Dying Conspiracy- Ebony Fangs

**LostLight** · 12-28-2013, 01:18 PM

History

According to the records of the Fangs, the survivors of the city managed to escape the underworld and started immediately to fulfill their mission. They traveled between the different communities in Mesopotamia, offering their skills as exorcists and ghost hunters. They lived nomad life, never staying in one place more than what was necessary to vanquish the escaping dead. During that time they were named as the Silent Priests, for they barely talked with anyone who wasn't part of their community. Most people had feared them and some cities even didn't let them get in for supplies and rest, fearing the lonely priests- until their town was plagued by the spirits of the dead, and then they sent messengers for miles and miles away in order to fetch them.

Because of their isolation, the future Fangs has married only with each other, giving birth to children which were taught about the secrets of Irkalla and their mission since their childhood. However, as time passed their number has started to become low and there was a real threat of them being extinct. Thankfully, the Priests has found a solution- they started to accept other exiles into their ranks. Murderers on the run, rebels, escaped slaves, people who were broken in their minds or bodies, babies which were left to die, cursed mediums and black witches- all of those were welcomed in their company as long as they accepted their way of life. Slowly, the small group has grown in power by absorbing the other outcasts and even learned new information and powers from some of the lost souls. They have visited almost anywhere in the Middle East and beyond- Canaan, Babylon, Ashur, and even Egypt and Libya.

However, some problems has started to show after few years of growing and traveling- they have became too big to travel together. In fact, they have became so big that some of the people of the region stopped using their old name and started calling the the Black Pilgrims. They didn't had enough resources in order to feed all of them or helping the sick- and so, without choice, the Black Pilgrims has decided to split. They were divided to a number of groups, each with its own course and places which were under their responsibility. While they were allowed to gather new blood to their organization, they weren't allowed to split into a new group without the permission of the other groups. Each such cell of hunters was appointed to be a ruled by a single leader, which was called as the Gatekeeper, and every year and a day (which was decided in order to remember their mission) all of the cells would gather again in the place were they first split, which was called as the Black Spot. They didn't knew it, but that was their beginning as a conspiracy.

In a matter of a decade, the Pilgrims has spread through all of the middle east. hunting the dead while hiding their identity and connection to the Great lady of Kigal. And as they spread, they absorbed new ideas and philosophies. They hunted down both ghosts and those which housed another soul in their body, in a similar way to what Inanna has did. They kept themselves to the lower caste and outcasts, avoiding the notice of the royals- unless they had to. And at each country they visited, they changed Ereshkigal's name in order to fit to the place. In Canaan they called her Mot, the great hole. In Egypt she was named as Amut, the eater of of hearts. When they got to Greece and Hellenism spread, she was named Persephone, the Queen of the Dead. And as their influence grew, they tracked down death cults, necromancers and mediums and either absorbed them or killed them- depended if they hosted another soul in their heart or not- in order to prevent another disaster as what happened to the old Kigal. They infiltrated Persia, and slowly made their way to China. They entered Europe, going all the way to old Scandinavia and Russia. And when Rome rose, the Pilgrims- who now named themselves as the Fangs- joined it, moving in the shadows of the empire and recruiting new members from the slaves and other lost souls.

However, the Fangs has spread so much that the old laws of their organization couldn't fit anymore- there were too many Gatekeepers, and the conspiracy was on the verge of breaking apart. In order to stop it, the Gatekeeper met together and decided on a new hierarchy- there will be only 7 Gatekeepers, one for each of the Gates of Irkalla, and unlike the rest of the organization they and their group won't move. Each Gatekeeper will be in touch with 7 other leaders, which will be in touch with 7 other leaders, and so on and so on. This way, they could create a vast network of information- especially that every cell would have to report to the 7 cells they are in touch with every month in order to still be part of the organization. In an addition, the conspiracy could recruit only from those of the lowest caste or from those which were harmed by the dead- and that decision was bound by the powers of their goddess.

When Rome has fallen, the Fangs survived. The Middle Ages of Europe were a good time for them- with so many people suffer because of poverty and sickness, the ghosts of the dead were found in any corner, and the conspiracy was constantly needed and they have had enough potential members. While they had to hide their connections to Ereshkigal from the evolving Christianity, their still sold their services to anyone who asked them to. In fact, they had so much work to do that they had to stop their affairs in the Far East and focus all of their efforts in Europe. Some have even disguised themselves as Christians so they won't be hunted as heathens and witches, and during that time they absorbed some of the faiths of the Church.

Once the so called "New World" was found by the Europeans, the Fangs came with them, planning to explore the new region and see if they have something new to learn. At first, they had a little interest with the native cultures of America, and so they remained in Europe- but as the natives and the settlers has started to fight each other, the Fangs also came in order to put the ghosts of the dead to their finale rest. Being separated by the sea, however, was too much than the information network of the conspiracy could handle, and so the Gatekeepers has decided on dividing the conspiracy- 4 Gatekeepers to protect Europe, and the 3 others to supervise the Americas.

Most of the time passed without any special events to the Fangs, with them having to deal with the ghosts which were left from the struggles between both the natives and the settlers. Every year and a day all of the Gatekeepers would meet together, but most of the time they were separated, and each group worked on its own.

The World Wars has changed everything.

As the WWI has started, the European branch has sent a distress call, asking for help- there were too many dead, and too many of them have either left souls behind or have cheated death. But the American branch didn't sent help- it had its own problems. Very few new members has joined the organization, for life were more interesting than death. People, even the poor ones, didn't saw the allure in joining the pessimistic organization which didn't really cared for the living. The Americans were trying to create a new tradition, not clinging to the past- and the Fangs couldn't offer that. Eventually, the calls for help has stopped- and the American branch has thought they managed to deal with the problem by themselves.

They were wrong.

Few months after the end of the war, the American branch was surprised to discover a group of no more than 20 members of the European branch knocking on their doors, asking for help. Apparently, the World War was too much than they could handle- rivers of the dead has surrounded them, screaming in their ears and crying tears of blood. The Fangs has tried to stop them- but there weren't enough of them. Some were possessed by the dead. Others have committed suicide in order to stop the screams. Those who tried to fight the ghosts lost, dying horribly. Few have even turned traitors by themselves, escaping death just like how Inanna has did. They claimed that it was a wonder Europe didn't sank into the underworld.

Without much choice, the Fangs has elected new Gatekeepers, deciding to focus on the United States. The fall of the European branch was an hard hit for the organization- for most of their knowledge and resources were in their hands, and even thought the American branch was independent it gained much of its financial support from the European one. Without it, they lacked both resources and information, and they had to meet together in order to piece out the few shards of information they had into a working system. When the WWII has started, they organization has- wisely- decided to stay away. The number of dead souls could have easily drown the remaining members and erase the whole organization off the map.

However, it seemed like the organization simply chose a slow death over a quick one. With more members dying than joining, the power of the Fangs slowly dwindled. Once they could at least tempt the poor into joining by offering them money. Now, even that was lost. Today, they still have 7 Gatekeepers and keep in touch only with 7 cells, but it is more out of respect to tradition than a need- they are so small that they have returned to their old ways, staying together in small groups and marrying each other inside of the organization. They can barely monitor the United States, with the Gatekeepers staying in New Orleans while the rest travel through the land, trying to find those social outcasts which has no choice but joining the Fangs. Today, they barely could even be called as a conspiracy anymore, and are on the edge of falling into a compact. Even their powers over the dead has weakened, and some suspect it is only a mater of years before they'll be forgotten and vanish like they have never been.

However, it doesn't stop them from doing their job in protecting the world. Everything has an end, even to them, so they must make sure they'll do their job the best they can as long as they are alive.

They may be dying, but even a dying beast still have its Fangs.

**LostLight** · 12-30-2013, 12:28 PM

The Enemy

The Fangs are interested only in the dead. While individual hunters may find interest in other monsters, as whole the main concern of the conspiracy is to separate the world above from the world bellow in order to prevent any recreation of the disaster of Kigal. While very few (if any) of the original survivors of the ancient realm has survived to this day, their legacy has been kept by the organization. Any creature which violets the boundary between the living and the dead is a potential target for the Fangs, and they do what they can in order to hunt them down.

Ghosts are the most common adversary of the Fangs. Those echos of lost souls are mistakes, things which were never meant to be. When Kigal stood strong under Ereshkigal's guidance, those souls could have stayed in the world only for a year and a day before the laws of the underworld has forced them to move on. After the fall of the realm, many ghosts are stuck in this world, repeating endlessly the same missions again and again in a meaningless cycle. The Fangs see releasing those poor things from this world as an act of mercy, and while they prefer to use a peaceful negotiation with those beings or using the blessings of their goddess, some won't hesitate to directly cut down their fetters- even if those fetters are living people.

The Bound and their geists (which are called as Gidim) are the most hated enemies of the Fangs. They are the reason for all of the mess in the first place, and many of them don't even understand that excepting the Bargain was a bad thing. While originally the organization has hunted them down with zeal, today they are more moderate toward them because of the change in times and fall of their powers. They will not attack those Bounds which use their powers in order to help the dead or that simply don't use them repeatedly. Those which use their powers for personal gain, however, are hunted down by the Fangs. Free Gidim, however, are always destroyed, For this way the Fangs save themselves a lot of trouble with dealing with future Bound.

Because each creature which breaks the laws of life and death is an enemy of the Fangs, there are other enemies with which the organization deal with. Vampires are another common enemy for the Fangs, and they claim them to be the heirs of ancient Gilgamesh. According to their version of the story, the king did found immortality- by drinking the blood of his friend Enkidu. While their information on those beings and their capabilities is , more or less, limited (having inhuman strength and speed, vulnerable to fire and sunlight, some can control minds or having other exotic powers, drinking blood, etc) they do have a more information about 3 types of bloodsuckers, with two of them because they manipulate the dead while the third because of their shared origin- a family of necromancers from Italy, a line of ghost eaters which may have some connection to Vlas Tsepes and finally- the En, a line of vampires which house another spirit inside of them, similarly to the way the Bound house their Gidim. The Fangs also have a limited knowledge which was recovered from the European branch about another type of vampiric spirit in the shape of an owl- the lilitu. It seems like the other vampires don't like them that much, but this is more or less all they know.

Another lesser adversary is a type of monster which the fangs name as the Anunnaku. Those are god kings from an older age, which are too powerful for the Fangs to usually deal with. Fortunately, those beings seem to spend most of their time in a death like sleep, rising only at certain events or when their cult calls them from their grave. Because of that, the Fangs usually target the cult before they could summon their sleeping god, and this way they prevent it from rising for a long time.

The reanimated are also seen as an enemy for the Fangs, although they don't know much on them- just that they exist and that their very existence destroys the land. werewolves, witches and other creatures are left alone mostly, as long as they won't mess up with the dead. Slashers are another point of interest for the Fangs- for their killings usually leave trails of lingering ghosts, and the Fangs have little moral issues in severing that fetter. Finally, there are those beings which are collectively called "immortals". Those creatures have cheated death, one way or another, and usually it comes on the place of the life of others. Those who kill in order to live longer are killed, while those which somehow transcendent both life and death are mostly left alone.

**LostLight** · 12-30-2013, 12:28 PM

Hunters

Both your mother and father were Fangs. They didn't hid that fact from you, but told you to keep it secret for other may misunderstand what does it mean to be part of such an organization. They taught you all kinds of secrets about the the underworld, Ereshkigal and their mission. When you were old enough, they took you with them to see how they banish a ghost or kill a revenant. When they've decided they have prepared you the best they can, they sent you away- to join a group of hunters which you've never met and wander around in search of the dead. While you don't have hard feeling toward them, sometimes, when the dead scream in your hears, you wonder if it was better to be born to another family.

You were an homeless, losing everything you had because of your damn addiction to gambling. Your wife has left you, taking your children with her. One night, a storm came. You were supposed to die in the cold rain, when a stranger has approached you- offering his help- he'll save you from certain death in the cold weather in return for joining his group. While it sounded like a cult, you agreed- after all, it was either join or die. Now, you have warm cloths and enough food to eat- but you are still cold, just that this cold doesn't come from the rain, but from the touch of lost souls.

You killed someone. It was out of self defense, but you couldn't proof it in court. They gave you the capital punishment- dying by poison. You spent your last night watching at the wall, counting the minutes until you'll die, when suddenly chaos has erupted in the prison. Someone broke into the prison, and that someone has showed up in front of you cell. He opened the door somehow, and busted you out. When both of you were in a safe distance from the prison, he told you that the soul of the person you killed is still attached to you, and that it doesn't want you to die- at least, not before it would apologies. At first you thought he was crazy- but than the ghost manifested, and you were so shocked you could barely speak. After finishing the awkward conversion, the ghosts vanished, leaving you and you savior all alone. When you asked what was going to happen now, he told you that you have two options- to return to prison and accept your death, or join him in his hunt after the dead. You didn't had any clue about what he was talking, but agreed to join. Sometimes, you think you chose wrongly- by hey, at least you are alive to regret it, right?

When your girlfriend was killed by a bus, you mourned. You were together for 3 years, and truly loved her. But after few years, you decided it was the time to move on and went on dating again- however, it seemed like you were cursed, for each date has failed somehow. At the first, you didn't found your wallet. At the second, you mistakenly went to the lady's room when you looked for bathroom. At the third, you were stinking from something rotten. Each date was like that- but you kept trying. After a while, the letters has started to come- they have been love letters, but the way they were written was.. disturbing. And it wasn't only their content (which asked you to stop seeing other women, for doing so is cheating)- you recognized the hand writing. You ignored the letters, thinking it was some kind of a sick joke, and when the rotten flowers has started to show up in front of your door, you went to the police. One night, you woke up from a strange noise- and discovered a truly horrifying sight. Your girlfriend returned, her body is rotten and wounded and she held roses at one hand and a knife in the other. She told you she wants top be together with you- forever. Just as she rose her knife, another women has broke in and stabbed your dead girlfriend in the chest using a long knife- and your former girlfriend has fallen and didn't rose again. You said thanks, but the woman didn't wanted you thanks. She told you that you owe her, and that you'll help her hunt the dead. You tried to object, but she simply replied that if you won't agree, your girlfriend won't be the last to haunt you. Sure, she may have been lying- but the knife in her hand was sharp enough to convince you.

You always knew you were different. Since you were little you talked with people that others didn't saw. At first they thought it was just a phase, but when it didn't stopped you were sent for a "special treatment". The pills didn't worked, but they still forced you to take them. Eventually, you stopped talking about those people- but you were still treated as crazy. Without friends or caring family, you thought you were all alone in the world- when one day, you noticed someone who was talking to those "imaginary people"- and he noticed that you noticed. You asked him how could he see you hallucinations, and the man looked at you at mercy. He told you you aren't crazy, and that he can help you. You agreed. For the first time in your life, someone helped you. You have finally found your place- now, you have a family.

**LostLight** · 12-30-2013, 12:29 PM

Stereotypes

Cheiron Group: They are older than they seem. While they try to pretend to be a regular medicine company, our records show that their "logo" dates to much older times. What it means and what is their goal I don't know- if the Fangs ever knew, that knowledge was lost during the fall of the European Branch. Thankfully, it seems that our interests are not their interests- for the Dead have no body to reap.

Loyalists of Thule: I've met one of those, once. We both searched after a ghost which was doing a lot of trouble- apparently, it was the ghost of some Nazi, which didn't stopped killing. I don't really care about the ideology of the ghost as long as it moves on, but that guy cared. While banishing that wicked soul wasn't that interesting, what I've learned from from my partner was. I proposed to work with them through the network in order to retrieve our lost knowledge- but this is for the Gatekeepers to decide.

Cainte Heresy: How such a group even exist? They lack any leadership, and unified network and any corporation between the members, while we have them all. Still, we are dying and they are thriving. Maybe if we'll learn their secret, than we could avoid out own demise.

Null Mysteriis: After the fall of the European branch, we made many attempts to recover what we lost. One of those attempts was to contact those so called "paranormal scientists". They claimed to be able to explain anything through their "theories" and that there is a "scientific explanation for anything". Our conversations didn't worked well, for they simply weren't willing to hear anything about Irkalla and the Old Laws while they kept talking nonsense about their ridiculous theories. We still watch them, however, in case one of those "ridiculous theories" would actually work.

"I'm sorry, but there are no second chances. Now stand still and let me kill you again, ok?"

Sidebars:

Great Lady Bellow Earth

Who is Ereshkigal? Is she really a goddess? Does she really was once a human? Did Kigal really did exist? And if so, how powerful is she?

No one really knows. The Fangs have never met her- not in visions, not in dreams, and of course not in person. Actually, the Fangs have no proof of her existence, accept of that they powers work. Some of the Fangs has wandered into the Underworld in search after the lost Kigal in an attempt to ask her for help- but now one has found her realm between the thousands of Dead Dominions and endless rivers. That made some of the members of the organization to start and doubt the existence of their Lady. After all, if she exist, than why did she let them die out? Why did she abandoned them? Those people search after an alternative theory for how their powers work- and some of them end up as the servants of powerful Kerberos.

Those who are still loyal to their origin story try to find excuses for the silence of her goddess- she has power only in the world of the Dead, some claim. Others say that it is some kind of test of faith, and that the Fangs must proof themselves loyal to her. Few tell that she is weakened because of many years of trying to control Kigal- and that she needs prayers to become strong again. Those people lead cults and make sacrifices in her name. They claim it makes their powers work better. However, no one has seen any actual difference in their preforming.

So does she exist? And if so, what is she? Is she one of the Chatonians, those dead gods which never lived? Her ability to control the Old Laws may point that she is a power Kerberos by herself. However, there is another possibility- she may be a deathlord- or death-lady? That would give her enough power to make new laws which bind the dead and the living and hide her whole Dominion from her Fangs- but if that's the case, than why doesn't she help her own believers?

That may have another, more simple yet dreadful reason- it could be that Ereshkigal simply doesn't believe she should try and save her Fangs. Everything has an end after all- and as all of the Fangs know, she never believed in second chances.

Becoming a Traitor

So, as any person could see, the Fangs are close to death- many of them are mediums or other people with macabric power even before entering the conspiracy, and even if they didn't had those powers before the blessings of their goddess are enough to make them close to death. In that case, does it mean that the Fangs could turn into their own most hated enemy?

Depends.

While those who have just joined the Conspiracy are a potential target for the Bargains of the Gidim, after some time (Status 2) they are not a valid target for it. And if it is not enough, no member of the conspiracy with Status above 2 can leave a ghost after his death or be Embraced by a vampire or be ghouled. Their body also can't be used in order to make a reanimated nor can they use any of the methods detailed in Immortals in order to prolong their life. They can still turn to any other template, however. The question is- why is it happening?

No one knows. There are two major theories among the Fangs. The first is that Ereshkigal herself has made sure that their souls won't be able to turn upon their own members, and each time they die, she takes their souls directly to Irkalla. Others think that the explanation is more simple- they claim that in the same way that the Fangs were bound to recruit only certain people, their souls were also bound by the Laws to always move on.

Of course, there are other, stranger theories- the more scientific members claims that the body of the Fangs is filled with a lot of Death energy, and that because Death works like gravity, it pulls them into the world of the dead too fast for the Embrace of the Bargain to work. Others, from the more religious and nihilistic Fangs, claim that Ereshkigal feeds upon their souls once they die in order to strength herself. Some even whisper that they don't even have souls, for in order that the Laws will work they must be already dead inside. The truth? That's up for each individual storyteller.

Joining the Fangs

The major reason that the conspiracy is dying is because that years ago, the Gatekeeprs did something really foolish, which looked smart in the time. In order to protect their group, they used the powers given them by their goddess in order to limit those who could join the conspiracy. It was because the Gatekeepers feared that maybe their organization will draw too much attention or be involved in politics if the recruit freely- and besides, they could undo the Laws at any time, right?

And here was when they were mistaken.

Their fear was unjustified- they didn't needed the Laws in order to not grow too much. They could just keep on low profile and rely on the old habits of the conspiracy, but they were afraid, and they didn't thought that one day, the poor and miserable will have other options other than joining them. They also didn't thought that one day their organizations will lose most of its resources to draw new members. And they truly didn't thought that one day they will lose the knowledge about how to undo those Laws.

That knowledge wasn't lost in Europe during the World War. It was lost even much earlier- during the Middle Ages. And now, the Fangs are stuck- they can't recruit new members freely, and that slowly kills the organization.

according the the Laws, the only ones which can join the organization are those from the lowest social status, escapee criminals, those which are exiled from their home, people which were harmed by the dead, mediums and other people with affinity for death, social outcasts and the children of two of the members. No other person is able to join the Fangs and get the benefits of their Endowments.

If, for some reason, the person will decide to stay in the organization and get at least 1 Status dot, the Laws will come to effect. Within a month, all of the the members in the member's cell will lose access to their powers. After another month, the 7 cells with whom they are in contact will also lose their powers- and so on and so on. Eventually, the whole conspiracy will lose its endowment- which will be the Fangs "final death", unless the member is kicked out.

While most of the Fangs accept that situation, few think that the only way to save the conspiracy is to find the lost knowledge about how to lift the Laws. Those members will try to uncover the Fangs' history and track down any place which the Fangs once traveled. In order to do so, they'll have to first recover the lost information of the European Branch- which is a great mission by its own.

Optional: Not Dying, but Dead

A fallen conspiracy. Once they had great powers, but now they have nothing. Connection to the world of the dead and old laws. An history and mythology which sounds like it was made up. Worshiping a goddess which isn't exist.

Sounds familiar?

Only if you want to.

If you want, you could treat the Fangs as the remains of one of the Dead Conspiracies of Geist- great organizations which once ruled the world of the dead. They weren't Sin Eaters, but a group of Bound which worshiped a great Kerebros called Ereshkigal- but eventually, the Kerebros has vanished and left its faithful behind. The conspiracy has slowly fallen like the other conspiracies, until the only ones in its cult were a few confused mortals. The powers they use still work because of the connection to the Kerebros, and their laws work by evoking its power.

Like I've said, it is only optional, and the chances are that if you use that option, than the Fangs are going to be antagonists, not protagonists. However, I don't force you- feel free to mix and match!

**LostLight** · 12-30-2013, 12:29 PM

Traditions
Once, the Traditions were simply different ways to see Death, all track their origin to the same, small, middle-eastern death cult, which was led by the survivors of Kigal. They didn't had their queen- goddess's knowledge of Irkalla, and so they created different philosophies in order to explain Death and different traditions to follow those ideas of the Great Lady. However, as the former conspiracy has start to decline, the Traditions changed their focus from the more general Death to the death of their very organization..

The Tradition of Nihilism (Free Specialty- Weaponry: Scythe) sees the death as the end of all things. This is what make us all equal- we all shall all stand before the Lady, and those which try to avoid that fate deserve to meet Her more than everyone else. Today, they agree that the organization is dying- yet they seem to accept it. If it is the will of the Lady, they will die, and someone else shall be chosen by her. In the end, all shall bow before her- one way or another.

The Tradition of Entropy (Free Specialty- Investigation: Paranormal), on the other end, see Death simply as change- just as ice melts into water, and wood burns into ash, humans become souls. It is just a change, and there is nothing to get scared from it. When they release one of restless dead from this world they only allow it to progress- which is for its best, in fact. Their approach for the organization is that the Fangs should fundamentally change themselves in order to find their place in the new world. The Lady have many names, and so she must have a modern incarnation. Their form may change, but their inside- serving Death by helping both the living and the dead- should remain the same, which makes them into the most fervent searchers for a way to change the Laws of recruitment

The last great Tradition is the Tradition of Eternity (Free Specialty- Occult: Necromancy). Death is eternal, and so is the underworld. It is a place of memories and endless void. While life should evolve, the dead must remain the same, and only by doing so they can become as eternal as Death. They believe that the Fangs should do the same- and the reason their organization is falling apart is because it TRIED to change and it, ultimately, failed. Now, they lost most of their information and magic, leaving only some scattered techniques. They must preserve themselves and find everything they lost, focusing only on themselves they so could return to be the great beast they once were.

**LostLight** · 12-30-2013, 12:30 PM

Status
Status in the Fangs is based upon your devotion for your cause. The more you act according to the Tradition you have chosen (for all Traditions are respected as different aspects of death), and the more you sacrifice in order to serve the organization, the better the other members look on you. When the conspiracy is dying, loyalty to the Fangs' principles is the most important thing. While they organization lack structure and resources, it did gathered enough old rites and information in order to help its members.

0- under the teachings of your mentors, you have learned how to feel the presence of the restless dead. You get Unseen Senses (Ghosts and the Underworld)

000- After your time within the Fangs, you learn enough from the remaining ancient texts in order to improve your performance when fighting against the dead. You get +3 die bonus for when Summoning, Exorcising, Abjuring, Warding or Binding a ghost or a similar entity from the underworld.

00000- you have survived in the Fangs so long, that some members have started to look for you in order to find a way to save the organization. Some even say that you have been chosen by the Lady herself. While you don't know if it's true or false, you do know that you have drawn the attention of one of the 7 Gatekeepers. You can choose one of them to be used as a 4 dots Mentor.

**LostLight** · 12-30-2013, 12:31 PM

Endowment: Laws of Irkalla (0-00000)

The Laws of Irkalla, sometimes called as the Old Laws or simply the Laws, are the powers given to the Fangs by the Lady in order to fulfill their mission. According to the faith of the Fangs, the Laws work by calling the name of their Lady to force a certain taboos upon their target. Usually, the ability to rebuke or make those laws are kept to the Deathlords and, to some extent, to the Law Keepers (or the Kereboi, as they sometimes called) and the Neverborn (the dead gods of the underworld. Sometimes called Chatonians). However, the Fangs believe that their were given the Mandate upon the underworld by their goddess, and that she has allowed them to create new Laws by her name. Each such Law must be approved personally by her, however, which means that sometimes she won't allow the use of the Law (and may even punish the rude Fang for using her name for such a trivial nonsense). Of course, there are no proofs for that theory except of the faith of the Fangs, and some weird theories are hard from time to time- especially since the fall of the European Branch.

Once, things were a lot simpler- the Fangs new exactly which Laws they could invoke and upon whom they could, and that way they could use the Mandate more efficiently, including how to bend or remove their effects. Today, however, the list of the Laws- and how to remove them- has been lost together with the European branch. That means that in order to use the Laws, the Fang must improvise, calling the name of Ereshkigal on many different situations and seek after a way in which they ritual would work. Sometimes, the Law is invoked fantastically, creating a connection to Irkalla and forcing the Lady's will upon the fools. Sometimes, it fails horribly, drawing the wrath of the Lady. However, on the plus side, it sometimes allow the Fang to find new Laws which weren't known in the past- like forcing someone to give you all of his money or not allowing someone to see you.

In order to invoke the law, the Fang must first to phrase it. the Law must contain a number of factors- first, each Law must start with calling for Ereshkigal. Second, it must declare who it will target. There are two types of valid "targets"- the "Living" (anything which is alive), the "Dead" (ghosts and things which come from the underworld), and "Gods" (a word used to anything which is neither alive or dead, like spirits and angels). Kindredand mummies and other such beings are also considered as dead for the purpose of the Laws, while Sine Eaters and prometheans are considered "Alive". The Third part in to say what the Law is supposed to do. For example, not allowing a living person to touch you, or not allowing a ghost to use a numina unless it has first asked permission from the Fang. Finally, the Law must be engraved into a physical item, and so it must be adjusted to the use of that item. That means that that if you want to stop an undead creature from, entering into your house, you can engrave a Law on a key which means "By the name of Ereshkigal, the Dead won't be able to Enter to the house which was locked by this key".

After engraving the Law into the item, the character must than make the following Roll to see if she successfully used her Mandate and didn't offended Ereshkigal. If everything goes right, the Law is ready to be used. If things go wrong, however, it could draw the wrath of the goddess, and she won't give her gifts generously..
Cost: One Willpower point
Action: Instant
Dice Pool: Occult + laws of Irkalla- [every use of the Laws during that day. reset at midnight]
Roll Results:
Dramatic Failure: Apparently, you called down the wrong Law or misused your Mandate over the Dead, and your goddess decided to show her displeasure from you. You suffer 1 level of Bashing damage for every dot you have in the Laws, plus another level for every time you used the ritual that day.
Failure: The Laws is wrong, and it won't work- or that for some reason Ereshkigal decided to not lend you her help. However, you don't know it- and you won't know until you'll try.
Success: The Laws works exactly as you wrote it down. It works for [Dots in Laws]*2 hours, so you better use it up as long as it is valid! Also, next time you try to use exactly that Law, add +1 die
Exceptional Success: same as regular Success, but you get +2 die for the next time you use that Law.

**LostLight** · 12-30-2013, 04:49 PM

did some minor edits for Mythology and History

**LostLight** · 01-01-2014, 03:58 PM

added some info :P

**LostLight** · 01-05-2014, 05:34 PM

added Traditions

**LostLight** · 01-06-2014, 05:41 PM

added Status

**LostLight** · 01-07-2014, 05:13 PM

and added the Endowment- well, that's it, more or less!

**Tymeaus Jalynsfein** · 01-14-2014, 12:00 PM

Full Write-up?

**LostLight** · 01-14-2014, 12:10 PM

well- yeah, I think that this is everything :P
(if you are talking about a pdf- see Raziel..)

Dying Conspiracy- Ebony Fangs

Dying Conspiracy- Ebony Fangs

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment