Wraith: The Oblivion

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Wraith: The Oblivion
publication
Author (s) Mark Rein · Hagen ,
Sam Chupp,
Jennifer Hartshorn
Original publisher White wolf
Original publication 1994 1st Edition
1996 2nd Edition
original language English
World and system
genre horror
Game world World of darkness
Basic system Storyteller system
Ascent Experience point purchase system
cube W10 (storyteller system)

Wraith: The Oblivion is a pen & paper role-playing game set in the fictional game world World of Darkness. The series was published by the US publisher White Wolf . The game of pen and sword was not published, but some technical terms from the game were used. a. Germanized for the clan book Giovanni from the game series Vampire: The Masquerade .

The game comes from the "Classic World of Darkness" and deals with ghosts, restless souls and the afterlife. Geist: The Sin-Eaters deals with a comparable topic within the “new World of Darkness” . In addition, many elements and terms from Wraith: The Oblivion have also flowed into the game and the game world of Exalted .

Game world

The game establishes that it can happen that the soul of a person who dies in the game world does not disappear, but remains in an underworld. It only plays a subordinate role whether the person was good or moral or not, but only that they have sufficiently strong ties to something material. These bonds are game-relevant value as Fetter and can be selected by the player for his character. Most people who die do not have this and their souls cannot be found in the underworld. Fetters can be individual objects like “the work of art that was created” or abstract things like “my descendants”. They always have to be material objects.

As a wraith (dt. Spirit), the soul of the dead is initially in an ectoplasm shell, from which the wraith can free itself if it is strong enough. Once this is done, the Wraith can move through the Shadowlands . He can see and hear everything in the material world, the skinlands , even if only muffled and shaped by his ability to perceive the essence of life and death in things. Therefore, the environment in the books is often portrayed as dreary, gray and bleak. The Wraith can also go through solid objects, such as closed doors or walls, through exertion (and the use of certain points on the character). So he has the opportunity to be close to his fats. Since it is a ghost, the Wraith is usually invisible to the living.

However, the Wraith has a body called a Corpus , which allows it to interact with other Wraith and objects in the Shadowlands. The corpus initially looks like the self-image of the dead.

In addition to the Fetters, every player also has to set goals for his Wraith: the Passions . Whenever the Wraith does something that serves this passion, it receives a certain number of energy points back in the rule mechanics, called pathos . Passions can be finishable tasks or endeavors with open ends. Each passion is also assigned a suitable emotion. If the Wraith does something that corresponds to this emotion, then it only receives one pathos point. Examples of Passions would be "My research should be recognized (pride)" or "Protect my descendants (sense of duty)". It should be noted that z. B. for “protecting my offspring”, “love” could also be a suitable basic emotion. There is an upper limit for pathos points.

It happens that portals open in the Shadowlands that lead into one dimension of the eternal storm: the Tempest . Within the Tempest there are safe paths and zones of calm in which various Wraith live permanently. If all the fats of a Wraith have been destroyed, then it just cannot be in this part of the underworld. In one of these quiet areas, at the mouth of the River Styx, lies the largest metropolis of the Wraith: Stygia .

In fact, the Wraith of different cultures have created their own empires and built up a state system. The empire led from Stygia (also called Stygian empire) is the standard setting for the game. The Empire also controls the Shadow Ark in much of the western world . The state has adopted various elements of the Roman Empire. Nominally includes all Wraith this region to the Empire, more precisely, one of the Legions (dt. Legions), depending on the manner of his death. The government apparatus of the empire is the hierarchy (dt. Hierarchy).

Besides the legions, but there is also the Guilds (dt. Guild). This is how the associations of Wraith were called, who were particularly good at mastering and practicing a certain supernatural ability, one of the Arcanoi . Comparable to the artisan guilds in the Middle Ages. The guilds are nominally forbidden by the hierarchy, but mostly continue to exist in secret. Learning an Arcanoi also leads to certain characteristic changes in the corpus of the Wraith, so that Wraith who are well versed in the use of an Arcanoi can often also be recognized.

There is no clear target besides the passions chosen by the player himself. However, there are goals that are considered worth striving for within the Wraith culture, or not. Many Wraith believe in Transcendence , so that they experience a kind of fulfillment and thereby their existence as Wraith is ended positively. Such Wraith are Heretics , since the hierarchy dictates that transcendence is neither attainable nor attainable. Heretics also speculate that all of the souls of the deceased who did not appear in the Shadowlands immediately attained this transcendence. Other Wraith believe that their fulfillment lies in a paradise according to their religion during their lifetime. The Far Shores , which can be reached through the Tempest, but probably only with the help of mysterious wraiths known as ferrymen , are regarded as such paradises . On the other hand there is Oblivion (dt. Forgetting). This is a power that Wraith wants to destroy. To do this, Oblivion uses evil spirits, so-called Specters , who were mostly Wraith themselves, but who then succumbed to their dark side.

That dark side of a Wraith is the Shadow . An evil awareness that leads the Wraith to do things that harm its fats or passions and, under certain circumstances, can also briefly gain control over the corpus of the Wraith. The Shadow is a specialty of Wraith: The Oblivion compared to other role-playing games, as the rules stipulate that each player represents the shadow of another player character in addition to his own character. For this purpose, each player should put on a mask or speak with a disguised voice to make it clear that he is now speaking as the shadow of another character assigned to him and only that character can hear him.

Wraith who succumb to their shadow become Spectren themselves, which is why the Wraith Society provides that weak-willed Wraith and possibly also criminals are brought to the Soul Forges (German soul forges ). Wraith pulling the newly formed Wraith out of their ectoplasm sheaths are known as reapers and are known to often take them to the forges as well. In the forge, the corpus of the Wraith is processed into a useful item and its consciousness is largely destroyed. The most common object of this type is a coin of the currency in Stygia, the obolus . Beings who were once in the soul forges are forever trapped in their new form and without a clear mind. Therefore, they cannot give in to their Shadow and become dangerous Spectra.

The laws of Stygia

These laws were passed by the founder of the Charon empire , compliance with which is more or less enforced, depending on how much power the local representatives of the hierarchy have and how corrupt they are. This Code of Charon specifically forbids interaction with the living.

The Arcanoi and the Guilds

The Arcanoi are the supernatural skills that the Wraith can learn. There is a guild for every Arcanoi.

Argos
The art of traveling, especially in the Tempest, is the craft of the Harbinger Gilde.
Castigate
The art of taming the Shadow and thereby fighting against Oblivion is the craft of the Pardoners , who are recognized as a group, although they are not or were not a formal guild.
Embody
The art of projecting the corpus into the material world (skinlands) and thereby interacting with the living is the craft of the Proctors . However, doing such a thing is forbidden (see Stygian Laws ).
Fatalism
The art of reading the sign of destiny in a soul and thus experiencing the past, present and future of a person is the craft of the oracles .
Inhabit
The art of exercising control over inanimate objects is the craft of the Artificers , who are also known for running the forges of souls and turning the bodies of other Wraith into inanimate, metallic objects.
Keening
The art of influencing feelings through songs and singing is the craft of the chanteurs .
Lifeweb
The art of manipulating the fats and their connections to Wraith is the craft of the Monitors guild.
Moliate
The art of changing the corpus of a Wraith is the craft of the Masquers . This Arcanoi also allows the permanent creation of soft objects, such as fabrics, if it is used in a process comparable to soul forging.
Outrage
The art of using telekinesis to influence the material world is assigned to the Spooks , of whom it is commonly assumed that they are only formally a guild, but have no structure.
Pandemonium
The art of creating chaos in a manner appropriate to ghosts and commonly used to drive the living out of a place is attributed to the Haunters .
Phantasm
The art of influencing the dreams of the living allows illusions to be created in the shadowlands and is assigned to the Sandmen Guild.
Puppetry
The art of taking over the body of a living person is also called skin riding and is used by the Puppeteers Guild, although the use of this acanoi is severely punished by the hierarchy.
Usury
The art of influencing pathos can also be used to heal or damage the corpus and is practiced by the usurers .

The following Acanoi and their guilds, which are not dealt with in the land register, play a subordinate role:

Flux
The art of influencing matter in the material world belongs to a group called alchemists .
Mnemosynis
The art of influencing memories was used by the Mnemoi who were once the judges of the underworld but were disbanded for a crime no one can remember.
Intimation
The art of influencing and changing the desires and needs of another person is particularly feared because of the danger of manipulating Passions. The solicitors took advantage of this arcanoi.

There are also a number of other Arcanoi in other additional books that are either assigned to other realms of the dead, or have meanwhile been replaced by the Arcanoi described above (such as a version of Inhabit from times with a lower level of technology).

The legions of Stygia

The legions of Stygia are:

The Iron Legion
The Iron Legion. Run by the Ashen Lady. The Iron Legion is made up of Wraith who died of old age.
The Skeletal Legion
The skeletal legion. Run by the Skeletal Lord. The skeletal legion consists of the sacrifice of disease.
The Grim Legion
The grim legion. Run by the Smiling Lord. The grim legion consists of the victims of violence.
The Penitent Legion
The repentant legion. Run by the Laughing Lady. The Legion is made up of the victims of madness.
The Emerald Legion
The Emerald Legion. Run by the Emerald Lord. The Legion is made up of the victims of bad luck.
The Silent Legion
The silent legion. Run by the Quiet Lord. The Legion is made up of victims of desperation.
The Legion of Paupers
The legion of the poor. Run by the Beggar Lord. The Legion is made up of the sacrifice of the supernatural.
The Legion of Fate
The Legion of Fate. Led by the Ladies of Fate. The Legion is made up of those whom fate has determined.

The dead

The realms of the dead in other parts of the world include:

Dark Kingdom of Ivory (German Dark Kingdom of Ivory)
The acrifcan underworld. Also called the bush of spirits by its inhabitants .
Dark Kingdom of Jade (German Dark Kingdom of Jade)
The ruling power in the Asian underworld. Is called the Middle Kingdom by its inhabitants and is characterized above all by its proximity to Yomi , a series of hell realms with very special themes, which is ruled by the Yama kings. The role play Kindred of the East is closely linked to the Asian realm of the dead. There is a source volume and an adventure volume for this realm of the dead.
Dark Kingdom of Flint (dt. Dark Kingdom of Flint / Feuerstein)
The eternal hunting grounds of the Native Americans. This realm was destroyed by the Stygian Empire and the territory in the Shadowlands conquered.
Dark Kingdom of Obsidian (German Dark Kingdom of Obsidian)
The realm of the dead of Central and South America. By the inhabitants and Smoking Mirror (dt. Mutatis mutandis Veiled Mirror ) called. Was largely conquered by the Stygian Empire.
Dark Kingdom of Sand (dt. Dark Kingdom of Sand)
Also known as Khem or Duat. The underworld of Egypt
The Sunless Sea
A loose collection of various underworlds in Polynesia
Dark Kingdom of Clay (dt. Dark Kingdom of Clay)
The underworld of Australia
Swar
The seemingly paradisiacal city of the dead Hindus.
Enclaves of Wire (Eng. The enclaves of the (bar) wire)
A loose collection of protectorates under the control of the Dybuks, the spirits of the victims of the Holocaust.
New Orleans
Officially belonging to the Dark Kingdom of Ivory, the city is more of a free state and home to a group of Wraith who call themselves "Les Invisibles" (dt. The Invisibles). The invisibles can also be found in large parts of the Caribbean and are known to use Arcanoi Puppetry on willing people.

Supernatural beings and death

  • Demons as they appear in the game Demon: The Fallen only appear in the world after the end of the realm of the dead , as described in Wraith: The Oblivion . As their own kind of ghosts that need a host body, they are ghost-like again after the death of a host, but cannot be compared with Wraith.
  • Hunters like those in the game Hunter: The Reckoning are protected by their conviction from becoming Wraith after death. In addition, the appearance of the first hunters and the end of the realm of the dead, as described in Wraith: The Oblivion , are roughly simultaneous events.
  • Mummies , as they were described in the source books A World of Darkness: Mummy and Mummy (2nd Edition) prior to the events of Mummy: The Resurrection , were effectively Wraith in the times when their bodies needed to be rebuilt after their destruction. Post-event mummies portrayed in Mummy: The Resurrection remain in a ghost-like state while their bodies rebuild, but this is not to be compared to existence as Wraith.
  • Vampires such as those found in Vampires: The Masquerade usually do not become Wraith. Their souls are damned by the curse of vampirism.
  • Changelings as they appear in the game Changeling: The Dreaming are reborn, this is an essential part of their immortal fairy soul.
  • Werewolves , and probably the other shapeshifter races as well, as they appear in the game Werewolf: The Apocalypse , return to Gaia after death; However, some werewolf books suggest a rebirth as a werewolf. However, werewolves estranged from Gaia can on rare occasions become Wraith.

End of the game world

It is the only game that officially ended before the end of the World of Darkness series. The final source volume, Ends of the Empire, leaves the underworld in a sustained, violent storm, the sixth and so far most violent Maelstorm . While this fact has little influence in the source material of other older game series (e.g. with the vampires of the clan Giovanni from Vampire: The Masquerade or the werewolves of the tribe of the silent wanderers from Werewolf: The Apocalypse ) it is an essential part of the game series, which at the same time with or after the official end of Wraith: The Oblivion , namely Hunter: The Reckoning , Mummy: The Resurrection and Demon: The Fallen .

White Wolf also released a follow- up game that takes up the ghost theme within the World of Darkness : Orpheus

literature

Anthologies

Novels

Rules of the game

There are no German-language books on Wraith: The Oblivion , but a list of all English-language publications can be found on Wikipedia: en: List of Wraith: The Oblivion books .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ ISBN 3-931612-81-3
  2. ^ A World of Darkness: Mummy . 1995, ISBN 1-56504-026-0
  3. ↑ Mummy . 2nd edition. 1996, ISBN 1-56504-206-9
  4. ^ Ghost Town . ISBN 1-56504-343-X