Key

Keys are supernatural affinities for a particular aspect of ghostly power. They generally define a Sin-Eater's relationship with death.

First Edition[]

There are eleven Keys with which a Sin-Eater can "unlock" Manifestations. Sin-Eater’s powers are stained, both by the geist and the Sin-Eater himself, flavored by their emotions and deathmarks. When a Sin-Eater opens a conduit and manifests one of his powers, he unlocks that power with a Key. They represent various aspects of death. Each Bound gains two Keys at character creation: one determined by their Threshold, and one of their choice, usually one representing an aspect of their death, or an aspect of their geist.

Certain Keys[]

Industrial Key: Increasingly in modern society, death can occur as a result of machinery going awry. This is represented by the Industrial key. The Industrial Key deals with technology of all sorts. Industrial Manifestations are subjected to "anachrotech modifiers" - that is, they work best on old items of technology. An exception to this rule is the Industrial Rage (it is just as easy to smash a laptop as a 1995 clunker). Interestingly, it is centered around about 1960, with technology older gaining bonuses and technology newer gaining penalties.

Passion Key: Death often is accompanied by strong emotions, particularly fear or anger. The Passion Key deals with manipulating and creating these emotions.

Phantasmal Key: Death can be thought of as a stripping of illusions, that of the impossibility of ones death. This is why a large amount of ghosts are created; a person essentially is saying "I can't be dead, I've still got things to take care of/finish". The Phantasmal Key deals with illusions, directly with ghosts, and also with one's own Geist.

Primeval Key: The Primeval Key deals with nature, particularly wild animals. Metaphysically, it allows for influence over certain phenomena associated with ancient rites pertaining to death and rebirth, which often involved animals and exposure to nature.

Stigmata Key: Many cultures, particularly Jewish, hold that the life force resides in the blood. The Stigmata key deals with blood and essence.

Stillness Key: Death is stillness and silence, after the movement and cacophony of life. The Stillness Key allows a Bound to harness these tendencies, also the raising and controlling of corpses and zombies.

Stygian Key: The Stygian Key deals with the effects of death itself in a purer form. First appeared in World of Darkness: Book of the Dead. Frequently, using this key is a sin against Synergy.

Elemental Keys[]

There are four Elemental Keys which tend to Unlock similar abilities flavoured towards a particular element. Unlike the other Keys, they can be thought of to represent various methods of dealing with the bodily remains of the dead. Occasionally - such as with Caul - they are very different. These are as follows:

Cold Wind Key: In Tibet, the most common method of "burial" is known as "Sky burial". Essentially, the bodies of those who have passed on are placed on a tower or mountain, and left for the animals and elements. The Cold Wind key deals with air and wind, as well as the chilling effects of these.

Grave Dirt Key: Considered the "standard" method of bodily disposal in the Western world, the Grave Dirt key deals with the element of earth and burial in the ground.

Pyre-Flame Key: Many cultures (particularly Asian) prefer to burn the remains of those who have passed onto the next life. The Pyre-Flame key allows a Bound to to either protect themselves from the energy of fire and funeral pyres, or to make use of the consuming power of flame.

Tear-Stained Key: Many nautical people prefer to be "buried at sea". This key also represents the tears of those mourning the dead. The tear-stained key allows a Bound to access the fluidity and mutability of water.

Second Edition[]

Upon dying, an impression is left on the Underworld, as though a key were being molded onto a lock, except in reverse. These impressions are innate to any ghost, Sin-Eaters and their geists included. Keys may be used to "unlock" Avernian power, boosting the strength of a Haunt and granting a free burst of Plasm. This comes at the cost of the Key's Doom, a Condition related to that Key's sphere of influence that proceeds to hang over the Sin-Eater's head.

One of the Bound has two Keys upon taking up the Bargain: The first from his own death, and a second from the geist, who shares it with him. Other Keys may be used via Mementos, each of which has a Key of its own; or via ectophagia of a geist. Upon consuming a geist, the Bound permanently gains its innate Key.

Note that a given death may lie within the purview of multiple Keys (perhaps someone who died of drowning might take up the Key of Blood, rather than Deep Waters, because he was pushed into the river). Regardless, only one Key imprints on the individual.

Keys[]

Key of Beasts: Also known as the Primeval Key, the Key of Tooth and Claw, and the Key of Verdant Savagery. This Key is opened when someone dies in a manner that brings home the reality of the natural world — that humans are not always at the top of the food chain. It is resonant when called upon in areas in which humanity has lost control or never had it in the first place. The Primeval Key is always resonant when the target is an animal. The Key's Doom strikes when the Sin-Eater targets an animal or undertakes an action which could be plausibly hindered by a nearby animal. Such an action automatically fails.

Key of Blood: Also known as the Stigmatic Key, the Key of Veils and Shades, and the Key of Crimson Agony. This Key is opened when lives are lost to passion, usually but not always from some scheme. Whether premeditated or not, however, ill will toward another is necessary. The Stigmatic Key always counts as resonant when the Bound finds himself in an unplanned or unintended violent situation. The Key's Doom strikes when the Sin-Eater tries to avoid a violent confrontation, inflicting a dramatic failure.

Key of Chance: Also known as the Bastard’s Key, the Key of Jinx and Hex, and the Key of Black Humor. This Key is opened when a life is lost to the improbable and unfair, or to the tools of civilization. The Bastard's Key is resonant when the Bound is risking something important on a single action, or when a Haunt's subject is a machine with at least three moving parts and is capable of inflicting lethal damage. The Key's Doom strikes when the character makes a roll with a bonus of +3 or higher. Such a roll becomes a chance die instead; if it succeeds, it does so exceptionally.

Key of Cold Wind: Also known as the Breathless Key, the Key of Gale and Garrote, and the Key of Ivory Sorrow. This Key is opened when an individual dies of exposure or of execution. The Breathless Key is resonant when within the Blizzard, Extreme Cold, or Heavy Winds Environmental Tilts, or when in a setting in which ambient noise makes a spoken conversation impossible. The Key's Doom inflicts the Extreme Cold Tilt on the Bound for time inversely proportional to Synergy or until the Sin-Eater reveals a damaging personal secret.

Key of Deep Waters: Also known as the Tear-Stained Key, the Key of Wave and Whirlpool, and the Key of Azure Futility. This Key is opened when air leaves the lungs (not, interestingly, when water enters them), forcing down emotions like sorrow, fear, and hope into the emptiness of unconsciousness. As such, the Tear-Stained Key is resonant not only when submerged in water, but in other settings in which breathing is inhibited, as well. The Key is also resonant if the target of a Haunt is more than half-submerged in water. The Key's Doom strikes when the Bound would fully replenish his Willpower; instead, he gains only one point.

Key of Disease: Also known as the Wasting Key, the Key of Plague and Pestilence, and the Key of Bilious Despair. This Key is opened when an individual succumbs to illness of any kind, be it a bacterium or a poison. The Wasting Key counts as resonant if it is unlocked in an area that is associated with illness (e.g. a malarial swamp, a hospital) or on a target with the Sick Tilt. The Key's Doom immediately inflicts the Sick Tilt on the Sin-Eater, which remains until the end of the next scene.

Key of Grave Dirt: Also known as the Crushing Key, the Key of Stone and Barrow, and the Key of Slate Bereavement. This Key is opened when an individual is crushed to death, dies within the deep places of the earth, or dies in a place rife with history. The Crushing Key is resonant when used in places or on targets dedicated to the past or when the Bound is below ground. The Key's Doom requires that, for the rest of the story, Willpower must be spent on any extended action. Alternately, the Doom may be resolved by sacrificing a living being in the name of accomplishing a goal.

Key of Pyre Flame: Also known as the Burning Key, the Key of Ash and Brand, the Lover’s Key, and the Key of Golden Annihilation. This Key is opened when an individual dies upon consumption by fire. The Burning Key is resonant when used in an area or on a target that is on fire or subject to the Extreme Heat Tilt. The Key's Doom inflicts the Extreme Heat Tilt on the Sin-Eater for time inversely proportional to Synergy, or until he destroys a personal possession he considers valuable (either monetarily or sentimentally).

Key of Stillness: Also known as the Silent Key, the Key of Shroud and Shadow, and the Key of Jet Uncertainty. This Key is opened when an individual dies forgotten and alone, ghosts long before their true end. The Silent Key is resonant when the target is unaware of the Bound, is helpless, or if there is no one else in the area other than the two of them. The Key's Doom immediately resolves the Haunt for which it was used if the caster speaks; if it was used without a Haunt, the Sin-Eater takes on the Mute Condition until the end of the chapter.