Deathsinger

The Queen of Death and her followers closely guard their sacred psalms. None who make their homes on the surface are permitted to learn them, unless they have sworn fealty to the Queen or her vassal. If your background is not tied to the Underworld and you somehow become known as a Deathsinger, the Queen’s apostles will hunt you to their dying breaths.

Power: Deathsong. You may call up spirits to consult with them for advice or information. The recently dead cannot be called upon until proper burial rites are performed over their graves.

Others can see the spirits you call and hear their answers to you, though the spirits cannot hear them in return. Often the living find this process unnatural, frightening, or abhorrent (which may work against your or in your favor).

If calling up a specific individual, it is best to do so at their grave or in a place they are deeply tied to. Once you have visited such a place, you may call upon them anywhere, though greater distance requires greater use of power (TODO: approximate scale). Carrying a relic of their body eases the cost of connection (TODO: approximate scale).

Otherwise, you may tap into the miasma of spirits and souls around you. Describe the sort of person you seek, and decide with the Referee if a connection is easy to find, difficult, or nigh-impossible. (TODO: Aether costs)

Start with the heart of a former lover or mentor, and a finger-bone of an expert in a topic of your choice. When you spend a Downtime turn looting corpses, roll a relevant Action. (TODO: bone acquisition rules)

A note to the Referee: the Deathsinger’s spirit connections should generally be extremely helpful. Avoid the temptation to make them overly cryptic or uncooperative, except in cases where they would have some strong reason (eg they were killed by the Deathsinger).

Upgrades

• Souldancer: When you call up a spirit, you may draw them into yourself and act as they would. Their skills and knowledge become yours for as long as you can stand to channel it.
• Earthchanter: Your art is beautiful enough to compel the stones to speak. Instead of just spirits, you may ask questions of nature spirits or the minor gods of a household or structure.
• Darkwhisper: Through the most forbidden dedications, you have learned to force splinters of the spirit worlds into the minds of others. If a creature understands language, you may inflict temporary Harm on it equal to Aether spent. A whispered chant of one minute per Harm is required. Tier is not a factor when inflicting this harm. When your chant ends, the Harm also ends.
• Fleshshaper: After constructing a body from bones and flesh, you may force a spirit into it and animate it as your servant. The spirit’s personality may shine through, but it cannot speak or perform complex actions.