Dur-An-Ki: The Path Of The Evil Eye

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Dur-An-Ki: The Path Of The Evil Eye

Assamites

From a purely functional standpoint, the blood magic that the Assamite sorcerer caste practices differs little from that wielded by the Tremere. From a philosophical perspective, however, worlds of difference separate the two. The Tremere force every piece of knowledge they incorporate into the structured, rigid framework of high Hermetic invocation. By contrast, the sorcerer caste's practices are the result of millennia of adaptation and melding, and are too disparate to be considered "structured" in any real sense. The modern body of knowledge that is Assamite Sorcery draws its content from a wide array of magical traditions, from the ecstatic rites of Kali and Shiva's followers to the subtle precision of feng shui to the elegant symbolic and mathematical transformations of Islamic alchemists and astronomers.

Assamite Sorcery is mechanically identical to the more common Thaumaturgy. However, though they work on similar principles (the use of vampiric vitae to fuel exertions of conscious will in order to effect change upon the physical or spiritual world), the two are not cross-compatible. A Tremere strives to perform his magic the same way, all the time, every time. An Assamite might never enact the same ritual the same exact way twice in a millennium.

As may be expected, students of Assamite Sorcery have great difficulty learning the practices of other blood magic traditions. All experience points costs to learn other blood magic paths and rituals are increased by half (round up) for Assamite sorcerers. In addition, even once the sorcerer has incorporated these lessons into her repertoire, they are still alien to her. All invocations of a "foreign" path require one extra blood point and all rituals take triple the normal time and require one extra success for any desired result.

Throughout history, the ignorant and superstitious have feared the Evil Eye - a belief that some people have the power to curse their enemies, whether through the invocation of dark powers or simply through malicious will. In some places, such beliefs persist, perhaps in part because of the existence of this Path, which allows an ashipu to invoke wrathful djinn to embarrass, injure, or even kill his enemies. But this Path is not the exclusive province of Dur-An-Ki. Its ancient pedigree means that it is known to many Old Skool Anarchs who have preserved the power to curse over the ages, while its sheer vindictiveness has ensured that modern Punk Sorcerers have learned to duplicate its effects.

To use the Evil Eye against a target, the sorcerer must either be able to make eye contact with her and say something to indicate his disdain, whether a traditional Arabic curse or simply a shouted "Fuck You!" Alternatively, the sorcerer can make use of an effigy to cast the curse over a longer distance (as described under the Principles of Contagion and Sympathy on 133-135 of Rites of the Blood). The target will not necessarily realize that she has been cursed. An Intelligence + Occult (difficulty 6) roll is required of the target if the sorcerer casts the curse in her face, while a roll at difficulty 9 is required to realize that recent bad luck is the result of a curse cast from afar. A character with Aura Perception or who has at least one dot in this Path may notice tell-tale signs of a curse lingering in the target's aura and may recognize this as the residue of a curse with a Wits + Occult roll (difficulty 7). A character who successfully identifies a curse this way may treat the curse itself as a mystical connection equivalent to a prized possession while in the presence of the cursed individual.

The sorcerer who laid the curse can negate it at will. Any other character capable of recognizing the curse (including the target herself, if she has the appropriate knowledge of blood magic) may attempt to negate it with Thaumaturgical Countermagic or any comparable blood magic effect. The one who lays the curse never knows exactly how the curse will manifest itself. Each level of this Path sets the parameters for what type of harm may occur, but the Storyteller determines the precise nature of the manifestation.

Dur-An-Ki botches cause the ashipu to briefly become lost to the spirits from which her powers flow. The ashipu temporarily (and immediately) gains the Fugue Derangement. Assamite Sorcerers do not suffer from this effect, but all other Assamite ashipu do, as do all ashipu outside that Clan. [Rites Of The Blood - Page 132]

[ 1 ] Humiliation ( Rites Of The Blood - Page 161 )

The simplest application of the Evil Eye causes the target to embarrass himself in some public way. Possible results include saying something embarrassing in front of one's peers, failing disastrously at a feeding attempt, or simply ripping the seat out of one's pants while in a crowded bar.

System: Each success represents one night during which the target is affected by the curse. The curse triggers once per night at a time of the Storyteller's choosing, usually the scene during which the character is in front of the largest number of individuals or in which he is in front of the largest number of socially important people. That is, it may trigger while the character is in a crowded restaurant or when he is alone with the Prince, whichever has the greatest potential for personal embarrassment. The Storyteller determines when the curse triggers, but it should do so at least once per night.

During the trigger scene, on every Social roll made for the character, the player must add a number of automatic 1s equal to the sorcerer's rating in the Path of the Evil Eye, thereby increasing the likelihood of a botch on a Social roll. In addition, during the trigger scene, the Storyteller should roll a number of dice equal to the sorcerer's rating in this path (difficulty 5). Successes mean that some external event happens that causes embarrassment to the character, such as a waiter spilling drinks on him or a car splashing him with mud.

[ 2 ] Loss ( Rites Of The Blood - Page 161 )

This curse affects the target's material worth. It most commonly causes the target to be stripped of money, but it may also cause her Herd to diminish, or destroy a Haven. The curse can target any tangible asset represented as a Background. If the character has no suitable Backgrounds, it targets personal items of emotional significance.

System: Within one week, the target loses one dot from an appropriate Background. Generally, the curse preferentially attacks Resources over other Backgrounds, but theoretically any form of tangible Background representing a personal asset can be a valid target. The sorcerer has no control over how the Background point is lost or even which Background point is lost. The Storyteller may even choose to decide randomly.

[ 3 ] Peril ( Rites Of The Blood - Page 161 )

At this level of mastery, the ashipu may finally endanger her enemy rather than merely inconvenience her. The curse cannot directly harm the target, but it can create a situation in which it is possible for her to be harmed, whether at the hands of a drunken lout who takes offense to the target's manner at a bar or a pack of werewolves who, by happenstance, choose to board the same lonely subway car as the victim.

System: The number of successes determines how many nights the character is at risk. At the start of each night, the Storyteller must roll a die and, depending on the results, fashion an encounter for the targeted character.

Successes	Result
1-3	None. The curse does not trigger during this night.
4-6	Minor: An encounter which is not likely to harm the character but which has a chance to do so. A mortal tries to mug the character while she is in front of mortals, or simply tries to hold up a convenience store while the character is in line paying for gas. A bar patron takes offense to something the character does or says and tries to pick a fight.
7-8	Moderate: An encounter with a significant likelihood of at least some harm to the character. The character is involved in a car wreck or struck by a hit-and-run driver. Stairs give way while the character is climbing them.
9	Severe: An encounter in which the character is almost certain to suffer some lethal damage. The character inadvertently says something offensive that provokes frenzy rolls in nearby vampires. The building collapses while the character is in it or a fire breaks out.
10	Catastrophic: An encounter that is potentially deadly. The character's is locked out of his haven during the day. The character unwittingly says something that offends a pack of nearby Lupines.

Nights on which there is no peril do not count against the ashipu's successes; the curse will continue until the target has suffered a number of dangerous encounters equal to the successes or the curse is lifted. During any dangerous encounter, a targeted character has a chance to realize she is under a curse (if she didn't already know it). The roll is Intelligence + Occult. The default difficulty is 9, but it drops to 8 if the character has Auspex or to 6 if the character has any knowledge of this Path.

[ 4 ] Enemy ( Rites Of The Blood - Page 162 )

This potent curse causes the target's friends and allies to turn against him, even as it causes the numbers of his enemies to grow.

System: For each success on the Willpower roll, the target loses one dot of Allies, Contacts, Influence, or Retainers. This may reflect friends and allies who have become angry with the character and turn their back on him, it may reflect contacts and allies who are simply unavailable for a time, or it may actually result in such characters being injured or even dying due to ill fortune. Alternatively, the player may choose to spend some or all of the successes to give the target a new Enemy (as per the Enemy Flaw) who arrives to pursue a vendetta against the character. Regardless, the effects manifest within a week, and the player of the targeted character may neither regain lost Backgrounds nor remove the Enemy Flaw without learning about and neutralizing the curse.

[ 5 ] Chashm Zakhm / The Eye That Wounds ( Rites Of The Blood - Page 162 )

The ultimate expression of this malefic path, the Eye That Wounds does not require time to establish a chain of ill fortune. It strikes immediately. The ashipu must make eye contact with her target and utter some exclamation pertaining to a characteristic of his. It can be praise or insult, sarcasm or fury, but whatever form it takes, the target is immediately struck with an agonizing injury that damages that characteristic.

System: While the curse allows for flexibility, the default assumption is that for every two successes (rounded up), the target (or object, if the curse is directed toward a possession of the target) suffers one level of aggravated damage. Generally, even a single level of damage is sufficient to slay an animal or destroy most objects. If used against a mortal, this power will permanently maim him. If used against a Kindred, the curse will inflict damage shaped by the ashipu's words. If she compliments his beautiful eyes, they will be burned and he might be rendered blind until he can heal. If she mocks his honeyed words, the curse might burn out his tongue and leave him unable to speak. This curse may be transmitted through an effigy, but the normal difficulty penalty imposed for using an effigy increases by +2 (see Principles of Contagion and Sympathy on pages 133-135 of Rites of the Blood).