Resonance

Abyssals know this curse as the Black Resonance of the Abyss, or Resonance for short - a shadow cast over their lives, which ensures that wherever they travel, death will follow close at their heels. Resonance can be fought, mitigated, even placated, but it can never be denied. So long as an Abyssal bears the Black Exaltation, he must always take steps to account for his nature, or risk being swallowed whole by the power of death.

Each Abyssal Exalt has a 10-point Resonance track. This works much like the Limit track of their Solar counterparts, but with some key differences.

Gaining Resonance
There are several means by which Abyssals accumulate Resonance:

Assertion of Exalted Will
A Yami-ko gains a point of Resonance if she spends Willpower to resist unnatural mental influence, just as other Exalted gain Limit. In asserting their sovereign will against mind-controlling influences, Yami-ko implicitly assert the ultimate triumph of Oblivion, and draw a bit more of the Void into themselves. Abyssal Exalted do not normally gain more than one Resonance per scene in this manner, even if the character resists unnatural mental influence more than once.

Flawed Virtue
The Black Exaltation damages a Yami-ko's soul so severely that she has difficulty using one of her Virtues. Each time her player rolls a dice pool involving that Virtue (which includes channeling Willpower through the Virtue), the character gains one point of Resonance. The forsaken Virtue need not be the character's primary Virtue and rarely is.

Transgressions against Yomi
The first time in a scene that an Abyssal transgresses against his fate as a servant of Oblivion, he gains points of Resonance equal to the successes of an Essence roll.


 * They must not promote or defend life. Actively protecting a living being from harm is always a sin (fellow Abyssals are exempt from this rule, being technically dead). So is creating new life, whether by mundane conception or magical genesis. Birthing such offspring is an additional sin.
 * Yami-ko must never use or answer to their living name, except to reject all claim to it.
 * Reverence to any divine power other than Yomi is strictly banned, though some Moonshadows make an art of composing threatening prayer strips to bully local deities.
 * Building or maintaining positive Intimacies with the living, especially when an Abyssal benevolently interacts with individuals she knew before her Exaltation. Indeed, simply living a normal, mortal life transgresses against Yomi, unless the Yami-ko is doing so as a ruse or at the direct behest of a greater servant of the Abyss.

Losing Resonance
Abyssals may mitigate the build-up of Resonance by embracing their deathly nature, or spreading the power of death out of themselves and into the world around them.


 * The Abyssal may engage in a ritual lasting one entire night (from sundown to dawn) involving self-mutilation or ritual sacrifice. For every level of Lethal damage dealt to a sentient being during this ritual, one point of Resonance is purged.
 * Keep in mind that NPC humans only have three (3) health levels.
 * Building and maintaining positive Intimacies with the dead or similar spiritual entities. This can include seeing to the needs of the recently departed, tending to ancestor shrines, or easing the transition from the living world to the realm of the dead. One point of Resonance is lost per week of activity.

Resonance Bleed
As Resonance accumulates within the Abyssal's body and soul, its deathly power bleeds out into the world, producing eerie and unnerving phenomena. Such Resonance Bleed effects are generally under the control of the Storyteller, though players utilizing two or three-die stunts may incorporate cosmetic Resonance Bleed effects into the scene via dramatic editing. Resonance Bleed isn't constantly active, but comes and goes unpredictably while the Abyssal is within certain degrees of Resonance buildup. As a general rule, the higher the Abyssal's Resonance, the more frequently Resonance Bleed appears.

Resonance 1-2
Events conspire to cast the Abyssal in a sinister light, and ill omens dog his heels, but these events remain within the boundaries of possible coincidence. When he arrives in town, he will like as not pass a funeral procession on the road. When he opens the door to a teahouse, the candles blow out. Gamblers experience runs of bad luck in his presence.

Resonance 3-4
Minor unearthly effects manifest upon the Abyssal. His eyes may gleam or glow in unnatural hues, or his skin might grow ice-cold to the touch. His shadow could include monstrous features such as barbs or spines, or gesture menacingly and out of sync with the character's own movements. His reflection could appear twisted and monstrous, or he might cast no reflection at all. His voice could chime like mourning bells, or echo as though cast into a vast cavern.

Resonance 5-6
Level 3-4 Resonance Bleed effects become more common. Additionally, the character's presence begins to blight the world. Delicate plants wither in his presence. A cold wind could follow him about, stirring his hair and clothes and chilling those around him. Animals might begin to howl and panic in his presence, or ravens to crowd onto trees and rooftops wherever he lingers. What food he touches could become spoiled, curdling or exploding with maggots when cut into, while water he lingers near becomes brackish and stale, or freezes solid. Shadows stretch toward the Abyssal as though pulled in by some awful gravity, or bow down in his presence regardless of the actions of their owners.

Resonance 7-9
At this level the character experiences near-constant level 3-4 Resonance Bleed effects, and frequent level 5-6 effects. Additionally, during moments of stress, emotion, or great concentration, truly frightening deathly manifestations may appear around him. All divine symbols within a mile might tarnish, crack, or shatter. If the Yami-ko peers into a mirror while incensed, it is likely to shatter or explode. The sky may grow dark and overcast, flickering with black or red lightning and blocking out the sun, building over the next hour to a terrible storm. Seas might grow becalmed, or could be stirred into violent froth. Corpses could whisper frantic prayers to the Abyssal's glory, or weeping red eyes might open in the shadows all around. Those sleeping where the Abyssal passes may be tormented by horrid nightmares in which the Exalt features prominently.

Resonance 10
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