Dracul.  This
  has only added to the legends of redistributing
  resources from those who have too much, to
  those who have too little.
  The Corsairs have a heavy hand in the shipping
  lanes along Earth's oceans and have a standing
  war with the Dark Roane, followers of the fallen
  Transcendent known as Leviathan.  Though
  they have no love for the Courts, they do no
  actively oppose them for the most part.  Most of
  the Dynasty's efforts are spent against D'Arcade
  and the minions of the Sanguinary.  The
  Corsairs are one of the few smaller groups that
  have successfully stood up to D'Arcade, mainly
  because of their intimate knowledge of how the
  black market Dynasty works.
  The Oni
  Originally a group of Solitaires who remained
  neutral to the Prides, the Oni were the patrons of
  the Ninja that would later develop in mortal
  society.  Among them was the famous mortal
  Sun Tzu, the general who wrote "The Art of
  War".  Unfortunately he died before he could be
  made immortal.  The Oni often interfere with
  Court politics through thievery and
  assassination, when it is possible that doing so
  will increase their own power.  However, they
  follow a strict code of honor and continue to fight
  the Sanguinary and lend their aid to mortals
  even today.  Though many members are often
  viewed as modern day ninja, hiring themselves
  out to the highest bidder, this does not hold true
  for the Dynasty as a whole.  Fortunately the Oni
  are a powerful force, and their code of honor
  usually keeps them from clashing with the
  Courts too strongly.
  Other Groups
  And still there are those outside groups that do
  not truly fit the mold of Solitaire.  These may be
  enemies of the entire immortal race, lost allies,
  etc.
  Dracula and his Scions
  Long ago Dracula was a powerful Bright Blood
  belonging to one of the immortal Quiet Cultures.
  It was rumored that Halley's Comet influenced
  him as it passed by Earth in the 1400's.
  Immortal scholars believe it is a huge shard of
  the Sanguinary, flung from Earth into space
  when she crashed here millions of years ago.
  Dracula came to power and ruled over
  Wallachia, and became thought as a threat to
  the Perpetual Society.  A Slayer was sent to kill
  him, but with his powerful faith, he instead killed
  the Slayer.  He ripped out her vox with his own
  teeth, and made himself immortal at the age of
  29.
  His faith did not desert him, and armed with both
  it and immortality, he had become a very
  dangerous foe.  Eventually he became heavily
  cursed and began to use the forbidden process
  of creating a Scion.  However, instead of
  transferring the curse to the shameful creatures,
  it merely copied them to the Scion, along with
  the same hunger for blood that Dracula
  developed from his own faith.  Oddly enough,
  these scions did not become mere copies of
  Dracula, some even being female.  And to add
  to this, his faith has warped him so that he
  maintains multiple himsatis and can change to
  any of them at will.  It is said that this came from
  his drinking the blood of several immortals over
  the years.
  The hunger for blood drives Dracula and his
  Scions to drink the blood of human beings,
  which gives his Scions indefinite life spans.  The
  Courts and Solitaires all hunt for Dracula,
  believing that he may be a minion of the
  Sanguinary, but no one knows for sure the
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
  14
  motives of this mysterious immortal and his
  minions.
  Court of Obedience (Pride Dracul)
  Long ago the Transcendent known as Sharakai
  the Dragon developed a following of immortals
  that would one day be known as the Dracul.
  With a basis in honor and balance, the Dracul
  were a patron of much of Earth's eastern
  philosophies and beliefs.  When the Great
  Betrayal came, this Pride, also having called
  themselves the Court of Obedience, was
  destroyed, having lost nearly all of its members
  during a gathering of the Court.
  Oddly, it seemed the Court was prepared for its
  destruction, having hidden away its own mantles
  and having taken measures to safeguard its
  worshippers.  Some say that they allowed
  themselves to be taken in order to somehow
  stop a particular faction of the Progeny, insuring
  more immortals survived the Great Betrayal than
  otherwise would have.  It is said that this was
  masterminded by the Transcendent known as
  Sharakai.
  After the Great Betrayal, the various surviving
  members filtered into different Courts.  It is
  rumored that these survivors also form the Eyes
  of Sharakai.  Some claim that Sharakai looks
  through the eyes and ears of these immortals
  only and works through them, allowing him to
  patron the various Courts in his own way.
  Others say that this group has begun to set in
  motion plans to allow them to reform as a Minor
  Court.  If this is true, no former member of the
  Dracul will verify such a claim.
  Cerulean Order
  The Cerulean Order holds in its grasp the
  largest known existing shard of the Sanguinary,
  called the Blue Emerald.  The Blue Emerald is a
  living shard with its own consciousness and is
  said to seek the destruction of all other shards of
  the Sanguinary including itself some day.  The
  Courts are fearful that the Cerulean Order may
  one day turn upon all the immortals in an effort
  to destroy their voxes, but so far the Order has
  only sought to destroy clean unimprinted shards.
  There is speculation that the Blue Emerald may
  be the physical component of the Sanguinary's
  conscience and that separated from it, the
  Sanguinary is purely evil now.  The Order claims
  that the Emerald feels it cannot bring back the
  Sanguinary from this darkness, and therefore
  the only way to stop it is to destroy any and all
  chances for it to physically manifest again.  This
  means the destruction of all its shards.
  Still others argue that the Blue Emerald is
  merely a shard large enough to allow the
  Sanguinary to partially manifest and attempt to
  deceive the immortal race.  Thus the Cerulean
  Order has not been permitted entry into the
  Courts.  At one time the Blue Emerald powered
  the Court of Making's primary mantle known as
  the Walk. Rumors abound that it is still hidden
  somewhere deep in the bowels of the Earth by
  the Order.
  Sons of Loki
  While still in their infancy, several of the young
  Prides became seduced into rebuilding the body
  of the Sanguinary.  One of their members, a
  Morrigan known as Loki, had discovered the
  trickery and attempted to make his brothers and
  sisters in the Prides realize it too.  Enthralled by
  the work they had been doing, he was captured
  and tortured for millennia by his own brethren.
  When the rest of the Prides eventually came and
  destroyed the horrific creation, the enthralled
  immortals were set free.  They also set Loki free,
  but his thirst for vengeance against his brothers
  and sisters only grew.
  Over the years Loki was slowly seduced by the
  first of the Sanguine Avatars, the Rime (also
  known as the Cold Lady).  At her bidding he
  nearly destroyed the mysterious Horned Lord,
  and legends say the Loki and the Rime created
  the first of the Droves.
  When the Immortals were locked in Sheol, he
  continued to plot against them.  When his
  treachery was finally discovered, he was tied to
  one of the first Zuzog trees.  The Zuzog are
  trees of darkness that are antithetical to the
  trees of light known as the Sunedrion.
  Eventually he was consumed by it and never
  seen again.
  Eons later, a group of Immortals, rumored to be
  led by a mysterious Ice Elemental, now form his
  cult.  All that join the cult are bonded with extra
  himsati natures of ice and carry a second motif
  to all their serenades (of ice).  They are also
  gifted with the additional auras of an elemental,
  but they do not have the problems of playing
  serenades.  They are hybrids, not true
  elementals.
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
  15
  The Sons of Loki are considered one of the most
  dangerous groups in the Immortal world.  Even
  D'Arcade is circumspect in their dealings with
  them.  The cult spends much of its time trying to
  find out if Loki is somehow still alive and exactly
  what happened to him.  Whether they serve the
  Sanguinary, the Abzulim, or some other agency
  is unknown to the Perpetual Society.  The Sons
  have a particular disdain and hatred for the
  members of the Court of Life that once belonged
  to the Pride Morrigan.
  Mortal Outcasts
  Looked at with awe, ridicule, and
  misunderstanding, the Believers walk through
  the sea of humanity alone much of the time.
  Believers know that there is more out there than
  the rest of humanity can see, or wants to see.
  Some not only know it, they experience it as
  well. And though their numbers grow with each
  passing year, they still are very much the
  minority amongst the mortal population. For as
  the number of Believers grows, so too does the
  number of soulless.
  Many Believers are part of the war that rages
  between the immortals, Sanguinary and the
  mysterious Abzulim. Amongst them are the
  Bright Bloods, whose special powers place them
  apart from the majority of the Believers. Not all
  Believers side with or help the Perpetual
  Society. Many Believers have not truly
  experienced the supernatural war, and are very
  misguided in their beliefs. But the important part
  is that they believe in something. Something
  more than the cold harsh world the Sanguinary
  has helped to develop. Something that gives
  them hope, inspiration, and the capability to
  understand the truth should they find it. Many of
  them do help the Courts in the Cause, assisting,
  working with, and sometimes even worshipping
  those Immortals they encounter. Others serve
  the Sanguinary, and even some serve the
  Deepwalkers and their minions.
  In the Age of Myth before the Shouting War,
  worshippers obeyed their immortal gods without
  question.  However, as the immortals have
  quickly learned, the modern age does not hold
  humanity in such awe of the immortal race.
  Since the immortals remained hidden during the
  time between the Shouting War and today, the
  Sanguinary and her minions had ample time to
  convince most of humanity that the Age of Myth
  never even happened.
  In the modern age, immortals must take great
  pains to see to the needs of their worshippers,
  because even though their numbers are
  growing, there are still few true believers (and
  even fewer Bright Bloods) on Earth.  And with
  the decreased power levels that most immortals
  work at in comparison to the Age of Myth,
  mistreating mortal worshippers is a quick way to
  lose them.
  The ultimate goal is not for the mortals to
  continue to worship the immortal race as the
  gods they once were. Though the immortals
  strive for Transcendence, they strive to give
  humanity a chance to believe in itself and break
  the shackles of the Sanguinary that they wear
  within their own subconscious minds.
  This is extremely dangerous since revealing
  oneself to a mortal risks capture or destruction
  at the hands of the Sanguinary's minions. This is
  why the immortal race (even the Solitaires and
  other groups) is very careful about how, and to
  whom they reveal themselves to.
  Making a Believer
  When an Immortal finds a mortal that has that
  special spark, the Immortal generally spends a
  deal of time watching the mortal without actually
  interacting with him. There are telltale signs that
  can be seen if one spends the time watching a
  particular mortal, signs that show the person is a
  Believer, or has the potential to be one. It can be
  seen in their home, the symbology that does not
  follow the mainstream. It can be seen in the
  books they read, the shows they watch, the
  friends they keep and the ones they don't. It can
  be read in the faces of the crowd around them,
  and how they react to the mortal. The way the
  mortal dresses, their mannerisms. These are all
  signs of a unique individual that stands out from
  the crowd, and yet the crowd does not seem to
  want to acknowledge.  Except for Bright Bloods,
  the majority of Believers are held back by the
  sea of non-believers.  Though they excel in their
  own special areas, they are rarely found in
  humanity's spotlight.  This is actually a benefit to
  the immortals as these people can slip
  unnoticed through the sea of humanity that the
  Sanguinary is watching, and assist the Perpetual
  Society in secret.
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
  16
  Those Believers that spend their time dealing
  with the true supernatural spend a lot less time
  in what humanity considers "normal" endeavors.
  The Believer has to find ways to explain away
  the time she has spent dealing with the
  supernatural world. The Sanguinary constantly
  searches for those who do not fit in with the rest
  of society, those who do not conduct themselves
  to the uniformity that she has created in order to
  control humanity. These she seeks to discover if
  they are potential allies of the Immortals, and if
  so, she crushes them, seduces them, whatever
  she must to remove their potential threat to her
  plans.
  Worse yet are those Believers who already
  thrive on the darkness within them. These are
  the ones that ultimately result in the destruction
  or capture of so many of the Immortals. It is hard
  to tell whether a Believer carries the darkness
  within them or not. This is why the Immortals
  must be so careful when choosing to reveal
  themselves to a particular mortal. And even after
  that, time must be spent seeing just how safe it
  is to reveal more. After all, it is Believers that aid
  immortals, join their Quiet Cultures, protect their
  Arks
  and Sanctuaries, watch over those in Lethe, etc.
  To allow a potential servant of the darkness is to
  bring a poison into the Perpetual Society.
  Brightening a Soul
  There are those amongst the Perpetual Society,
  especially in the Courts of Life and Making, that
  attempt to increase the number of Bright Bloods
  on Earth. It is said by the Chancellors of the
  Court of Life, the Amaranth, it is possible to
  brighten a soul, just as the Sanguinary can
  darken one. Still, there have been few, very few,
  instances of a mortal becoming a Bright Blood.
  And in such cases, it is still not fully understood
  exactly what made the change. It is also
  possible that the mortal was already a Bright
  Blood and it was only just revealed at that point.
  Still, the Immortal race strives to understand
  these powerful humans and their role in the
  universe.
  Encryption [7]
  Return Locus: <Jenks at Term. ID 435437>
  Received By: <Ringbearer at Labyrinth>
  Language: Atrana-Cant [Voxtongue] no mortal
  transcription available
  Subject: With the others
  Summary: Taking secondary lead
  Keyword Search: Gabriel, Shade, Redemption
  Date: Year of the Pale
  Message as Follows:
  NATALIA,
  JAMMIE ANNE HAS ALSO DISCOVERED A LEAD ON
  THE INGENUE, GABRIEL.  WE ARE IN THE MIDST OF
  GATHERING INFORMATION CONCERNING IT AND
  CANNOT LEAVE AT THE MOMENT.  IF LEAD
  PROVES TO BE DEAD OR YOU INSTEAD FIND
  CONCLUSIVE EVIDENCE OF HIS PRESENCE, WE
  WILL JOIN YOU IMMEDIATELY.
  BEST REGARDS AND GOOD LUCK.
  -- Jenks
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
  17
  Chapter II: Maladies
  “To be lost within ones own thoughts forever. Truly the final Fugue can be nearly
  as horrid a fate as to be consumed by the Sanguinary herself."
  -- Harbringer, Court of Death
  TAINT
  Like an ethereal leech, taint infests in the MIND
  and BODY auras of mortals, sucking the life
  energies from its host. As the mortal ages, the
  taint accumulates more and more, weakening
  the aura. At the time of death, the remaining
  untainted aura ranks are consumed by the taint,
  leaving only the SPIRIT aura and the empty
  shell of the dead body. This kind of taint is
  harmless to an immortal.
  Under normal circumstances, Taint does not
  invade the SPIRIT aura of mortals. It is known to
  happen however, usually due to strange
  circumstances, or interference from Progeny or
  other minions of the Sanguinary. This kind of
  invasion into the SPIRIT aura of a mortal tends
  to leave a permanent mark on the mortal's soul,
  influencing him for the rest of his living days. It
  can also assist the Sanguinary in "possession"
  of the mortal.
  Through history there have been a few accounts
  of taint entering the SPIRIT of a mortal being,
  and in those accounts most are normal humans,
  not Believers or Bright Bloods. The majority of
  these accounts occur in the soulless that have
  no true SPIRIT to stop the invasion of the taint. It
  is feared with the rising number of soulless, this
  will happen more often now.
  Taint is normally incapable of infesting in the
  auras of an immortal. Their ability to regenerate
  themselves from even death prevents it from
  consuming aura ranks. However, taint is capable
  of being twisted into a form capable of infecting
  an immortal's SPIRIT aura. This kind of taint is
  akin to a feral animal, lashing out from the
  immortal's SPIRIT aura to affect the world
  around it. The immortal race seems incapable of
  stopping this dark power that occurs so naturally
  in the cosmos, and feeds even the lowest of the
  Sanguinary's minions.
  There are two ways in which taint can twist into
  the form capable of infecting an immortal. The
  first occurs when an immortal misplays a
  serenade. The second occurs when attempting
  to take life-force from a mortal (a process known
  by the Courts as the Sinning). This type of taint
  tends to ignore the MIND and BODY aura of the
  immortal and seats itself into the SPIRIT aura,
  regardless of how it was gained. Even if an
  immortal were attempting to heal her BODY
  aura by Sinning from a mortal, the taint will slip
  past into the SPIRIT aura. If the SPIRIT aura is
  completely tainted it can slip into other auras for
  brief periods.  This is normally caused by certain
  curses the immortal has.  These poor immortals
  Encryption [6]
  Return Locus: <Modal at Failsafe [Hacker Alias]>
  Received By: <Trapdoor [Location Unknown]>
  Language: Oneness Dialect (Translation Provided)
  Subject: Obsidian Primals
  Summary: Have been sighted, leave vicinity if
  needed.
  Keyword Search: Stigmata, Prophecy, Dark Shards
  Date: Year of the Pale
  Message as Follows:
  OBSIDIAN PRIMALS HAVE BEEN SIGHTED IN THE
  AREA WHERE YOU ARE CURRENTLY SEARCHING
  FOR STIGMATA.   IT IS POSSIBLE THE DARK
  SHARDED IMMORTALS ALSO SEEK HIM FOR HIS
  KNOWLEDGE OF SAMIEL BEFORE AND AFTER THE
  ABZULIM'S ENTRY INTO THE LABYRINTH.
  PLEASE ASSESS THE POSSIBLE THREAT AND TAKE
  APPROPRIATE ACTIONS.  MEASURES MUST BE
  TAKEN TO SPEED UP THE RECOVERY OF STIGMATA
  BEFORE HE POSES ANY FURTHER THREAT.  WE
  REQUEST THAT YOU AGAIN ALLOW MORIARTY TO
  EMERGE TO HANDLE THIS SITUATION.
  IF YOU ARE IN NEED OF IT, WE WILL PROVIDE
  FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE OBSIDIAN AND
  POSSIBLE LABYRINTH CONNECTION IN LATER
  COMMUNIQUE.
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
  18
  are quite close to being completely lost to the
  Sanguinary.  Before the Great Betrayal, when
  Earth's aura was stronger and immaculum rich,
  accumulating too much taint caused one to be
  literally thrust from Earth along the tangled Nadir
  to wind up at some random Dominion world.
  When an immortal's SPIRIT aura is tainted, the
  taint acts just like damage to the aura, reducing
  it by the amount of taint present. However, the
  standard ways of healing will not remove taint
  from an immortal. The only way to "heal" a
  tainted aura is through the process known as
  Sinning or by finding a mortal who will willingly
  give up SPIRIT aura ranks to the immortal. It is
  for this reason that immortals are very careful
  about the playing of their serenades, for sinning
  can have far worse effects on the immortal than
  the taint, as well as further taint the immortal
  instead of heal her.
  When an immortal misplays a serenade, there is
  a chance that the energies building up within the
  SPIRIT aura of the immortal will pervert (by
  rolling a critical failure) and twist into taint. This
  weakens the SPIRIT aura by one rank each time
  such an occurrence happens. The other way in
  which the taint can infiltrate the immortal's
  SPIRIT aura is during the process known as
  Sinning.
  Sinning
  Immortals sometimes take aura ranks from
  mortals without their willing cooperation.  This
  may be done to heal a wounded aura, cleanse
  taint, or (in the case of SPIRIT aura only) create
  immaculum.  In order to "sin" the immortal must
  maintain physical contact with the mortal, and
  only one rank can be taken per attempt (which
  takes one full turn).
  The player must announce before making any
  rolls the purpose of the Sinning (cleanse, heal,
  create immaculum), and what aura the immortal
  is using (the one to be healed or cleansed
  usually).  The immortal and mortal will make an
  opposed roll using that aura.  If the immortal
  rolls lower, the mortal's aura goes one rank
  inferior and the immortal gains one rank.  The
  mortal will not heal back the missing aura rank.
  When the immortal creates immaculum, the rank
  of SPIRIT aura from the mortal coalesces into
  spiritual substance that orbits in and around the
  immortal's own auras. Once done, immaculum
  cannot be changed back into normal SPIRIT
  aura.
  Example
  Croakus wishes to heal his BODY (currently
  d12, normally d8).  He walks up and touches a
  mortal while "asking for directions".  Croakus
  rolls his d12 and the mortal rolls his own BODY
  (a d10).  If Croakus rolls lower, his BODY
  increases back to d10 and the mortal's reduces
  to d12.  Croakus can attempt to Sin again if he
  wishes, but the mortal is now obviously aware
  something is dangerously wrong and probably
  won't quietly sit there and let Croakus do it.
  If the immortal fails, then there is a chance that
  he will gain taint, and possibly a curse. This is
  based on the type of mortal that the immortal is
  attempting to sin from, as described below. Most
  immortals are unaware except upon close
  inspection, just what type of mortal they are
  dealing with; unless the immortal is a very potent
  Bright Blood, which most immortals can feel
  when near them.
  Normal Mortals
  There are two types of normal mortals, those
  with a SPIRIT aura and those without, simply
  known as the soulless. Immaculum can not be
  created, nor can an immortal heal or cleanse his
  SPIRIT aura by Sinning on a soulless. Taking
  control of a soulless (as described in Book II)
  does not help with the process of Sinning.
  If an immortal fails in the Sinning against the
  normal mortal, the immortal does not heal, is not
  cleansed, no immaculum is created. If the
  immortal critically fails, the immortal gains taint.
  If the immortal was attempting to heal an aura,
  the aura is effectively further "damaged" as it
  now gains a rank of taint instead of healing. If
  the immortal was attempting to cleanse an aura
  of taint, it is now further tainted. In addition to
  this, a critical failure on a mortal with a SPIRIT
  aura generates a curse as well. Curses are
  explained below. The curse does not need to be
  based off of the system of beliefs, but could be
  based on circumstances at the time of sinning,
  the way the immortal appeared at the time,
  flights of fancy that the mortal has, etc.
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
  19
  Believers
  Believers are just like normal mortals with
  SPIRIT auras, except they have the Faith Boon.
  If the immortal fails it is the same as a normal
  mortal, no healing, cleansing or immaculum. If
  the immortal critically fails, it is worse than with a
  normal mortal. Not only does the immortal gain
  taint and a curse, but the Believer's Faith Boon
  activates as well. This warps the immortal in
  some way that is usually apparent to others that
  view or interact with the immortal, following the
  standard Faith Boon rules.
  If the immortal also has the Faith boon, the
  immortal and mortal make an opposed roll.  If
  the immortal rolls equal or lower than the mortal
  the Faith Boon does not work against the
  immortal. Narrators should decide ahead of time
  if a mortal is a believer or not.
  It is possible to sense the Faith in a Believer by
  making a SPIRIT roll (cosmic awareness)
  against a target number equal to 12 minus the
  SPIRIT die of the mortal. This actually makes
  believers with low SPIRIT very dangerous since
  detecting their Faith is nearly impossible. It takes
  one turn to do this, which means that an
  immortal cannot sense and sin in the same turn,
  regardless of the number of actions he has. If
  the immortal has never felt or dealt with mortal
  Faith before, the Narrator may wish to shift the
  immortal's SPIRIT roll one level inferior since the
  immortal does not know exactly what he is
  looking for. Immortals with the Scanning Boon
  (SPIRIT) may use this instead.
  Example
  Blood has walked up to a mortal and is about to
  shake hands and sin from him. He rolls his d10
  SPIRIT to see if he can sense any Faith in the
  mortal. He rolls a 3. The mortal is indeed a
  believer with a SPIRIT of d8. 12 minus 8 (8 is
  the die value) is 4. Since Blood did roll equal or
  lower than a 4, he senses the Faith and decides
  that when he shakes hands with this mortal, he
  will not sin against him.
  Bright Bloods
  These mortals are the most dangerous to sin
  from. Any failure (critical or not) results in the
  aura rank being tainted and the immortal gaining
  a curse. On a critical failure, the immortal gains
  a second curse, at one rank inferior to the first
  curse. And since all Bright Bloods have the Faith
  boon, this also activates as per a Believer.
  Example
  Cutter, who is heavily wounded, races into the
  storefront and grabs the first mortal he sees and
  begins Sinning from her.  He rolls a 7 on his
  current d12 BODY and she rolls a 5 on her d10
  BODY.  She turns out to be a Bright Blood so his
  BODY aura is now effectively a d20 (wounded to
  d12 and tainted one more rank to d20).  In
  addition, Cutter gains a d8 curse (she has a d8
  SPIRIT), and her Faith Boon activates.  If he had
  critically failed he would have gained a second
  curse at a d10.
  Mortal Reactions
  When a mortal willingly gives up a rank of one of
  her auras to an immortal, the experience is not
  in any way harmful to the mortal. In fact, the
  mortal will find it a very pleasant experience,
  falling into a somewhat sleep-like, almost
  hypnotic state for up to several hours
  afterwards.
  Remember, only Believers and Bright Bloods
  are capable of giving their aura ranks willingly.
  Others do not have the Faith to allow such a
  transferal.
  Bright Bloods "heal back" these missing aura
  ranks at the same rate as they would heal
  normal damage. Other mortals take twice as
  long (see healing rules in Book I). But when the
  ranks of aura are taken by force (Sinning), it
  takes Bright Bloods years to "heal back" this
  kind of damage, and normal mortals never
  regain it.
  Setting Note: Mantle Beings
  All beings created by a Maker within a mantle are treated as Soulless, though it is not readily
  apparent to most immortals. The Maker determines reality, and therefore it may require
  thorough investigation to determine the difference, and more often than not, most immortals
  cannot tell the difference. Mantle beings are living flesh and blood creatures. The only difference
  is that they cannot exist outside the mantle, and if the mantle ever fails, they die and fade. Then
  again, it is said the same can happen to an immortal thrust into the Blue Air unprotected. Makers
  and other inhabitants of mantles get very upset when they are referred to as not being "real",
  "constructs", etc.
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
  20
  When aura ranks are taken by force, the mortal's
  aura is permanently changed and scarred. It is
  not damage that can be healed normally or with
  serenades or other powers, because it is not
  truly damage, but the scars left from missing
  aura ranks.  It is an irrevocable change that only
  the strongest of Bright Bloods even have a
  chance of recovering from. It is because of this
  that the process of forcibly taking aura ranks is
  called Sinning.
  Mortals do not sit idly by while an immortal
  drains their aura ranks. Once the immortal has
  begun to sin the mortal can feel that something
  is dreadfully wrong, as they grow weaker in one
  of their auras. Since sinning requires physical
  contact, a mortal may attempt to break free of
  the mortal's grasp. This is role-played as per
  standard combat. Since it takes an entire turn for
  the immortal to sin, the immortal may only
  attempt to maintain their grasp and physical
  contact with the mortal. Once begun, they may
  not play serenades, activate himsati natures,
  etc. If the mortal manages to break physical
  contact the sinning fails, but no taint or curses
  are gained since no energies were successfully
  transferred.
  Once the immortal is done sinning upon the
  mortal, the mortal will remain stunned for some
  time as their auras attempt to adjust and
  rationalize that something is now clearly
  missing. This leaves a permanent scar on the
  soul and mind of the mortal.  It is possible that
  an event like this can even create Faith in a
  mortal, though it would be twisted and warped.
  Such a thing would be very rare as well.
  Most mortals (unless they are believers) cannot
  comprehend what has actually happened to
  them, they cannot come to terms with it.  This
  can drive a mortal to make up events in his mind
  as to what actually happened and what it all
  meant.
  If a mortal's MIND or BODY aura drops below
  d20 due to sinning, the mortal dies. Mortals that
  die in this way become ghosts of a sort, their
  remaining auras not dissipating. More on mortal
  spirits appears in Chapter 3. If an immortal's
  SPIRIT aura drops below d20, he becomes
  forever soulless. The Courts abhor the death of
  a mortal in this way, or a mortal becoming
  soulless in this way. Immortals who are
  discovered to be committing such acts are seen
  as no better than the Sanguinary's own minions.
  These immortals are at the very least banished
  from the Perpetual Society.
  Sanguine Taint
  Whenever an immortal sins, even successfully,
  some taint is created. Normally this tiny amount
  resides within the mortal's auras and is partially
  responsible for why the mortal never regains the
  lost auras. Some of it may float out into the
  world and settle where it may.
  Taint is anti-energy that the Sanguinary can
  utilize to destroy, create droves, possess beings,
  place shackles of pain on its servitors, and in
  more rare cases reanimate the dead to do her
  bidding. This is yet another reason the Perpetual
  Society has such a dim view of those who Sin
  against mortals except when absolutely
  necessary.
  Unfortunately, many immortals, while
  understanding the threat of the Progeny and the
  Droves, do not believe the Sanguinary truly
  exists any longer. Most of these are Solitaires,
  but regardless, these immortals create a large
  amount of taint since they have no inhibitions
  against Sinning.
  Taint does not hinder the minions of the
  Sanguinary, and in fact is beneficial to them in
  many ways. Though not directly of the
  Sanguinary, immortal scholars have long
  speculated that there is some connection
  between the Sanguinary, taint, and the
  substance known as Darkle.  It was used by the
  Abzulim in some of their ancient artifacts, and is
  said to come from a place known as the
  Labyrinth.  This dark mystical realm is a mystery
  to most of the Courts, save a few members of
  the Shadowen, and they do not speak of the
  Labyrinth in mixed company.
  Minions of the Sanguinary are capable of
  working with taint in a number of ways. It is
  beneficial even to the lower minions such as the
  Droves. Minions of the Sanguinary who carry
  taint do not have their auras reduced by it. Some
  welcome the taint and the curses that
  sometimes accompany it. There are rumors that
  the Droves are actually Progeny Scions. The
  Sanguinary affords its minions with many ways
  to work with taint, which manifest as certain
  Dark Boons. However, most of these are under
  the Sanguinary's direct control, and the
  Sanguinary can withhold the boon from a minion
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
  21
  at her whim. These are labeled (Sanguinary) in
  their descriptions in the new Boons Appendix.
  These Dark Boons are almost always reserved
  for those that serve the Sanguinary and not for
  those that stand against it. These Dark Boons
  have no point cost as they are given (and taken
  away from) the minions of the Sanguinary at her
  whim.
  The Sanguinary is also capable of punishing
  those who fail to serve her well. The Sanguinary
  can control the taint that resides in its minions,
  moving it out of the SPIRIT aura and into other
  auras in order to inflict pain or cloud the mind of
  a follower. However, even the Sanguinary
  cannot be everywhere at once, its
  consciousness diffused mostly through the
  minds of the mortals who dream, only physically
  connected to its own minions. Much of this
  punishment happens when the minion sleeps,
  as they connect to the Morpheum themselves to
  receive instructions, or to communicate with
  others.
  This is not to say that all the minions of the
  Sanguinary thrive on taint. Most Progeny are not
  tainted at all, while some Droves have all their
  auras completely tainted, making them
  devastating to the immortals. The Narrator
  should use taint wisely in her campaign, and not
  make it a regular occurrence for which the
  characters will constantly be prepared.
  There are other ways in which the Sanguinary
  can manipulate those things that are tainted, as
  evidenced by the ability to easily possess
  mortals with tainted souls. It is said the
  Sanguinary can literally use taint to power a host
  of other abilities that most immortals dare not
  even imagine.
  Mortal Darkening
  As mentioned, the type of taint found in most
  mortals is harmless to immortals, and unusable
  by the Sanguinary. However, should a mortal's
  SPIRIT become tainted, the Sanguinary can (at
  the Narrator's discretion) take temporary
  possession of the mortal. The Sanguinary
  cannot be everywhere at once, so this does not
  happen every day. But the Sanguinary can
  choose to take possession of any mortal it is
  focused on. This allows the Sanguinary to "issue
  an order" for the mortal to carry out and places
  the mortal into a mindset capable of recognizing
  immortals and other supernatural effects.
  The Sanguinary can also boost the MIND or
  BODY aura by one rank for one scene.
  However, at the end of the scene, the mortal
  permanently loses one rank of SPIRIT aura
  (though the taint remains). If a mortal dies while
  his SPIRIT ranks are truly tainted, he becomes a
  Soul Reaper as discussed later in this Book.
  There is a difference between a mortal being
  tainted and being "darkened". All mortals are
  connected to the Sanguinary in that they
  connect to the Morpheum when they dream.
  Within their subconscious exists a darkness
  which immortals fear. It is a twisted image of the
  Sanguinary, thriving and plying on the darker
  thoughts of humanity. The Sanguinary can
  manipulate human belief in this way.
  It is said that mythology is the story of the
  immortals, twisted and perverted by the
  influence of the Sanguinary in the human mind
  as the stories are told and retold. It is those
  mortals who begin to fall to that darkness within
  that the Courts fear, as they come closer and
  closer to becoming soulless servants of the
  Sanguinary, adding to the power of the Hush-
  Hush within the Morpheum.
  Immaculum's Effects
  Taint and Immaculum are antithetical to one
  another, but can both be present within a living
  being that has all three auras (SPIRIT, MIND,
  BODY). Obviously Immortals can carry
  immaculum while tainted, but taint tends to
  cancel out Immaculum, as evidenced by Curses.
  In mortals this is a dangerous situation, and only
  powers such as the Ambrosia serenade of the
  Court of Life are capable of cleansing a mortal
  SPIRIT of taint.
  Bright Bloods have an advantage over other
  mortals because they can sacrifice a rank of
  their SPIRIT aura to cleanse away the taint, just
  as if they had done so to create immaculum.
  This sacrificed rank of SPIRIT will heal
  according to standard rules. Bright Bloods with
  the Immaculum Fount Boon, will be unable to
  activate it until the taint is cleansed from their
  SPIRIT.
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
  22
  Tainted minions of the Sanguinary roll a die
  equal to the amount of taint in their SPIRIT aura
  when encountering an immortal with the
  Transcendent Nature/Light Boon known as the
  Anthem. If the immortal wins, the minion suffers
  a +1 to all rolls made against the immortal.  If
  there is a tie or the minion wins, nothing
  happens.  If the minion rolls a critical failure, it
  cannot stay in the presence of the immortal.
  Dark Boons
  Also included in Appendix B are new Dark
  Boons. For these boons to work, the immortal
  must be tainted. Many Progeny who choose to
  remain tainted carry these boons as well.
  Dark Boons are a way for a Narrator to give the
  adversaries of the character a bit of an edge
  against the characters' various boons. Dark
  Boons function (except for the taint requirement)
  identically to normal boons. Some Dark Boons
  are under the control of the Sanguinary, and are
  normally reserved for Progeny and the Droves.
  BANES & CURSES
  Just as Immortals are able to gain powers
  derived from human faith, it can also cripple an
  immortal. These effects, sometimes merely
  annoying, sometimes deadly, are called the
  banes. Banes are as common (if not more so)
  than boons in the modern age, as paranoia,
  pessimism, fear, and anguish are in greater
  amounts than they were in the Mythic Age. In
  today's world banes come much easier than
  boons.
  Banes represent an advanced and optional
  system that Narrators can use to add more
  detail to their campaigns. As with boons, they
  are not necessary for the full enjoyment of the
  Immortal experience. Each Bane taken grants
  the player a number of extra memory points to
  build their character with. Some Narrators may
  wish to grant a character a Bane during the
  story, granting them extra experience points
  during the game. Certain Banes called Curses
  only grant the character memory at the start of
  the game, and do not grant the character
  memory or experience if gained during game
  play.
  Some Banes (mostly Curses) normally only
  affect immortals, but a Narrator may allow some
  banes to affect Bright Bloods who have been
  affected by another's faith or other supernatural
  effect. Some banes are mundane and can affect
  anyone. Entire story lines can be crafted around
  the characters becoming involved in
  supernatural battles not with minions of the
  Sanguinary or the Abzulim, but between factions
  of Believers and Bright Bloods.
  Mundane Banes
  These banes have no special requirements, and
  function just like mundane boons do. Banes
  have a number listed with them. This is the
  amount of memory that the character will get to
  build his character with for taking the bane.
  Banes are usually taken when the character is
  first built, though the Narrator may deem that
  during the story, certain situations could grant
  the character a new Bane. If a Bane is gained
  during the story, multiply the value by five and
  grant it as experience, not memory. Banes
  should not be a cheap way to gain memory to
  spend in the middle of game sessions.
  System Note: Immaculum and Sinning from Bright Bloods
  Bright Bloods can use mystic boons because they are capable of sacrificing a rank of their
  SPIRIT aura to create immaculum within themselves. Some have the Immaculum Fount Boon,
  which creates immaculum for them each day without them having to sacrifice SPIRIT ranks.
  Bright Bloods can willingly give immaculum to an immortal just as they can their SPIRIT aura.
  While immaculum is present in a Bright Blood's aura, an immortal cannot sin against any of the
  auras until she has first sinned away all the immaculum. It acts as a barrier between the
  immortal and the Bright Blood's auras. The immortal sins away the immaculum just like sinning
  against the SPIRIT aura, except the SPIRIT aura does not go inferior with each sin. An immortal
  cannot gain curses from sinning on immaculum, but will gain taint on any failure.
  Example: A Bright Blood with a d8 SPIRIT, d10 BODY, and 4 immaculum is being sinned
  against by an immortal attempting to heal his BODY aura. The immortal must go against the d8
  SPIRIT four times to take the immaculum, and then can go against the d10 BODY.
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
  23
  The list of Banes appears in Appendix A.
  The Mystical Curses
  These are the mystical banes derived from the
  darker side of human faith. Older immortals refer
  to these as taboos. A curse is a mystical effect
  derived from the unique form of taint that can
  occur in an immortal's aura, when mixed with the
  delusions, faith, beliefs, etc. of a mortal being.
  Curses are much like banes, except they drain
  immaculum from the host immortal whenever
  they activate.
  Examples of Curses could be an allergy to a
  substance (like silver), changing into himsati
  form each full moon, feeling a certain sensation
  whenever touching a particular kind of object,
  being unable to enter a home without being
  invited, birds calling the immortal's name as she
  passes by, thunderstorms always preceding an
  immortal's arrival into a city, etc. The choices are
  as endless as one's imagination.
  Curses may be taken when building the
  character, and it is therefore assumed that the
  character had an intense flashback and gained
  the curse from one of his avatars, or failed at
  sinning prior to the start of the game and gained
  the appropriate curse.
  Curses taken while building the character grant
  the character memory points equal to 2 memory
  per rank. Curses gained as a result of flashback
  from an avatar also gain memory points. Curses
  gained as a result of failing at sinning gain the
  character no points. The Curse is the price paid
  for sinning.
  Narrators should be wary of allowing players to
  build characters with Curses strong enough to
  gain them more than a few memory points.
  Curses of that level almost never go away and
  force most immortals to hide in their private
  sanctuaries or in one of the few remaining
  mantles in the Sanctuary Realm.
  Working Curses
  When an immortal gains a curse from sinning, it
  is given a rank equal to the SPIRIT aura of the
  mortal it was gained from. For example, if the
  mortal had a d10 SPIRIT, the Curse would have
  a d10 die value (Rank 3).
  Curses activate based on the needs of the story
  and circumstances, though the most common is
  by failing a Fugue Check (but not critically,
  which instead draws out an avatar). Anytime a
  player points out a good time for a curse to
  activate and the Narrator decides to have it
  happen, he should feel free to award a point of
  memory or a few experience points to the
  player.
  Curses roll their die value when activating and
  subtract one from the roll for every rank of taint
  the immortal possesses.  The immortal rolls the
  affected aura as at its normal untainted value.
  Normally the immortal will roll his SPIRIT aura
  but some Curses have a strong affect on the
  immortal's BODY or MIND aura so the Narrator
  can choose to have the player roll those auras.
  If the immortal rolls lower, nothing happens. If
  the curse rolls lower or equal, the curse
  activates. If the immortal is tainted and has
  immaculum present in his halo, one point of
  immaculum is destroyed. If the immortal has no
  immaculum, the aura most directly connected to
  the curse (physical would be BODY, mental
  would be MIND, social/external would be
  SPIRIT) is shifted one rank inferior from where it
  currently is, until the curse subsides again.
  This is usually at the end of the scene, though
  the Narrator can make it last longer if it furthers
  the story. The aura cannot be healed during this
  time, as it isn't really damaged, just being
  suppressed by the taint. Auras cannot be shifted
  lower than d20 in this manner however.
  If the immortal is not tainted, than the curse
  activates, but no immaculum is destroyed, no
  auras are lowered. Taint merely causes the
  draining of the immaculum (or lowering of the
  aura), and should speed up the curse's rate of
  occurrences, the rate of which is at the
  Narrator's discretion to best fit the story. The
  stronger the curse (in terms of its die rank), the
  more often it should occur, and very strong
  curses (d8, d6, and d4) can affect not only the
  immortal, but can sometimes have effects on the
  surrounding environment and other nearby
  beings as well.
  Scions
  Scions are shameful creations that immortals
  have used over history to divest themselves of
  curses gained through Sinning. In the modern
  age this process is almost forbidden by the
  Courts, who see it as a weak and cowardly path.
  The Courts feel that if an immortal must result to
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
  24
  sinning, then he should be prepared to live with
  the consequences and deserves to live with the
  scars of his failure. Only when a curse can truly
  harm the immortal or those around him, in such
  a way that he cannot function within the
  Perpetual Society, do the Courts see the
  creation of a Scion as an acceptable alternative.
  At times it has even been more preferable to
  enter Lethe as far as the Courts have been
  concerned.
  Creating a Scion is creating a weapon, a gun
  that can be pointed at anyone. Scions are
  tormented creatures, carrying taint and the
  immortal's curse, used as assassination devices,
  instruments of punishment against those who
  have wronged an immortal, or ways of levying
  curses against other individuals. Many Solitaire
  Dynasties use Scions in these manners, as well
  as a few immortals within the Courts.
  In order to create a Scion, the immortal must be
  in the presence of his ark and must be tainted
  with enough ranks of taint to equal half the rank
  of the curse (rounded up). As he begins the
  ritual, he forcibly removes the vox from his body.
  As the BODY begins to disintegrate, the vox is
  pulled into the ark, rejuvenating the immortal
  with whatever aura ranks are available.
  However, since the vox is so close to the ark,
  only a single aura rank is used to transport it.
  The remaining MIND and SPIRIT aura ranks
  seep back into the body, reforming it into a
  childlike clone of the immortal and distributing
  themselves amongst the three auras to match
  roughly the same ratios as they were in the
  immortal. Housing the curse and a permanent
  level of taint that cannot be removed without
  destroying it, the Scion is now born. It is fully
  aware of what it is from the moment of its
  creation.
  Scions usually look very similar to the immortal
  when they first came out of Lethe, and have
  many of the same interests. Some even refer to
  the immortal as their parent. The Scion never
  appears to grow older however, and only lives
  for 10 to 50 years. And while a few develop
  wonderful personalities, most Scions never go
  beyond being akin to paper copies of the
  immortal auras that created them. The taint that
  a Scion carries always plagues on its MIND and
  BODY aura, reaching out from the SPIRIT,
  causing it mental and physical problems from
  time to time.
  An immortal is responsible for the Scion, not
  simply because the Courts deem it so, but the
  Curse can return. If they die prematurely (not via
  natural causes), the Curse returns to the
  immortal permanently shifted one rank superior.
  More dangerous than this however, is the fact
  that a scion can be controlled by the
  Sanguinary. It is only mortal after all, and has a
  tainted SPIRIT aura now.
  However, the Scion can roll its MIND against the
  taint (which rolls a die equal to its rank) to resist.
  Fortunately, the immortal may telepathically
  communicate with his Scion while in line of sight,
  and can also attempt to control the Scion. The
  immortal and Scion each roll their MIND die, and
  if the Immortal wins, he can mentally control the
  scion. Again, the Courts look down with shame
  on those who create these poor wretched
  creatures.
  Scions can wield taint in a variety of ways,
  based on the curse that helped to create them.
  The Narrator should feel free to make up
  interesting abilities based on the curse. The
  Scion rolls the level of taint any time it wishes to
  wield its powers against another. Scions do not
  normally develop any mystical boons, though
  some can be used (in terms of mechanics) to
  simulate various abilities, without an immaculum
  cost. The Scion usually has a number of powers
  equal to the number of ranks of taint it
  possesses.
  The most famous and individualistic of Scions
  ever created were those by the immortal
  Dracula. His Scions have the ability to continue
  living by drinking the blood of others. They are
  known as the Nosferatu, the vampires. Oddly,
  his scions come in all shapes and sizes, even
  different genders.
  FUGUE
  As described in Book I, the fugue rating
  determines the possibility of being possessed by
  avatars, or falling under the weight of a curse.
  As per the errata in Book II, the character gains
  1 Fugue Value for every avatar she takes (also
  page 78, Book I). Whenever the character
  encounters her fugue trigger, she must make a
  Fugue Check. As per the Book II errata, the
  character rolls a 20 sided die against a target
  number of 20 minus the current Fugue Value.
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
  25
  Failure indicates the Narrator may make one of
  her curses attempt to manifest (appropriate to
  the circumstances at the time). On a critical
  failure an avatar can take over the immortal, up
  to the point of physically changing the
  appearance of the immortal to that of the avatar
  (though the avatar must use the aura ranks
  possessed by the current immortal).
  Ticking Time Bomb
  An immortal is unique in that it effectively has
  two brains.  The first is the vox, which acts as
  the primary brain.  It records all the immortal's
  experiences and etches these onto itself in the
  form of a personality matrix.  The second serves
  as a redundant secondary source of thought. It
  is the organic brain that the immortal forms in his
  human form that carries with him, and allows
  him a measure of resistance, especially when
  shifting back to human form after being in
  himsati form. Even an elemental, with his vox
  contained outside the physical body, follows
  these same basic guidelines.
  The vox constantly vibrates to the hum of the
  celestial din that it imitates when making
  serenades. This constantly causes a
  background voice, as the vibrations continually
  keep the sparks of the essences of the various
  avatars alive and well inside the vox. This
  background voice is usually so quiet that it is no
  more than a mere whisper, and many immortals
  do not even notice it.
  However, as time marches on, the voice can
  become louder as more avatars are added to
  the chorus of voices. During times of
  depression, extreme boredom, or confusion, the
  voices almost seem to become louder to the
  immortal who begins to hear them. Added to this
  confusion is the fact that the voices are alien,
  and have memories and thoughts that do not
  match what the immortal has within the organic
  brain (which has no knowledge of the avatars).
  This can bring on a form of madness, which we
  rate with the term Fugue.
  Fugue Triggers
  Fugue triggers are incidents that are recorded
  on the immortal's vox as memories, which also
  reverberate within one of the avatar's memories,
  causing its spark to become active. This can
  cause curses to manifest, the avatar to begin to
  speak with the immortal from the vox, the avatar
  to manifest or even for the immortal to go into
  periods of madness or worse yet: the fugue
  state known as ennui.
  Sometimes, things can happen which cause one
  of the avatars to awaken.  Usually this is the
  immortal perceiving an event, or being involved
  in a circumstance in which the avatar knew well.
  As the vox is recording this experience, the
  vibrations can strike a chord of memory within
  one of the older personality matrices.  When this
  happens, the vox counter-vibrates and this can
  force various curses to manifest from out of the
  immortal's SPIRIT aura.
  This can also cause the avatar to manifest in the
  background, not taking over, but speaking to the
  immortal above the other voices. In the worst
  case, (when critically failing a Fugue check) the
  avatar's spark suppresses the immortal's own
  spark, pushing it back into the vox while it
  comes out to attune to the auras.
  This can cause the immortal to physically
  transform into the avatar. When the avatar finally
  is too tired to keep the immortal suppressed, the
  current immortal reemerges and the avatar sinks
  back into the vox, the spark going dormant
  again.
  All immortals (save Newborns) have at least one
  Fugue Trigger. Some immortals have more than
  one if they have particularly strong avatars. One
  way to look at Fugue Triggers is to think of the
  Curses listed in Appendix A. Each curse has a
  base die value (and all die values equate to a
  rank as per page 36 of Book I). When a player
  makes up a fugue trigger think of what rank it
  would be equal to. If that rank is equal to the
  number of avatars taken, stop. If not, then
  suggest the player pick a second Fugue Trigger.
  Decide what the rank would be. Now add it to
  the first Fugue's "rank" and see if that matches
  up with the number of avatars taken.
  Though Fugue Triggers don't have actual ranks
  this is an easy way to gauge the number and
  strength of Fugue Triggers amongst immortals.
  In this way, immortals with many avatars will
  have one or two very strong Fugue Triggers to
  represent those avatars, or many small ones.
  Immortals with fewer avatars will have fewer
  and/or weaker Fugue Triggers.
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
  26
  Influence of Avatars
  Avatars present a wealth of information and
  opportunity for an immortal, as well as some
  inherent dangers. The vox acts as the primary
  brain for the immortal, with the organic brain
  becoming a secondary, nearly redundant organ.
  As the immortal accumulates experiences, they
  are etched into the vox as a personality matrix.
  When the immortal enters Lethe, the spark of his
  essence embeds itself into a matrix within the
  vox, forming an avatar. The avatar slumbers
  until it awakens, emerges from the matrix and
  takes over the current persona. This most often
  happens as a result of failing a Fugue Check
  (see page 79 Book I, and Book II errata on
  Fugue Checks), though the Narrator can deem
  other events as causing this at his discretion.
  The spark of the current persona recedes into
  the personality matrix and the avatar takes
  control.
  For an Ingenue this can be especially troubling
  considering that she is still discovering the
  basics of who and what she is. Avatars rarely
  surface within an Ingenue, but when this does
  happen it can be an overwhelming experience,
  quite disastrous to them both. Many times an
  Ingenue and Avatar would wrestle for control in
  the days before the Great Betrayal, and would
  find themselves locked away by mortal
  authorities thinking that the individual suffered
  from multiple personalities.
  Many times the Avatar emerges rather
  confused. Having some memories of the current
  persona due to the organic brain, the avatar
  (especially if it has not been out in many years)
  will be confused by the new setting and
  environment. Sometimes the Avatar does not
  fully emerge, but resides in the background of
  the immortal's awareness. The Narrator should
  assign a penalty shift to the immortal based on
  how strongly the avatar has emerged. Each
  Avatar is a unique individual, and therefore will
  act in accordance with his or her personality.
  Some may be helpful, some may seek to
  emerge fully and stay out as long as possible
  and others may seek a way to keep the current
  persona submerged permanently. It is ultimately
  up to the Narrator to decide on the Avatar's
  current goals and motivations.
  When an Avatar does fully emerge, even if the
  physical appearance changes, it uses the same
  aura ranks, fugue, current levels of taint, etc.
  that the current persona has. If the two personas
  are of the same Calling (which is most of the
  time) the Avatar has access to those skills at his
  level or the persona's level, whichever is higher.
  Any Court boons, etc. continue to function if they
  are of the same Court. Other skills, boons and
  banes, should be those belonging to the Avatar,
  not the current persona. On rarer occasions,
  when the Avatar submerges again, remnants of
  a curse they had can remain with the current
  incarnation.
  Avatars and Memory
  When a character is created, the persona gains
  a number of memory points based on how many
  avatars he has taken (10 memory and 1 fugue
  per avatar). This is not to say that the number
  chosen is all the avatars that the individual
  possesses within the vox's matrices, but this is
  the number that are strong enough for the
  immortal to gain knowledge from. This also
  directly affects the fugue rating of an immortal.
  The memories of the avatars are not stored in
  the organic brain of the immortal, but are instead
  etched onto the vox. Therefore, an immortal
  cannot "remember" something that one of his
  avatars did not experience. Narrators should
  remember this when a player attempts to
  remember a focus in Melee Weapons: Axes
  when his only avatar was Elvis. Narrators should
  discourage players from ignoring the spirit of the
  game like that.
  Sometimes it is possible that the Avatar
  attempts to have cordial relations with the
  persona. In this case, it may be possible for an
  Avatar to "teach" (from the back of the persona's
  awareness) a character a skill or knowledge.
  This should be treated as a flashback and the
  persona should be given memory towards the
  purchase of the skill. This shows that over time
  Setting Note: The Sanguinary and Etchings
  Voxes take over as the primary brain due to the Sanguinary's immense hunger for knowledge
  and self-growth. The Sanguinary has found that consuming back voxes full of knowledge and
  experience help it grow faster than taking back clean ones with no etchings. The Courts believe
  the process of Lethe also assists against the Sanguinary by fragmenting the etchings into
  multiple pieces (a piece for each Avatar), so they cannot be so easily consumed.
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
  27
  the character learns, but also learns from the
  memory of the avatar at the same time.
  It is also possible that the story dictates the
  discovery of an avatar not part of those the
  player made when first creating the character.
  We recommend that when such a thing
  happens, a small amount of memory may be
  gained for the purposes of remembering the
  particular skill or knowledge pertinent to the
  story line and then have the Avatar recede back.
  If the player or the Narrator decide the Avatar to
  become a regular part of the immortal's
  accessible incarnations, then a Fugue point
  should be gained by the persona. More on
  Fugue appears earlier in this Chapter.
  Splintering Avatars
  There are instances where an immortal and one
  of her avatars may vie for more permanent
  control over the new host body, each seeking to
  somehow rid themselves of the other. This can
  sometimes create problems within the Perpetual
  Society, especially if the Avatar is a particularly
  strong-willed one. Sometimes an immortal is
  discovered to have a particular Avatar important
  to the Courts. There is a ritual, forbidden to all
  except with permission by the Paragon Council,
  known as the Splintering. It is said a similar
  version of this ritual is what is used to create the
  shameful creatures known as Scions (see that
  section for more details).
  The splintering is a ritual known to the
  Chancellor's of the Courts of Death, Life, and
  Secrets. Each Court holds one part of the ritual
  and therefore a Chancellor of each Court must
  be present to enact the rite. Though the exact
  details of the ritual are unknown, it is known that
  the immortal must have a Sanctuary and an Ark
  that can be used in the ritual. It is also known
  that a fresh, clean shard of the Sanguinary must
  be present (one that has never been imprinted
  as a vox or to a Maker).
  The immortal and the Chancellors must be
  present in the immortal's Sanctuary. The
  immortal's Ark must have enough aura ranks in
  it to fully rejuvenate the Avatar as she was
  before entering Lethe, nothing less. It is known
  that somehow the immortal's vox has the
  personality matrix and spark of the Avatar
  removed and placed into the clean shard. The
  shard is then placed in the Ark and the aura
  ranks "rebuild" the Avatar's BODY, MIND and
  SPIRIT.
  An elemental must have her vox present with
  her for this to be accomplished. If this is not
  done correctly the Avatar could go insane, or
  both the Avatar and the immortal could die and
  be lost to oblivion. For this reason the ritual used
  to do the splintering is a guarded secret. Even
  the immortal and Avatar are unaware of exactly
  what transpired to separate them.
  There are some side effects to this. Along with
  the Ark being destroyed as with any
  rejuvenation, the Sanctuary's dominance
  transfers from the immortal to the Avatar and the
  immortal loses the Sanctuary boon, but does not
  gain any memory or experience points for it.
  Second, though no memory points are lost from
  the immortal, he may not draw on that Avatar's
  memories in any way to gain skills, abilities, etc.
  And finally, no Fugue points are lost by the
  Encryption [7]
  Return Locus: <Tinker at Sanctuary>
  Received By: <Butterfly [Probable Alias -
  Emissary, Court of Secrets]>
  Language: Francais (Translation Provided)
  Subject: Missing Shipment
  Summary: Lead on the requested items
  Keyword Search: D'Arcade, Alexandrites, Voxes
  Date: Year of the Pale
  Message as Follows:
  THE ALEXANDRITES ARE NOT IN POSSESSION OF
  THE MISSING "SHARD". THEY DO HAVE YOUR
  MISSING TOME HOWEVER. EVIDENCE POINTS TO
  THE "SHARD" AS BEING IN NIVALEA AND ABOUT
  TO COME UNDER AUCTION BY THE DARK ARCADE.
  NOTE: SHADE'S FOLLOWERS HAVE BEEN SIGHTED
  NEAR THE AUCTION HOUSE THERE RECENTLY.
  YOU MAY WISH TO BE AWARE THAT THE
  SORCERERS ARE POSSIBLY BEHIND THE
  LOBBYING OF A NEW LAW IN YOUR LOCAL
  REGENCY WHICH WILL AID THEM IN PROTECTING
  THE NEW TREASURES WHICH HAVE RECENTLY
  COME SO CLOSE TO YOUR COURT'S GRASP.
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
  28
  immortal for divesting himself of the Avatar. All
  in all, the situation is better for the Avatar in the
  splintering than the immortal who contained the
  Avatar.
  It is said that before the Great Betrayal some
  immortals were able to commit the ritual on their
  own, in a different way. Stories persist, as a
  warning to young immortals to respect the power
  of their avatars, that some avatars would
  emerge and use the same ritual to cast off the
  new immortal. And other, horrific stories, tell of a
  time when avatars and their current immortal
  hosts would attempt to literally consume one
  another in a terrible ritual known as the Venery.
  The Lash
  During the Shouting War that ended the Age of
  Myth, the immortals found a new threat to their
  existence. There are those that claim the
  constant eruption of serenades across the
  celestial din caused it to begin to backlash.
  When an immortal was affected by a serenade,
  this backlash entered into their body and caused
  microscopic fissures in the vox, which would act
  like extra memory etchings, accidentally linking
  avatars together.
  Some claim that the Abzulim released a
  telepathic vibration that acted as a plague,
  affecting any whose minds were opened by a
  serenade. And still more claim that the Lash is
  caused by a series of immortal parasites, too
  small to be seen even by the keen eyes of the
  immortals. The vox is a fine instrument, and so
  refined that the average immortal has no chance
  of examining it to determine things such as the
  Lash, the number of avatars, etc.
  Regardless, the Lash seems to affect an
  immortal's fugue in a bizarre way: by breaking
  down the effective barriers between the avatars,
  multiple conflicting memories begin to assail the
  immortal. Eventually the fissures (if it is indeed
  fissures) reach the immortal's own matrix,
  causing his own memories to be mixed with
  those of his avatars. Lost and confused, no
  longer sure of exactly who he is, or when he is,
  the immortal goes completely stark raving mad,
  a monster hungry for identity and unable to
  satisfy that hunger.
  In game terms if the Narrator truly wishes to
  have an immortal afflicted with the Lash, as the
  Lash grows the immortal's Fugue Value should
  raise by one for each stage. We leave it to the
  Narrator to determine how the Lash should
  progress. There is only one cure known for the
  Lash and it is known to very few immortals.
  There is a race of immortals called the
  Shonelkidar, whose himsati are that of a virus. It
  is claimed that the Shonelkidar literally infect the
  immortal and consume the sparks of the
  avatars, along with somehow removing the
  matrix from the vox. None know if this is truly
  what happens, but when finished, these strange
  immortals leave the body, and the immortal
  never again hears from his avatars, almost as if
  he is a newborn with no memories in the vox to
  draw from. Oddly, it is said that the memories
  released, flood into the organic brain, and the
  immortal may still draw a few memories from his
  avatars in such fashion. It is nearly impossible to
  find the Shonelkidar since the Great Betrayal
  and none have ever revealed their secret of how
  they remove the Lash, or even why they are
  willing to do.
  Setting Note: Reentering Society for the Avatar
  Nearly all Avatars are from the time before the Great Betrayal and therefore were members of
  the Prides, not the Courts. These Avatars can be very upset over the full realization of what has
  happened since they entered Lethe. The Prides had powers and boons all their own, now lost to
  the Avatar.
  Usually the Avatar is taken to the primary mantle of whichever Court his Pride now forms the
  basis of. After about a year of training and learning of the changes to the world, the Avatar is
  initiated into the appropriate Court and gains its boon, serenade, etc.
  Sometimes the Avatar rebels and becomes a Solitaire, or worse, a Progeny. It is for this reason
  and others that the Courts do not allow just anyone to release their Avatars, let alone on their
  own.
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
  29
  Chapter III: Living in Death
  "If the Blue Air is the home of the Transcendents, how must they feel each time
  we throw a minion of the beast into their home when slain?"
  -- Blood, Court of War
  IMMORTAL DEATH
  Sooner or later an immortal will come to a point
  where she must defend herself. And it is entirely
  possible that the immortal will not do this
  successfully. As pointed out, each time an
  immortal takes damage after reaching d20 in an
  aura, the immortal must roll a d20. This roll is
  compared to the highest value that can be rolled
  on the damaged aura die, as if it were untainted
  and undamaged.
  Example
  Joker has a d10 BODY aura normally (no
  damage, no taint). It is the middle of a combat
  and he is already at a d20 BODY. He takes
  more damage. He rolls a d20 and compares it to
  a 10 (highest he can roll on his
  undamaged/untainted BODY. If he rolls a 17 or
  higher, nothing happens. If he rolls an 11 to a
  16, he falls unconscious. If he rolls a 10 or less,
  he can no longer fight. If he rolls a 1, he makes
  a Lethe check. (He simply makes a second
  check and sees if he rolls a 10 or less)
  An incapacitated immortal, if unconscious,
  appears dead to mundane examinations, but is
  not. If the body is left alone long enough to heal
  "back up" to the d20 in that aura, the character
  recovers with no ill effects. Mystical healing
  (such as through a serenade) will also assist
  with this. Once the immortal has had time to
  heal back to the d20 level, he will "come back to
  life" and awaken.
  If by some means the vox is removed during this
  time period the body vaporizes in a blaze of fiery
  red light and the BODY aura dissipates, leaving
  only the MIND and SPIRIT aura. The character
  is now a ghost, a gossamer spirit. The same will
  happen during the first few moments that an
  immortal begins to enter Lethe. If the vox is
  removed before the spark of essence can be
  stored within the vox, the immortal will not enter
  Lethe but will become a gossamer. It is for this
  reason that many immortals maintain Arks.
  Spilling of Auras
  When an immortal either enters Lethe or
  becomes a gossamer the BODY aura "spills"
  outward. In the case of Lethe, the MIND and
  SPIRIT auras are used up to place the spark of
  essence in the vox. In the case of becoming a
  gossamer, they are pulled into the Blue Air. Both
  look nearly identical. The body will drop and
  decompose to a state appropriate for the age of
  the immortal. In both cases the vox is effectively
  left behind. If there was a potential struggle for
  the vox at the final moments, the victor may be
  left unsure if the immortal is now embedded in
  the vox or floating within the Blue Air.
  The Cleansing
  When the BODY aura spills, it washes outward
  away from the immortal. These ranks can
  cleanse taint to those in the immediate area. If
  an immortal with taint is in the immediate area,
  every two ranks (round up) of unwounded and
  untainted BODY aura that wash over the
  immortal will cleanse one rank of taint. This is
  actually not of benefit to a good number of
  D20 ROLL IS:
  EFFECT IS:
  Aura + 7 or more
  No Effect, aura remains at a d20
  Aura + 1 to + 6
  Unconscious
  Equal or less than Aura
  Incapacitated, can no longer fight until healed
  1 on the d20 roll
  Make a Lethe check as per Book I
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
  30
  Progeny and Droves who thrive on taint and do
  not wish to see their auras cleansed as such. At
  best, an immortal with a d4 BODY would be able
  to cleanse 3 ranks of taint.
  Example
  Blood and Croakus are fighting a Progeny with a
  normally unwounded BODY of d12. Blood and
  Croakus both have one rank of taint each.
  When the Progeny dies, it spills the d12 aura
  outwards.  A d12 aura is only enough to cleanse
  one rank of taint, so either Blood or Croakus
  (whoever is standing closer) will have their one
  rank of taint cleansed.
  The ranks will spill a distance equal to the
  immortal's unwounded SPIRIT rank as the
  BODY aura is forcibly pushed away from the
  disintegrated body. Though only those in the
  immediate vicinity can benefit from the potential
  cleansing, others farther away will feel the
  immortal's passing.
  An immortal with a d8 SPIRIT will be felt for a
  few miles through the region. With a d6 SPIRIT
  the immortal will be felt for leagues, up to the
  size of a small country. It is said the death of an
  immortal with a d4 SPIRIT can be felt across the
  entire planet, even if in just some small way on
  the opposite side of the world from where it
  happened.
  The Tainting
  Tainted immortals pose a greater threat to
  immortals when they perish and spill their BODY
  aura. When a tainted immortal perishes, the
  BODY aura carries all the taint that the immortal
  had (in SPIRIT, MIND, and BODY auras). This
  taint washes over all in the vicinity. All immortals
  in the vicinity must make a SPIRIT roll equal or
  less than the BODY aura being spilled.
  Tainted individuals receive one superior shift on
  their SPIRIT die since they already have taint
  within them to help withstand this. If successful
  there is no effect. If the character fails, he
  succumbs to the taint and is stunned for a
  number of turns equal to the number of ranks of
  taint contained in the spill. On a critical failure,
  the character falls unconscious.
  Example
  Blood and Croakus are fighting another Progeny
  with 3 tainted ranks and a normally unwounded
  BODY of d8. When the Progeny dies, instead of
  being able to possibly cleanse any taint, they
  must both roll their SPIRIT die against a target
  number of 8 (the unwounded BODY die). If they
  fail they are stunned for 3 turns. If they critically
  fail they pass out until the Narrator decides that
  they awaken.
  Amazingly, due to their connection to the
  Sanguinary, droves spill their taint the same way
  that immortals do. Many a young immortal has
  foolishly entered a den of droves intent on killing
  them, only to succumb to the spilling taint and
  find himself a denizen of the Blue Air as a
  gossamer.
  GOSSAMERS
  When an immortal has his vox removed from the
  body, the immortal becomes a gossamer. The
  immortal is thrust into the spiritual realm known
  as the Blue Air. This spiritual sea composed of
  thought and spiritual energy is where the
  gossamer will reside. The immortal's only real
  hope of returning to Earth is to find one of the
  Shallows: places where the immortal may cross
  over into the physical world once again, and
  begin the arduous task of recovering the
  necessary BODY aura to once again become
  physical.
  Corporeal Return
  Once a gossamer has successfully found its way
  to a Shallow, it appears as a spirit here on Earth.
  At this point the gossamer must seek out a
  being that it can convince of its plight and
  perhaps gain aura ranks with which to
  reconstruct its body. Most of the time the
  gossamer finds a mortal believer and begins to
  perform services for this "master" in exchange
  for the aura ranks with which to reform.
  Finding a Master
  The first hurdle found when leaving the Shallows
  is that the immortal has no physical body, no vox
  with which to play serenades outside the Blue
  Air and no way to communicate with others.
  Gossamers have the ability to "bond" with mortal
  beings and mentally communicate with them
  since they are charged with the energies of the
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
  31
  Blue Air. This does not work with other
  immortals, whose auras are too strong to accept
  the bond. The gossamer may bond with a
  number of mortals equal to its MIND rank. Once
  the bond is made, it cannot be broken until the
  gossamer has resumed final physical form or
  passes back into the Blue Air.
  Therefore, it is unwise to pick mortals to bond
  with casually. A gossamer should take time to
  watch and assess any mortal that she asks for
  help from. Once bonded, the mortal can
  understand and communicate with the
  gossamer. The bonding has no true effect upon
  the mortal, and the gossamer derives no special
  benefits other than communication.
  Example
  A gossamer with a d12 MIND could bond with
  two mortals. If he finds those mortals
  unsatisfactory or unwilling to assist him, he must
  go back into the Blue Air, find his way to another
  Shallow and return and try again with others.
  Once the gossamer has found a "master", the
  process begins. The gossamer typically serves
  the master until the master is willing to give up a
  rank of BODY aura to the gossamer. This
  usually necessitates the gossamer teaching the
  master how to do this. For the gossamer it is
  quite instinctual, but for the mortal, it must be
  taught. And since only believers can do this, the
  master must also be a believer as well. Both
  master and gossamer must achieve some sort
  of communion or relationship in order for the
  transfer to succeed.
  Once this is done, the gossamer now has a d20
  BODY aura, but it is not stable. The gossamer
  can now "manifest" for brief periods. This now
  presents new problems. Though the gossamer
  and master can still communicate, the gossamer
  is merely a normal version of the creature he
  evolved from. A gossamer with a dog himsati is
  simply a normal dog when manifested. Since the
  gossamer has no vox, it takes much longer to
  put things in order with the new BODY rank.
  While manifested, the gossamer can ignore the
  rules pertaining to the lack of a body in the
  gossamer rules.
  It usually takes several weeks at best for the
  immortal to adjust to the alien rank of BODY
  aura. At this point, if the master is still willing,
  another aura rank can be donated to the
  gossamer, which now becomes fully corporeal
  with a d12 BODY aura. However, still not having
  a vox, the gossamer is physically nothing more
  than a normal version of the creature it derived
  from (making things very tricky for elementals
  and more exotic himsatis). There are many
  things a gossamer cannot do since it has no
  vox. It can also "die" like a normal animal, the
  SPIRIT and MIND being thrust back into the
  Blue Air. Then it must repeat the process of
  finding a Shallows and emerging to try and gain
  aura ranks to reform yet another corporeal form.
  The gossamer may choose to stay with the
  master for an extended time, gaining a third
  BODY aura rank, and possibly developing a very
  close relationship with the "master". However,
  with the rate most Believers heal aura ranks, this
  is a process which can take a significantly long
  time. Without a vox the gossamer cannot go
  beyond the d10 BODY aura.
  Regaining Immortality
  Now the gossamer faces the most difficult
  challenge, finding a shard or vox (or perhaps
  finding her own vox again) and regaining her
  immortality. At this point, most immortals can
  understand the gossamer, which has limited
  power over human speech. It cannot speak in
  vox-tongue however, as it has no vox to speak
  with.
  At this point the gossamer has merely the basic
  abilities that it would have as if it were in himsati
  form. It has the ability to use its natures fully
  now. It cannot shape-shift into human form, it
  cannot play serenades, and it cannot use skills
  that require the human form (unless it has a
  humanoid himsati).
  If the gossamer somehow recovers her own vox
  she may forcibly implant it into her new body,
  reconnecting to her existing matrix in the vox
  and becoming immortal once again. She will
  probably want to regain any missing aura ranks
  if necessary once this is done.
  If the gossamer takes on a fresh shard (very
  hard to find in this day and age but possible) she
  becomes something of a Newborn, though she
  still has the skills and memory she already
  possesses. Any unspent memory can be spent,
  but not during the game session without the
  Narrator's permission (there are no avatars to
  draw from any longer). If the gossamer takes on
  a previously used vox, she inherits all the
  avatars present in that vox. Fugue ratings do not
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
  32
  change from any of these circumstances
  however.
  If the gossamer does not recover her original
  vox, somewhere out there is that vox, with all
  that she was imprinted upon it. If another takes
  the vox, everything up until the time she died
  becomes an avatar for that immortal. If ever
  splintered, there could literally be two of the
  same immortal with the same past up until the
  point where the immortal became a gossamer,
  and then two totally different paths taken
  afterwards resulting in two versions of the same
  immortal.
  Mortal Spirits
  When a mortal dies, his MIND and BODY
  dissipate along with any Taint, leaving the empty
  shell of the BODY and allowing the SPIRIT to
  float to the One Soul. Here it mingles with the
  energies and becomes part of the One Soul.
  From this energy, new souls are created as old
  ones are brought in and mingled together with
  the others. Bright Bloods when they die go into
  the One Soul and are refreshed, but it is claimed
  they do not mingle with the other souls there.
  Instead they come back to Earth the same soul
  and as they grow older begin to realize they are
  the same being they once were.
  When a mortal dies with unresolved issues
  (unrequited love, curses, violent or traumatic
  death, etc.) it is possible that not all of his MIND
  and BODY aura dissipate.  Instead a bit of each
  coalesces within the SPIRIT aura, increasing it
  by one rank. This however, holds the SPIRIT in
  the Blue Air, and does not allow it to travel to the
  One Soul. This poor soul becomes what is more
  commonly known as a ghost. The ghost is now
  trapped in the Blue Air. If the mortal had faith,
  the death creates a Shallow that the ghost can
  always find and enter or leave the Blue Air
  through. Occasionally other ghosts may stumble
  across these as well leaving the Blue Air for a
  time.
  Bright Blooded Ghosts
  As mentioned, ghosts with Faith can do things
  that normal ghosts cannot. Their faith even
  creates Shallows. Bright Bloods can even still
  manifest the powers they had while living.
  Though the Narrator may have to adjust a few of
  the powers due to particular circumstances, they
  still work effectively the same.
  For example, a Bright Blooded ghost may shift
  the one rank into BODY and use Faith Shape to
  assume the form of a physical animal
  temporarily. This becomes rather dangerous
  when a ghost starts using religarum to mimic
  serenades. Most uses of Bright Blood powers
  only last for the scene.
  Spiritual Combat
  Obviously allowing minions of the Sanguinary to
  escape into the Blue Air does not please most
  immortals. Therefore many immortals remain in
  their gossamer form, and travel into the Blue Air
  to explore it, hunt down progeny, etc. Spiritual
  combat has a few differences from physical
  combat.
  An immortal may use any skill in the Blue Air on
  another spirit there. However, if the skill is
  focused, the immortal gossamer rolls her SPIRIT
  instead of her BODY. Some skills are not usable
  in the Blue Air without a little help. For example,
  Blade Combat is unusable since the gossamer
  has no bladed weapons. But if perchance, the
  gossamer had Endue with a focus in weapons
  while in the Blue Air she could create a bladed
  Encryption [7]
  Return Locus: <Butterfly [Probable Alias]>
  Received By: <Tinker; Talitha at Sanctuary>
  Language: Español (Translation Provided)
  Subject: Alexandrites & Centurions
  Summary: Pass it on
  Keyword Search: Court of War, South America
  Date: Year of the Pale
  Message as Follows:
  THANK YOU FOR THE INFORMATION CONCERNING
  THE GREY KNOWN AS THE ALEXANDRITES. THE
  INFORMATION CONCERNING THE "SHARD" IS BEING
  PASSED DIRECTLY TO THE CHANCELLORS.
  AS AN ASIDE, THE ARMS SHIPMENT FROM THE
  GREY GROUP, THE CENTURIONS, THAT YOUR
  BROTHER IN THE COURT OF WAR WAS INTERESTED
  IN IS INDEED A FACT, NOT FICTION. HE WOULD DO
  WELL TO BEGIN PREPERATIONS TO STOP THEM.
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
  33
  weapon out of the energies of the Blue Air and
  use her Blade Combat skill.
  All Combat in the Blue Air is SPIRIT based and
  all damage (except for serenades that target the
  MIND) is done to the SPIRIT. If a SPIRIT (mortal
  or immortal) has a critical failure on a mortal
  wound check, a second check is made (same
  rules as under Immortal Death). If it also
  critically fails a third check is made and failure
  on this roll indicates final death. This is very
  difficult to achieve obviously.
  For gossamers here on Earth, failing the second
  check means that the gossamer is simply
  shunted into the Blue Air again and will
  eventually heal in that ethereal realm. The only
  way to completely kill an immortal soul is to
  destroy it within the Blue Air itself.
  Gossamers are unaffected by serenades that
  target the BODY aura while they are outside the
  Blue Air. Mortal Ghosts are unaffected by
  serenades targeting either the BODY or the
  MIND auras (even if manifesting these auras
  temporarily). Most immortals will attempt to wield
  the serenade directly against the SPIRIT aura
  where possible, which makes the serenade
  more difficult to play obviously.
  Healing
  Within the Blue Air, spirits heal the same as they
  do in the real world, following the rules as
  presented in Book I. gossamers may use their
  SPIRIT aura to heal themselves of any damage
  taken if their rank is high enough. If a gossamer
  is shunted into the Blue Air due to a critical
  failure on a mortal wound check, the gossamer
  cannot use the SPIRIT aura to heal.  Since
  healing must occur immediately after the
  damage is taken when using the SPIRIT aura
  and the gossamer is quite disoriented when
  being shunted back, there is no time to use the
  SPIRIT to heal oneself.
  Blue Air
  Like a vast endless ocean of energy and wind,
  dotted by the Shallows, the Blue Air is a realm
  composed entirely of thought and spiritual
  energies, with occasional chunks of physical
  matter floating within. The Blue Air is viewed in
  many ways by the immortals. Some see it as a
  sort of dimensional void, connecting all realms.
  Others see it as a spiritual counterpart to normal
  space: a hyper-space if you will. The Blue Air is
  home of the mysterious Crucible, the "physical"
  aspect of the Morpheum, dotted with worlds of
  its own. Here the gossamers roam and the
  Transcendents themselves, having surpassed
  their own material limitations, are rumored to
  make their home somewhere.
  The Blue Air connects the entire universe. The
  most common form of connection known to the
  immortals is called Shallows, where the Blue Air
  borders on Earth. Here gossamers can pass in
  and out of the Blue Air at will. The Blue Air also
  connects to mantles, the Maelstrom, the Ley, the
  Labyrinth, even the Morpheum has a "physical"
  representation in the Blue Air.
  Entry into the Blue Air can be very dangerous to
  those with corporeal forms. Although it is a place
  of profound beauty, it is also a tenuous one
  without real substance. Like a place of illusions,
  the Blue Air is the loom that spins out the
  gossamers that haunt the world in their desire
  for tactile fulfillment. Any wanderer in the Blue
  Air finds himself in an ultimately empty, if lovely
  place.
  The Blue Air is charged with emotion, and reacts
  to it as well. Some say that it is the pure
  essence of all thought and emotion itself. The
  Shallows that border Earth and the Blue Air
  certainly seem to draw individuals and places
  which have experienced an unusual intensity in
  emotional states, trauma or violence.
  Immaculum also flows freely through the Blue
  Air, in a raw and unfettered form that most
  immortals find too unwieldy to control or to place
  within their own auras.
  Corporeal beings cannot exist in the Blue Air
  unaided. No being has ever returned from the
  Blue Air whole save for the Saturna. Those that
  have attempted to enter the Blue Air physically
  have been torn apart by the energies present
  there. The only true physical reality in the Blue
  Air is that made by thoughts. Here thoughts
  create landscapes and scenes and entities that
  only exist so long as they are thought of.
  When groups of beings gather within the Blue
  Air, it can become a chaotic storm as thought
  becomes matter and each thing thought and
  seen merely fuels another. There is one
  exception to this, and these are the few
  Dominion Worlds that actually exist within the
  Blue Air itself. Wrapped in cloaks of Ley
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
  34
  Membranes, these worlds are only accessible by
  travel through the Blue Air. Older tales claim the
  Abzulim placed these worlds into the Blue Air on
  purpose, others claim they were shunted their
  during the Shouting War.
  Traversing the Spirit Plane
  Since the Blue Air is a realm composed mainly
  of thought and energy, physical beings simply
  cannot fathom how to move within the Blue Air.
  Ethereal winds blow gossamers about like
  leaves in the sky, and very few understand truly
  how to navigate this endless ocean. Only the
  Abzulim Lighters are capable of traversing the
  Blue Air, as they carried the saurian masters
  through the Blue Air to emerge galaxies away,
  allowing the Abzulim to maintain their star
  spanning empire during their supremacy.
  Gossamers are thrust into the Blue Air when the
  immortal loses his corporeal form where they
  find themselves floating helplessly adrift. Those
  of strong enough MIND and SPIRIT can at times
  by sheer will alone can drive themselves to a
  connecting point: normally the Shallows. Since
  the ethereal winds are stronger near a physical
  realm those entering from Earth tend to be stuck
  near Earth (which is actually of great benefit to
  the immortals). Otherwise they would drift
  forever, helpless and to a great extent, utterly
  alone.
  Long ago there was the Nadir: a semi-corporeal
  set of pathways that linked the various worlds in
  the universe via the Blue Air. But early in Earth's
  history, the Nadir was collapsed and hopelessly
  tangled. This resulted in most worlds being
  covered by a Membrane made of these
  energies, which we now call the Ley. The
  various worlds had points where the Nadir
  touched them, called Na-Gates. The Abzulim
  used these as ways to launch their living
  Lighters into the Blue Air and to quickly travel
  and easily navigate the Blue Air. It is unknown
  how or who may have created the Nadir, but
  scholars have many theories.
  The Crucible
  The wellspring of the energies of life, creation,
  entropy and time, the Crucible is the source from
  which all these flow. It is generally accepted that
  the Sanguinary was somehow exiled from the
  Crucible, perhaps being a gateway to another
  universe and time. The Crucible is the source of
  the Big Bang some immortal scholars believe,
  and it was the Sanguinary's expulsion through it
  that actually created this universe. Therefore the
  Courts believe the Crucible is the source of all
  immaculum, located somewhere within the vast
  endless expanses of the Blue Air, and that
  physical reality as known to the immortals is
  potentially a lesser state of existence. This
  further supports the work that most immortals
  undertake in their quest for Transcendence.
  Nearly all immortals dread the existence of the
  Crucible. Though for eons the immortals
  impersonated divinity to control the unknowing
  sea of humanity, the Crucible represents a
  power far higher than their own. It is believed
  that only the Transcendents truly understand the
  Setting Note: The Saturna
  This group of immortals, belonging to the Court of Death, is the only group of immortals known
  to be able to physically enter the Blue Air without first becoming gossamers. It is said that long
  ago they were pulled into the Blue Air by the Transcendents themselves, and shown the
  mysteries and secrets of the realm. It is said that while some immortals learn the Blue Air focus
  of the Portal serenade to help them escape the Blue Air without the aid of Shallows, the Saturna
  use it to physically enter the Blue Air.
  It is not possible to join the Saturna, either an immortal will discover that he was once part of this
  group and able to become one with them again, or he is not. The Saturna are also very cordial
  with the Court of Dreams.
  Setting Note: Lighters
  Immortal technology has allowed the race to create fantastical ships called Lighters, capable of
  allowing them to travel in the Maelstrom, across the mantle filled realm known as Sanctuary,
  and even to other planets. But only the Abzulim were ever able to create the living Lighters.
  These ships were capable of entering the Blue Air unmolested by the chaotic forces present
  within, and could travel at the very speed of thought to distant realms where it could emerge
  from the Blue Air galaxies away from our own.
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
  35
  Crucible and what it is. It is also said that
  somehow the place known as the Labyrinth
  connects to the Crucible in some way and that
  there Samiel the Abzulim first spoke of the
  mysterious Prophecy that the Court of Fate is
  now the holder of.
  Other Realms
  The Morpheum is a telepathic construct, and
  thus has a "physical" representation within the
  Blue Air. Here it is occasionally possible for
  spirits and dreamers to interact as the
  occasional gossamer or mortal spirit is caught in
  the construct and pulled into the Morpheum.
  Most spirits are thrust out as easily as they are
  pulled in. Mortal spirits trapped in the Morpheum
  as such use their SPIRIT for all tasks immortal
  spirits react as normal though their SPIRIT is
  now also present and can be harmed.
  The Maelstrom also connects to the Blue Air, at
  these points of connection, elemental materials
  are found to be spilling into the Blue Air, pockets
  of strange gases and liquids, chunks of earth
  and balls of light and fire. These are flung into
  the Blue Air and slowly destroyed by the
  energies there.
  Many gossamers find themselves inexplicably
  drawn to these few bits of physical reality until
  they are gone. The sight of these kinds of
  connections can be breathtaking to behold, but
  are unfortunately very dangerous to attempt to
  traverse near for most lighters let alone
  gossamers or mortal spirits.
  Even the mantles of Sanctuary touch upon the
  Blue Air. Shallows may form within mantles just
  as on Earth, though these are tenuous and do
  not hold as well as the ones on Earth.
  Gossamers pulled into Shallows within mantles
  may move beyond the region in which the
  Shallow is located, but are unable to leave the
  mantle itself and are trapped within its confines.
  Tempests sometimes roll in through these
  particular types of Shallows, causing widespread
  changes in the mantle that even the Maker
  cannot control.
  Shallows
  Shallows are created when a mortal being with
  Faith dies, or when highly emotional events
  takes place in an area that have a lasting
  impact. This is usually the result of extreme
  trauma, violence etc. Rarely they can be created
  in areas that have repeated heightened levels of
  emotional stimuli. New Orleans in the United
  States of America has Shallows created from
  the intense celebrations of repeated Mardi Gras
  events for example.
  Hauntings (as Shallows are called in Immortal
  slang) thin the barrier between the Blue Air and
  the Earth, allowing spirits both mortal and
  immortal to cross the threshold between the two
  realms. Even if the mortal spirit comes to some
  form of conclusion with whatever holds it here
  on Earth, the Shallows can remain for years
  afterwards.
  Within a Shallows, mortal spirits have a great
  deal of power, being able to manifest their MIND
  and BODY auras at will at enough of a level to
  have a significant impact on the immediate area.
  In the surrounding areas near the Shallow the
  presence of the spirits can still be felt. Except for
  the soulless, most mortals can sense the
  presence of something otherworldly nearby,
  depending on the strength of the SPIRIT aura
  (shifted one rank inferior) of the spirit.
  Immortals do not create Shallows when they
  spill their auras and become gossamers. This
  means that the gossamer has no immediate
  entry point back to Earth. The gossamer could
  be thrust into the Blue Air in Africa and several
  months later find himself appearing in a
  Shallows located in South America, or find
  Setting Note: Tempests
  Storms of energy and immaculum roil forth through the Blue Air, like ethereal hurricanes or
  monsoons. These energy storms are known as Tempests, and are one of the most
  unpredictable forces known to the immortal race. If one of these storms builds up enough
  strength, it can shred spirits, and if coming close to one of the many connections to other
  realms, manifest partially within them. This can cause all sorts of strange and odd occurrences
  as things can be literally pulled out into the storm or deposited out of the storm and into the
  realm. A Tempest can also (due to its nature as a storm of thought energy turned matter) when
  manifesting in physical realms, alter that area of the realm, or any inhabitant within the area,
  including immortals. A Tempest's power to do so rivals the most powerful of Bright Bloods and
  Wish-givers, and sometimes exceeds them.
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
  36
  himself appearing a few days later in Japan
  even. Most mortal spirits that create Shallows
  tend to emerge back from the Blue Air at the
  same Shallows within anywhere from a week to
  years later. The Faith of the spirit ties it to the
  Shallows, so most mortal spirits stay near their
  Shallows unless somehow forcibly moved away
  from them.
  Dark Shallows
  If a mortal dies with taint in its SPIRIT aura, it is
  possible to that the Shallows created can draw
  taint to them, creating cursed places. The
  Shallows develops its own curse based on the
  mortal that died there. This usually only happens
  if the mortal died in some violent or traumatic
  way, or by obvious supernatural means. Dark
  Shallows are also home to Soul Reapers.
  Mortals with Faith that are possessed by the
  Sanguinary have the chance of slowly losing
  their SPIRIT aura and having it replaced with
  Taint. If the mortal loses his entire SPIRIT aura
  he becomes effectively soulless, his Faith fading
  away. When the mortal dies the last remnants of
  his MIND and BODY aura do not have a SPIRIT
  to cling to. Instead they adhere to the taint which
  then consumes these fragments. The Taint now
  becomes a spiritual entity with the semblance of
  the memories and form of the mortal it once was
  part of. This creates a Dark Shallows
  immediately.
  Soul Reapers have an effective SPIRIT aura
  equal to the Taint level when they died shifted
  one superior for the MIND and BODY aura
  fragments consumed. Soul Reapers can
  effectively wield their taint as a Scion within the
  immediate areas surrounding the Dark Shallows,
  throwing the curse of the Dark Shallows out at
  others. Worse yet the Reaper has the ability (at
  one level inferior on the effective SPIRIT die) to
  cause variants of the curse to manifest. Soul
  Reapers can leave the region of their Shallows
  for a number of days equal to the rank of their
  effective SPIRIT die.
  In appearance Soul Reapers look and act like
  Shadow Elementals made of Taint, and can
  access powers similar (the Narrator can give
  them effective himsati natures as listed for a
  Shadow Elemental, one nature for each rank of
  effective SPIRIT aura) to them. Soul Reapers
  are also immune to the anthem and other
  powers of the True Light that Tainted beings
  normally fear or are hindered by.
  To top this off, Soul Reapers have the same
  ability to take SPIRIT aura from others as a
  Succubi has to take BODY aura from dreamers.
  The Soul Reaper follows the same rules except
  it rolls its effective SPIRIT die instead of the
  MIND die. Any being that dies in this way will
  create Shallows immediately if it had Faith. Soul
  Reapers attempt to lure beings to their Dark
  Shallow lairs. If the mortal dies in the Dark
  Shallows, the effective range of the Dark
  Shallows and its region expand based on the
  level of SPIRIT the mortal had before dying.
  Soul Reapers have the same driving goals to
  finish off things left undone from their mortal life,
  except they are incapable of achieving that state
  where they may be freed as there is no true
  SPIRIT to free. Instead they will continually twist
  and pervert that which they may accomplish,
  their hunger for mortal life-force never satiated.
  The Courts hunt down Soul Reapers with the
  same tenacious nature that they hunt down
  Succubi. It is believed the two creatures are
  somehow related.
  General Spirit Rules
  The following rules apply to the various types of
  spirits that can be encountered in the Immortal
  Millennium Setting.
  All Spirits
  In order to simulate the more common powers
  that all spirits have, Narrators are free to use the
  natures from Book I. A few natures are prevalent
  to all spirits however, with a few special
  differences to how they work. Any natures are
  based off the SPIRIT aura for spirits regardless
  of what they would normally be based on.
  � All Spirits have Discorporate Form, Phasing
  and Gliding (some may have the actual
  Flight Nature instead). If the spirit is
  manifesting a BODY aura, these natures
  immediately cancel. Spirits also should be
  considered to be invisible to the naked eye
  unless using some form of power or
  manifesting.
  � While in the Blue Air, no spirit can manifest
  its BODY aura, and instead substitute their
  SPIRIT die for their BODY die while taking
  any "physical" actions there.
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
  37
  � Spirits may not enter Sanctuaries unless the
  Sanctuary is also a Shallow. A spirit may
  attempt to force its way into the Sanctuary (if
  it has the Faith Boon, Faith Morph Boon, or
  Faith Shape Boon) by making an opposed
  SPIRIT roll against the SPIRIT of the
  immortal the Sanctuary belongs to (even if
  not present). If more than one immortal has
  paid the points for the Sanctuary, use the
  one with the most superior SPIRIT die. The
  Sanctuary's dominance should be
  subtracted from the immortal's roll. Without
  the Faith Boon, the spirit may not attempt to
  enter. If a Gossamer finds and attempts to
  enter his own Sanctuary, no roll is needed.
  � If a spirit leaves the region where its entry
  Shallows is located it is automatically pulled
  back into the Blue Air. It loses any mental
  bonds (in the case of gossamers), and has
  to find another random Shallows to cross
  back to Earth through. All spirits can feel
  when they near this point. Mortal spirits will
  eventually make their way back to the same
  Shallows instead of a random one if they are
  pulled through.
  Any spirit confined by supernatural means
  ignores this rule. However, if it is released
  outside the region, it will be pulled back into
  the Blue Air. The Narrator determines the
  size of the region.
  Soul Reapers are not true spirits and can
  ignore this rule for a number of days equal
  to their effective SPIRIT rank, but if they do
  not return within that time, they are also
  pulled into the Blue Air.
  � All spirits maintain their Faith boon (whether
  mortal or immortal) if they had it while
  alive/corporeal.
  Gossamers
  � Gossamers have no BODY aura when first
  thrust into the Blue Air and when first
  coming out of Shallows. They cannot affect
  the physical world in any way, unlike mortal
  spirits.
  � Gossamers cannot play any serenades
  outside the Blue Air. While in the Blue Air,
  gossamers may play serenades, but they
  may only play serenades that they have foci
  in and may only play those specific foci.
  Example, if the character has the Gambit
  Serenade with a Foci of Bad Luck, then he
  may only use Gambit for Bad Luck, not for
  good luck, shadows, fog, or anything else,
  unless he has that focus as well in Gambit.
  � Gossamers can manifest himsati natures in
  the Blue Air, but all natures will rely on
  SPIRIT instead of MIND or BODY. While on
  Earth they may manifest any natures that do
  not require having a physical BODY. They
  may manifest the "appearance" of natures
  (such as leap, gore, charge, multiple limbs,
  natural weaponry, coils, etc.) that require a
  physical BODY, but they are not actually
  usable.
  � Gossamers cannot sin to gain aura ranks. A
  vox is required for an immortal to sin.
  Mortal Spirits (Ghosts)
  � Mortal Spirits have a SPIRIT aura one rank
  higher than they had while alive as the
  fragments of MIND and BODY auras imbed
  themselves within the SPIRIT aura. This is
  what causes the SPIRIT to be held to earth.
  If it can conclude whatever affairs hold it on
  Earth, the fragments fade and the spirit is
  able to move on.
  � Mortal Spirits may shift one rank of SPIRIT
  aura into either the MIND or BODY aura
  temporarily in order to "manifest". This ability
  allows SPIRITS to be sensed by mortals. It
  also allows beings such as Bright Bloods
  and Soul Reapers to manifest any particular
  Boons or Curses for a fuller impact. For
  example a Bright Blood with Faith Shape
  could shape himself into an animal just as
  when alive, and by shifting a rank into the
  BODY aura, could be felt, touch, smelled,
  etc.
  Sanctuaries
  Sanctuaries provide the immortal with a place of
  rest and relative safety, where the immortal can
  rejuvenate from becoming a gossamer, heal
  from wounds, and find some peace during the
  many battles against the darkness. Even the
  Progeny maintain Sanctuaries, dedicated to their
  service to the Sanguinary. Most immortals take
  great pains to hide and protect their sanctuaries,
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
  38
  less they are usurped by another immortal. To
  this end, most sanctuaries remain hidden well,
  and are watched over by Quiet Culture members
  that work with or serve the immortal.
  It should be noted we are not speaking of the
  Sanctuary world formed by the union of the
  mantles connected to Earth, but of the private
  places where an individual immortal or small
  group of immortals hold sway on Earth itself.
  The Sanctuary serves many practical functions.
  It serves as a storehouse for the immortal for
  those things supernatural that he comes across
  during his days. It provides the immortal with a
  form of dominance and protection. And most
  importantly it houses the one item that is second
  in importance only to the immortality giving vox;
  the immortal's Ark.
  The Ark
  An Ark is an object large enough to hold the
  immortal in their human form. Into this item the
  immortal places ranks of aura. If there is enough
  aura energy present in the ark and the immortal
  becomes a gossamer, the vox (by being attuned
  to the Ark) and the immortal are transported to
  the Ark where the two are joined together again.
  This is assuming that no one mystically holds
  the vox from traveling to the Ark during the initial
  aura spilling.
  An immortal places aura ranks from his own
  aura into the ark and then needs to regain the
  lost aura either by finding willing Believers or by
  Sinning. It is also possible for the immortal to
  bond mortals to his ark so they may transfer
  aura ranks directly into the ark.
  Once an aura rank is placed in the ark, it cannot
  be retrieved without destroying the ark and
  forcing the immortal to create a new one.
  Immaculum can be placed in an ark and
  removed without harming the ark however.
  Rules for Sanctuaries & Arks
  Arks do not require Sanctuaries in order to work,
  but most immortals find this the safest way of
  protecting their ark. Therefore this section will
  present how an immortal sets up a Sanctuary
  and an ark (assuming the immortal didn't start
  the game with either of these Boons and needs
  to play through gaining them), how to maintain
  them, and how these two things can be taken
  over by another immortal.
  Claiming a Sanctuary
  Attuning oneself to the structure that will serve
  as the Sanctuary usually takes but a few months
  of the immortal's time. During this the immortal
  spends about 1/3 of his day in the proposed
  Sanctuary, getting used to it, spending time
  sleeping, eating, practicing various skills,
  studying, working with his Quiet Culture if he has
  one, etc. For at least a few hours a week the
  immortal needs to spend time attuning his vox
  and the structure together, which is done rather
  instinctually as the immortal merely seems to be
  humming in vox-tongue.
  If the immortal spends a great deal of extra time
  in the Sanctuary the Narrator may wish to speed
  this time up. This time can be sped up (or in
  place of) with the help of Believers who can
  spend the time there in place of the immortal or
  in addition to. Each Believer who spends roughly
  the same amount of time knocks off another day
  or two. If any Bright Bloods are present, the time
  is cut nearly in half. For every rank the
  immortal's spirit die is superior to d12 should
  also knock off a week here and there.
  Once this is done the immortal gains the 1
  dominance from being attuned to his new
  Sanctuary. If multiple immortals wish to
  cooperatively share the Sanctuary they must all
  attune during the same time period and spend
  the same amount of time each, it is not split
  amongst them like the Boon cost can be.
  Setting Note: Standard vs. Sacred
  Sacred Sanctuaries would include places like
  old haunted houses, mausoleums, the bell tower
  of the old church, the ancient castle, the ruins, or
  any other place such as that. The botanical
  gardens, the art deco apartment, don't count as
  Sacred Sanctuaries. Attuning to a Sacred
  Sanctuary usually takes about a month longer.
  It is also possible that a Sacred Sanctuary has
  Shallows present as part of it. Any gossamers or
  other spirits that come through the Shallows are
  not stopped by the Sanctuary's supernatural
  barriers. As they come through the Shallows
  attuned to be able to enter and leave the
  Sanctuary as part of their Shallows.
  The immortal should choose a place for his
  Sanctuary that reflects his personal tastes,
  himsati, Court, Calling, favorite motifs for
  serenades, etc. The jungle parrot would fair
  better in a rooftop atrium than a basement for
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
  39
  the Sanctuary. The Sanctuary does not need to
  occupy the entire structure either, but may only
  occupy a single room as long as it can hold the
  immortal and a few other mortal being
  comfortably.
  Building an Ark
  Once the Sanctuary is set up, the immortal will
  want his Ark move to the Sanctuary so it can be
  in the safest place possible. If the immortal does
  not have an Ark already, the immortal must go
  through the process of creating one or making
  an object into an Ark.
  If the immortal chooses to build the Ark himself
  there are a few benefits, but for the most part
  the two ways are identical in terms of
  mechanics. The ark must be large enough to
  house the immortal. Though in some cases the
  item chosen as an ark, is an item designed to
  house a mortal human (a coffin, a sarcophagus,
  a phone booth, etc.) it does not have to be. It
  does not have to be hollow inside either.
  When an immortal uses an ark to rejuvenate,
  create a scion, splinter an avatar, etc., the ark is
  broken both mystically and physically and
  cannot be used again. How the immortal
  appears from the ark as it breaks is largely up to
  what the ark looks like and is made from. A
  human statue may crumble away from the
  immortal, the phone booth's glass may shatter
  as the immortal steps out, the coffin could split
  as the immortal rises up inside of it, etc.
  Regardless, the process of building the Ark will
  attune the immortal to it if the immortal does the
  building himself. If not, the immortal must simply
  spend a few days in meditation, attuning to the
  Ark just as to a Sanctuary.
  Maintaining the Sanctuary & Ark
  Once an immortal is attuned to the Sanctuary he
  can easily leave and come back maybe once a
  year with no problems. Immortals with stronger
  SPIRIT auras (d8 and higher) can leave for
  much longer periods. If an Ark is present within,
  this increases the time, and if the immortal built
  the Ark himself, this increases the time by large
  amounts, resulting in some immortals that are
  still fully attuned to their Sanctuary after having
  been gone for decades (or in very rare instances
  centuries).
  However, this is dependent on having Believers
  (souled mortals with Faith) present fairly
  regularly. If the mortals are bonded to the
  Sanctuary, they can establish their own smaller
  temples or altars in other locations and by
  making use of those that can assist in the
  upkeep of the main Sanctuary. Without any
  Believers, a Sanctuary will begin to lose its
  dominance and then attunement in about half
  the time. The Ark never loses its dominance or
  attunement unless another immortal captures it.
  System Note: Rejuvenation
  In the case of Arks, the immortal has a few
  options on how to store aura ranks in the Ark for
  the process of rejuvenation. In order for an
  immortal to be instantly rejuvenated and the vox
  to be brought through the Ley to the Ark, the Ark
  must have enough aura ranks to completely
  rebuild to the BODY aura as it is when
  undamaged, plus three additional ranks. If the
  MIND or SPIRIT auras are damaged, these will
  be healed first as the gossamer enters the Ark.
  After this, if there is not enough to build the
  BODY aura plus the additional three ranks, the
  Ark breaks and the immortal is not rejuvenated.
  He has lost the extra aura ranks after the MIND
  and BODY auras are healed.
  All aura ranks deposited into an ark are free
  associated, they do not belong to the MIND,
  SPIRIT or BODY. Therefore an Immortal could
  gather only SPIRIT aura and place it in his Ark
  and it could be used to restore the BODY aura.
  The immortal can simply place aura ranks from
  within his own aura into the ark and then find
  mortals to obtain aura ranks from to replace
  what is now missing. There is also a SPIRIT skill
  called Tithing that an Immortal can teach to
  mortals so that they can directly deposit aura
  ranks into the Ark through a ritual. Immortals can
  always do this with their own Ark instinctually.
  Some Lords teach their young immortal charges
  this skill. That way the young charge is able to
  place aura ranks in the Lord's Ark in exchange
  for the Lord's patronage. This skill does not
  allow any manipulation of the Ark in any way.
  The Tithing also bonds any mortals to the
  Sanctuary if the Ark is in one, allowing them to
  better defend it against invaders who would try
  to capture the Sanctuary or the Ark.
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
  40
  Capturing a Sanctuary and/or an Ark
  At times other immortals will attempt to claim the
  Sanctuary of an immortal that has not been
  present for some time. The invading immortal
  must go through the same process for the few
  months (usually done in hiding so Quiet Culture
  members do not find him). At the end the
  immortal makes a SPIRIT roll against the current
  owner. (In the case of a group that owns the
  Sanctuary, choose the highest SPIRIT).  Every
  Believer that is bonded to the Sanctuary, plus
  any other Believers present give a -1 to the
  owners roll to defend the Sanctuary from the
  invader taking over. The Sanctuary's
  dominance, also gives its bonus to the
  defender's roll to keep his Sanctuary. If the
  Sanctuary has lost its dominance and there is no
  Ark presence, it is no longer a Sanctuary
  anyway so it does not need to be captured. If an
  Ark is present the roll is simply made against a
  target number of 10.
  If the owner is currently a gossamer or an
  avatar, the target number is set to 12 less the
  number of Believers present in the Sanctuary
  when the roll is made. Again, if the Dominance
  is counts. If there is no Dominance, then the
  target number is 10 as above.
  If the invader succeeds, he now gains the
  dominance of the Sanctuary. But if there is an
  Ark present, this must be captured separately.
  To capture the Ark the invader must meditate for
  the few days with the Ark. When the roll is
  made, if the immortal built the Ark himself, any
  immaculum that is currently deposited (not aura
  ranks) in the Ark gives the defender an
  additional -1 to the roll per point of immaculum,
  even if the immortal is a gossamer or an avatar.
  Immortals immediately feel if they lose their
  dominance from their Sanctuary or they lose
  their connection to their ark. Typical invading
  immortals will bring their own Quiet Culture
  members, etc. to help physically defend the
  Sanctuary while they try to claim it.
  Believers and the Sanctuary
  It can be very important unless the immortal has
  very strong safeguards and a well-hidden
  Sanctuary, to have mortals to assist the
  immortal in taking care of the Sanctuary. The
  Sanctuary then becomes a place not only for the
  immortal, but for the mortals who work with or
  for the immortal as well. Immortals need to go to
  great lengths to see that the mortals are also
  happy with the Sanctuary as well.
  Many immortals strive to find a Bright Blood to
  lead their Quiet Culture due to the increased
  benefits of having a Bright Blood in relation to
  maintaining, building, and helping to hold a
  Sanctuary against an invader. Unfortunately the
  number of Bright Bloods interested in this is far
  exceeded by the number of Sanctuaries looking
  for a Bright Blood. The Narrator should not have
  Bright Bloods littering every Sanctuary, they
  should be held in reserve and held in awe by the
  characters as much as possible.
  Encryption [7]
  Return Locus: <Shade [Location Unknown]>
  Received By: <Natalia at Labyrinth>
  Language: Atrana-Cant [Voxtongue] no mortal
  transcription available
  Subject: Your Quest Begins
  Summary: Instruct them on the rings
  Keyword Search: Rings, Quest, Redemption,
  Murderer
  Date: Year of the Pale
  Message as Follows:
  IT IS TIME TO TEACH THE OTHERS HOW TO USE
  THEIR RINGS TO TAP THE POWER OF THE RING OF
  THE LABYRINTH YOU WEAR. PLEASE REMEMBER
  TO WATCH OVER THEM CAREFULLY LEST THEY
  ACCIDENTALLY LOSE CONTROL.
  REMEMBER THAT I AM COUNTING ON YOU AND
  THE OTHERS TO ASSIST ME IN MY REDEMPTION IN
  THE EYES OF THE COURTS AND TO FIND THE
  MURDERER OF MY SISTER. I HAVE DIVESTED
  MYSELF OF THE ITEM WHICH HAD HOLD OVER ME
  SOME MONTHS AGO, PLEASE IGNORE STIGMATA,
  HE IS TRULY INSANE. THE SKIN IS NOW GONE.
  I WISH YOU AND THE OTHERS LUCK, MAY THE
  POWER OF THE REGIME AND THE TRUE LIGHT
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
  41
  Chapter IV: A Glimmer of Hope
  “To walk the path towards Transcendence is to reach for stars. To achieve it, one
  might assume, is to learn that there is so much more beyond them to reach for."
  -- Phoenix, Court of Fate
  TRANSCENDENCE
  The first Transcendents known to the immortal
  race were called the Trine. The Anopheles
  (predecessors of the Court of Desire) used
  knowledge gained from their Abzulim masters to
  commit a ritual to call forth three entities known
  as Rukshasha, Sharakai, and Leviathan. Once
  the ritual was committed the Trine appeared
  before them in physical form. Whether bound by
  this ritual, or simply having heard the call of the
  Anopheles and responding it is not known.
  Over the course of eons, the Trine aided the
  immortal race against the Sanguinary, imparting
  wisdom to their followers, allowing events to
  happen that still mystify and perplex the
  immortal race. It is said that one of these beings,
  the Leviathan, was corrupted by the Sanguinary
  due to the ritual of the Anopeheles. This is the
  only time in all of the immortal race's recorded
  history that such a thing has happened. Other
  than this, the Transcendents have always been
  completely pure of the Sanguinary and her
  corruption.
  It is said that from these first three the power of
  the True Light became known to the immortal
  race. Some say that the Trine came from the
  same place as the Sanguinary herself, others
  say they came from a place even beyond that.
  Regardless, it was these three that showed the
  immortal race a potential escape from the
  Sanguinary, from Fugue, and from the darkness
  of Taint. This escape became known as the
  Path of Transcendence.
  What is Transcendence?
  It is a question whose answer has eluded many
  of the most ancient immortals since their
  conception. Little is known about this state of
  spiritual, mental, and physical evolution that
  some immortals can achieve. Every immortal,
  even the Progeny, have their own views on
  Transcendence. No two immortals seem to
  follow the exact same path to Transcendence.
  The Trancendents themselves seem to
  encourage this variety as transcendence is a
  complete transformation of BODY, MIND, and
  SPIRIT and can differ for each individual. There
  are some common themes when discussing
  Transcendence, and are presented here.
  When an immortal becomes a Transcendent,
  memories of them seem to fade from other
  members of the immortal race. Those who knew
  them slowly forget their name and face. Only the
  most powerful can even remember they once
  existed.
  It is said that the immortal race's dependency on
  the crystalline shards of the Sanguinary within
  prevent them from remembering those who
  make the final embrace with the True Light.
  Whether this is done by the Sanguinary to
  prevent them from remembering how those
  individuals achieved the state, or whether the
  Transcendents do this to keep themselves safe
  from the Sanguinary in some way, is unknown.
  It is as if they have become a new being,
  untouched by the Sanguinary or the darkness of
  a vox. It is said by those very few High Lords
  that manage to witness the final transformation
  say that a shattered vox is all which remains and
  the personality matrices within are wiped clean.
  The Transcendents also can appear in forms far
  different than which they once were before
  achieving this state. One, Sharakai the Dragon
  (also called Dracul), is perhaps one immortal, or
  perhaps many taking a similar guise. It is said
  that the bodies of these beings have no physical
  limitations. Their minds know no bounds. Their
  spirits are pure and untouched by the
  Sanguinary, unassailable by Taint.
  Regardless, these beings are said to appear to
  the highest Lords within the Courts, the
  Paragons, and yes, even to the Solitaires and
  the Outlanders. The Transcendents very rarely
  directly intervene in the matters at hand here on
  Earth, and it is said by some that they exist
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
  42
  within the Blue Air, unhindered by the limitations
  of that gossamer realm. Others claim that they
  reside in the Dominions and watch over the
  events transpiring on Earth.
  Mostly the Transcendents work through those
  they have already touched, the Lords. It is said
  that a Transcendent can see and hear through
  the eyes of the Lords, though not through all of
  them at once. Some claim that certain
  Transcendents patron certain Courts or Lords
  while others claim that all Transcendents patron
  all of the immortal race which seek purity and to
  stop the Sanguinary and her minions.
  A Show of Power
  Only once in known immortal history have the
  Transcendents truly appeared as a group before
  the immortal race, directly intervening in the
  battle against the Sanguinary. The year was
  1666 and the immortals had gathered in London
  to stop the Sanguine Avatar known as the Dust.
  The city was set fire, and the battle raged on for
  days.
  Unknown to the Pantheons known as the Prides,
  the Transcendents swept into the city, taking the
  best and brightest of the race, and placing them
  into a special state of Lethe. These immortals
  were thought to be lost and dead by the
  Perpetual Society until they finally emerged from
  this special Lethe in the 1990's. It seems they
  continued to live and die as mortals during that
  time, never regaining their immortality in the next
  life. It has been said that this was done to
  prepare them to survive the Great Betrayal.
  While the Transcendents are neither omnipotent
  nor omnipresent, it is said they foresaw the
  Great Betrayal and knew that they were
  powerless to stop it. Their charges, the Prides,
  had already become too arrogant to listen or to
  understand. So when these particular Ingenue
  regained their immortality. They had been
  spared the 300 plus years of the Stratagem, the
  witch-hunts, the mistrust, the arrogance, and all
  else that led to the deaths of so many of the
  immortal race.
  These survivors then went on to become
  members of the Courts and examples to others
  who would quickly follow them. But even they
  have had to prove themselves followers of the
  path of Transcendence.
  After this incident, the Transcendents were once
  again little seen or heard from, except in rumor
  and myth. Only the Jury seemed to have contact
  with them until after the Great Betrayal. It is said
  that to look upon the visage of a Transcendent is
  to know the loving thoughts of universe itself.
  The Path
  Besides a devotion to the Cause, the Courts
  (and many Solitiares) follow what is known as
  the Path. There is no set way to follow the Path,
  for this path is the one of Transcendence.
  Following the Path is a great part of one's status
  and measure within the Courts. The Path and
  the Cause are not one in the same, but within
  the Courts, they are linked tightly together.
  The following of the Path is different for each
  individual. There is no right or wrong way to
  follow the Path, save for the limits set by the
  Narrator and Player on that particular character's
  development. If a character is living up to the
  potential and developing in a way that the
  Narrator and Player both find satisfactory, then it
  can be concluded in game that the character is
  "on the Path".
  If the Path is a sense of enlightenment for the
  body, the mind, and the spirit, those things,
  which draw the character away from his or her
  true self, obviously do not progress them along
  the Path. It is in this way that the Sanguinary's
  minions can hinder the progress of an immortal,
  and cause them to stray from what their own
  true Path should be.
  The Path, the Courts of Desire and
  Dreams
  The seven sins used by the Progeny are
  powerful, and when an immortal falls victim to
  them the Path can seem far away indeed.  This
  makes it especially dangerous for the Court of
  Desire, who manipulate these sins within
  mortals to pull them away from the Sanguinary.
  Their Path is one fraught with peril and the
  chance of losing their own progression towards
  Transcendence.
  Such is why the Court of Desire watches over its
  own members so closely and seems to have
  such a greater and more intimate relationship
  with one another than other Courts. It is more a
  measure of protection then one of lust or
  sensuality.
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
  43
  The Court of Dreams faces similar problems
  coming so close to the consciousness of the
  Sanguinary itself by constantly residing in the
  realm of mortal dreams. The unique viewpoint
  they seem to take on subjects may seem
  surreal, but it helps to protect them from those
  same downfalls as the close relations of the
  Court of Desire serve to protect them.
  Following the Path
  It is said that through their agents (the Lords and
  the Outlanders), the Transcendents can feel
  when they are near those who are progressing
  upon their own individual Path. It is at this time
  that a Lord (not necessarily of the same Court)
  will usually begin to patron a particular immortal,
  lending him aid through the Lord's own
  established agents, and then possibly making
  the immortal an agent as well. When the time is
  right, the immortal is allowed to fully look into the
  eyes of his Lord, and is then embraced by the
  True Light for the first time.
  It is now that the immortal is known as a true
  follower of the Path of Transcendence, a tiny
  spark of the True Light now showing within his
  own eyes. This is when the first Light Boon is
  received by the immortal, The Anthem, to show
  that the immortal is indeed a follower of the
  Path.
  As the True Light consequently embraces the
  immortal (and this need not be done through the
  eyes of the original Lord that sponsored the
  immortal) he gains another Tier of
  Transcendence, and at times, another Light
  Boon befitting his personal progression along
  the Path.  The exact mechanics of this are in
  Appendix B
  Eventually the immortal is then visited by actual
  Transcendents, who allow the immortal to gaze
  into their own eyes and receive the gifts. Finally
  the immortal herself reaches Transcendence,
  and joins this enigmatic group of beings. The list
  Setting & System Note: Solitaires and the Path
  Even Solitaires may follow the Path. The Courts realize that the Path of Transcendence is open
  to all immortals, even those that choose to live alone as outsiders. The Outlanders are powerful
  Solitaires who rival the High Lords themselves, and it is said that even the lonely Solitaires may
  follow the Path with the aid of the Outlanders. It should also be noted that whenever the Light
  Boon of Aura Increase is granted, the Solitaire may pick a normal boon from Book II as well,
  just as they would any other time their aura increases.
  System Note: The True Light and Taint
  The minions of the Sanguinary fear the True Light and those who possess it. Immortals who
  possess the True Light fear Taint because it can temporarily sever their connection to the True
  Light. Most Light Boons will not operate when an immortal is tainted, just as Dark Boons only
  operate when an immortal is tainted. By the same, an immortal with a strong enough Anthem
  can cause Droves and other Sanguinary minions to flee just be allowing the True Light to shine
  through her eyes at them.
  The power of the True Light is enormous, and its true nature and origins continue to elude the
  immortal race still. It is said that the True Light is the same as that which burns in the veins of
  the Bright Bloods, and legends speak of the Sunedrion trees, and their seeds of True Light. All
  of these the Sanguinary seems to covet or want to destroy.
  System Note: Gaining Auras
  Appendix D (Optional Rules) presents a way to increase an immortal's auras without the Path
  of Transcendence. Many Solitaires, Progeny, and Abzulim Predators (immortal ones) will use
  this optional rule. As it has been noted, one of the Light Boons is an increase in aura. The
  Immortal Millennium system is not designed for the average immortal to have d6's and d4's for
  their auras.
  This can cause a Narrator serious difficulties in running his Players through episodes that can
  actually challenge them. The Paragons themselves have their auras at these kinds of levels, as
  they still themselves reach for Transcendence. Any form of aura increase should not come
  lightly or frequently in a game.
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
  44
  of Light Boons and how they work can be found
  in Appendix B
  Progression on the Path is defined with by a
  Rating. This rating starts at 20 when the
  immortal is embraced by the True Light the first
  time. Each time the immortal is embraced, the
  number drops by one. At 18, 16, and 14 the
  immortal gains another Transcendent Nature.
  Starting at 12, the immortal gains a
  Transcendent Nature each time he is embraced.
  In addition, each time the numbers is equal or
  lower than a die value the immortal gains that
  die value. The die value starts at d20 and when
  the immortal reaches a rating of 12 it becomes a
  d12, at 10 a d10, at 8 a d8, at 6 a d6 and at 4 a
  d4. This die is used anytime the immortal needs
  to roll a die for a Light Boon, or against a tainted
  being.
  The Eyes of the Lords
  It is customary in the Courts that those who
  have not yet been embraced by the True Light
  cannot look into the eyes of their Lords directly.
  This custom is simply because it becomes
  physically uncomfortable to do so without
  permission. The True Light can be stunning to
  look at and the euphoria and joy it can bring can
  actually bring a strange discomfort from the
  realization that such Light does not exist within
  oneself yet. Therefore, those who have not been
  touched tend to look anywhere from the area of
  the vox (the neck) up to the tip of the nose.
  Even the Lords have the same problem when
  attempting to look into the eyes of those of a
  much higher station such as the High Lords,
  who share a much deeper and more intimate
  connection with the True Light than they.
  Life in the Courts
  As mentioned in Book 2, the Courts operate on
  a somewhat feudal system. Much of this is due
  to the nature of the True Light that all the Lords
  carry. At the highest end of a Court sits the
  Paragon. The Paragon is the one immortal
  within the Court that has proven herself to be the
  most devout follower of the Cause within the
  Court. The Paragon has also proven herself to
  most exemplify the ideals of her Court, as well
  as be very close to achieving Transcendence.
  The Paragons sit on council to see to the needs
  of the Perpetual Society as a whole, directing
  their Courts in service to the Cause.
  Serving each Paragon is a small group of
  advisors or council. These individuals are given
  the honorary title of Chancellor. Besides
  advising the Paragon of the status of the Court
  and on matters affecting the Perpetual Society,
  the Chancellors spend much of their time seeing
  to the overall needs of the Court, under the
  Paragon.
  The High Lords are those who have shown truly
  exemplary service to the Cause, and have
  proven themselves to be true followers of the
  Path of Transcendence. A Lord must have
  shown himself to have great success in service
  to the Cause, and must have achieved the 4th
  Tier (embraced 16 times or more) of the Path
  before a Paragon will name a Lord to the title of
  High Lord. Only the Paragons can give this title.
  It can take centuries before a Lord can become
  known as a High Lord. It is the High Lords that
  see the directives of the Paragon and her
  Chancellors are followed and carried out
  throughout the Court.
  The vast majority of those who have attained
  status within the Court are simply known as the
  Lords. The Lords oversee the day to day
  operations of the Court, and look after others in
  the Court who have not yet been touched by the
  True Light, as well as those who have but have
  not attained status as a Lord themselves. Only
  the High Lords may bestow the actual title of
  Lord upon an immortal. That immortal must have
  proven himself in eyes of his or her patron Lord,
  and been shown to be a follower of the Path,
  achieving the 2nd Tier (embraced 6 times or
  more).
  And the truly vast majority of all the members of
  the Courts are non-Lords, serving some Lord or
  High Lord and going on missions for their
  Courts. Other than this they spend their time
  honing their skills and working with other
  members of the Courts, or on their own, in the
  name of the Cause.
  Other than the True Light shining within, there is
  no mystical formality in gaining the title of Lord.
  A gathering of High Lords is made and you (and
  your Pantheon if you have one) are invited to
  come to a ceremony where you are granted the
  title. High Lords are granted their titles only
  during the meetings of the Paragon Council.
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
  45
  Expanding the Courts'
  Philosophies
  Each Court operates by its own particular
  standards and method of work. But usually after
  each meeting of the Paragon Council, the
  Paragon of a Court will sit with his Chancellors
  and discuss the events of the meeting and how
  best their particular Court can lend itself to the
  needs brought forth during the Paragons'
  meeting.
  From here the Chancellor's send out Emissaries
  to visit the various High Lords (whom they are
  not visiting personally) as needed so that the
  High Lords are aware of whatever new
  directions the Court is taking during this time
  period. Needs and information are passed up
  and down this chain of command, strategies
  assessed in each region where the Court has
  standing, and assignments are given to those
  within that region. Assignments that an immortal
  of a particular Calling may receive can come
  from a Lord, a High Lord, or even a Chancellor.
  These almost always come through an agent of
  such individual. When not working towards
  fulfilling a particular goal of their Court, most
  immortals are left to pursue their own betterment
  within their Court, Calling, and of course for the
  Cause and the Path.
  An immortal is expected to seek out his or her
  own goals on behalf of the Court, and not idly sit
  and wait for instructions or assignments. Each
  immortal is expected to spend time challenging
  himself, putting his skills to test, and to furthering
  the Cause by working with other immortals, not
  only within his own Court and Calling, but of
  others as well. This spirit of cooperation and
  unity is part of what make the Courts so different
  from their predecessors, the Prides.
  In order to assist Narrators and Players with
  adding more detail and possibilities to the
  various paths individuals within a Court may
  follow to Transcendence, we present here
  various additions and expanded information
  about the nine Courts. We hope these notes can
  assist Narrators who are having trouble with a
  particular Court and how it may work within a
  given campaign.
  Death
  When a mortal being dies, its spirit travels to the
  One Soul, joining it like a drop of water falling
  into a pond. From this energy, new souls are
  created which inhabit the bodies of the living.
  Some souls die darkened, and ever so slightly
  stain the One Soul. And still others cling to this
  world, unable to rejoin the One Soul due to
  something in life that they never finished.
  The Progeny take a special interest in those with
  darkened souls and those spirits that cling to this
  world after death. These are captured and
  eventually are joined with the energies of the
  Hush-Hush, a spiritual fortress which
  strengthens and protects the Sanguinary within
  the Morpheum. Worse yet, Progeny, Solitaires
  and even some members of the Courts when
  desperate, will attempt to drain the energies of
  these spirits, which ultimately lessens the One
  Soul.
  The Court of Spirits (as this Court is sometimes
  nicknamed) seeks to prevent all this. Though the
  guises of Grim Reapers and Lords of the
  Underworld have not been entirely abandoned
  by the Court, this is not what they are about.
  Their primary interest is in the preservation of
  the human soul so that it does not stain or
  diminish the Ka. If this should happen, it is
  feared the Sanguinary will be released, armed
  with more soul power than the Courts will be
  able to defend against.
  The Court maintains a strong vigil over Shallows
  and places where the wandering dead
  congregate, protecting them from intrusion by
  the Progeny, and watching for mortal spirits
  there. When they find these spirits they attempt
  to help them finish whatever is holding them
  here, and to see that they are as un-darkened
  as possible before rejoining the Ka. Should an
  Immortal spirit come from the Shallows they
  attempt to aid those Immortals as best as
  possible, and if it is the spirit of a Progeny, they
  work tirelessly (usually with the Court of Desire)
  to help bring that Immortal back to cause of the
  True Light.
  Prevalent in the Gothic Culture, members seek
  to protect and aid mortals, whose presence help
  to keep other mortals' souls from being
  darkened, or help un-darken them. At the same
  time, if a member finds a mortal whose soul is
  already corrupted and it cannot be un-darkened,
  they then seek to see that the mortal is
  destroyed, mind, body, and spirit.
  The members do not casually destroy mortals
  however, a death before the mortal's time can
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
  46
  darken a spirit just as easily. Every death is
  important, and needless deaths or deaths where
  the spirit is not at peace, disturb the Court.
  Setting Note: The Angelic
  This group within the Court were once members
  of the Pride Eremite who were altered when they
  were touched by an artifact known as the Ark of
  the Covenant. They work towards helping the
  soulless reclaim their lost souls, and believe that
  through Faith, humanity can find a form of
  redemption for itself which can lead them to their
  own Transcendence.
  The Court is
  saddened by the
  increase in soulless
  mortals on Earth in
  the last years. They
  keep a careful watch
  over these mortals
  and watch for signs
  of possible
  Sanguinary
  possession. The
  Court is aware of an
  entity they merely
  call Death. They
  believe it to be a
  projection of, or
  guardian of the Ka.
  It is possible that
  this entity prevents
  Bright Bloods from
  joining the One
  Soul. The Court
  feels that Death is
  either holding back
  souls in the Ka or
  that a large number
  are falling to the
  Hush-Hush and this
  is causing the rise in
  the number of
  soulless on Earth.
  Either is a thought
  that chills the
  members to the
  bone.
  Famous members
  have included Hela, Hades, Anubis, and Rashnu
  among others.
  Desire
  The Progeny spend a good deal of time
  attempting to corrupt humans into unwittingly
  serving the Sanguinary through the use of the
  classic seven sins (Pride, Envy, Wrath/Anger,
  Sloth, Avarice/Greed, Gluttony and Lust). There
  are even those mortals who come to willingly
  serve the Sanguinary over time, completely
  enthralled by their desires and obsessions as
  the Progeny push them to darker natures.
  It is the hope of the Progeny that those that do
  not actively serve the Sanguinary will at least be
  unfit to stand against her upon her release. The
  Court of Desire (nicknamed
  the Court of Inspiration)
  attempts to beat the Progeny
  at their own game. It is
  perhaps, one of the most
  dangerous paths that an
  Immortal can walk.
  The Court, led by Aphrodite
  and her Chancellors (known
  as the Sirens), act as muses,
  guides, and emotional healers
  amongst the mortal
  population. Members of this
  Court can be found in all
  walks of life, dealing in most
  any type of situation
  imaginable. They are quite
  prominent in the arts, music,
  and other forms of mortal
  culture. From the peaks of
  mortal High Society, to the
  darkest recesses of the
  various counter-cultures the
  members of the Court work to
  turn mortals away from the
  thrall of the Progeny.
  As part of their work,
  members of the Court are
  continually assaulted by a
  variety of sensations, which
  has given them a reputation
  as being some of the
  strongest willed amongst the
  Perpetual Society. The Court
  maintains a strong watch over
  its members so they do not fall to the
  temptations that their predecessors the
  Anopheles did. The Court has found an added
  benefit, however, in the Stroke. They have found
  that by accumulating these experiences they
  Encryption [6]
  Return Locus: Arturo; Lorekeeper at ShadowVale>
  Received By: <Coal Crow at Sanctuary>
  Language: Latin (Translation Provided)
  Subject: Watcher's Penance
  Summary: Retraining is complete
  Keyword Search: Great Betrayal, Drove Treatise
  Date: Year of the Pale
  Message as Follows:
  MALCOLM,
  PLEASE INFORM YOUR FELLOW FATES THAT
  WATCHER'S PENANCE IS COMPLETE. HE ATONED
  FOR THE DROVE TREATISE OF THE MID-NINETIES.
  THOUGH HE IS NOT ALONE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE
  PRIDES' FALSE ASSUMPTIONS LEADING TO THE
  GREAT BETRAYAL, HE UNDERSTANDS HIS ROLE AS
  THE DUPE OF THE PROGENY FOR THE FALSE TEXT
  HE PRESENTED TO THE PRIDES.
  HE IS RETURNING TO HIS BRETHEREN WITHIN THE
  COURT OF SECRETS AS YOU READ THIS. I HOPE
  YOU ARE ABLE TO COME AND VISIT AGAIN SOON.
  IN THE MEANTIME, I HAVE FOUND ANOTHER WHO
  REQUIRES MY HELP AND A BIT OF A HISTORY
  LESSON, WISH ME LUCK.
  -- Arturo the Lorekeeper
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
  47
  can turn them on another being. They work
  towards being able to use this on a grand scale
  against the Sanguinary herself, turning the best
  and brightest of emotions and desires against
  the Dark Mother.
  Members will usually pick one or two specific
  desires, emotions, etc. to work with, though all
  work towards becoming versed in as many as
  possible in order to resist the temptations that
  they are presented with during their work. Each
  member will work with the general masses,
  while usually picking a specific mortal whom will
  benefit from their aid. This mortal becomes their
  current focus of inspiration. Most of the Court
  are versed in one or more forms of art, music,
  literature, etc. as well, and tend to inspire others
  to follow these endeavors.
  The Court attempts to inspire hope, personal
  achievement and fulfillment, and those things
  that the Progeny attempt to break down in most
  mortals. In more daring roles, some members
  work with other Immortals, attempting to break
  them of addictions and forms of emotional
  corruption. And still yet, some work with
  captured Progeny attempting to bring them back
  to the cause of the True Light.
  When working with a mortal, who is currently
  being enthralled by a Progeny, members of the
  Court will sometimes begin to play along with
  the same methods and seemingly the same
  goals as the Progeny. When done this way, the
  Progeny will not realize that a member of the
  Courts is working with the mortal. Then slowly,
  the Immortal will begin to turn away the mortal
  from those goals. Usually this will begin to alert
  the Progeny, so the Immortal will attempt to set
  a trap or deal with the Progeny as quickly as
  possible once the ruse is uncovered.
  More famous members include Ishtar,
  Dhamballa, Bast, and Rati.
  Dreams
  Trapped within the Morpheum, the Sanguinary
  tirelessly attempts to break free and re-enter the
  physical world, joining with its waiting embryonic
  body in Sheol. The anchors of the Morpheum,
  held by true Dreamers amongst the Believers
  and Bright Bloods, is all that holds the
  Sanguinary captive. Though she is far from
  helpless in the Morpheum, she still has become
  a captive in her own hiding place. It is here
  where she plots, contacts her Progeny, and
  works on more directly bringing the unknowing
  mortals of Earth into her service.
  As the smallest of the nine, the Court of Visions
  (as they are so nicknamed at times) has some of
  the most awesome responsibility within the
  Perpetual Society. While other Courts have
  Mystics, not all are able to enter the Morpheum
  as the members of this Court. Granted, most
  Mystics have the Sleeper Boon, but it is the
  Court of Dreams that remains on nearly constant
  vigil against the threat the Sanguinary poses in
  the subconscious mind of humanity.
  Members of this Court are not limited to the
  Morpheum as a place where they are able to
  work against the Stratagem. Indeed, as the
  Court of Desire, these Immortals can be found in
  music, art; anyplace where the human mind
  unleashes its creativity.
  Immortals of this Court push humans to be as
  creative as possible, sharpening and honing
  their minds so they can withstand the onslaught
  of the Sanguinary and her minions in the
  Morpheum. Still others serve to warn mortals of
  danger to themselves, or to help them achieve
  goals through visions and daydreams as well.
  The Court understands that the stronger they
  can make the minds of mortals, the more
  adaptable they become in the Morpheum. This
  helps to inspire mortal creativity, which in turn
  helps the mortals' minds to become sharper and
  more capable. This aids in strengthening the
  Anchors present with the Morpheum and even to
  create new ones. By strengthening more and
  more minds, the Sanguinary and its power will
  dwindle to fewer and fewer minds, until
  ultimately only the Furies will contain it.
  At this point it is believed that the Perpetual
  Society will be able to track down the Furies,
  who will be overloaded with power and slay
  them, possibly forcing the Sanguinary into the
  real world with no real power, or killing it.
  Of course, the Court's overall primary strength
  lies in its ability to traverse the Morpheum,
  launching assaults against the minions of the
  Sanguinary present there. They seek a way to
  safely enter the Hush-Hush to directly assault
  the consciousness of the Sanguinary itself.
  Within the Morpheum itself, they fulfill the roles
  of almost all the Courts, since most of the
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
  48
  Mystics in the Perpetual Society are members of
  the Court of Dreams.
  The Reveries (the Chancellors within the Court)
  take a special interest in Bright Blood Children,
  guiding them to the knowledge of their full
  heritage when possible and inspiring them to be
  forces of good in the waking world. All the
  Reveries possess the Epiphany boon. There is
  also a special contingent within the Court known
  as the Nightmares, who focus on directly
  combating the minions of the Sanguinary in the
  Morpheum. Many of these members possess
  the Incubus boon.
  The Court also holds the remaining majority of
  the true hybrid himsatis left in the world. Named
  after the first of their kind, the Chimera are all
  mythical himsatis, having mixed natures
  belonging to many types of creatures. A small
  amount of chimerical Newborns were born
  during the vast battles and bloodshed of the
  Great Betrayal. There are also rumors that a
  number of members are True Chimera.
  Famous members include Cerebus, Selene, and
  Njirana.
  Setting Note: True Chimera
  Born from the union of two immortals, where one
  is capable of somehow passing on a bit of their
  own shard, these creatures remain a mystery to
  the immortal race. They seem as any other
  immortal, but gain natures much faster than a
  normal immortal. They are highly sought by the
  Sanguinary and her minions, and are protected
  by the Court of Dreams when found. It is said
  they can also become highly unstable, since
  their vox is not formed from a normal shard.
  Fate
  It was discovered shortly after the Great
  Betrayal that any attempts to manipulate
  anything to do with Time began to fail, and
  ultimately no longer work. It is felt that this is
  perhaps not due necessarily to the decrease in
  Earth's Aura, but perhaps that the Sanguinary
  and or its minions attempted something with the
  time-stream. No proof is so compelling as The
  Prophecy.
  The "Fates" (Moirai, Parcae and Nornir - the
  Chancellors of the Court) are the caretakers of
  this Prophecy. It is in the manipulation and
  creation of events leading to a favorable
  outcome for the Perpetual Society, and a future
  where the Sanguinary ultimately loses, that the
  Court finds its main purpose. There is no
  nickname for this Court, they are exactly as they
  are called, weavers of fates.
  Setting Note: The Prophecy
  The Prophecy was created by the Court of Fate
  based on their studies of the permutations of the
  past and the possible outcomes of the future. At
  the heart of the Prophecy lies a set of events
  that the Court says will come to pass no matter
  the choices made by the various parties involved
  in the war between the Sanguinary, the Abzulim
  and the Perpetual Society. Some of these
  events are said to have already taken place. The
  trick to the Prophecy is not that the events take
  place, but when, how, and what affect they will
  have on each other and the Immortal race. It is
  these factors that the Court attempts to direct.
  Narrators are free to create minor events as part
  of the Prophecy. We will reveal more details on
  these major events in future releases.
  The Court studies the past to find clues and
  keys to predicting future events and then
  creating adjustments to those events so they
  have the best outcome possible. The Court is
  relied on heavily to provide resources, achieve
  long-term goals, and provide favorable
  outcomes when possible. A great deal of
  Merchants, Tacticians, and Empaths make up
  this Court.
  On a daily basis, the Court does not involve
  itself as heavily with individual mortals as most
  of the other Courts do. When they do choose to
  do so, the mortal usually has a heavy
  importance in upcoming events or is being used
  as a pawn by agents of the Sanguinary or
  Abzulim in their own plots. Normally the Court
  provides subtle and gentle pushes and nudges
  to help direct events in directions that are
  beneficial to the Courts. The changing of
  stoplight a few seconds earlier than normal can
  have an incredible impact on the next few
  minutes or immediate future of a Regency.
  It is their ability to look at not only the past, but
  also the myriad of possible permutations of the
  future as well that makes them seem so
  enigmatic and sometimes alien to the rest of the
  Courts.
  The Court has taken up its new refuge in the
  mantles once belonging to a lost Pantheon
  known as the Solas. Within the World Wide
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
  49
  Web, the Court has the ability to keep tabs on a
  multitude of events worldwide, as well as the
  raw processing power to work with the large
  amounts of data they collect.
  Interestingly enough, the Court is not only
  interested in pure facts and probabilities.
  Legends and Lore are also part of their
  repertoire. It has been said that the Court only
  looks to what is relevant, and most forget that
  the machines of propaganda can be just as
  relevant as pure facts. The Court of Fate is
  known for spreading false rumors and
  propaganda to confound and confuse the
  Progeny and other enemies of the Perpetual
  Society, and lead them away from the plans and
  work of the other Courts.
  Famous members include Anansi, Tyche,
  Pythia, and Lilith.
  Life
  The destruction and enslavement of humanity is
  not the only key to power for the forces of the
  Sanguinary. The destruction and warping of the
  natural environment of Earth is also key. This
  causes great imbalances in the Earth's aura and
  also contributes to its diminishing. Though most
  animals and plants do not have a SPIRIT aura in
  game terms, they too have spirits of their own.
  The desecration of Earth's wildlife and lands
  fuels the Sanguinary's power and takes more
  inspiration, hope, and freedom from humanity as
  those places they may escape to from time to
  time slowly vanish. The wilderness also provides
  a place for the followers of the Abzulim to stage
  their own assault from.
  The Court of Life is descended mainly from
  those Immortals (the Prides Morrigan, Tautha
  and Roane) who became immortal normally in
  the tops of the trees, the forest floor, and the
  depths of the ocean. The Abzulim then enslaved
  them as they found them. Since the Great
  Betrayal and the coming together of the
  survivors of these Prides, the Court of Life has
  developed an even greater affinity with the
  natural world. But as the natural resources of
  Earth have dwindled, they have also learned to
  adapt to the concrete jungles of the cities of
  man. They are also known as the Court of the
  Wild. All members of the Court of Life have that
  slightly animalistic flair to them, if not in
  behavior, than in look. There is also something
  noble about it as well.
  The Court of Life stands to preserve life, not just
  that of the natural wilds of the world, but also
  that of humanity. The Court also understands
  (from the Court of Death) that the rampant
  population explosion on Earth only serves to
  diminish the One Soul. The Court understands
  with more impact however, that this causes the
  natural world of the Earth to diminish also, and
  thus harms Earth's own aura. So where the
  Court of Death protects the Souls of those living
  on Earth, the Court of Life are the defenders of
  Earth's own soul as it were, it's own aura.
  For every member that one can picture involved
  in saving the whales and working in
  Greenpeace, there is an eco-terrorist, an
  outdoor sportsman, an agricultural specialist,
  and a corporate raider. All work towards the
  same goal, the preservation of Earth's aura by
  defending life.
  This is not to say that the Court does not
  understand the concept of death or killing
  however. The Court does not judge the value of
  an individual life unless that life threatens the
  lives of others. Members hunt the concrete
  jungle looking for Droves or Abzulim predators
  entering a city, and then find their havens
  outside the cities and destroy them. They work
  to introduce programs that keep a city alive,
  rather than a steel and concrete prison for
  humanity. They have also learned to join in with
  other Courts who hunt those humans which
  have become corrupted and too dangerous to
  the rest of humanity.
  Setting Note: Bright Bloods
  The Court of Life has had a preoccupation with
  the Bright Bloods more than any other Court. It
  is said this is in large part due to the Chancellors
  of the Court, the Amaranth, who are somehow
  touched by the Bright Blood themselves. It is
  said this special gift allows them a rapport with
  the mysterious Sunedrion trees that no other
  Immortal has. Some say the Sunedrion are born
  of seeds from beyond the known universe, the
  same place the Sanguinary first came from, and
  that they actively oppose it. There are few of
  these Immortal trees left in the world, but their
  sap is said to have miraculous powers.
  The Court is led by the Immortal Celebrant, who
  is said to be responsible for the various legends
  of Santa Claus throughout the world.
  Chancellors known as the Amaranth aid the
  Celebrant. Their himsatis are strange plants.
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
  50
  Famous members have included Isis, Freya,
  Brigit, Dagda and Susanoo.
  Making
  The Sanguinary has spent a great deal of time
  making humanity dependent on the various
  types of technology that it has created. It has
  spent a great deal of time exploiting the various
  weaknesses in the human mind, body and soul.
  The Abzulim also spend a great deal of time
  attempting to undermine humanity so that they
  may be enslaved.
  The Court of Making (known to some as the
  Court of Technology) is unique. Many of its
  members were once creators and artisans in the
  more warrior-based Prides such as the Peri, the
  Phoenix, and to a lesser extent the Eremites.
   During the Great Betrayal, a lone group of
  Immortals led by Vulcan descended into The
  Walk. Here Vulcan successfully entered into the
  Foundry and retrieved weapons of power that he
  gave to another group of Immortals (who would
  eventually found the Court of War) so that they
  might take back the mantle known as Valhalla
  from the Progeny. After this they formed
  themselves into their own Court as others came
  to join them.
  Setting Note: The Foundry
  The Foundry was created by the Abzulim to
  create their biotechnology. It is the birthplace of
  the Kai Ra. It is here that the Court creates
  many artifacts and studies those they find still
  locked inside. Much of the Foundry is still
  inaccessible to the Court, and some say a few
  last Abzulim are locked deep away inside, still
  performing their strange experiments and
  creating devices that most Immortals could not
  begin to fathom. It is also rumored that the
  mysterious Vault of Skins may lie somewhere
  deep in the Foundry.
  The Court understands that if the Immortals and
  mortals are ever to successfully ally against the
  Sanguinary, humanity must be strengthened just
  as the Immortals must be strengthened. The
  Court works in a variety of medical fields, both
  biological, technical and psychological.
  Here they find ways to turn humanity away from
  those things the Progeny uses to weaken them.
  This Court is also versed in human technology,
  finding ways to use this to strengthen and
  inspire humanity in both mind and body. Still yet
  there are those elementals that use their wish-
  giving talents to inspire humanity and aid those
  deserving of a brighter future. And still more
  attempts to enlighten humanity on a path similar
  to Transcendence, so that humanity may gain its
  own form of immortality.
  The Court hunts down the various monsters and
  creations of the Sanguinary and the Abzulim,
  and have special hatreds for Drove and other
  Abzulim Predators. They also spend a great
  deal of time defending those mortals who work
  in the same vein as the Court, seeing that the
  Progeny do not corrupt such work. In addition,
  they have begun working with Bright Bloods as
  well to see if it is possible to brighten the blood
  of many more mortals in the coming times.
  It is also rumored that this Court still knows the
  way to Gynnah, the mysterious garden in the
  Maelstrom, and birthplace of the ancient
  elementals known as the Primals. They make
  pilgrimages there in order to learn more of their
  own past and of the secrets of the Abzulim
  ancient Mystech. The Court has a very strong
  understanding of places like the Maelstrom,
  Mantles, the Ley, and other less traveled places.
  Some say they have knowledge of the
  Dominions and the fantastic living ships
  originally created by the Abzulim, the Lighters.
  Famous members include Lug, Tlaloc, Tvashtri
  and Agni.
  Secrets
  As the Sanguinary is a prisoner in the
  Morpheum, so to is humanity a prisoner of the
  mind of the Sanguinary. However, humanity
  tends to glean bits and pieces from their own
  subconscious, about the Sanguinary and the
  plans of her and her minions. These come out in
  the very works inspired by their dreams and
  inspirations, art, music, literature, etc.
  The Court of Secrets (also known to many as
  the Court of Knowledge) studies all of these
  works for clues to the plans of the Sanguinary,
  and then act on them. A great number of
  Profilers belong to this Court, as well as the
  Callings of Mentor, and Chameleon. However,
  one should be warned that this Court has its fair
  share of Slayers and Guardians as well. This
  Court has at times gone to great and dangerous
  lengths to obtain materials that the Progeny
  would rather not fall into the hands of the
  Perpetual Society.
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
  51
  The Court also watches over those who have a
  high degree of natural creativity, and thus watch
  over many talented artists in many fields.
  Progeny sometimes attempt to either corrupt
  their talent, or to feed false information through
  them to the Courts, as this was done once
  before and was partly responsible for the Great
  Betrayal being so devastating.
  The Court was never under Abzulim rule and
  does not wish to ever be so. To this end they
  help the Court of Making find and catalog
  Abzulim artifacts (and take them out of the
  hands of unwitting mortals or worse yet, agents
  of the Sanguinary) so that ways to defeat the
  Abzulim can be found as well.
  A great deal of not only scholars, but also those
  possessed of alternative wisdom and trickery
  also populate this Court. The Court also spends
  a great deal of time testing the minds of
  humanity and sharpening them, making them
  hunger for knowledge of their own. To those that
  rise to the occasion, the Court imparts to them
  valuable knowledge that they will pass on to
  others in order to resist the Sanguinary.
  It is told that long ago humanity was a telepathic
  race. The predecessors of the Court, the
  Magdalen, taught humanity the written and
  spoken word and thus humanity over time lost
  its telepathic abilities. As of late, it has been said
  that it was actually the Sanguinary's entrance
  into the human dream-state that caused this
  loss, and that the teaching of the written and
  spoken word saved humanity from remaining
  primitive slaves to the Sanguinary. And though
  responsible for the rise of the Apocrypha as the
  Magdalen, the Court is instrumental at keeping
  this group at bay in the modern age.
  When the Court was formed, the wisest amongst
  them placed all the accumulated knowledge of
  the Court into the Paragon it is said. For that
  reason none amongst the Immortal race (save
  the Chancellors and the other Court Paragons)
  may know the identity of the Paragon of this
  Court. For this one Immortal carries the true
  history, lore and knowledge of the Immortal
  race, and is too great a prize for the Progeny to
  be known to the rest of the Perpetual Society.
  Famous members include Thoth, Hermes,
  Athena, Ganesh, and Shoten.
  Setting Note: The Alexandrites
  Not to be confused with the Alexandrians, this
  group of Grey servants to the Sanguinary has
  several goals: protection of the Sanguinary's
  One True Name, the homogenization of the
  world's knowledge (and therefore imagination
  and faith), and ingraining conformity into all
  current and future generations. Controlling the
  information in the content of books and
  education itself is their preferred method. The
  Alexandrites make their influence felt through all
  of academia, from kindergarten all the way up
  through the most respected universities.
  Besides academia, this subtle and highly
  successful group also owns controlling interest
  in several book publishers, maintain a staff of
  top archeologists, and pay top dollar to book
  collectors for certain ancient tomes.
  The conflict between the Court of Secrets and
  this group is nearly as ancient as the printed
  word itself, having arisen during the building of
  the Library of Alexandria. The Alexandrites
  appears teachers and librarians many times,
  and most are sorcerers who can use stolen
  voxes as amulets to focus their power. They are
  protected by Progeny and can easily summon
  one or more members of a Drove family
  (including their Progeny leaders) for protection.
  Shadows
  The Shadowen have an equal enemy in both the
  Abzulim and the Sanguinary. Created by one,
  seduced by the other at the end of the Age of
  Myth, they did not even realize the truth of their
  origins and the seduction upon so many of their
  members until the Great Betrayal.  The
  Shadowen are easily the smallest Court, second
  only to the Court of Dreams.
  The Court is unique in that they almost all
  elementals made of thought. Even they do not
  understand or know the process by which the
  Abzulim created them, and no shadow
  elementals seem to come about as newborns at
  all. Having once been led and inspired by the
  Horned Lord (a mysterious Immortal with a
  himsati made of Sunedrion wood/sap and
  elemental fire they say), the Shadowen feel the
  spark of True Light within themselves. Thus they
  fight on against their former brothers and sisters,
  many of whom are now either Abzulim Predators
  or Progeny.
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
  52
  A strange affinity with the darker side of
  humanity plagues most Shadow himsatis, and
  therefore the Court does not interact largely with
  the mortal population. Like the Court of Making,
  the Shadowen are almost all elementals, and
  therefore rely on closer bonds with individual
  mortals rather than working in the mainstream
  population of humanity.
  Instead, taking lessons from their own
  misguided past, they strive to maintain peace
  amongst the members of the Perpetual Society
  and act as enforcers of the laws of the Society.
  More Scourges can be found amongst the
  Shadowen than any other Court. The groups of
  three known as triads are the preferred working
  method of the Court when possible. The
  members develop close bonds with each other,
  as close as any mortal family would. They watch
  out for each other, and take care of each other.
  In this way, corruption by the Sanguinary or the
  Abzulim is more difficult.
  The Shadowen also act as a police force for the
  Perpetual Society. It is their role to see that the
  laws of the Society or any given Regency are
  followed, to track down and investigate
  violations of these laws, and to assist in routing
  out possible traitors or spies within the Society.
  This is not to say that every Shadowen goes
  strictly "by the book", but in general the
  Shadowen have little patience for Immortals who
  claim to be responsible members of the Courts,
  but flagrantly violate the laws of the Society.
  When such a thing happens, they may hand the
  offender over to Mentors within the Court to help
  educate the Immortal on the proper laws of the
  Society.
  They hunt down powerful corrupted mortals and
  have an especially strong hatred for the mortal
  organizations that willingly serve the
  Sanguinary, known as the Grey. And finally the
  Shadowen spend more time than any other
  Pride watching the Solitaires and seeing that
  they do not reveal too much of the Immortal race
  to humanity as well. Though most Solitaires are
  more than intelligent enough to not do this, the
  Court keeps a close watch on any Solitaire
  groups that arise, and deal with them more than
  the other Courts for the most part.
  The Court also watches over the place known as
  the Labyrinth (which is where the island of Talos
  is located). It is said this realm holds great value
  and dread to members of the Court.
  Famous members include Circe, Nemesis,
  Medea, Arshianna and Sraosha.
  War
  One of the last major ways, in which the
  Sanguinary enslaves humanity to its cause, is
  through violence and bloodshed. Conflicts fuel
  human aggression, intolerance, and fear. And
  these are strong tools to the Progeny. With them
  the Sanguinary can slowly turn the human race
  into an army of its own, and send them after the
  Immortals.
  Thor and his Chancellors form the War Council,
  and each "Warlord" oversees a different area of
  the world. Together they seek out conflicts and
  do what they can to end them as best as
  possible. If the minions of the Sanguinary are
  involved in the conflict, the Court attempts to
  turn the conflict into something that will hinder
  the Sanguinary's goals rather than further them.
  And sometimes, peace is the best answer to a
  Sanguinary driven conflict as well.
  The Court has a deep-seated belief in personal
  freedom, and the freedom to make choices and
  not be influenced as the Sanguinary influences
  humanity through fear and manipulation. They
  push all mortals to stand up for themselves and
  not to back down.
  The Court has gained the nickname of the Court
  of Freedom as they take the most direct and
  proactive hand in stopping many of the
  Sanguinary's plans. They are called upon to
  assist in destroying Droves, Grey, corrupted
  spirits, Progeny, Abzulim Predators and all other
  enemies of the Perpetual Society.
  The Soldier Callings are strong here but all
  Callings are needed in this Court to win its war
  against the Sanguinary. This Court is the most
  openly organized and disciplined of the Courts.
  Even those among the Court that some would
  call loners respect one another and can work
  together quickly when the need arises.
  The members of this Court take to regular
  patrols, watching after mortal authorities and
  other official mortal offices. They become
  involved in any conflicts that happen in their
  territories. The Court is quick to lend a hand to
  members of the other Courts in gathering
  intelligence, training, decoding missives
  between Progeny members, hunting enemies of
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
  53
  the Society, or any other activity that will seek to
  end a plot of the Sanguinary. The Court of War
  is the front line against the Sanguinary, and with
  devotion unheard of, will sacrifice themselves if
  it will stop the Sanguinary from enslaving
  another group of mortals.
  The Court also spends a great deal of time
  teaching philosophical beliefs, self-discipline,
  harmony of the mind and body, etc. They are a
  great force in the martial arts world and are very
  proactive backers of the sports and physical
  fitness communities. Being in good shape both
  mentally, physically and spiritually is important to
  the members of the Court. Court is fascinated
  and reveres Bright Blood warriors, who gain
  status equal to the Immortals within the Court.
  Few are made Immortals though, as the Court
  feels this would diminish their own
  accomplishments.
  Members also keep a close eye on arms
  dealers, drug cartels, and other large organized
  groups of mortals that can be easily swayed by
  the Progeny. In addition, the Explorer Calling in
  the Court spends a great deal of time seeking
  out lost territories that have been claimed by the
  Abzulim or Progeny and conquering them,
  taking them back for the Courts.
  Setting Note: The Centurions
  The Centurions provide a constant and
  predictable source of fear in the form of crime
  and violence. They teach criminals the fine art of
  home invasion, gangs how to use the most
  modern firepower (as well as supply it), and in
  general work to keep as much of a given
  population gripped in fear as possible.
  Centurions draw their membership from the
  highest ranks of the criminal and military worlds.
  They communicate with one another in a secret
  language, a strange mish-mash of Latin and
  military jargon, and identify one another by
  wearing Roman sigils on their clothes.
  These Grey are a mix of military advisors,
  criminal minds, and great warriors. Many of the
  lesser members do not even realize who they
  are truly serving. Centurion commanders
  surround themselves with dozens of
  bodyguards. They have recently come into
  severe conflicts with the Court of War as the
  Court has recently begun getting more involved
  in conflicts on smaller, local scales.
  Famous members have included Ares, Mjolnir,
  Caliburn, Tyr, Hachiman and Nuada.
  Regency Rule
  Most regions in which the Courts hold sway
  center around a particular city or metropolis,
  sometimes around a sacred site or place as
  well. When the Courts hold sway over a region,
  a democratic process is established to allow the
  Courts to function as smoothly as possible. Any
  region that is controlled by the Courts in this
  manner is known as a Regency. A Regency
  usually covers the city and surrounding areas.
  In order for a Court to have official
  representation within a Regency, at least one
  member of the Court living in the Regency must
  be a Lord. The Lords from that Court choose
  one of them to be known as the Regent. This
  Regent serves as the official representative of
  the Court within that Regency. Each month the
  Regents gather together in council to discuss
  the needs and issues facing the Courts in that
  Regency. This council is called the Scepter
  Council. Only Lords are permitted to be Regents
  due to the fact that sitting in a room full of beings
  carrying the True Light makes it difficult for a
  non-Lord to successfully get things
  accomplished with them.
  When the Scepter Council meets, all members
  of the Courts are invited to attend. Even if the
  Court has no Lords within the Regency, they still
  are invited to attend. While the Scepter sits
  behind closed doors, the other members of the
  Courts gather together in festivities nearby.
  These festivities are presided over by the
  Retainers. A Retainer is the Regent's second. If
  the Regent is unable to attend a meeting, or
  needs have matters handled which she cannot
  handle herself, then her Retainer handles those
  matters.
  For those Courts within a Regency that do not
  have any Lords present, they choose someone
  to act as an Emissary (usually an actual
  Emissary). Once the Scepter has finished its
  meeting, they have audience with Emissaries
  from the remaining Courts so that the needs of
  all the Courts can attempt to be met. Some
  Scepters allow Minor Courts, or the Solitaires
  (very rarely though) within a Regency (should
  there be a unified group of them) to send in such
  an Emissary as well, for the purposes of simple
  communication. It is up to the Scepter whether
  or not such individuals are permitted entry.
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
  54
  Once the meeting is concluded, the Regents join
  the festivities in order for all the members of the
  Courts to mingle and associate with one
  another. Minor Court members are allowed to
  attend such festivities, Solitaires are not (except
  in rare circumstances indeed).
  Sometimes special awards and such are given
  to various members of the Courts for their work,
  during the festivities. After the festivities, or at
  least within the next few days, the Lords of each
  Court gather together for the Regent to discuss
  the Scepter's meeting and what needs to be
  done by that Court within the Regency for the
  time being.
  High Lords rarely take the position of a Regent,
  due to the fact that they usually coordinate
  several Regents for their Court. Since there are
  few High Lords, the presence of one within a
  Scepter can make it difficult for the normal Lords
  to conduct business and have "eye-to-eye"
  discussions with the High Lord. Usually, the Lord
  with the highest overall status and station within
  the Court takes the position of Regent.
  If a new higher stationed Lord comes into the
  city, he must wait at least 3 months to get to
  know and understand the other members of the
  Court if he wishes to be taken in as the new
  Regent. The Scepter can also overrule and
  allow the current Regent to remain in power if
  the majority of the current Regents do not favor
  the new Lord. Lords cannot casually walk into a
  Regency and take over. High Lords can
  temporarily impose their will over the Regent of
  their court however, but this cannot last longer
  than one month without special permission from
  the Paragon Council.
  The most important thing to remember is that
  the Regent is there to serve as a representative
  of her Court, and is not always fully in control of
  the Court in that Regency.
  The Path of the Pantheon
  During the Age of Myth, the Pantheons held
  sway over most of the various populations of
  Earth. Their worshippers obeyed without
  question, and these immortals held much power.
  In the modern day, things have changed for the
  immortals. Pantheons must work much harder to
  maintain their power over a given area.
  Immortals from different Courts will come
  together on various missions for their Courts.
  Sometimes these groupings work well enough
  together that the group decides to assist and
  lend aid to one another on a regular basis. High
  Lords tend to refer to these groups as Cadres. If
  one of the members of the Cadre is already a
  Lord, the Lord can petition the Paragon Council
  to sanction his Cadre as a legitimate Pantheon.
  If this is done, the Pantheon has the right to
  govern over regions the same as a Scepter
  council would.
  Usually the Cadre must have acquired at least
  some form of group Sanctuary and Quiet Culture
  to show that they are able to maintain a
  cohesive presence. If there is no Lord, then
  usually a Lord from some Court will eventually
  take notice of the Cadre and offer to patron
  them. In exchange for assistance, training, etc.,
  from the Lord, the Cadre provides the Lord
  services in the form of missions that the Lord
  may send them on. Eventually the Lord petitions
  Encryption [6]
  Return Locus: <$tiGMAta @ Sanctchewary [Hacker
  Alias]>
  Received By: <Emissary; Talitha at Sanctuary>
  Language: English
  Subject: Why is Selene crying?
  Summary: Where has my dog gone?
  Keyword Search: Prophecy, Lies, Lies, Lies
  Date: Year of the Pale
  Message as Follows:
  I KEEP WONDERING WHY SELENE ISN'T SMILING
  AND THEN I REMEMBER IT IS A NEW MOON BUT IT
  DOESN'T MATTER BECAUSE SHE CAN'T SMILE BUT
  SHE ISN'T THE ONE WITH THE WEIGHT OF THE
  WORLD ON HER SHOULDERS AND THE
  SANGUINARYS PRISON IS OUT TO GET HER BUT
  CAN'T SO THEY'LL TAKE US INSTEAD AND CHERRY
  COLA REALLY DOESN'T TASTE LIKE CHERRIES AND
  SHE LIED ABOUT THE SKINWALKERS BUT THAT'S
  OKAY BECAUSE I HAVE A LOLLIPOP AND I THINK
  I'LL TAKE DOOR THIRTEEN IF I ONLY HAD A RING
  ON MY FINGER AND THEN I'D BE THE FIFTH OR
  WAS THAT THE VAMPIRE IN THE DESERT SUN?
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
  55
  the High Lords to make one of the Cadre a Lord
  herself (after that Cadre member has proven her
  worth and been embraced by the True Light of
  course). Then the new Lord may begin the
  process of petitioning to make his Cadre
  legitimate in the eyes of the Paragon Council.
  Just as common as the above, a Pantheon
  become sanctioned by happenstance. Younger
  immortals do not normally use the term Cadre,
  and simply refer to themselves as a Pantheon.
  They manage to acquire Sanctuary, a Quiet
  Culture, and find an area that has no strong
  Court presence. If they manage to gain enough
  power within the area, they come into the notice
  of the High Lords and the Paragons. It is then
  that the Paragon Council simply issues an edict
  that this group is recognized as a Pantheon due
  to their continued work and effort. However, if
  none of the members are Lords themselves,
  they must find or allow the Paragon Council to
  give them a Lord to patron them until at least
  one of them holds a measure of the True Light
  within and gain the title of Lord.
  Regardless, once a member of the Pantheon
  becomes a Lord, the others in the Pantheon
  take the titles of Sons and Daughters of their
  new Lord. Unlike the standard Court structure
  however, most Pantheon members still treat
  each other as equals rather than the normal
  Lord to Son/Daughter relationship.
  Pantheon Rule
  When a Pantheon has power of a region, that
  region is known as a Protectorate. Once a
  Pantheon has established this Protectorate, it
  can only be taken back by a Scepter through
  direct edict of the Paragon Council. Even a High
  Lord can not impose his will against an entire
  Pantheon's jurisdiction over a Protectorate.
  Other Lords moving into a Protectorate must
  realize that they will not be taking the place of
  anyone in the Pantheon as a Regent. The
  Pantheon serves as its own Scepter in the
  Protectorate.
  Sometimes a Pantheon that is very small or not
  sanctioned will take an area within a Regency
  and claim it as their Protectorate. Most Scepters
  do not take issue with this, and the Pantheon is
  invited to send one of their own to act as an
  Emissary to represent them as a group.
  However, relations can become strained should
  the Pantheon begin to grow too large or seem to
  be trying to take more control of the Regency
  from the Scepter.
  When a Pantheon rules, they invite various
  agents of the Lords and the Courts to come and
  have audience with them. Before this audience,
  the Pantheon will gather in its own Scepter of all
  its members and have council. Afterwards the
  Lord of the Pantheon will have audience with
  those who have come and listen to requests,
  grant concessions, etc. The Sons and
  Daughters within the Pantheon will sit around
  the Lord and listen to the audiences. Usually
  one member will act to move around the
  Pantheon assisting in communication and
  bringing advice and views to the Lord from the
  Pantheon members during these audiences.
  This member is known as the Lord's Muse,
  something of an advisor's position.
  Most Pantheons gather together to hold their
  own Scepter once a month or more. The
  Pantheon holds power over the Protectorate as
  theirs; it is not a democratic process among the
  Courts. Any Lords living within a Protectorate, by
  default, grant power to the Pantheon over them,
  and must abide by the laws of the Protectorate
  and the rule of the Pantheon. Quite simply put,
  the Pantheon rules the area. Even if the Lord is
  of a higher station than the Lord of the
  Pantheon, he still must abide by the Pantheon's
  rules.
  However, Pantheons that abuse their power,
  quickly find that things do not go well for them.
  Unlike the time of the Prides, the unified Courts
  can stand up to these newer Pantheons, and will
  call on the aid of High Lords if necessary. While
  the High Lords cannot break the rule of the
  Pantheon without the edict of the Paragon
  Council, they can make life difficult for any
  members of the Pantheon from the same Court
  as the High Lord.  While the age of the super
  Pantheons may be gone, the time of the Courts
  is now.
  Setting Note: Solitaires and Court Pantheons
  A Pantheon can have a Solitaire within it and still be recognized by the Courts as a Pantheon.
  Though this takes a great deal more work to get this recognition, it can happen. The same can
  be said of those from the Minor Courts. Usually a Solitaire within a Court recognized Pantheon
  eventually winds up joining one of the Courts over time.
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
  56
  Appendix A: Banes and Curses
  BANES
  Banes are the opposite of mundane boons. Though some have something of a near supernatural quality
  to them, these character flaws are still completely mundane in nature. Each Bane lists the cost next to it.
  This is the amount of memory that the character receives for taking this Bane. This memory is used to
  build the character along with the other starting memory. If a Bane is gained during the story, multiply the
  value by five and grant it as experience, not memory.
  ADVERSARY: 1 - 3
  An NPC in the game stands in opposition to you in some way. The player must describe who this enemy
  is (unless the Narrator and Player agree to make it a surprise to the Player) and the Narrator must
  approve it. For one point you have an adversary: someone who will hinder you, provide competition, hold
  a grudge, etc. For two points you have an enemy who does not necessarily seek your destruction, but
  may seek to harm or humiliate you permanently. For three points the enemy will seek your destruction
  and may be obsessed with destroying you. These adversaries can be mortal or immortal.
  ARCHAIC: 5
  Perhaps you have spent the last several decades in a mantle or have a connection to a previous avatar
  that is very strong. For whatever reason, you are not familiar with Earth's current advancements and add
  1 to rolls involving any current technology or advancements not from your era.
  CLUMSY: 3
  You add 1 from all rolls involving raw feats of athletic ability (climb, run, jump, swim, etc.). This does not
  include combat skills, but does involve any use of the Agility Skill.
  COMPULSION: 1 - 5
  You have a physical addiction (drugs, alcohol, gambling, sex, etc.), usually a holdover from your mortal
  life or the past mortal life of an avatar. Add 1 to 5 to any rolls involved attempting to resist this addiction
  when presented to you. The compulsion can sometimes be a more mentally based addiction, which can
  cause problems in a world where the Progeny wield the 7 sins in the name of the Sanguinary. The
  amount you add is based on how powerful this bane has a hold on you.
  CURSE: 5 + 1 per die level superior to d20
  Please see Curses (below) for examples on Curses. The Narrator should keep careful watch on anyone
  who decides to take a Curse as a Bane when building a character. Curses are worth no points if gained
  during the campaign unless the Narrator specifically deems it so for special story purposes.
  DARK NATURE: 5
  You have an inner darkness that is recognizable to the minions of the Sanguinary and the Courts. You
  are an outsider to the Courts, but your nature attracts the minions of the Sanguinary who continually
  attempt to recruit you but not harm you. This is a physical palpable aura that even humans sometimes get
  the creeps and such being around you.
  DARK SECRET: 1 - 4
  You have a dark secret about your past that you do not wish revealed to anyone. It is up to the Narrator to
  present situations where you must work to keep your secret. If you fail to keep your secret, you lose this
  bane and gain the bane of Notoriety at -1 one more. Example: if you had Dark Secret at -2 and it is
  discovered, then you have Notoriety at - 3 now.
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
  57
  DEEP SLEEPER: 2
  You sleep so deeply that any attempts to awaken due to something around you are made at a +1 to the
  roll, including indirect attempts such as nearby noises, someone sneaking up on you while you sleep,
  someone trying to shake you awake, etc.
  DEFORMITY: 1 - 5
  You have some kind of physical deformity from before you rediscovered your Immortality. It carries with
  you still. Or perhaps you lost a limb in a fight and don't have the power to grow it back. This could be a
  hunch, a mangled arm, a missing foot, etc. Add 1 to 5 to your rolls involving the deformity, whether they
  are physical, social, mental, etc. The value you add to your roll is equal to the value at which you gain this
  bane. If taken higher than 2, the deformity is very obvious and individuals will react accordingly.
  DEPENDANT: 1 - 3
  You have a dependant (Maker child, mortal lover, etc.) that depends on you for his or her safety,
  nurturing, etc. How much this dependant interferes with your life determines the value.
  DRIVING GOAL: 1 - 5
  You have some driving goal, to find a lost love, to seek vengeance, etc. Perhaps this is due to flashbacks
  of something that happened to one of your avatars, a holdover from your mortal life, etc. For whatever
  reason this need drives you and sometimes causes you to take risks, or places you in danger. The
  Narrator determines, based on the player's description, how much the Goal is worth in his or her
  campaign. If the goal is achieved, the character must pay back the memory or have it deducted from
  future experience awards.
  DULL SENSE: 2
  You may pick one of the five senses when first taking this bane. Whenever you use that sense specifically
  you add 1 to your rolls to perceive things with it. This can be bought multiple times. This bane does not
  function with the Himsati Nature: Enhanced Senses.
  EXILED: 8 (Court/Progeny Members)
  You have been exiled from the Courts for some reason. Though they do not necessarily seek your
  destruction or imprisonment (that would be an Enemy added on as well), they will not treat you or think of
  you well, and gaining their aid will be hard. Even some Solitaires will turn a cold shoulder to you. In
  general, this is a strong role-playing bane.
  HABIT: 1 - 3
  Perhaps you are bit of an anachronist, with habits out of time and date. Or maybe you have nearly bestial
  manners even in your human form. Whatever the reason, you add 1 for each point of habit you have, to
  all social rolls, where those around you may be offended by your habits. Many Immortals have no issue
  with this; it usually affects you the worst when dealing with mortals.
  HIMSATI BOUND: 3 (Immortal)
  Add 1 to all rolls when attempting to shape-shift back into human form from himsati, or to avoid the
  Sanguinary from influencing you directly.
  ILLITERATE: 5
  For some reason (perhaps you have been in a mantle, perhaps you are a newborn Immortal who was
  previously an animal or plant) you cannot read or write. You simply cannot do it. You also take a one shift
  penalty to any serenade that would make use of the ability to read or write as part of the serenade or its
  special effect, though the serenade will grant you some ability temporarily, it is still inferior due to your
  lack of knowledge.
  IMMORTAL AIRE: 2 (Immortal, Bright Blood)
  Your Immortal nature shines through, even in your human form. Perhaps your eyes seem to glow in any
  kind of light, or have the look of your himsati, or your skin just has the slightest hint of fur, etc. This is
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
  58
  something you cannot hide except with the use of a serenade, and even then it can still show through
  somewhat. This bane also can come upon an Immortal as a Curse quite easily. Bright Bloods can take
  this to have unusual traits revealing their true inner nature.
  IMPERFECT TONE: 3
  Whenever you play a serenade and do not use a foci within that serenade, you add 1 to the skill and
  effect roll. If you have no foci for the serenade, you have no choice but to add the 1 to the rolls.
  INGENUE: 5 (Immortal Only)
  All characters with this bane start with d12, d10, d10 (including Elementals) instead of their normal
  starting auras. The remaining aura rank(s) are held back by the Narrator until further in the story. The
  character may buy only one starting serenade and may not use it until the Narrator deems it to happen.
  The character has no Court, and is also not considered yet a Solitaire, Progeny etc. Therefore no boons
  or other banes requiring these may be bought when the character is created. All purchased skills must
  reflect only the current life the character knows. Additional memory should be held for future purchases
  when the Narrator deems it appropriate.
  LUCID DREAMER: 4
  You have little control over your ability to dream or not dream. You tend to dream even when you do not
  want to (Narrator's discretion to further plot, etc.) and when you do dream, all actions you take are at + 1
  to your rolls while in the Morpheum. You simply have trouble going against whatever dreams you
  encounter or have.
  MOTIF BOUND: 8
  You are unable to use a motif other than the one(s) you have specifically purchased. If you have a motif
  of fire, you have to use fire as the special effect or foci for all your serenades. If you later purchased
  multi-motif, you could then use the second motif, but you cannot go outside your motifs. This can severely
  limit the effectiveness of certain serenades depending on circumstances.
  NEWBORN: 10
  You are a newborn immortal, having been a normal animal, human, or plant that has just been (or is
  about to be) infected by a clean unimprinted shard of the Sanguinary. The rules for playing a Newborn
  appear on page <xx>
  NOTORIETY: 2 - 5
  You have something about your past that has been made public. Perhaps a mentor fell to the Sanguinary,
  or a mission in which you cost the Immortal race dearly. Whatever, you add 1for each point of Notoriety
  you have to all rolls in social conflicts with those who know of and might be influenced by, your Notoriety.
  OVERSENSITIVE: 2
  You are sensitive to otherworldly forces, but instead of sensing them, they tend to sense you first.
  Gossamers will come and hinder you, other types of creatures will sense you as you sense them and will
  come to investigate. The character should pick what otherworldly force she is overly sensitive to
  (Gossamers, Shallows, Mantles, etc.). The character also takes a +1 to all MIND-based rolls (including
  skills) while in the presence of the force to which she is sensitive as she is constantly distracted by it.
  SECRET IDENTITY: 3
  In addition to the Immortal everyone knows you are, you maintain a separate identity, which you use to
  interact with other Immortals. This is usually bought along with other boons in order to help hide who you
  really are. You use this to cover up certain of your activities from the prying eyes of other Immortals who
  are normally close to you (such as your own Pantheon). It is up to the Narrator to present situations that
  will endanger your secret identity and force you to protect it. The character must define how he creates
  this other identity, and what activities that he is hiding by using it.
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
  59
  SLOW: 3
  You add 1 to all initiative rolls
  SLOW THINKER: 2
  Add 1 to all rolls whenever the Immortal is under pressure to recall facts and information from memory in
  a hurry.
  SPECIES ANIMOSITY: 4
  Creatures of the same species as your himsati will never obey you and gain a one-shift bonus to any
  attempts to resist any form of mystical control. They will also attack you if they feel the least bit threatened
  by you. When attacking these creatures deduct 1 to all attack and damage rolls.
  STRONG AVATARS: 3
  Add 1 to your roll whenever attempting to keep a hostile avatar from emerging.
  SUSCEPTIBILITY: 4
  You add 1 from any roll to resist general mortal toxins, diseases and illnesses (common cold, alcohol
  [getting drunk], flu, chicken pox, leprosy, etc.).
  WEAK: 5
  Shift your BODY die one inferior on any roll you make for feats of strength and damage, due to the fact
  that your physical strength is not equal to your overall BODY die.
  WEAK WILL: 3
  You add 1 from any roll when resisting forms of mental control by another character. This could include
  seduction, torture, serenades, natures, etc.
  CURSES
  Curses are the opposite of the mystical boons, derived when the darker beliefs of human faith instill
  themselves into an Immortal. Here we present a list of sample curses, some derived from more commonly
  known concepts and few not so common. This list is only here to serve as examples, Narrators are free to
  come up with hundreds of ideas for new curses and rate them accordingly.
  We give a fairly large list below of ideas that Narrators and players can use. Some of these work better at
  either higher or lower die values so please use them accordingly.
  Please also note that the Narrator is free to give out a mundane bane as a curse also. Some of the
  curses listed below actually fit into the category of mundane banes. Again, the immortal gains no points
  for it. We have grouped some of the examples together to make it easier to find things that are somewhat
  related. These can make excellent material for ideas for fugue triggers as well since many fugue triggers
  can be related to various curses.
  • 
  The immortal cannot cross a threshold without knocking, being invited, etc. The immortal cannot
  leave an area if anyone is looking at him. Doors the immortal goes through lead to places other than
  where they are supposed. The immortals cannot open doors or pass other barriers himself. The
  immortal cannot pass onto holy ground.
  • 
  The smell/sight of some common thing (roses, garlic, milk, perfume, human sweat, certain symbols,
  food, etc.) becomes nauseating to the immortal.
  • 
  When she is passionate (or angry, lustful, extremely joyous, etc.) the immortal's eyes glow, she
  makes sounds like her himsati, she partially shape-shifts, etc.
  • 
  The immortal cannot be seen in mirrors or captured on film or video or audio or some combination.
  The immortal's image remains on mirrors for a period of time after walking away from it.
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
  60
  • 
  The immortal casts the shadow of his himsati when in human form, the shadow of his human form
  when in himsati. The immortal's shadow pushes other shadows out of its way.
  • 
  The immortal develops a common bane deformity permanently (forked tongue, premature white hair,
  odd colored eyes, eyes of his himsati, an extra digit on each hand, fangs, hooked or clawed nails,
  etc.).
  • 
  The immortal's voice reverberates when she talks, or speaks with the combined voice of her avatars.
  Her voice causes pain to mortals around her who can hear her speak. Her spoken words appear as
  graffiti on walls nearby. The Immortal cannot speak unless asked a question or spoken to.
  • 
  Fire burns an unusual color, burns cold, intensifies, goes out, starts, dims, etc., in the presence of the
  immortal. Nothing will burn at all in the immortal's presence.
  • 
  Objects stain, warp, tarnish, rust, age, change colors, etc., when the immortal touches them.
  Alternatively they could move away when the immortal nears them, toys could animate near the
  immortal, etc.
  • 
  Plants wither, warp, move, flourish/bloom, or try to grab the immortal when in her presence. Food
  products rot/spoil/come alive again, in the immortal's presence.
  • 
  It is always darker, colder, warmer, brighter, the shadows are deeper, etc. around the immortal.
  • 
  Wherever the immortal's shadow touches, that area/thing collects a film of dust, is stained with blood,
  changes color, burns, etc.
  • 
  The immortal's hair and clothes are constantly blown about by an unseen, unheard wind. The
  immortal's hair turns to tentacles or snakes and strikes others around him at random.
  • 
  The immortal cannot eat in the presence of others or must consume amounts of food far more than
  normal to be satisfied.
  • 
  The immortal's shadow pushes other shadows out of the way.
  • 
  The immortal attracts certain types of animals (birds, mice, cats, etc.), mortal media, crime, plagues,
  children who are fascinated with his magical nature, fog or storms follow him and herald his approach
  into a city, etc.
  • 
  The immortal is constantly mistaken for someone else, dead loves ones, lost friends, famous people,
  etc.
  • 
  The immortal is magnetized, cries tears of blood, coughs up strange objects, sheds his skin like a
  snake, gives off a strange pungent odor, his hair turns to glass/metal when cut, etc.
  • 
  Objects fall from shelves, pictures on walls tilt at odd angles, objects become "lost", candles and wax
  melt into strange shapes, etc. in the immortal's presence.
  • 
  Buttons and clasps fall off of others in the immortal's presence.
  • 
  The immortal inspires jealousy in mortals, gives them "goose bumps", makes them nauseous, causes
  nightmares or hallucinations, etc., whenever they are in his presence
  • 
  The immortal has mental delusions (being watched, followed, hears voices that aren't there, etc.) The
  immortal suffers from stigmata or psychosomatic appearance of wounds that do not invoke pain.
  • 
  Dwellings the immortal enters act on their own accord (becoming cluttered, unorganized, doors
  slamming on their own, furniture rearranging itself when no one is looking, etc.)
  • 
  The immortal becomes fascinated with certain objects, symbols, smells, etc.
  • 
  The immortal's skin is an odd shade (bluish, greenish, rosy, etc. but not enough to truly look bizarre.)
  or feels like fur, scales, bark, etc. but looks completely normal, or is hot/cold to the touch.
  • 
  Knives (or other bladed weaponry) become dull in the immortal's hands, normal items become edged
  and cut those who handle them, including the immortal.
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
  61
  • 
  The immortal's presence causes bygone radio broadcasts to repeat over radios playing in his vicinity,
  or scrambles television and/or radio signals, or turns non-immortal made music twisted and warped
  sounding, movies talk interactively with the immortal, etc.
  • 
  The immortal's reflection cracks mirrors, his voice breaks glass when he sings (or speaks).
  • 
  The immortal must shout/whisper whenever he talks, or perhaps whenever he tells a lie.
  • 
  The immortal leaves wet footprints or animal footprints in human form (and vice versa) wherever she
  goes.
  • 
  Liquids evaporate rapidly when the immortal is nearby. Water turns to blood when she touches it.
  Beverages effervesce in the immortal's presence.
  • 
  The immortal is allergic to a certain substance (sunlight, silver, garlic, wood, holy items), and takes a
  pain penalty when near them or additional damage when struck by them.
  • 
  The immortal must assume her himsati under a certain conditions (full moon, when in water, etc.) or
  can only change back and forth during certain times or conditions.
  • 
  Mortals she's thinking of can hear the immortal's thoughts.
  • 
  The immortal may not directly tell a lie, or may not directly tell the truth.
  • 
  The immortal cannot abide the presence of blood (even a menstruating woman), or great beauty.
  • 
  The immortal's heartbeat is faintly audible, even if she is invisible.
  • 
  Electrical devices in the vicinity of the immortal experience surges, brown out, or begin to act wildly
  and strange. Machines will not work for the immortal without the use of serenades such as Gremlin.
  • 
  The immortal is a plague carrier, be it mortal or technical (a computer virus for example)
  • 
  Things run backwards (watches, drains, running water, etc.) in the immortal's vicinity.
  • 
  The immortal assumes the form of one of his avatars on the avatar's birthday and cannot change
  back until the day has passed. The immortal changes into one of his avatars at random each night
  and changes back at dawn. The immortal assumes the form of a child in the presence of mortals.
  • 
  Animals cry out whenever the immortal's name is mentioned, birds speak his thoughts aloud, thunder
  cracks whenever the immortal is struck, and other odd sources of sound can occur.
  • 
  The immortal's breath coats objects in frost.
  • 
  The immortal only gains nutrition from certain things or can only eat certain things (raw meat, flesh,
  drinking blood, liquids, plants, sex, etc.
  • 
  The immortal's sense of sensations are reversed (experiences pleasure as pain, etc.)
  • 
  The immortal's presence causes animals to fight one another.
  • 
  The immortal may not use serenades during the day.
  • 
  The immortal cannot refuse a request for her aid.
  • 
  The immortal can only sleep surrounded in earth or in some other circumstance.
  • 
  Anyone the immortal kills reanimates and hunts for her.
  • 
  The immortal has the overwhelming urge to kill his sexual partners, the immortal cannot play
  serenades for 24 hours after not being chaste, the immortal gains sustenance only from intimacy,
  anyone the immortal loves becomes a magnet for danger.
  • 
  Mortals age in the immortal's presence.
  • 
  Printed words the immortal reads become scrambled on the page.
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
  62
  • 
  The immortal's kiss is poisonous, his touch causes orgasms or pain or some other sensation in
  immortals and cannot be stopped.
  • 
  Sunlight causes the immortal to turn to stone, burn, etc. The immortal glows under moonlight.
  Himsati Specific Curses
  We provide a small number of example ideas should the Narrator deem that the curse be related to the
  immortal's specific himsati. This can be the case if the curse was gained while the character had himsati
  natures active during the gaining of the curse.
  INSECTS/ARACHNIDS
  • 
  Buzzing insect sounds accompany the immortal, the immortal makes insect sounds while sleeping
  • 
  The immortal is afraid of birds, spiders, etc.
  • 
  Things the immortal touches become covered in webbing
  • 
  The immortal has compound eyes
  • 
  Alcohol harms the immortal or the immortal cannot abide it
  • 
  The immortal is inactive in colder temperatures
  • 
  The immortal's blood turns into stinging/biting insects that attack all around the immortal (including the
  immortal) when it is spilled.
  • 
  Insects double in size and become aggressive around the immortal
  • 
  The immortal undergoes a complete metamorphosis of his human form each season
  • 
  The immortal's touch leaves painful insect bite marks on those he cares for
  REPTILES/AMPHIBIANS
  • 
  The immortal's eyes turn reptilian or he makes reptilian or amphibious noises when angry, lustful, etc.
  • 
  The immortal leaves a slimy coating on anything he sits on (like a frog)
  • 
  The immortal is attracted to water
  • 
  The immortal snores by croaking like a frog when asleep
  • 
  The immortal is completely hairless except his head
  • 
  The immortal has a set of retractable fangs or forked tongue
  • 
  The immortal's hands and feet are webbed, or shaped more like a slender lizard.
  • 
  He sheds his skin, eats insects, smells like a reptile, can't breathe air
  • 
  His tongue is elongated and sticky and gives him a speech impairment
  • 
  Makes rattlesnake noises when about to attack (even when trying to be stealthy).
  • 
  Tadpoles spontaneously generate in any water the immortal touches, drinks, etc.
  • 
  Is fascinated or afraid of reptiles, considers human prey
  • 
  His hair is transforms to snakes, is legless in water, becomes too stiff to move in cold temperatures
  BIRDS
  • 
  Feathers appear in the area after the immortal leaves
  • 
  Casts a bird shadow, his reflection in human form is that of his himsati
  • 
  Only four digits on each hand, sleeps standing up
  • 
  Makes a goose honk sound when startled
  • 
  Migrates each fall, is fascinated by high places, builds a nest out of handy materials to sleep in
  • 
  Must swallow small stones to grind food up
  • 
  Part of his body is feathered
  • 
  Can only see well at great distances
  • 
  Can't speak but must sing like a bird
  • 
  Causes females he touches to become pregnant and lay an egg that hatches into a bird
  • 
  Is fascinated with small and/or shiny objects
  MAMMALS
  • 
  The immortal is hairy, has unusual ears, pants like a dog when hot, has whiskers
  • 
  Becomes exceedingly territorial
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
  63
  • 
  Acts like he has fleas all the time
  • 
  Must sleep outdoors
  • 
  Head only changes into himsati form at specific times or circumstances
  • 
  Is a carrier of rabies
  • 
  Has hoofed feet and animal like legs
  • 
  Sleepwalks in himsati form during full moons
  • 
  Presence in an area sends mammals into killing frenzies
  AQUATIC HIMSATIS
  • 
  Leaves wet footprints
  • 
  Fresh water turns salty near the immortal
  • 
  Bleeds salt water instead of blood
  • 
  Smells like brine
  • 
  Has no eyelids
  • 
  Must keep skin wet or loses youth and beauty until the skin is made wet again.
  • 
  Has barbels (fleshy whiskers around the mouth like a catfish).
  • 
  Can only see in shades of green, blue and violet like a fish
  • 
  Has gill slits
  • 
  Presence causes rip tides, high winds, large waves
  • 
  Body becomes encrusted with barnacles
  • 
  Arms turn into tentacles
  • 
  Must submerge self in water to turn into himsati or to turn back
  ESOTERIC HIMSATIS (Elementals and Plant Himsatis)
  • 
  Fire burns weird colors near the immortal
  • 
  Rooms get darker when the immortal enters
  • 
  Plants touched suddenly bloom
  • 
  Metal tarnishes around the immortal or at his touch
  • 
  Ice melts into strange shapes
  • 
  Flames burn cold in his presence
  • 
  His voice just shatters glass
  • 
  His human shadow bites anything in the area, painful but causes no wounds
  • 
  Touch cracks stone
  • 
  Must remain in the sunlight to digest his food
  • 
  Touch causes frostbite
  • 
  If the immortal shouts, lightning strikes nearby. His voice is as loud as thunder.
  • 
  Sunlight burns the immortal
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
  64
  Appendix B: New Boons
  TRANSCENDENCE BOONS
  When a character is "embraced" by the True Light for the first time, he gains the Anthem boon.  He now
  has a Transcendent Rating (known as a Tier) of 20.  Each time the immortal is "embraced" through the
  Eyes of a Lord, this rating lowers by one point.  At 18, 16, and 14 the character receives another boon.
  Starting at 12, the character receives a boon for each embrace. This gives the character a total of
  (including the initial Anthem at 20) 16 Transcendent Boons that he or she will receive.  All characters also
  gain a die value equal to their current Tier Rating or inferior. This die values starts at d20 and shifts to d12
  when the character's rating reaches 12. It goes to d10 when the rating reaches 10, and continues to d4
  when the rating reaches 4 or less. Any Transcendent Boon that requires a roll by the immortal uses the
  Transcendent die value. The duration of most of these boons is one scene unless obviously instants
  effect or listed otherwise. For purposes of determining a "transcendent rank", compare the die to the chart
  on page 36 of Book I.
  Please note that some of these boons are enhanced versions of normal mystic boons, and other
  mundane/mystic boons may be taken as Transcendent Boons if the Narrator desires. Mystic Boons taken
  as Transcendent ones usually have a reduced or zero immaculum cost (See Third Eye for example).
  Transcendent versions of Mundane Boons usually give a slightly better advantage than the standard
  version of the boon (a -1 to a type of roll can become a -2, or a single shift can be a single shift plus a -1
  for example). Die Value Boons (such as Mighty) might receive an upgrade to the next die level as a
  Transcendent Boon.
  Some boons are better suited to particular Callings or Courts, and those should be gained early on in the
  character's rise through Transcendence. Other boons should be saved until the character reaches higher
  levels of Transcendence, based on Court, Calling, personality, himsati, motifs, etc. Other than Anthem
  there are no restrictions about when and to whom certain boons should be given however. Narrators are
  also encouraged to make up other Transcendent boons on their own. The following list is a sampling of
  various boons that Narrators can use as ideas.  You are free to come up with your own as per the needs
  of your own campaign and storylines.
  ANTHEM
  This is always the first Transcendent Boon an immortal receives upon gaining his first touch of the True
  Light. This also gives the immortal the Transcendent Nature at a d20, and allows the immortal to roll his
  Transcendent Nature's die to power all his Transcendent Natures that require a die roll. This die cannot
  be upgraded through memory or experience.  The anthem itself is akin to an aura of power that other
  immortals can feel when they are near someone who possesses it.  Normally the anthem cannot be
  hidden once gained, except via serenade or by the Chancellors and those directly representing them.
  The anthem has a strong reaction against tainted creatures as noted in the section on taint.
  ASCENSION (Aura Gain)
  This increases one of the immortal's auras by one superior shift, permanently. The player should then
  also choose a new himsati nature for the character, which the Narrator must agree to.
  MORTAL COIL
  This boon allows an immortal to understand a being's relation to death much better. With it the immortal
  can roll against the SPIRIT of the being and know if it has killed someone/thing recently and how it
  happened. Looking into the eyes of the dead will reveal how they died by rolling against a target number
  set by the Narrator (based on how long ago they died). The immortal can even tell the general life
  expectancy of the being. This boon will react slightly differently depending on the being looked at and the
  Court the immortal belongs to.
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
  65
  SPECTRE
  This boon allows the immortal to free his MIND and SPIRIT from the BODY aura and temporarily become
  a gossamer here on Earth. The immortal must follow standard gossamer rules and must find a Shallow if
  he wishes to cross into the Blue Air.
  ACUMEN
  This enhanced version of the Scanning Boon allows an immortal to make a Scanning roll and determine
  other factors about the target. These include general health level, true himsati form, transcendent/fugue
  ratings, etc. The immortal must succeed on the Scanning roll, and uses his Transcendent die to do it.
  SERAPH
  You are feared and loved by spirits. No normal untainted spirit will, of its own will, attack you while in its
  presence. This ability does not influence gossamers or Soul Reapers, which are not normal spirits. You
  may also communicate with the spirit if a mortal human. Members of the Court of Life have an added
  benefit that they may communicate with the spirits of animals as well. Spirit Lords also can sense when
  they are near Shallows if the Shallow is strong enough.
  INVIBE
  You may make a roll (contested) against the SPIRIT die of other spirits. In the case of mortal humans,
  you may enhance one skill you possess, which the spirit possesses as well, by one shift. Alternatively you
  may take a d12 in a skill the spirit possesses that you do not. In the case of animals you would enhance
  or gain natures instead. Any natures gained would start at their base die value.
  THIRD EYE
  (Prerequisite: Sleeper Boon)
  The immortal need only pay one half the immaculum cost (rounded up) to activate the Sleeper Boon from
  now on. However, if the immortal decides to pay the full immaculum cost, he may make minor changes to
  the dreams he travels in and may step outside of the dream cocoons to walk on the anchors and
  pathways of the Morpheum. Each time the immortal than pays another point of immaculum, he can make
  significant changes to the dream's setting and/or characters.
  EBBTIDE
  This boon allows the immortal to roll his Transcendent die when resisting the effects of taint spills.
  NUANCE
  This boon allows an immortal to hear the thoughts that spill out of shadows. This boon allows the
  immortal to roll her transcendent die along with her MIND die (like a focus) to listen to ambient thoughts if
  she is in contact with any shadow in the vicinity. The Narrator determines if the shadow is significant
  enough to permit use of the boon. The thoughts of those whose shadow touches the one she is currently
  in contact with become clear. She can tell which beings are thinking which thoughts that she picks up.
  This is not telepathy and she will not pick up full and distinct lines of thought. This generally tends to
  reveal more of beings darker thoughts rather than a balanced stream of dark and light thoughts.
  MILLIEU
  This boon allows the immortal to roll his transcendent die in place of his MIND die when his normal
  perceptions are clouded by any penalties. This boon grants a form of spatial awareness that will not pick
  up the full details present (shades of color, exact distances, timber/bass of sounds, etc.) but functions well
  enough that the immortal can ignore any penalties due to impaired perception.
  MAESTRO
  Allows an Immortal to perform a serenade meld (combine two serenades together) but using one
  serenade of his own and the other serenade being played by another Immortal. It allows the Immortal to
  effectively perform a Chorus with two Immortals playing two different serenades.
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
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  AEGIS
  While nude and in human form, the immortal gains armor equal to the rank of her transcendent die,
  shifted one rank inferior. The immortal may wear personal jewelry or other similar accoutrements, but no
  other form of covering can be worn (including being covered by items such as bed sheets) or the boon
  will not function.
  SONATA
  If the Immortal kisses a mortal, the Immortal can choose to allow the mortal to gain one superior shift in
  any one skill that the mortal possesses. The shift lasts a number of days equal to the transcendent rank
  of the immortal. The mortal will receive an inspirational vision that plays in the back of his mind while the
  shift is in effect.
  INNER SANCTUM
  The immortal can appear completely dead to all examinations save mystical ones. The immortal will feel
  pain, but will not betray the fact that he is alive. The immortal must remain perfectly still (though others
  are able to move the immortal). The immortal can remain this way for a number of days equal to his
  transcendent die rank.
  PIOUS
  By releasing any stored immaculum whirling around his auras (and carrying no objects which house it)
  the Immortal can appear completely human to all forms of examination (including the Scanning Boon).
  While leaving this boon active, the Immortal cannot hear serenades or play them however, and must take
  an action to end the boon before being able to do so. Shifting to any himsati natures ends this boon
  immediately. It should be noted that a number of Solitaires have this boon as well.
  DAUNTLESS
  The immortal is immune to any fear effects caused from a source with a die value inferior to the
  immortal's transcendent die.
  REVERENCE
  By making a contested roll against the target's SPIRIT, the Immortal can sense the presence of True
  Faith in a mortal or another Mortal. If the Immortal rolls a 1, he can tell what the faith is based off of and
  how strong (strength of the SPIRIT aura)
  TONGUES
  This boon comes in two levels though the immortal does not have to take both. The first time the immortal
  receives this boon, he may pick one mortal per episode and that mortal will clearly understand anything
  the immortal says, regardless of language barriers, even deafness. The second time the boon is granted,
  the immortal may not understand anything the chosen mortal attempts to communicate back to the
  immortal. Some immortals are granted a variant that allows them to use this with mortal animals instead.
  FORBEAR
  The immortal may roll his transcendent die along with his MIND die when attempting to shift out of himsati
  natures.
  VISAGE
  (Prerequisite: Lord Status)
  The Immortal can pass on a glint of his own anthem to anyone in his Pantheon or directly serving him.
  Whenever the target is engaged in activities directly related to his Lord's purpose, he acts as if his
  Anthem were one die level higher.
  
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  PROVIDENCE
  Whenever the immortal must make a critical failure check on a social skill, she may roll her transcendent
  die as well.
  STRATAGEM
  The immortal may roll his transcendent die just as if he had the Scanning Boon. However, if successful,
  the Narrator can reveal one weakness about the being the immortal is dealing with. Anytime the immortal
  has any interaction with the immortal gains a -1 to any rolls that take advantage of the weakness. This
  bonus will last for one scene, and the same advantage can never be used against the same target again.
  EPIPHANY
  The Immortal can force a mortal to "daydream", effectively connecting the mortal to the Morpheum and
  allowing the Immortal to use any and all boons and powers that would normally be used in the
  Morpheum, just as if they had entered the mortal's dream normally. The Immortal must keep the mortal in
  line of sight during this.
  REKINDLE
  After sitting vigil for 48 hours with a soulless human (who has lost his soul to the Hush-Hush) the immortal
  makes a transcendent die roll against the original SPIRIT die of the soulless. The immortal's roll is
  modified depending on how long the mortal has been soulless. If the immortal is successful the spirit
  returns, but usually has Droves, Progeny, etc. hot on its heels. The soulless may also be possessed by
  the Sanguinary during the vigil, so the immortal best be prepared.
  Within the scene
  0
  Less than a year
  +4
  Less than a day
  +1
  Less than a few years
  +5
  Less than a week
  +2
  Less than a decade
  +6
  Less than a month
  +3
  Centuries or more
  +7
  SECLUSION
  The immortal may join with a mundane version of his himsati and become invisible to any form of
  detection save supernatural ones such as serenades. The mundane version must be sizeable enough. A
  water elemental could join with a bucket of water, but not a single drop. A plant himsati would meld in to
  become part of a garden, but could not hide within a single flower. If the himsati is an animal, it can join
  with any animal of its species (wolf to canines, lion to any large cat, etc.). It should be noted that
  mundane animals joined by a himsati start to act rather odd to sudden change. The immortal takes no
  damage from the joining and neither does the mundane version of the himsati.
  HONE
  The immortal may choose to ignore any one distraction which is causing him a penalty when attempting
  to accomplish a task, be it mental or physical. The penalty is no longer in effect so long as the immortal
  continues working on the task at hand, or until the end of the scene.
  VERACITY
  By looking into the eyes of another being, the immortal can ask one question and receive an honest
  answer. If this knowledge is a secret of importance to the target, the immortal must make a contested roll
  of his transcendent die against the target's MIND die. This will only work once for an immortal with any
  given target, ever. If the immortal must roll and fails, he may ask another question however.
  FERAL
  The immortal can pass a himsati nature she possesses to a mortal at will. The immortal still has full use of
  the nature as well during this time. If the immortal wishes to pass the nature to another immortal she must
  roll her transcendent die against a target number equal to the target's SPIRIT aura. The nature will
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
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  manifest with the same look and feel as it does for the immortal who passed it.
  WINKLE
  The immortal may make a transcendent die roll against a target number equal to the target's BODY aura.
  If successful, the target enters a state of suspended animation. The more the immortal beats the target
  number by the longer the target will stay in suspended animation. The immortal that placed the target into
  this state can end it whenever she chooses.
  THE BLOOM
  The immortal can cause inanimate matter that was once alive to begin to grow again. In general this does
  not work very well against matter that was once animal in origin, but works very well on inanimate matter
  made from plant matter.  Wooden tables begin to grow limbs again, flowers and lichen can begin to grow
  on stone surfaces (even highly sanitized and polished ones). The immortal controls the rate of growth and
  can fill an entire room with a jungle in a matter of mere hours.
  DARK BOONS
  These Dark Boons are found normally in the Progeny, though some Immortals in the Perpetual Society
  and Solitaires may possess them as well.
  SHROUD
  This boon allows a being to hide taint within his aura. Many infiltrators into the Perpetual Society that
  serve the Sanguinary wield this boon.  The immortal may hide one rank of taint for every point of
  immaculum he currently possesses within his auras.  This can only be spotted with the Acumen boon who
  are specifically using it to seek taint within an individual.
  DARK ANTHEM
  Wielders of this boon roll a die equal to the total rank of their taint against any immortal with the Anthem
  Boon.  If the wielder has two ranks of taint, he would roll a d12 against the immortal.  For tainted minions
  of the Sanguinary, this is adds to the normal effects when encountering immortals with the Anthem.
  If the wielder of the boon wins, the immortal with the Anthem suffers a +1 to all rolls made against the
  wielder.  If the immortal critically fails against the wielder, the immortal cannot remain in the wielder's
  presence.  Some Solitaires and many Droves have this Dark boon.
  SLIVER TONGUE (Sanguinary)
  This boon allows a Progeny to sacrifice a rank of taint to increase the effect roll of a serenade by one
  level. This will warp the serenade however as the Narrator sees fit.  The serenade should still have its
  main intended effect, but it will either do it in an unexpected way, or create side effects (which do not
  normally hinder the player of the serenade.
  BLACK ART (Sanguinary)
  The being is capable of sacrificing a rank of taint to power any other boon possessed, regardless of the
  cost. Those who wield the Black Art are also able to gain boons which they normally would be unable to
  possess, and sometimes use this to mimic some of the Court Boons in order to pass themselves off as
  Court members. Many Droves also possess this in order to power various boons that they have gained.
  DARK SCION (Sanguinary)
  This gift is available only to the Progeny.  A number of Progeny sacrifice one rank of tainted aura (each
  one participating must have this Dark Boon) and one curse.  This creates a drove complete with himsati
  natures mingled from the Progeny that created it, and a number of curses.  This special drove may use
  these curses as weapons, with the Narrator twisting how the curse works to make it beneficial to the
  Drove.  These droves are completely loyal to their Progeny "parents", are far superior in intellect to a
  normal Drove and do not suffer the same agony as most standard Droves and Scions.
  
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  Appendix C: New Abilities
  (Natures, Skills, etc.)
  Here we present various new abilities that mesh with the material presented in Books I - III.  These are
  optional skills and abilities that Narrators are free to introduce into their games.
  Natures
  (X) = Roll alongside appropriate die (usually BODY)
  * = Limited Duration as per Book I
  Hyper (X) (Mammals, Birds, Air Elementals)
  The immortal rolls this die alongside the BODY die for all movement tests where the character has no
  penalty. In order to use this nature underwater, while climbing, or in the air, the character should possess
  Aquatic, Balance, or Gliding/Flight.  This nature will not work if the character is under any kind of
  movement penalty.
  UPGRADABLE
  DEFAULT: D20
  Mesmerize* (Reptiles, Insects, Fire Elementals)
  The target must make an opposed MIND roll against the Immortal's Mesmerize die. If the immortal rolls
  lower than the target, the target takes a one-shift penalty to all actions. If the target critically fails, the
  target can do nothing but stand and stare until someone "snaps him out of it". If the immortal critically
  fails, the immortal instead becomes mesmerized by the target.
  UPGRADABLE
  DEFAULT: D12
  Musk* (Mammals, Reptiles)
  The target takes a one shift penalty when in close proximity to the immortal (weapon reach). The Musk
  nature can only be used once per scene but will work on any individuals who come within weapon reach
  during the scene. The immortal's SPIRIT die determines duration.
  Skills
  Lethe (SPIRIT Skill)
  This skill is necessary if the immortal wishes to form the proper bond between him and the new immortal
  he will become. The Immortal rolls against his MIND, BODY or SPIRIT (opposed roll), whichever is
  superior. The immortal will continue to make the roll until he succeeds or critically fails, however the
  optional +2 to all successive rolls should not be used with the Lethe skill. On a critical failure (or if the
  process is stopped) the Lethe fails and the immortal becomes a gossamer thrust into the Blue Air. There
  are no foci for the Lethe skill.
  Tithing (SPIRIT Skill)
  This skill is normally taught to Believers so they may bond with an immortal's Sanctuary and deposit aura
  ranks (or in the case of Bright Bloods if they choose, immaculum) directly into an Ark present in the
  Sanctuary. Some immortals learn this skill in order to be able to deposit aura ranks and immaculum
  directly into the Ark of a Lord or High Lord that patrons the immortal. This skill has no foci.  Once aura
  ranks are passed into an ark, they are not retrievable.  Immaculum stored can be retrieved without
  damaging the ark or releasing the aura ranks.
  In order to tithe to an Ark, the character must roll the Tithing skill against a target number equal to their
  own SPIRIT aura die (a d10 SPIRIT aura would be a target number of 10). If successful a rank of aura or
  point of immaculum (in the case of Bright Bloods with the Fount Boon or immortals) can be passed into
  the Ark. On a critical failure the Believer passes out from the strain and may not attempt to tithe again for
  roughly a week.
  
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  Appendix D:
  Optional Rules and Errata
  This section deals with advanced and optional rules systems that can be used for the mechanics
  presented in Books I and II. Errata appears in this section as well.
  General Optional Rules
  Auto Success Rule
  A character can opt to just take a basic level of success if the target number is higher than the target's
  base skill die can roll. For example, if the target number is 9 and the character's base skill die is a d6, he
  can take a base success without having to roll. If the character wants any higher level of success he must
  roll.
  A base die is the skill die alone (or in the case of a straight aura test, the aura die). Other dice from
  natures, boons, or serenades, should not be counted. For example, on a strength test using only the
  BODY die, if the character had the Mighty Boon, the Mighty Die would not be used for determining a
  possible auto success.
  A Narrator can rule that this does not apply to serenades however, as they must work against Earth's
  aura each time if not working directly against a living target with a soul. But this decision should be made
  for the campaign as a whole, not on an individual basis.
  Gaining Auras without Transcendence
  It is possible for Bright Bloods and immortal characters to gain increases in their auras by simply
  spending memory or experience. The cost to go from a d12 to a d10 is 10 memory (or 50 experience or
  equivalent combination of memory and experience). To go from a d10 to a d8 is 20 memory (100
  experience or equivalent combination). To go beyond a d8 requires a special ritual and only immortals
  may go beyond a d8.
  In order to gain aura ranks beyond a d8 the immortal must be in physical contact with his Ark. It must
  have enough aura ranks to rebuild the immortal's auras as they normally are unwounded. In addition it
  must have either five extra aura ranks to go to a d6 or ten extra aura ranks to go to a d4. Anything less
  will just result in the normal rejuvenation of the immortal and the remaining aura ranks will be lost to the
  Blue Air.
  The immortal must know the Lethe skill in order to perform this ritual and will make a Lethe skill roll. This
  also involves the rather violent act known as Kenoshia and therefore many immortals are rather leery of
  attempting this feat. If the immortal fails the Lethe roll he is merely rejuvenated and the remaining aura
  ranks are lost (there are no re-rolls or second tries, there is only one roll allowed). If the immortal critically
  fails, he is thrust into the Blue Air as a gossamer, his Ark broken and the aura ranks that would normally
  rejuvenate him lost to the Blue Air.
  Increasing an aura just to d10 from a d12 represents years of physical, spiritual and mental training for
  any normal human. Most humans (save Bright Bloods) cannot even reach a d8 in an aura. Going beyond
  to a d6 or d4 is the realm occupied by the more legendary immortals and can take several immortals
  centuries to achieve in just one aura.
  Kenoshia is an instinctual process, by which the immortal forcibly removes his vox from this throat,
  thrusting himself into the Blue Air as a gossamer. If the immortal's ark has sufficient aura ranks, the vox
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
  71
  and gossamer will rejuvenate there. If not the vox hurtles through the Ley to appear in a random location
  somewhere else on Earth and the immortal must now find a Shallows, he is a gossamer. Some immortals
  use this as a last ditch effort to avoid capture by Droves, Progeny, or even some mortal enemies.
  Book I
  Starting Skill Changes - Optional Rule
  Currently a character's starting skills are based off the Calling that is chosen and each skill is granted to
  the character at d12 and at no cost. With this optional starting rule, we now add one additional skill to the
  list of starting skills for each Calling. The player may pick three of these skills as free starting skills. Two of
  these will be at a d12, and one (the player's choice) will be at a d10. The player also gains one free focus
  in one of these three skills. The focus does not have to be in the skill taken at the d10. We list each
  calling below and the new set of four skills (of which the player again, will pick three):
  Tactician - Close Combat, Military, Society and Observation
  Explorer - Observation, Survival, Vehicle and Close Combat
  Merchant - Business, Observation, Mechanics and Persuasion
  Profilers - Language, Observation, Persuasion and Occult Sciences
  Emissary - Animal, Language, Persuasion and Society
  Mentor - Artistry, Persuasion, Society and Physical Science
  Chameleon - Dodge, Observation, Performance and Agility
  Empath - Performance, Persuasion, Social Sciences and Artistry
  Mystic - Artistry, Occult Sciences, Survival and Language
  Guardian - Blade Combat, Close Combat, Observation and Survival
  Slayer - Performance, Survival, Blade Combat (or Missile Weapons) and Vehicle
  Scourge - Language, Observation, Society and Persuasion
  Skill Notations - Advanced Rulings
  Observation
  This skill (and others like it) is only rolled if the character is actively using it. When the character is not
  taking an action to observe, research, scan, etc. the target number should be made more difficult and a
  MIND roll should be made instead.
  Assigning Skill Ranks
  Characters that stand roughly a 50/50 chance of accomplishing a task when it begins to get difficult,
  probably do not have an actual die rank (d12 or better) in that skill. Many characters in the world of
  Immortal can surf the web and send email, but they do not have a computer skill. When things become
  tricky they roll a d20 like anyone else. The same could be said for someone that "knows" how to drive. In
  the world of Immortal, like most people, that person probably only stands the same rough 50/50 chance to
  avoid a minor accident like anyone else (represented by a d20, not a d12). The person really doesn't have
  a Vehicle skill, but can drive a car and probably has a license.
  Martial Arts Foci and Damage
  Characters with a focus in Martial arts may roll both their Martial Arts die AND their Body die (picking the
  lowest) to determine damage. This can only be done if the attack was made using a maneuver
  appropriate to the focus. Someone with a focus in strikes would only roll either the Martial Arts die OR the
  Body die if he used a kick against someone (unless he also had a kick focus as well).
  Book II
  Simple Serenade System - Optional Rules
  This section presents simple conversions to customize the Serenade System in multiple ways to best-fit
  individual campaigns. Not all of these optional rules can work together, and the Narrator should inform his
  players of which optional rules he will use and stay with them throughout the campaign.
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
  72
  A) Simpler Primary Effects
  Simply use the Chart on Page 36 of Book I. Compare the difference between the SPIRIT roll of the
  attacker and the DEFENSE roll of the target. Take that number and match it up with the RANK column
  and find the appropriate die, distance, duration, or level of influence you wish to apply. This is a more
  story-based way of doing things.
  B) No Defense Roll
  With this option, if the attacker succeeds in his serenade skill roll, he will still roll his SPIRIT die to
  determine the effect. However, the defender will NOT roll the affected aura. Instead, the attacker will roll
  and compare his or her roll to the highest value on the defender's aura die. For example, if the attacker
  rolls his SPIRIT die to determine his Abbadon damage against an opponent with a d10 BODY, the
  attacker's roll is compared to a 10, the defender does not roll. This makes serenades more powerful
  overall.
  C) Removing Defense completely.
  By using Option A above and reversing the numbers in the RANK column on Page 36 of Book I, you can
  eliminate Defense completely and work the serenades like the basic damage system as presented in
  Book I. Whatever the attacker rolls on his SPIRIT die would be compared to the reversed RANK Column
  and that is the level of effect. Removing Defense entirely can provide very unpredictable results and
  Narrators are warned to monitor serenade use carefully in their campaigns with this option.
  As a side note, if this option is used, any attacks made against things with no auras should not be made
  against the standard target number of 12 for the Earth's aura. Instead, when attempting to affect inanime,
  complexity and/or esoterics, the Defense Tables for them should be used as the skill roll's target numbers
  to succeed.
  D) Combined Defense Tables
  Rather than presenting a separate table for Inanime, Complexity and Esoteric, we present one table with
  target numbers already preset. If the target combines more than one of these elements, the Narrator can
  adjust the target number by averaging the two quickly (such as using Allure on a body of water to make it
  look and feel like ice [complexity and esoteric]). The target number is what the attacker compares his
  SPIRIT rolls to, after a successful skill roll.
  T#
  Inanime
  Complexity
  Esoteric
  12
  Padlock, Bicycle
  One sense, minor and static
  Dust, a light scent
  10
  Toaster, Flashlight
  Two senses, some mobility
  Smoke, flavor, quiet sounds
  08
  Microwave, Ceiling Fan
  Three senses, full mobility
  Light, Normal Sounds, Air
  06
  Computer, ATM Machine
  Four Senses, Minor Interactive
  Heat, Cold, Water
  04
  Eyz Units, Vehicles
  All senses, Moderately Interactive
  Fire, Mass, Electricity
  02
  Mystech, Major Systems
  Fully Immersive Illusion*
  Gravity, Earth, Radiation
  * The target will not see anything of the real world, the illusion completely surrounds and interacts
  with the target, the target will only be interacting within his mind and will make no real physical
  body movements.  Very similar to immersing someone in virtual reality.
  E) Removing Secondary Effects -- Story-based
  Simply remove all Secondary Effects from all Serenades. Assume that durations are instant/one turn
  (whichever is most applicable), the scene or permanent. Most damaging serenades would be instant/one
  turn, enhancements and/or controls one scene, and things such as Nostrum's healing would be
  permanent. Assume most areas of effect are either a single target or an area equal to a weapon reach in
  radius (10 foot radius usually works well). Assume that any other secondary effects are now determined
  by the primary effect.
  If the player wishes to alter standard durations, areas of effect, etc., the Narrator can just assign +1 to the
  roll, or a one or more inferior shift to the skill die.
  
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  F) Removing Secondary Effects -- Detail-based
  Simply remove all Secondary Effects from all Serenades. Assume that durations are instant/one turn
  (whichever is most applicable), the scene or permanent. Most damaging serenades would be instant/one
  turn, enhancements and/or controls one scene, and things such as Nostrum's healing would be
  permanent. Assume most areas of effect are either a single target or an area equal to a weapon reach in
  radius (10 foot radius usually works well). Assume that any other secondary effects are now determined
  by the primary effect.
  If the player wishes to alter areas of effect, standard durations, etc. he can "trade off" points of primary
  effect to change them. By the Primary Effects Chart, an Action and a Session are 4 points apart. By
  removing 4 points from the Primary Effect (before comparing it to the chart), the character can make a
  serenade that normally only lasts one Action last an entire Session. However, the serenade will obviously
  be much weaker. The same can be done for distance, level of influence, area of effect, or any other
  secondary effect to the serenade.
  G) Retrying Serenades
  Since Serenades affect the Aria, once a serenade has been played and the Aria has been affected with it
  by a particular vox, it can be more difficult to reattune it again with the same vox, especially if it was not
  done correctly the first time. In other words, if a character attempts a serenade again (that has failed)
  before the Narrator deems the Aria has had a chance to settle from the first one, a +2 (or one die shift)
  cumulative penalty is imposed to each attempt. Once the Narrator deems the Aria has settled back from
  the failed attempt(s), then the character, at no penalty, can retry the serenade.
  H) Serenades and Shape-shifting
  The Narrator should reserve the right to immediately cancel the effectiveness of a serenade against an
  immortal if shape-shifting into himsati (or partial himsati or back to human form) would logically negate the
  serenade's effects. An iron grate will stop the human form, but not the snake himsati that slips through the
  bars unscathed. A breastplate of ice will protect the human, but probably shatter when he turns to an
  elephant. A paper bag will trap the ant himsati, but not likely stop him when he returns to human form.
  Errata
  Book II
  Conflicting Immaculum Costs in Boons Section
  If the paragraph text directly conflicts with the Immaculum cost listed in the bold cost summary, the cost
  summary is correct. Example: Stroke costs 10 Immaculum for Immortals, but only 2 for Empaths and 1 for
  the Court of Desire. The paragraph states that the character must spend 5 Immaculum, the paragraph is
  incorrect; the amount should be 10, 2, or 1 depending on which Court/Calling the Immortal is.
  Incorrect Boons
  The paragraph under Court Boons detailing the Shadowen and Court of Death Boons (shadow hearing
  and soul rekindling) are not Court Boons, but are Transcendent boons as presented in Book III.
  Memory Cost to increase a Serenade
  Though it costs 10 memory to buy a serenade initially (unlike the 5 memory for BODY/MIND skills),
  serenades are increased at the same cost as BODY and MIND skills. It takes 4 memory ( or 20
  experience) to increase a serenade from a d12 to a d10. It then costs 5 memory to increase a serenade
  from a d10 to a d8, etc.
  Bright Blood Religarum Ability
  The example is incorrect, Tom should have paid 20 memory, not 10. And for that 20 memory, he also
  gets to pick his first serenade and foci absolutely free. Other ones after the first are 15 points (10 for the
  serenade and 5 for the focus). And yes, 1 Immaculum must still be spent in order to use the serenade
  each time the Bright Blood wishes to use it.
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
  74
  Critical Successes on Serenade Primary Effect
  A Critical Success check should always be made if the attacker rolls a 1, even if it is not 7 or more points
  of difference.
  Book I - Further Errata
  Absorb
  There is no Absorb Nature in Immortal Millennium, this is a typographical error.
  Incorrect Punctuation
  In certain areas (such as pages 52 and 53 of the book) there are incorrect punctuation marks in the
  Natures section. If you see a ";" or a ":" they should be commas in any listing of natures. Therefore
  statements like "Multiple Limbs: Blood Drain" should read "Multiple Limbs, Blood Drain"
  Communication Nature
  Is actually Commune with Species.
  Elementals and Serenades
  The penalty shift to an elemental playing a serenade is applied only to the serenade skill roll, not the
  effect roll.
  Die Shifting and Multiple Dice
  If a character is rolling multiple dice (due to a focus, boon or nature that provides another die to roll with
  the skill/aura), any die shifts from penalties/bonuses are applied to the most superior die only, not all the
  dice.
  
  Immortal Millennium Book III
  75
  Appendix E: The Dustlight
  This adventure is designed for 4 - 6 players and one Narrator.
  SYNOPSIS
  Adventure Synopsis Here
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Immortal/Immortal The Book of Banes.pdf