Post by Ashurr on Jun 1, 2008 19:40:02 GMT -5
When the Kindred is ready, she performs her rituals
and simultaneously meditates to achieve the soul of clay.
If she is successful, she enters the chrysalis and may
change her undead condition just slightly, learning a tier
of the Coils of the Dragon.
The chrysalis, according to the Dragons, feels initially
like returning to the womb. Everything is dark and warm,
and, for a short time, the vampire feels comforted. It is
in this brief moment of control and safety that the Kindred
must exert her will and change herself, for to wait
too long in this state is to invite disaster.
In the chrysalis, the vampire’s consciousness is separate
from her soul and body. This state of affairs is what
allows her to make changes to her condition, rather like
making adjustments to the workings of a machine. If
she successfully makes these changes, she can restart the
machine (returning her mind to its proper “place”), and
return to consciousness with the changes, the Coil, in
place. If the vampire waits, however, she feels the darkness
close in around her. She is not alone. Her Beast
lurks here as well, waiting for the opportunity it needs.
During every second the Dragon waits, her Beast attempts
to escape from the cage of her mind. If the character
waits too long, she might return to consciousness
to find that her Beast has corrupted one or more of her
Disciplines, even her other Coils. This doesn’t happen often, however, because
Dragons are warned of the possibility every step of
the way, taught how to avoid it and given the best
possible conditions for avoiding such unpleasant
mishaps. A vampire’s coterie, mentor or both look
after her when she enters the chrysalis, though some
Kindred insist on being alone during this vulnerable
time. This caution stems in part from loyalty
(or at least professional courtesy) toward the Kindred,
but mostly from the knowledge that if a
vampire’s Beast infects her, the damage is normally
irrevocable. The Dragon must then be destroyed,
but because the fall to the Beast was the result of
one failed attempt at change rather than a long series
of inhuman acts, the vampire is much cannier
than a vampire lost to Wassail would normally be.
While a vampire that has been given over to the
Beast is normally a ravening monster with no urges
other than sleeping and killing, a vampire who loses
her mind through a botched chrysalis is somewhat
more intelligent. Though she degenerates quickly,
she is capable of wreaking a great deal of damage
on the mortals and possibly the Kindred of the area
if not caught and destroyed.
and simultaneously meditates to achieve the soul of clay.
If she is successful, she enters the chrysalis and may
change her undead condition just slightly, learning a tier
of the Coils of the Dragon.
The chrysalis, according to the Dragons, feels initially
like returning to the womb. Everything is dark and warm,
and, for a short time, the vampire feels comforted. It is
in this brief moment of control and safety that the Kindred
must exert her will and change herself, for to wait
too long in this state is to invite disaster.
In the chrysalis, the vampire’s consciousness is separate
from her soul and body. This state of affairs is what
allows her to make changes to her condition, rather like
making adjustments to the workings of a machine. If
she successfully makes these changes, she can restart the
machine (returning her mind to its proper “place”), and
return to consciousness with the changes, the Coil, in
place. If the vampire waits, however, she feels the darkness
close in around her. She is not alone. Her Beast
lurks here as well, waiting for the opportunity it needs.
During every second the Dragon waits, her Beast attempts
to escape from the cage of her mind. If the character
waits too long, she might return to consciousness
to find that her Beast has corrupted one or more of her
Disciplines, even her other Coils. This doesn’t happen often, however, because
Dragons are warned of the possibility every step of
the way, taught how to avoid it and given the best
possible conditions for avoiding such unpleasant
mishaps. A vampire’s coterie, mentor or both look
after her when she enters the chrysalis, though some
Kindred insist on being alone during this vulnerable
time. This caution stems in part from loyalty
(or at least professional courtesy) toward the Kindred,
but mostly from the knowledge that if a
vampire’s Beast infects her, the damage is normally
irrevocable. The Dragon must then be destroyed,
but because the fall to the Beast was the result of
one failed attempt at change rather than a long series
of inhuman acts, the vampire is much cannier
than a vampire lost to Wassail would normally be.
While a vampire that has been given over to the
Beast is normally a ravening monster with no urges
other than sleeping and killing, a vampire who loses
her mind through a botched chrysalis is somewhat
more intelligent. Though she degenerates quickly,
she is capable of wreaking a great deal of damage
on the mortals and possibly the Kindred of the area
if not caught and destroyed.