Death comes to us all. Whether by disease or accident, nature or deliberate acts of violence, all things mortal die sooner or later. In the darkness of death, though, some hear a voice. A whispered promise that things don’t have to end. Not like this, and not right now, anyway. These creatures speak in a multitude of voices, and they wear a thousand different forms, but beneath the skin they share an essence. They are transcended spirits; souls who have given up much of what they once were, to become something greater. They are incarnations of death in all its myriad forms.
They are geists, and a person bound to them can cheat death. For a time, at least.
The following descriptions of these creatures give details as to their appearance, the situations and individuals who draw them, as well as the kinds of things they desire from their bound. These descriptions do not mention specific thresholds or burdens, which is intended to allow this supplement to be used with both the New World of Darkness version of Geist: The Sin Eaters, as well as the more recent Chronicles of Darkness edition of the game. Players and Storytellers are encouraged to fill in the gaps left with their own creativity, and to personalize these geists and their stories to fit their narrative. This includes Remembrance traits for the Chronicles of Darkness edition, which are not included in these descriptions.
Here are some sample results:
45. Jonas
“The sea has more dead than every inch of the land together.”
Appearance: Dressed in a sopping fisherman’s coat and wide-brimmed rain hat, Jonas stinks of salt, and the sea. Those who get close enough to this geist to make out details find he has a tangled beard, and eyes that glow green like the shallows beneath a dead man’s moon.
What Draws Jonas: Jonas is drawn to those who are drowning, either literally or figuratively. While it is unusual to find this geist away from wetter environs, he is just as likely to find someone cast overboard in a storm as he is to come across someone who tried to end their life at the riverfront because of a broken heart, or someone who leaped from a bridge because of the pressures of their life. And when he does, he throws them the last lifeline they may ever receive.
What Does Jonas Want: Jonas wants its bound to do for others what the geist did for them; to be that lighthouse on a dark sea of despair. Jonas wants those it sails with to seek out others who are drowning, and to help them up. To be a fisher of souls, both among the living and the dead.
Keystone- Worry Bone: An old piece of scrimshaw, there’s a divot in it that perfectly fits one’s thumb. The Worry Bone provides +1 bonus dice on Empathy pools, as long as the listener is rubbing the divot. Additionally, the Sin Eater can infuse the Worry Bone with 1 point of plasm. When this happens, make an Empathy + Resolve roll. For the remainder of the scene the Sin Eater is immune to any mundane fear, and they gain a bonus equal to their successes on Willpower rolls to resist supernatural fear. If the Sin Eater does not receive a resistance roll, and instead uses an attribute as a form of defense, then the successes should be added as a bonus to that attribute for defense purposes.
46. The Rasp
“Life is just a dream.”
Appearance: The Rasp wears a voluminous coat filled with shadows and lights that bob and weave as they chase one another. The Rasp’s head is covered by an elaborate gas mask carved from bones and dyed with blood. Smoke escapes from the filters, shaping itself into faces and forms that hint at the dreams and nightmares that might lurk within. The voice that one hears from the Rasp is a dry, croaking sound that earned the geist its name.
What Draws The Rasp: The Rasp is drawn to those who have lost all hope. Those whose dreams died long before their bodies did, and who feel like they have nothing worth living for. The Rasp offers life with its bargain, but more importantly it offers to reignite one’s soul as well.
What Does The Rasp Want: The Rasp empowers those who would let their dreams flow forth into reality. Artists and singers, speakers and storytellers, those who carry this geist can have a greater effect with the stroke of a brush or the scratch of a pen than nearly any trigger being pulled. This is particularly true if one uses the iconography of death to celebrate life.
Keystone- The Nightingale: An elegant, though aged, pen, there are soft grooves in the grip that just feel right when one slides it into their hand. This memento adds +1 bonus dice to Performance and Craft pools, as long as it is used as part of the process (writing a speech, drawing a picture, etc.). By infusing this memento with a point of plasm it begins to produce thick, gray smoke. Inhaling the smoke allows the user to gain inspiration from the Rasp. The Sin Eater rolls Wits + Composure + Psyche, and they may ask one question of the ether per success. The answers to these questions may me metaphorical, or slightly vague, but they will always be true. The dead cannot lie when put to the question.
* For Chronicles of Darkness games, roll Wits + Composure + Synergy.
Released: 11th February 2023 Pages: 27
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