Death

XIV. Death

“Bless me Father, for I have sinned.”

While all Persona-users have stories of their death, those dealt under the hand of Death have a twist to theirs: they didn’t die. They just caused someone else to.

There’s no mincing words. Every Death-user is a murderer.

Not that they meant to be. In many cases, it was an accident---not seeing the red light, misreading the dosage on the prescription---and for these Death-users, the shame and guilt at causing someone else’s death Awoke them to the power of Persona.

But for some, the murder was intentional. The mercy killing of fallen foes on the battlefield, the children who pulled the life support off of their parents, the serial killer---each faced death and took responsibility for it. These were the individuals who studied death, looked at their choices and chose to terminate a life because the alternative was something they couldn’t live with themselves.

This makes Death-users a surprisingly diverse lot. For every one that is mired in the guilt of ending a life, there are others who live well with their choices. In fact, some are proud of it. They know it takes a certain kind of steel to end a life, and they have it.

It can get to their heads, though society is quick to condemn those who strut their pride in killing. Regardless of how they claimed their power though, their mission is clear: now that they have started doling out death, they cannot stop. It is their duty to end the lives of those whose death will serve special needs.

In particular, they are the Cards who are often responsible for the Awakening of other Persona-users. The are tasked to create the conditions that would Awaken a Persona-user to their power. It’s a grim task, and someone has to do it. Besides, not all Persona-users actually die when they’re about to, right? They’re just awfully close to it? Right? Right?

Their Dealer isn’t answering. Rosario Montenegro is stunningly attractive woman who can turn any head in her direction. She’s calm, steadfast and really quite soft-hearted, as she mourns each soul she must rip from its body, even though it’s for a higher cause.

A great comfort to her is her faith. As Sister Bernadette of the Sisters of Mercy, she’s seen the misery of the human condition in various countries, and the evils caused by human beings who don’t think of the consequences of their actions. When she was much younger, Rosario was raped by a man she thought to be the best friend of her father.

Her father didn’t believe her, and she was beaten as she tried to explain how it wasn’t her fault that he attacked her. In time, the beating intensified as her father’s best friend found out that she was voiceless and continued molesting her and she kept pleading her case to various authorities, to no avail. She was too pretty and she probably asked for it---and this tore at Rosario as she knew this wasn’t the case.

It took two days before anyone noticed that Rosario’s father and his best friend were dead. By then, she had left the state and joined the convent under an assumed name. She uses her powers granted by her Persona to stay hidden, fulfilling the tasks given to her by her Arcana, her salvation.

The Powers of Death

Rosario prefers Servitors who see their duty as a higher calling. She also prefers psychics who could sense death before they Awakened. Among the ranks of Persona-users, Rosario herself is one of the most psychically inclined.

Death 1: Sense Death
Roll: Presence + Empathy.
This ability allows the Persona-user to sense the energies that surround death.

Exceptional Failure: The power fails to function, and cannot be used until the next day.

Failure: The power fails to function.

Success: The Persona-user detects death energies. He will know if any being died in the area that he is presently scanning. In addition, this ability allows him to identify the undead and communicate with them. Ghosts and spirits cannot use the Persona-user as a medium, however, though the Persona-user can speak for the spirits. Vampires, ghouls and other similar undead are detected as well.

Exceptional Success: The Persona-user also finds out the cause of death in a given area. Spirits who lie to him are proven false.

Death 2: Ignore Life
Roll: 1 Numen per turn. Reflexive.
For the duration of the turn, the Death-user ignores any damage he sustains. While he still sustains damage, he cannot feel any pain and is not in danger of fainting or getting knocked out due to extensive damage. He will die if his health runs out, however.

Death 3: Leech Life
Roll: Presence + Empathy + Numina vs. Stamina + Numina. 1 Numen per rank of damage healed.
Death-users use this ability to hasten the end to the lives of others while extending their own.

Exceptional Failure: The power channels backwards. The Death-user suffers the ill-effects of the power.

Failure: The power fails to function.

Success: For every 1 Numen the Death-user spends, he drains his target of 1 health slash equal to bashing damage. He in turns restores his healthy accordingly.

Exceptional Success: The damage healed and dealt is lethal.

Death 4: Festering Wound
Roll: Presence + Empathy + Numina vs. Stamina + Numina.
The ability ensures that death will come to those who resist it.

Exceptional Failure: The power fails to function and cannot be used for a week.

Failure: The power fails to function.

Success: The Death-user prevents wounds he inflicts from healing naturally. Those damaged by the Death-user cannot heal their wounds by natural means until after the curse has passed. Curative powers (such as the Moon’s Gentle Touch or Death’s Leech Life) still work. The ability lasts for one day for every Death Arcana rank the Persona-user has.

Exceptional Success: As Success.

Death 5: Forced Awakening
Roll: Presence + Empathy + Numina vs. Willpower + Stamina + Numina.
This ability creates another Persona-user.

Exceptional Failure: The strain is too great, and the Death-user is prevented from using his powers of Persona for a day.

Failure: The power fails to function.

Success: The Death-user forces psychic trauma so powerful that it emulates the effect of death on his target’s system. The target will then stay in a coma for one day for every Numina rank the Death-user has. At the end of each day, the target has to roll a Willpower check to see if he wakes up from the coma. Should he wake up, his power of Persona is activated. He is then Dealt according to his own Arcana. Should the target fail all Willpower rolls, he dies, unable to handle the freed power of his mind.

Exceptional Success: The duration the target may stay in a coma is doubled.