Merges Sorcery

**Prerequisite: Bloodline**: Iltani

**Linked Themes**: Destruction and Transmutation

**Motifs**: Venomous, Vengeful, Corrupting

**Cost**: A Willpower point. Humanity limited by (10 - Discipline Level)

## Motifs

Mérges Sorcery is **Venonous** – Poison is an art as ancient as the Kindred themselves. The blood of the first Giant was made of *eitr*, which was poison, produced by the great Serpent Jormungandr. Merges Sorcery turns live-giving Vitae into poison. The poison produced has a variety of effects—hemolytic, destroying the blood; neurotoxic, poisoning the mind; or proteolytic, rending flesh into a putrefied mess.

Mérges Sorcery is **Vengeful** – Fuelled entirely by hatred, Merges Sorcery is employed to avenge past wrongs. The Iltani distil their negative emotions into rare and highly-specialized poisons. All vampires who learn Merges Sorcery develop hollow fangs that can be used to administer venom. When not in use, the fangs fold back against the roof of the mouth and are enclosed in a membranous sheath.

Mérges Sorcery is **Corrupting** – A Merges Sorceror seethes with rage, their hearts blackened by venom. The Viper gradually forgets how to forgive others, and he cannot recall what the peace of absolution feels like as a mortal. Because he never ceases to carry corrosive emotions within himself, a Viper's Humanity is limited by (10 - dots in Merges Sorcery).

## Themes

**Creation**

The rudiments of Creation enable the sorcerer to call forth venomous creatures like scorpions, spiders, and snakes. Creatures summoned by an Iltani are often hissing, aggressive beasts, capable of delivering venom through their fangs or stings. An Iltani may also learn to extract their own venom into vials. Such poisons can inflict damage equal to their Toxicity. After the Duration of the ritual, they are transformed into expired Vitae.

**Destruction**

The blood of a Viper seethes and boils, although with age their Vitae often becomes tempered by an icy cold bitterness. A Viper harnesses their feelings of hatred and resentment to invoke the powers of Destruction. The poison created pulls apart muscle and blood, rending it to a blackened, coagulated slush. With increased ritual Potency, the sorcerer may inflict lethal or aggravated damage; rumor has it that the most potent poisons can cause damage to a kind of demon known as the Alu.

**Divination**

A Viper is shackled by their past, and rarely has the need or desire to see into the future. Divination is not often practised in Merges Sorcery for this reason. Some Vipers use Divination to gain insight into another's hatred, or to hone in on the identity or whereabouts of a nemesis.

**Protection**

Just as snake venom is used to create its own antidote, a Viper knows how to create antivenom to counter poisons of various origins, including their own and those found in nature. A smart Viper makes himself immune to venom, as one is never too paranoid to assume that one is being plotted against by other Vipers.

**Transmutation**

Transmutation is the skill used by Vipers to alter their blood, change the effects of a poison, and deliver the poison through the bite of another agent. An Iltani will spend their unlife scheming and plotting, and Transmutation allows them to blend their poisonings seamlessly with their plans of intrigue. A secondary aspect of Merges Sorcery deals with control of the Beast. When revenge is a dish served cold, an uncontrolled Frenzy can ruin your best-laid plans.

## **Rolls and Mechanics**

Extended.

 **Transmutation** | Intelligence + Subterfuge + Transmutation