Investment (VTR)

“ Piety, n. Reverence for the Supreme Being,

based upon His supposed resemblance to man.

 ”
  — Ambrose Bierce, The Devil’s Dictionary[1]

Once a member of the Brood has progressed far enough in their Pursuit, their soul comes to know the secret of manifesting abilities unlike anything they had ever known before: these dark gifts are called Investments. The source of their power is the subject of much discussion, with some maintaining that Investments are at once the purest and most attained form of vampiric power while others hold that Investments are gifts from the Adversary himself, funneled through the power and presence of the Forsworn’s emergent Beast.[2]

Investments

Investments are similar to the Coils of the Dragon, where each Investment is a separate “level". Unlike Coils, however, the specific cost of Investments can vary depending on the Kindred’s Humanity. Similar to other covenant-based gifts, the ability to manifest Investments is linked to membership in Belial’s Brood. If one has not experienced Cathexis or otherwise been ritually inducted into a covey, one cannot learn Investments at all.[2]

Investments are divided into three subcategories, one for each aspect of the Trinity - pneuma, sarx and soma. Accompanying each category is a benefit reserved for those whose favored aspect corresponds to it and while all Forsworn are free to select any Investment for which they meet the prerequisites, some choose to focus their efforts toward unearthing those secrets most pertinent to their spiritual view.[3]

Investments, whatever their origins, interact with a vampire’s Humanity in several substantive ways. First and foremost, Investments become easier to learn as the Forsworn’s Humanity fades and the Beast within has grown prominent and receptive enough to call upon their power. While Investments are tied undeniably to the Beast, a vampire who retains no shred of Humanity cannot learn new ones, for the truly unfettered Beast lacks both the patience and focus required to learn much of anything; the Pursuit is about understanding the path, not just arriving at the destination.[4]

Pneuma Investments

  • Aeon’s Crux: One of the pinnacles of achievement for a student of the pneuma is the ability to weave one’s very soul into the Crux, the bond one shares with their covey-mates. Through this linkage with the Crux, each member of the Forsworn’s covey becomes mystically linked and the vampire can act as conduit whereby the other interconnected Beasts can draw upon one another's primal strengths.
  • Appetite for Weakness: This Investment allows a vampire to literally feed on the weakness of others. The Brood member draws on the potency of his own vice to draw physical enrichment from the denial of moral satisfaction in the troubled soul of another. As this Investment essentially robs souls of their moral victories, it tends to leave victims feeling confused and unsure about what they truly believe.
  • Beast Sense: For those who reach out to the Beast, and open their senses to what it senses, there is great wisdom to be found. The Beast sees and knows much that the Man does not, and those with this Investment learn how to listen. With the offering of Vitae, the Forsworn coaxes their Beast to the surface where it lends them its primitive powers of perception.
  • Feet of Clay: By means of this Investment, a vampire can draw on the eminent power of their own Beast to humble and suppress the Man in another soul, sapping the other of its will to defy, even as it flees for its very existence - the target is gripped by a debilitating terror.
  • Fire in the Head: Forsworn disciples of the pneuma are known for the intricate and often horrific games they play with the souls of others. This Investment is one of the reasons for this reputation, as it allows a Brood member to call on the power of their own vice to draw spiritual enrichment from the indulgence of others. This leaves most victims feeling temporarily unsatisfied with their usual pleasures.
  • Hiriliu: A vampire’s Beast is a creature of passion, and for no one is this any truer than for the Forsworn. A vampire with this Investment knows how to draw on the pneuma as a sympathetic conduit for the Beast, making themselves a mouthpiece for all the fettered passion of their undead soul. When summoned and released as a single roar — a cry known as the hiriliu among the Brood — the resulting torrent of fervor calls out to the dark side in another sentient being. The Forsworn often use this power to quickly learn the nature of a mortal’s vice.
  • Incite Katharos: This Investment allows Forsworn of a certain moral turpitude to project desire and weakness into the spirit of another. When the subject gives in to their artificial failings, they grow that much more powerless against the Forsworn.
  • Pneuma Transfer: With enough mystical comprehension of pneuma, a Forsworn can learn to permanently move their soul into another living vessel. The process is taxing, but allows the vampire to experience unlife from within the flesh of another, and in so doing, to be reborn - a sort of "back door Embrace". Thus, this Investment is a sacred rite of passage in the eyes of the Brood, and particularly among the Therion, who are denied the ability to sire childer.
  • Scent of Socius: All Forsworn share some measure of connectivity with their covey-mates due to the nature of the Crux, but those with this Investment are even more sensitive to the bonds of blood. The Forsworn call creatures with whom they share a blood connection socius, a term translating roughly as “companion”, and they use it in reference to covey-mates and ghouls bound to the covey. This Investment grants the Forsworn the ability to track down those with whom they share such bonds.
  • Undying Beast: While this Investment has a particularly narrow focus, many Forsworn develop it all the same, out of either suspicion at their fellow predators or a desire to avenge their own future murders. After being diablerized, the vampire with this Investment is dead for all intents and purposes, but a portion of their soul still lingers in the psyche of their diablerist. If the Forsworn can erode their murderer’s Willpower before fading away, they can usurp the body.

Sarx Investments

  • Belial’s Feast
  • Flesh Spider:
  • Hands of the Beast:
  • Mantle of the Adversary:
  • Mark of Hunger’s Prey:
  • Rotting Touch:
  • Unfeeling Skin:
  • Veil of Flame:
  • Walk the Walls:
  • Warp Corpse:

Soma Investments

  • Blood Calls to Blood:
  • Blood Curse:
  • Blood of the Beast:
  • Blood Rage:
  • Hide Within the Heart:
  • Led by Thirst:
  • Master’s Will:
  • Predator’s Allure:
  • Strike of the Adversary:
  • Way of the Marauder:

References

  1. ↑ VTR: Belial's Brood, p. 126 Buy it from DriveThruRPG! Now in Print!
  2. 1 2 VTR: Belial's Brood, p. 128 Buy it from DriveThruRPG! Now in Print!
  3. ↑ VTR: Belial's Brood, p. 128 - 129 Buy it from DriveThruRPG! Now in Print!
  4. ↑ VTR: Belial's Brood, p. 129 Buy it from DriveThruRPG! Now in Print!
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