1

Credits
Author
Snnoy/AveryRPG

Assisting Writers
_billyyy._, psychotobe1424

Artists
u/insecureillustrator - page backgrounds and borders

Inspirations
The World of Darkness roleplaying game series (of course)
Jewish, Greek, and Christian mythology
Chosen Ones, a Dungeons & Dragons podcast
The Witcher (Video Game Series)
The Witcher (Book Series)
 2

Prelude
The foes are fallen. Mounds upon mounds of corpses lie before me, each just as rotten as the other. They
are beyond the scope of reality; this, I know to be a certainty, but I pay little heed. There is no worth found
amongst their kind. I crawl through the battlefield; I seek Him. He, amongst the fallen, must be alive,
otherwise I fear I should not last another day.

I wander through the valley of the bloodied deathless, each burnt and made whole with their end. I cry
out for Him; I beg and plead, praying for Him to come to me. He does not. I wander further and further
until I begin to wonder if the bodies upon which I step are even real anymore. I decide they are not. I have
entered a dream-world, the nature of which I could never hope to understand. With trust, I close my eyes.

I awaken in a garden.

I awaken with Him.

I awaken in silence.

I awaken, bathed in sin.

I greet Him. He returns the gesture. I ask if He still lives, and He can only cry. I hold Him, there; I hold
Him until the night falls and the day rises. I hold Him when He begs not to leave for fear that the world
might forget Him. I hold Him forevermore.

He decays. Because of me, He decays. His flesh rots, His mind becomes addled. I comfort Him in His
hurt. I try my very best. Tears fall from His cheek to the dead grass beneath us. I wipe them away, and
His head falls into my lap. He is gone, and I am not. I surrender to death.
 3

Introduction
Within certain sects of philosophy, to be human There is selflessness in all Concubi, at least for
is to love. It is to experience pure, unfiltered af- their Adored, yet even this cannot last forever.
fection for another, and to care deeply, without
a thought to oneself. The human condition is to
be kind and to give oneself to another in heart. What IS A Concubus?
To be a human is to adore. Why is it, then, that There are two mythological figures with which
The Adoration borders an utter existence with- many are familiar: these are referred to as succu-
out humanity at all? bi and incubi. Though present within this game
Why is it that a call echoes out to all who in their own way, in mythos, they were perceived
would listen, a call to surrender to devotion, as demons who consumed the lives of humans
obsession, and love? It whispers gently into the through sexual acts. The two words were born
ears of all, yet to the few, it begs; it asks why they of the Latin words succubare, meaning to lie un-
do not dedicate themselves fully to their one der, and incubare, meaning to lie on, referring to
love, why they do not protect it, why they do the sexual roles taken by the demons, though in
not Adore it, and once they listen, its commands modern days, humanity has mistaken these roles
become truth. Love becomes an absolute. to refer to the gender or sex of the demon.
It need not be love of romantic nature; famil- The term concubus is a modern invention,
ial, platonic, and even lustful love are welcomed taking inspiration from the Latin word concu-
in the embrace of Adoration, so long as devo- bare, meaning to lie beside, by those wishing to
tion is pure and steadfast. They must delve into obtain a neutral term for the type of demon. It
the throes of compassion, and emerge anew, is used to refer to one which is neither male nor
born into a purity of affection, so that it might female, neither submissive nor dominant, or
bring to them a peace of finality. used to refer to the two as a collective species.
That is Concubus: The Adoration. Within Concubus: The Adoration, Concu-
bi are not beings necessarily of lust, but rather of
love; they are wholy devoted to a person, object,
The Inevitable place, or concept, referred to as a Concubus’s
Concubus: The Adoration is, first and fore- Adored, or Adored Ones as a plural. Whether
most, intended to be a very personal game. It is the Concubus wants it or not, though, their
designed so that each Concubus’s relationships, love for their Adored will inevitably cause them
both with others like themself and with their to consume the very essence of it, empowering
Adored Ones, may know a private tragedy that themselves, allowing them to protect it from
the world is all too eager to interfere with. Trag- those who would do it harm, but ultimately
edy amongst the Concubi is a certainty; there hurting it in the process. Such protection is
is no kind fate awaiting them, no comfort to be necessary, for the world does not favor Adored
granted at the end of their journey; their Adora- Ones; the jealousy of other Concubi, the fear
tion will rot and decay all which they love. of vampires, the misguided heroes that are
Concubus: The Adoration poses the Hunters, and the greed of Mages hoping to use
question of, “If you knew the subject of your Adoration for their own goals are all examples of
affections would be ruined by your love, what threats posed against Concubi.
would you do to save them, from both yourself
and just about the rest of the world?”
 4

How Is A Concubus Made? meet within this world are determined by the
A Concubus, as previously stated, is a being Storyteller, albeit with an ample provision of
born of love and affection, though once upon rules within this book. When it is more interest-
a time, each amongst their kind was human. ing and dramatic for the result of an action to be
It is through sheer force of emotion that they at risk of failure, the Storyteller may call for the
are made anew, and through that emotion that use of dice to resolve the situation and see what
they are blessed with the power to protect their happens.
Adored. The raw, inhuman power of this love Please keep in mind that this is, however, a
that Concubi experience is called The Adora- third-party book intended for use within the
tion; to some, it is considered a curse, the power Storyteller system developed by White Wolf, and
of which is only rivaled by the vampiric blood is intended to be used within the setting and lore
bond, a ritual in which a vampire instills in of their creation, the World of Darkness as it is
another being a sense of absolute loyalty and depicted within the 20th Anniversary editions
devotion. To others, it is a blessing; it is a joy to of their gamelines. To avoid potential legal
love, and to love is to know joy in its entirety, issues, this book may refer you to their other
consequences be damned! There are a number World of Darkness 20th Anniversary Edition
of theories regarding what, exactly, causes The games for rules and mechanics which belong to
Adoration beyond simple emotion, though White Wolf and thus cannot be shared with-
none are a certainty. out their explicit consent. This book will only
The moment a human becomes a Concubus contain original content intended for joint use
is known as their Consumption; it is during alongside White Wolf’s own creations.
this moment that their soul is overwhelmed

What To Expect?
and becomes one with the very concept of love.
What happens during a Consumption will be
elaborated upon later in this book. Concubus: The Adoration is a fairly long
book, and thus having an idea both of what to
expect from it and a directory of where to go
What Is This Book? might be useful for a good many readers. The
following is a list of the chapters within and a
Concubus: The Adoration is a tabletop
roleplaying game presented in book format. summary of their contents:
It is a collective storytelling game played using Introduction: You are here! This chapter
ten-sided dice which may be purchased at most introduces you to the basic idea of the game,
local game stores and online; it is best to have no what you will play as within it, and provide a
fewer than ten of these dice, just in case. You will simple selection of terms and phrases central to
hopefully, with your friends, use this book to the Concubus world.
put together a chronicle; that is to say, an overar- Chapter One: The World of Darkness:
ching story within Concubus. The proper introduction to Concubus, this
One player takes on the role of the world and chapter details the history of Concubi, their
the majority of the characters which reside in it, role in the modern world, the basic factions and
referred to as the Storyteller. Their job is essen- society, and details regarding what the world is
tial, as they effectively run the game; the result of really like for them.
every action, the plot hooks set before you, and
every person you
 5

Chapter Two: The Concubi: This chapter Banished, the — A hostile term used to refer
details the Dedications of Concubi - that is to to Concubi.
say, their various types - and details in-depth the Brethren in Sin — Other beings of the
specifics of their factions. night, thought within Concubus society to be
Chapter Three: Character Creation & others cursed by God as is theorized about the
Traits: This chapter, as the title suggests, Banished.
informs the reader of how to create a Concubus Charitable — Referring to something creat-
and of what traits one might actually have. ed within an Eden.
Chapter Four: Freeings & Hearths: This Clique — A group of Concubi.
chapter is about the supernatural abilities of Concubi — Beings of love and affection,
Concubi, their Freeings, and the emotions thought to be consumers of Eden’s fruit,
which empower them, their Hearths. doomed to slowly deteriorate and destroy their
Chapter Five: Rules: Though largely used Adored Ones.
to direct the reader to Changeling, this chapter Consumption, the — The moment a hu-
does provide a select few original rules unique to man consumes the fruit of Eden and becomes a
Concubus. Concubus.
Chapter Six: Systems: This chapter details Cure, the — The theorized cure to the
some of the basic systems which differentiate Adored Ones’ inevitable demise.
Concubus from other World of Darkness Decay — The process of an Adored’s destruc-
gamelines. tion at the hands of a Concubus’s love.
Chapter Seven: The Garden: This chapter Dedication — The classification of a Concu-
provides information regarding the Garden bus.
of Eden, its relation to Concubi, and rules for Descendant — A Concubus believed to be a
traversing it. direct descendant of one of the First Lovers.
Chapter Eight: The Punishment: This Devil — One of many legendary, and per-
chapter details the foes, antagonists, NPCs, and haps not entirely real, Concubi who lived long
threats within the Stolen World. enough to die before decay destroyed their
Adored.
Drain, the — The act of siphoning a hu-
Lexicon man’s ability to love and feel affection to delay
Addiction, the — A state of obsession which an Adored’s decay. Highly frowned upon in
becomes a Concubus’s truth when they become Concubus society.
blood-bound to their Adored. Eden — One amongst many of the same
Adoration, the — The inhumanly powerful name; a garden which can only be reached by
love and affection a Concubus feels for their Concubi, within which an Adored’s decay is
Adored, and the supernatural abilities which temporarily halted.
come alongside it. Exile, the — The mythological exile of Lilith,
Adored — The focus of a Concubus’s em- the possible first of the Concubi, and the subse-
powered affections, whether it be a person, item, quent creation of her kind.
place, or concept. The plural of this is Adored First Lovers, the — Mythological figures
Ones. throughout history believed to be the predeces-
Affair — An event in which the subject a sors of Concubi.
Concubus’s Adoration is forcibly, by means of Freeings — Emotionally-empowered feats of
magic or otherwise, changed. supernatural nature performed by Concubi.
 6

Fruit, the — The fruit, and the tree it is

attached to, from which a soon-to-be Concubus
and often their Adored take a bite during the
Concubus’s Consumption.
Gifted World, the — The hidden, supernat-
ural world kept secret from mortals; the places
in which one might find supernatural creatures.
Guardian, the — The old, broken, and rust-
ed sword which can be found in any Eden.
Hearths — The emotions which fuel a Free-
ing’s power.
Heritage — A faction of those who align
themselves with a certain mythological figure of
love.
Inherited Return, the — The expected re-
turn to the original Garden of Eden sought after
by those who still yet believe in the tale of Lilith.
Mint — A newly created Concubus.
Resentment, the — The act of changing
one’s Dedication through a ritual, during which
a Concubus effectively experiences the changes
brought on by the Consumption once more.
Salvation, the — Former Concubi who have
performed the rite of the Severance and thus can
no longer feel love nor affection, only a desire to
ensure the survival of Adored Ones.
Severance, the — The act of a Concubus sev-
ering themself from the love and affection they
feel for their Adored, becoming a husk of their
former self.
Slow Burn, the — The growing madness and
turmoil a Concubus experiences when separated
from their Adored for long periods of time.
Stolen World, the — The mortal world;
Earth.
Objects of Desire — Charitable objects with
certain supernatural powers.
Only Commandment, the — The one
commandment provided by Lilith in legends
regarding her to never let harm come to one’s
Adored.
 7

Chapter One
The World of Darkness
There is no world in which kindness triumphs over evil in its entirety,
yet love forever proves to be the guiding emotion in many people.
Let it be that this phenomena becomes the simple reality of all.

The World of Darkness, as this version of our act put on for the sake of appearances. There are
world is referred to as within a number of White sparks of it in every relationship, yet those will
Wolf’s games, is utterly devoid of hope and undoubtedly fade with time.
joy. It is a desolate place of strife; government Concubus: The Adoration is all about a
corruption runs rampant, corporations rule over desperate attempt to make love work in this
anyone below the multimillionaire line, and the loveless world, to not let it break you down. It’s
cultures of the world have become so morally about trying to hold on, even when it hurts, and
bankrupt that one could hardly recognize their not burning the one you adore. There hardly
fellow person as human at all. It is a horrid place seems to be a possibility of a happy ending, but
that, in practice, might remind one just a bit too maybe, just maybe, you might be able to find
much of the world they live in now. one amidst the grime and ash of the world.
It is similar enough to your own world; the
history, nations, and places tend to be the same,
and the technology is the same. On the other
hand, it is hyperstylized, and - to put it frankly
Concubi
Concubi, or succubi as is their original title,
- the average person is far worse than in the real have many theorized origins. Many believe them
world, both in personality and motives. Decent to be former humans chosen by the first succu-
culture is dead. Of course, in this world, a mul- bus, Lilith, to be either cursed with the death
titude of supernatural beings exist, though the of one’s Adored or to be blessed with a genuine
focus here is, of course, Concubi. The nature connection amidst the suffering of the world
of Concubi, the reason for their existence, is a dependant on one’s perspective. Others believe
matter of debate; some believe them to be the that they are created via tests from God, for each
inheritors of Lilith’s blood, while others believe and every Concubus, during their Consump-
them to be humans who carry the souls of the tion, found the Fruit and ate it, and thus it is
earliest sinners of the world, and still others be- thought to be a test to see whether or not hu-
lieve in a full pantheon of deities of love. There manity has found itself in a wiser state since the
is no true consensus. Regardless of where they days of the world’s genesis. Provided that there
come from, they have something that much of are none who found the Fruit who are not now
the world is missing: genuine love. Within the Concubi, it is assumed that humanity has failed
World of Darkness, love is dead, and no one at- the test of temptation time and time again.
tended the funeral; the people have been beaten
and battered too much for romance to be much
beyond a committed
 8

The Consumption Once the Consumption has ended, a Concu-

The Consumption is the event of the transfor- bus is born anew, left to learn about the world
mation of a human’s soul into that of a Con- and its dangers all on their own. There is seldom
cubus; it is the discovery of an Eden, and it is guidance, and even more seldom good guidance.
the consumption of the Fruit. It is the creation Due to this, few Concubi survive the early days
of something new and beautiful, and it is the of their making, as the world turns against them
foretold end of it just the same. in an instant.
The Consumption happens when a human

Eden
experiences extreme love for just about anything;
it is a love so strong that it permits that person
to find an Eden - that is to say, a small, mystical Eden is, in part, the source of a Concubus’s Ad-
garden, at the center of which lies a tree whose oration. Each tree upon which the Fruit is hung
branches carry the burden of much Fruit. The upon, and each tree belonging to an individual
tree at the center of this garden exudes a manner Concubus, is a representation of their love for
of mental pull, as though beckoning to the hu- their Adored. Each instance of Eden is to be
man, begging them to come nearer, to take from respected; its creatures, the thoughts produced
itself and eat the Fruit. As of yet, none have within it, and the tree itself are all treasured by
found themselves capable of resisting. something unknown. While within an Eden, a
Upon consuming the Fruit, a human will Concubus can simply feel the fear, peace, hurt,
be made anew, both in mind and body; they and joy of it. A Concubus innately knows to not
will be entirely overcome by the Adoration, hurt the Eden.
an inhumanly powerful love, directed towards Should the contents of an Eden be damaged,
their Adored, the object of their affections. either by a Concubus, a human, or a Brethren
During the Consumption, just about anything in Sin, then the very concept surrounding the
might happen to the newly made Concubus; thing destroyed will be damaged beyond the
their entire personality and appearance might borders of Eden. The killing of a squirrel will
change, they might be cured of their illnesses in wipe out a vast quantity of squirrels, the corrup-
an instant, they might be afflicted with illnesses, tion of time will cause the connection between
and - very rarely - they might develop inhuman one point in time and another to grow thin,
appearances. and the destruction of the tree will immediately
It is not uncommon for two humans (or destroy the Adored it represents. These concepts
one human and one being of the supernatural cannot be entirely destroyed, however; to put it
world) who have such affection for one another simply, no being is powerful enough to commit
to enter into an Eden, and though both are af- such acts of carnage.
flicted with the temptation to take from the tree, Most natural things exist within Edens,
only one of them will become a Concubus once though they exist in a strange state of not un-
the fruit is consumed. If one party is not human, derstanding the world around them. Charitable
then the human will always become the Concu- beings such as humans and deer exist, whales
bus. The other will be banished from the Eden and fish exist, trees and flowers exist, and so too
unless given direct permission to enter by the does the sun, the moon, and the stars. Despite
Concubus who Adores them. A non-Concubus this, there is no Brethren in Sin nor Concubus
who enters an Eden cannot remember anything whose origin is of an Eden If too much of this is
which happens inside once they depart. destroyed, then, Eden will retaliate.
 9

Eden’s Retalliation
Eden is not without its protections; the very
Charitable Properties
Living beings, objects, and concepts born from
earth of its hallowed grounds are blessed with an Eden are referred to as items with Charitable
the ability to defend the garden from all harm. properites. The Fruit, for example, is Charitable;
Should a Concubus, Brethren in Sin, or a hu- Concubi are Charitable; even the animals of an
man from beyond the realm of the Eden commit Eden are seldom typical, and thus, are Chari-
such atrocities that the Eden cannot ignore it, table. Many Charitable items are in some way
all Charitable creatures within will be overcome supernatural, with powers beyond what any
with an overwhelming desire to kill the intrud- mortal could ever achieve, but most are rather
ers. Additionally, the ground will light aflame mundane save for their origin.
and attempt to force departure by means of Most Charitable items cannot exist outside of
cutting off all routes except for that which leads an Eden, as they will decay from the sheer impu-
to the exit. Finally, if all of this fails, the Eden rity of the Stolen World compared to an Eden.
will decay; this decay does not harm concepts This can, however, be counteracted; through use
within the Stolen World, however the Eden, and of certain Freeings or during one’s Consump-
all Charitable things within, will be destroyed tion, a Concubus can protect a Charitable item
wholly, Concubi included. Brethren of Sin and from the impurity of the Stolen World, making
other non-Charitable beings will awaken outside it capable of existing for long periods of time.
of the Eden after it decays. Excluding Concubi, though, no matter what
changes are made, a Charitable item cannot
Charitable Culture exist permanently outside of an Eden; most
Charitable beings, just as anyone else, have can last up to a day without the assistance of a
culture. They revere the Fruit and the tree upon Concubus, while all can last at least a year with
which it grows, but cannot speak of or even such assistance. The second exception to this
understand why. They have no concept of reli- rule is the Fruit, which will burst into flames if
gion nor gods; they merely accept the tree and removed from an Eden. It is ill-advised that one
the Fruit as they are. They also have no concept attempt to do so.
of other Edens, and are often uncomfortable
with the idea that they are so disconnected from
others like themselves when informed. While in Please note that most Charitable
an Eden, Charitable beings do not age and expe- creatures are sapient, intelligent beings,
rience no illness; they are functionally immortal. though they do not have an understand-
ing of the world outside of their Eden.
They have yet to experience suffering.
Treat them not with disrespect.
Charitable beings do not have a concept of sin
or wrongness, though should they depart from
an Eden, the reality of the world will come upon
them in an instant; they will know right from
wrong and, for the first time, will realize the
unchanging, stagnant nature of their previous
lives. How a Charitable being reacts to this
varies, however sudden illness and vomiting is
common.
 10

Charitable Objects The Earliest of Days

Objects with powerful Charitable properties The theorized history of Concubi begins at
are often referred to as Objects of Desire. They the very beginning of Earth, at the Garden of
are born either from creating something with Eden, with the first wife of Adam, Lilith. Little
Charitable materials within an Eden or from is known about her within Concubus writings,
a Concubus’s Consumption. These items are only that she held no love in her heart for her
seldom more powerful than what a Concubus one and only lover, and in time, to protect her-
can do themself, but are imbued with stable, un- self, she disobeyed him. This perceived betrayal
changing emotions, and thus their effects cannot angered the man Adam, and so, at his demand,
be changed dependant on mood and the like. she was removed from Eden, exiled to become a
An example of an Object of Desire would be Concubus herself. She found for herself a true
an alcoholic beverage that gets you drunk in one love, one who her Adoration could set itself
sip (or outright gives you alcohol poisoning if upon, but by curse of God, they could not love
you’re particularly weak to liquor); nothing par- her back. At the last, in her final days, when she
ticularly special, but stable, and unlikely to react rested upon her deathbed, she is said to have giv-
to the world in unpredictable and - God forbid - en one commandment, one order, known only
unpleasant ways as Concubi are bound to do. as the Only Commandment: “Be a steadfast wall
between Lord Death and your Adored; let him
strike you down in sacrifice if need be. Love will
History Of The guide you.”
Many who believe the tale of Lilith, referred
Banished to as Lilites, believe the Fruit to be a gift to those
who would seek love, the gift of purity in their
There is a great gap in the history of the Ban-
ished, a term for Concubi relating to Lilith’s affections; others believe it to be a curse, though
banishment, ranging from the days of Caine to none understand why Lilith would seek to harm
the Renaissance. The earliest days of existence those who love as she did. Those who reject
are well-understood within Concubus mythol- the story of Lilith, though they are a minority,
ogy, though the exact truth of these matters is tend to subscribe to one of three explainations
not entirely confirmed. There are many writings for their existence; these groups are referred to
by now-dead Concubi, though much of them as the Coincidentalists, the Hereticals, and the
in the early days of the modern ages have been Remorseful.
burned, deemed to be heretical fiction by vari- The Coincidentalists are simple in their
ous institutions, though the Nazis are perhaps ideology; they believe that the existence of the
the most prevelent and well-known amongst supernatural is not truly beyond the scope of
these book-burners. reality, rather it is just another science that is yet
It is not well-understood how or why the to be explained. The creation of Concubi is no
remaining books on Concubi exist, for Concubi more unnatural than a river, and all of it exists
are afflicted with the meager livespans of hu- by coincidence. Some groups of Coincidental-
mans and thus there are few first-hand accounts ists insist that love is not an emotion, but a law
of the distant past remaining, though they are of reality, just as gravity, mass, and motion are.
often trusted. There are Heritages - factions ded-
icated to certain mythological representations of
love - who reject these teachings and knowledg-
es, claiming the truth to be long lost to time.
 11

The Hereticals are split into two groups, In Nearer Days

known as the Worshippers of Many and the Though the time between the origins of Con-
Knowers of Fear, but typically agree on most cubi and their earliest factual accounts is vast,
things. Their agreements are as follows: there there is a notable starting point of their recorded
exists no singular God, the supernatural exists history: the Renaissance.
because of divine beings, and the Fruit is a
divinely-made metaphor for the human need
for love. Their disagreements are as follows: the
Worshippers of Many believe that all gods are
real in their own way, that Concubi are mes-
sengers of the gods to spread a message of love,
that Concubi will inherit a great wealth, and
that all Worshippers of Many will be reuinited
with their Adored Ones in death; the Knowers
of Fear believe that the only gods which exist
are those belonging to the Christian, Greek,
and Roman pantheons, that demons roam the
world, that Concubi are demons created to
punish their Adored Ones, and that all Concubi
will be rewarded with a new, superior love in the
afterlife.
The Remorseful maintain no position re-
garding religion or the creation of the Concubi,
only that it does not matter. What does matter
to them is that Concubi are inherently vile,
wretched things with no purpose other than to
hurt their Adored Ones with decay. They are a
self-hating faction of those terrified of retribu-
tion against them by the world; they truly be-
lieve that their murders would be justified. They
are too scared of hurt to perform the Severance,
but too wracked with guilt to live their lives to
the fullest. It is a pathetic existence they lead,
without much aim. They do have one unifying
goal, however, which is to wipe out the Brethren
in Sin, for they are more willful in their vileness.
In this, they are often connected in shaky part-
nerships with Hunters, working to systemically
wipe out all which would threaten humanity...
and all which would guide it as well.
 12

Chapter Two
The Concubi
“Such a pity, truly, that they are so desperate for something so fleeting.
It will end, and they will be struck with guilt;
it’s their fault, after all! All the suffering they experience, each pang of
sorrow, each roar of agony, it’s their fault. They deserve to hurt.
That’s just how it is.”
-Cassius Alrado, Monster Hunter

Humans are not one homogenized entity; they them and what they are best at overall. It is the
do not think as one, they do not carry the same outward expression of emotions that becomes
ideals one and all, they do not respect each other a total reality. Additionally, this chapter details
the same, and they do not hate the same people. the types of Adored Ones, referred to as Orders,
Beings of the night are seldom different, and and how each Dedication affects a Concubus’s
Concubi are no exception. Despite this, Concu- relationship with their Adored.Though there
bi tend not to hate each other based upon their exists a standard selection of Concubi for play,
differences; racial tensions and the separation of the myths surrounding them are typically
Dedications are hardly issues, for example, for European-centric. At this book’s appendix, not
they only serve to get in the way of Adoration. only can you find a select few more Dedications
This is, however, not an absolute; one can al- which originate from other cultures, but you
ways find a piece of rot in every batch of apples. may also learn of other Charitable creatures.
Bigots and assholes will exist even amongst those Please note that these Charitable creatures
who exist only to care for another. should be used for characters in supporting
Concubi do, however, enjoy the separations roles, temporary characters, or as a unique
of identity that humans do, even if they prefer instance amongst a clique, as they function off
not to hate another based upon it; differences of of similar but ultimately separate rules from
their Adored Ones, their Dedications, and even Concubi and thus do not fully represent the
such human things as culture and appearance. themes of Concubus: The Adoration.
There is, after all, still at least something human
in there; they’re still the same person they once
were, at their core.
This chapter details the core aspect of Concu-
bi: their Dedications. A Dedication defines the
role of a Concubus; it is, to put it plainly, what
their heart truly is. A Dedication can change
slowly over time, or forcibly all at once, though
this process is rare and difficult. A Dedication,
beyond defining a Concubus’s heart and desires,
also defines what Freeings are innately known to
 13

The Dedications Please note that, though this book provides

a number of Dedications and options, there
Though each Concubus is, of course, their own
person, they do fall into categories inevitably. is always room for more. At the end of this
These Dedications determine a Concubus’s base chapter, there will be included a brief guide
nature, how they interact with their Adored, on designing your own Dedications. It is
and what abilities come naturally to them. Each your game, though, so go wild! Make what-
Dedication also comes with consequences; Pur- ever you like, just so long as you have fun
poses and Sins, benefits and detriments inspired while doing so.
by the Concubus’s heart and its natural joys and
woes.
The following is a summary of each of the
categories of a Dedication’s existence:

• Name: The name of the Dedication.

• Quote: A quote from one of the Banished

who belong to this Dedication.

• General Description: A brief description HI :3

of what these Concubi actually are, what their

beliefs are, what their talents are, and the like.

• Appearance: A description of what their

common visage is, as it is manipulated by their
Consumtpion.

• Lifestyles: How the average Concubus

belonging to this Dedication lives their day-to-
day existence.

• Initial Freeing(s): A selection of what your

initial Freeing may be and how many dots you
may have in it.

• Purposes & Sins: Each Concubus has a

Purpose and a Sin, benefits and detriments
which afflict them. This describes what those
are.

• Order Interactions: How their Adored

interacts with them. Concubi are not affected by
Order Interactions whatsoever.
 14

Succubus
“Oh, sweetie, you didn’t really think I loved you...
Did you? Poor thing. Well, you’ll have plenty of time to mourn
in... whatever’s beyond here. Buh-bye, hon,”
-Sunny Sandra, briefly before killing her husband’s business rival.
There are few, very few, beings so easily trusted close to themself. They will take and take, but
as succubi. They are not inherently powerful never find a way to give back, and yet still those
nor dexterous, not wise nor intelligent, but still, from whom they take will not hate them for it;
those who find themselves near a succubus will in fact, they will seek more, time and time again,
find themselves at peace, calm, and with trust simply because the succubus’s nature makes
in their hearts. Succubi often appear weak and them feel safe.
feeble to the average human; their existence is Appearance: The mortal appearance of a
one entire deception to gain the affections of succubus is often unassuming but ultimately
those they wish to use for the benefit of both desirable, though not always due to appearance
themself and their Adored. Even succubi who or charisma, rather it is a simple desire to be near
do not wish to affect mortals so will; it is beyond them for a sensation of safety and trust. Their
their own control. faces appear as though makeup has been freshly
Tales of succubi begin with the lady Lilith applied, even if they have never touched the
herself; though she was the first Concubus, so stuff even once their whole life, and even if the
too was she the first succubus. They embody makeup isn’t particularly good. Even at an old
the very center of the Concubus reality; lovers age, they will appear, at most, to be in their late
who consume the lives of the target of their fifites, and as though making an attempt to be
affections. Within legend, of course, succubi are attractive (often successfully) all the same.
often depicted as doing this through sex. This Lifestyles: Most succubi are very used to
is because most of these legends are written by getting what they want, when they want it. So
men. long as they provide even the slightest bit of at-
Succubi typically live one of two lives. The tention, most are willing to perform basic tasks
first of these are manipulative, wild existences for succubi, such as running groceries or giving
filled with false love and the corruption of the them five dollars. From trusted friends, they
innocent, tricking people into thinking their often receive major favors; enough cash to just
actions of affection - whether this be the pursuit barely live without a paycheck, a protective ally
of sex, romance, or friendship - are their own ready to fly into action to protect their friend, or
ideas, making them want something, anything, even a mentor, inexplicably enticed to teach this
even just a word from the succubus, until they person everything they know. Of course, these
eventually give the succubus exactly what they benefactors are all mortal, and so if the nature of
want. The second are quiet, calm lives consisting the succubus is revealed, the spell may very well
of steady, careful preparations, taking what they be broken.
want only when necessary, and offering compan-
ionship out of a genuine desire to make others
happy. Unfortunately, whether a succubus
desires it or not, they will inevitably hurt those
 15

Initial Freeings: Choose two of the follow- Order Interactions

ing Freeings to have one dot in: Contact, Faces, Warm. An Adored belonging to the Warm
or Wealth. Order will be incapable of recognizing the
succubus they are connected to as a Concubus.
Purpose Even if shown wondrous powers and the like,
the Adored will, at worst, believe they have
A succubus is very easily trusted and very few
would deny them their requests. Choose one of begun to go mad, and at best, will simply forget
the following: what happened as their mind fails to compre-
Beggar for Your Attention. There is a hend it.
person, perhaps a human or perhaps a Brethren Cold. An Adored belonging to the Cold Or-
in Sin, who would make many sacrifices just der will cause any who are within contact with
for your attention. You gain three dots in two it to forget anything and everything about the
Background, distributed however you please, succubus it is connected to that is supernatural
all of which are material and are granted by a for the duration of contact. Upon the ceasing
non-Concubus. If the provider of the materials of contact, the person will recall everything
granted by the Backgrounds learns that you are forgotten.
a Concubus, you immediately lose all dots as Home. An Adored belonging to the Home
they realize the spell they have been put under. Order will cause any who are within its bound-
Additionally, the Backgrounds cannot be of aries while the succubus is near to feel a pow-
Charitable nature. erful trust in one another. If there is distrust
Trustworthy. The average human you meet between two individuals within the bounds of
finds themselves trusting you immediately, the Adored, then they remain unaffected.
as though you are a worthy aquaintance, just Ethereal. An Adored belonging to the
because that’s the sort of person you are, sort Ethereal Order will cause any who interact with
of. When interacting with a mortal, human it regularly, spend a significant amount of time
individual who is unfamiliar with you, they will thinking about it, or strongly believe in it to,
trust you as much as they would trust a decently while in the presence of the succubus, believe
close friend. that the succubus is in possession of a significant
wealth of knowledge regarding the Adored.

Sin
Despite their innately trust-inducing existence,
the loneliness of a succubus is neverending.
Fake Relationships. Most mortal relation-
ships held by a succubus are held together by
a selfishness on both sides. These relationships
seldom feel tangible, as they are born of mutual
benefit, not affection; your Adored is all you
have. You will always have a minimum of two
dots in Apathy.
 16

INCUBUS
“C’mon man, it’s just one adventure! One little job to do! In and out, y’know?
Sure, yeah yeah, we were told to do it at gunpoint, and whatever, we’re robbing like, the
craziest vamp’ around, but dude! Dude, it’ll be fun! I’ll keep ya safe anyway, my man!
Awesome! You won’t regret this, dude!”
-Cal Dominic’s last recorded words.
Incubi are notoriously reckless, foolhardy, and They will wander the Earth, returning only to
excitable; they are the wild storm that will crash ensure the protection of their Adored and to
through your life and leave you with a laugh, counteract the Slow Burn burning away their
a smile, and a massive mess to clean up. They mind.
are imbued with a wondrous curiosity that Appearance. Incubi are often only uncon-
leads them to explore everything of the world ventionally attractive; they carry the burdens of
as it is, and what a world it is! “How could strange appearances that, to those with less than
one not want to see every street, building, and absolute expectations, weirdly work to their
back alley?” so says the incubus. They bear this favor. They’ll have some damn bad acne, and
wildness with pride, they will seek grandeur, they’ll make it work; maybe they won’t be quite
and they will seek thrills, lest they go mad from attractive to the average person, but they won’t
boredom. look bad, per se, just alright, but with a high Ap-
Tales of incubi amongst the Banished begin pearance rating, that ugly red dot on their cheek
within the old ages - the times of swords, armor, might as well be on the catwalk itself.
and bows - with the wanderlust of swordsmen Lifestyle. Incubi don’t particularly need
and would-be heroes; farmers and peasants and friends or the like to thrive; they get on just fine
feeble nobles who wished them returned home with them and their Adored. They do, however,
safely, and who followed in search of them, and often go to Edens alone to meet with Charitable
the adventurers themselves, joyously seeking glo- creatures, enjoying their presence greatly, and
ry. This dance between lovers became a common enjoying the curiosity with which they interact
theme, though often tragic, for if the threats of with the world around themselves. There is little
the wilderness and the road did not slay them, an incubus wants, for in freedom, they have it
surely the Slow Burn would. all.
Incubi typically live as absolute party animals,
simply existing on the high of life, hardly sleep-
ing and never resting. Others, though, are quiet
adventurers, exploring every nook and cranny in
their town or city or the nearby woods or crags,
hoping to find anything interesting. Rarely,
sometimes, they bring others along with them.
Finally, many incubi enjoy the open road; they
enjoy seeing the new sights, new places, new
cities and new towns.
 17

Initial Freeings: Choose two of the fol- Order Interactions

lowing Freeings to have one dot in: New Self, Warm. An Adored belonging to the Warm
Sibling, or Tapestry. Order typically does not have their personality
or perception of the world affected, as incubi are
surprisingly docile regarding their Adored Ones.
Purpose Despite this, when near the incubus they are
Incubi are seldom alone in heart, and in the
connected to, the Adored may often experience
open world, they are amongst everything and
a sudden desire to interact with their hobbies
everyone they love. Choose one of the following:
directly at that very moment.
Lucky. You are lucky, very lucky, almost
Cold. An Adored belonging to the Cold Or-
impossibly so. When you seem as though you
der will cause any who are within contact with
absolutely should fail, you simply don’t. When
it to feel a sudden desire to hide it, tuck it away,
you botch a roll, you may expend a number
and pretend they never saw it in the first place.
of Willpower points equal to the number of
The affected person(s) may simply believe that
successes you need to automatically succeed on
it is a fun treasure hunt for others, or if they are
the roll.
more serious, may become convinced that it is of
Naturally Excitable. You are inherently a
the upmost importance that it is not found, and
hyperactive and excitable being; this, of course,
that they cannot remain in possession of it.
influences your emotions to a certain extent.
Home. An Adored belonging to the Home
You find the simple joys of life in freedom, and
Order will cause any who are within its bound-
that can never be taken away from you. You will
aries while the incubus is near to want to explore
always have a minimum of two dots in Joy.
every space within the location; unless occupied
with other matters, they will search until satis-
Sin fied. If indeed occupied with other matters, they
Though they are amongst the most mundane will attempt to subtly explore the place without
of the Concubus Dedications, they also do not anyone noticing, multitasking and learning as
have much time for much else beyond their much as they can.
hobbies and the like. Ethereal. An Adored belonging to the
Without Much. During character creation, Ethereal Order will cause any who interact with
the cost of any Backgrounds obtained using it regularly, spend a significant amount of time
Freebie Points is doubled. thinking about it, or strongly believe in it to,
while in the presence of the incubus, be sus-
ceptible to invitations on adventures, treasure
hunts, explorations, and the like.
 18

P
CUPID
“ lease, don’t leave me; not yet. I love you. I swear, I love you, and
I didn’t mean for any of this to happen! Just don’t go.
Don’t close your eyes! Don’t fall asleep. And don’t say I’ll be okay;
we both know that’s a lie. Just don’t go...”
-Jason Asron, spoken as his Adored perished, the hands of both men intertwined.

It is said that cupids truly embody what it means Finally, cupids are exceptionally talented when
to be a Concubus. Their love for the world and it comes to Freeings; they represent true Char-
its inhabitants is only surpassed by their love itability, both in the sense of kindness and of
for their Adored Ones, for they see beauty in connection to Eden. Some even theorize cupids
everything; the people, the trees, the cities, and to actually be angels, truly born in the origi-
even the world’s Brethren in Sin. To most cu- nal Garden of Eden, though this belief is not
pids, there is nothing in the world within which widespread. Regardless, a cupid is a powerful
there is no gentleness and love; it merely has to contender to face against, for their prowess with
be drawn out. Of course, they are capable of the supernatural is a force to be reckoned with.
recgonizing that this is not always possible; they Appearance: The appearance of a cupid can
may have love in their hearts always, but they are be summarized as being the adult appearance
not fools. of the common depiction of cherubs; their skin
Tales of cupids amongst the Banished tend to is soft and smooth, their hair is often a mess
involve saviors and protectors; stalwart bul- of brilliant curls, and their skin tones are most
warks against the evils of the world, protecting often cool. Though this state of appearance
good and beauty where possible, always seeing tends to be unfortunately hemogenized, they
the best in everything. Many of these tales do differ in their eyes; their pupils take on a variety
involve fools who attempt to tease out the of shapes, ranging from the shape of hearts,
goodwill in the most rotten of souls, typically to stars, and to the silhouette of a Van Gough
perishing in the process, though rarely succeed- painting. There is no limit.
ing in sheer strokes of luck. Lifestyle. The lifestyle of a cupid is typical-
Cupids tend to seek out ways to take care of ly one of heroics and saviorship, though the
others, whether this be through medical care, motives vary wildly. Their is always a devotion
emotional support, or fending off the horrors of in the heart of a cupid, and they will follow that
the world. They will stop at nothing, acting as devotion to the ends of the Earth, tearing down
guardian angels to the weak, and a terror upon and building up whatever they need to do so.
the wicked. There are, however, cupids who are Once this devotion is satiated, they will express
less than good; these cupids tend to act selflessly, their affections towards those they deem de-
only to demand reward and compensation in serving with an absolute conviction until a new
return. They inspire hope just as equally as they source of desire and devotion arrives.
inspire spite as they take and take.
 19

Initial Freeings: Choose one of the follow- Order Interactions

ing Freeings to have one dot in, and one of the Warm. An Adored belonging to the Warm
following to have two dots in: Charitability, Order will often be struck with an absolute
Influence, or Rose Petal. desire for comfort when near the cupid they
are connected to; their worries, sorrows, and
Purpose hurts will melt away the moment they come
into contact with the cupid, whether this be a
The Charitable prowess of a cupid is unmatched
amongst the unlearned, yet so too is their hero- hug, the holding of hands, a kiss, or sex. Often,
ism, whether it be selfless or selfish. Choose one an Adored may become addicted to this, for the
of the following: world is not kind to them, and the comfort is a
Savior. When you make a roll to perform an welcome reprieve.
action with the intent of rescuing a person from Cold. An Adored belonging to the Cold
certain, immediate danger, you may add one Order will cause any who are within contact
additional die to the roll. with it to feel a sudden desire to protect it with
Wicked Protector. When you make a roll their life. No harm can come to it so long as they
while speaking to an individual who you in live, or so they believe. This desire to protect the
some way saved or rescued to extort them or Adored can be resisted with a Willpower roll
demand compensation, you may add one addi- with a difficulty of 7.
tional die to the roll. Home. An Adored belonging to the Home
Order will cause the most physically or super-
naturally capable individual within its bound-
Sin aries to be overwhelmed with a desire to protect
Though they are perhaps the most inherently others within the location. They will not express
“good” of the Concubus Dedications, even if this outwardly, but will be prepared to leap
they indulge in evil and utter selfishness, their into action the very moment danger presents
hearts and minds are plagued with revolting itself. Additionally, when the affected individual
thoughts of what would happen should they makes a Strength or Dexterity roll to achieve this
surrender fully to wrongness and depravity, or goal of protection, they may add one additional
guilt for doing so if they already have. die to the roll.
Consequences of Thought. Each cupid is in- Ethereal. An Adored belonging to the
herently connected to an Eden, and so, an Eden Ethereal Order will cause any who interact with
might provide the service of cleansing them in it regularly, spend a significant amount of time
both mind and body. You cannot experience thinking about it, or strongly believe in it to,
an Emotional Reset, excluding by means of while in the presence of the cupid, feel calm, at
system shock, unless you rest in an Eden, have peace, and emotionally steady unless directly
performed the Drain on a human who expe- hostile towards the cupid.
riences love within the past week, or have not
experienced an Emotional Reset within the past
two weeks.
 20

BANSHEES
“... I found you. Oh my god, I finally found you. I’m so sorry-
So, so very sorry. I never should have left. I never should have disappeared.
But I’m back. We can fix things, can’t we? I swear, I can do better this time.”
-Tyler Vernon, the day he met his Adored for the second time.

Banshees are beings of woe and guilt. They have Banshees are exceptional in their capability to
experienced the temptation of the Fruit, but instill a certain degree of the guilt they, them-
were denied it, for their love, in the instant of selves, feel into others. Some banshees perform
their Consumption, failed. Though others of this cruel empathetic sharing as a means of
their kind merely performed the Severance, then coping; the intent is to make certain that others
later ate from the tree of the Fruit once more, know their hurt to prove they are not alone.
restoring their Adoration, but leaving them Others utilize this ability only as a necessary tool
stricken with guilt. Their love is broken, though and nothing more. The saneness and capability
repairable, and they will do whatever they can to for coherent thought varies wildly amongst
make up for their failings. banshees.
The love which they first lost may have been Appearance: The appearance of a banshee
so in a variety of ways. Perhaps what would have is one of borderline nonexistence. When gazing
become their Adored perished, or perhaps they upon a banshee, one might feel as though they
simply, in their moment of temptation, came could reach out and simply slip a hand through
to a realization of apathy, or they even may have their body, though this is, of course, not the
simply temporarily resisted the temptation of case. Additionally, the hair of a banshee is often
the Fruit. Following the scenario of the latter, wispy in appearance, even if quite full. They are,
though, the temptation never left; it grew stron- in short, nearly ethereal.
ger and stronger until at last they gave in to love Lifestyle. A banshee will often live their life
once again. attempting to prove themself good and worthy.
Banshees, though stricken with guilt, are fully There are seldom tasks they would not perform
capable of happiness and normality in their lives. to achieve this goal. Were it not for their Adored
This guilt is by no means a constant, though it is Ones keeping them at stay, many of their kind
often present within a banshee’s subconscious. would have joined the military simply because
They tend to make an attempt to prove this per- that is the “righteous,” “proper,” and “strong”
ceived inadequacy false by forcing themselves to thing to do in many cultures. Still, they find
perform exceptionally well in day-to-day tasks, ways to feel like they’re doing something; free
though others have better managed themselves. labor, volunteering, taking on very personal jobs
The loss of love has rended their minds, and sal- such as becoming a therapist - things of that
vation can only be found in either the comfort sort.
of their Adored, the rite of the Severance, or, if
sought after with appropriate conviction, the
Resentment.
 21

Initial Freeings: Choose two of the follow- Order Interactions

ing Freeings to have one dot in: Calculate, Pass Warm. An Adored belonging to the Warm
Through, or Revision. Order, while near the banshee they are connect-
ed to, will experience the banshee’s emotions
Purpose as though they are their own. This feeling is
extremely powerful the first time it happens and
The guilt of a banshee is not to be trifled with;
one should not let themselves be fooled by the becomes weaker for every instance since.
appearance of a ghost. Cold. An Adored belonging to the Cold Or-
Sorrow of Failure. Pain tells you that you der will cause any who are within contact with it
have failed, that you have allowed yourself to be to feel a sudden desire to destroy it by any means
hurt and thus have made a mistake. You may necessary, but will experience an incapacitating
soak lethal damage. When you do this, you may fear, rendering them incapable of doing so. Even
only roll up to two dice. after ceasing contact, they will be convinced that
Play Dead. When you remain absolutely it is a source of evil and wrongness, and that the
still and do not move a muscle, your breath- only deserving fate is destruction.
ing becomes imperceptible. You will appear as Home. An Adored belonging to the Home
though thoroughly dead. You being very much Order will cause any who are within its bound-
alive cannot be revealed by another being by any aries while the banshee is near to immediately
means other than supernatural. feel extremely cold to the extent that, if they are
not wearing warm clothing, may be afflicted
with frostbite with enough time given.
Sin Ethereal. An Adored belonging to the
A banshee will always remember the first Ethereal Order will cause any who interact with
time they felt love, and the first time it slipped it regularly, spend a significant amount of time
through their fingers. thinking about it, or strongly believe in it to,
Memories of Affection. Each banshee will while in the presence of the banshee, find them-
forever recall the affection they first felt, and selves incapable of seeing the banshee unless
often relive it in their mind, time and time again. actively searching for them while aware of what
After you experience an Emotional Reset, your they look like.
Peace resets to no dots instead of one, and it
cannot be raised above three dots.
 22

NYMPH
“A hop, a skip, and a step and away!
Oh, isn’t it a lovely day?
To dance and sing and rock and sway,
And after all the merriment lay,
your head upon the moss; what do you say?”
-Unknown nymph met in the woods.
Nymphs are, above all else, beings of utter Nymphs are also tricksters, pranksters, and
whimsy and oddness. They seldom follow lovers of jokes. They are acutely aware of what
conventional norms, instead opting to act rashly, humor is appropriate and what is not, and
irregularly, and without rhyme nor reason. act according to their whims. Some nymphs
To predict a nymph accurately is to know the purposefully ignore these categorizations of
weather a year in advance. Still, inevitably, they “okay” and “not okay,” as it is merely an obstacle
have patterns, dreams, and a set personality; they in the way of fun; all, though, make certain that
are, after all, still people. They live in a state of their Adored Ones are not harmed, physically or
utter awareness, knowing just what’s around the emotionally, by their jokes.
corner, figuring out who is a danger, and things Appearance: The appearance of a nymph is
of the sort, for they know there will always be one of sharp angles and bright expressions. They
those looking to capture a storm in a bottle. exist in a state of lightness that may seem odd
They seldom live solitary lives, being perhaps for their frame, for they indeed range from slim
the most often social amongst the Dedications. and small to bulky and muscular. They are often
The existence of humans gives life to the steps drawn to avante garde clothing, enjoying an odd
of a nymph, and they inevitably bring great joy fashion that draws the gaze of all.
to them even in sorrow. Despite this, nymphs Lifestyle. Nymphs enjoy lives of whimsy and
typically only choose two to three individuals humor. They are party animals, they are prank-
who they regularly interact with excluding their sters, and they can never be followed. They
clique and, of course, their Adored Ones, for are seldom lonely, for their closest friends are
boredom sets upon them like a hound if they all they need. It is a comfortable life they lead,
maintain the common, lazily kept relationships challenged only by the question of who they are
for too long. beyond the jokes and irony and facades, and of
Nymphs can often be found at parties and course by decay and the Slow Burn.
anywhere one might find alcohol; there is no
excitement a nymph won’t follow. They often
invoke a joyous havoc in their wake, causing
those who follow them to be stricken with a
stupor not unlike that of drunkenness. It is, for
nymphs, a great source of entertainment.
 23

Initial Freeings: You gain one dot in the Order Interactions

following Freeings: Allow & Deny, Compete, Warm. An Adored belonging to the Warm
and Flight. Order, while near the nymph they are connected
to, will feel a sudden urge to follow the nymph
Purpose unless shooed away or told to stay where they
are. While following the nymph, often in a
Nymphs, though gifted with an atypical capa-
bility with Freeings similar to cupids, are also stupor until they catch up, the Adored will
graceful in nature. Choose one of the following: be significantly slower than the nymph even if
Lightfoot. You are naturally graceful, at least typically very fast.
to the extent that you will not trip over your Cold. An Adored belonging to the Cold Or-
own feet. You add one dot to Dexterity, even if der will cause any who are within contact with it
this brings that Trait above five. to feel a sudden desire to use it for mischievous
Party Animal. When someone bothers you purposes; even something as mundane as put-
who you really would prefer to have nothing to ting it above a door so it falls on someone’s head
with, you may spend three Willpower to force is enough, though if there is something unique
that individual to make a Willpower roll with a that can be done with it, that will be found to be
difficulty of 8 or become drunk. preferable.
Home. An Adored belonging to the Home
Order will cause any who are within its bound-
Sin aries while the nymph is near will feel a sudden
Nymphs are beings of whimsy and oddness, as desire to decorate it unless it is already satisfac-
previously stated; though they become the life torally decorated. If decoration requires depart-
of the party, they may struggle to connect at a ing from the Adored, then a person will not take
deeper level. any actions to decorate.
Shallow Connection. When you make an Ethereal. An Adored belonging to the
Empathy roll to determine anything except for Ethereal Order will cause any who interact with
what jokes would be appropriate to make at any it regularly, spend a significant amount of time
given time, treat the roll as though a one has thinking about it, or strongly believe in it to,
been rolled. while in the presence of the nymph, be over-
come with the desire to talk about the Adored
without cease until either the nymph removes
themself from the conversation or they have
nothing left to talk about.
 24

Heartless
“Hey. I’m still a bit confused. Why is this supposed to help me love you?
... It’s a hoodie. It smells weird. Can I take it off, or is it really necessary?
It’ll help if I give it time, sure, yeah, uh-huh, but it’s itchy.”
-Michelle Batten, speaking to her girlfriend.
The heartless are, to put it plainly, Concubi who The heartless often have one other emotion
do not feel love. They experienced a singular they do not experience; this can be any emotion
flash of absolute Adoration once, only once, in other than fear, hatred, joy, peace, or apathy,
the moment of their Consumptions, or perhaps simply due to the fact that these emotions are
once when they belonged to another Dedica- core to the use of Freeings. Emotions like pride,
tion, but now they are without it. Most are concern, boredom, tiredness, or gratitude are
bound to seek love and affection, hoping to feel all on the table, however, and so too is whatever
it once more; others have accepted that they can else you can think of.
no longer feel love, and instead attempt to live Appearance: The appearance of a heartless
their lives in whatever happy way they can. De- is one of absolute humanity. They appear no
spite this, the Slow Burn seeks them out all the different from the common person, whether
same; when apart from their Adored, a heartless they be attractive or not, for they are the closest
will still begin to feel ill and go mad, though not to being human amongst Concubi. Any beauty
from a desire to satiate their love. they maintain, though, is natural; they are inca-
The heartless, instead of the Adoration, pable of being augmented by makeup, skincare
experience something referred to as the Journey. products, or other such things.
It is a sensation felt amongst Concubi only by Lifestyle. The heartless tend to live in states
their kind; it is a guiding light, leading a heartless of acting out roles, being only who they are
ever onwards to Adoration. It is the overwhelm- expected to be. They seldom develop their own
ing need to feel love that, at times, consumes all personalities, being only an amalgamation of
other thoughts. A heartless will often stop at how they are perceived. Unless they perform
nothing to achieve Adoration once more. the Resentment and embrace a new Dedication,
During their Consumption, a heartless can they typically remain complacent in this, seldom
feel that something was taken - they do not experiencing resentment or discomfort in this.
know what, they do not know why, but the
Fruit stole something from them. There was no
Adoration from which it could feed.
The heartless often attend to friendships not
out of a wish to satiate a need for affection, but
because they believe themselves to be expected
to bring joy to the lives of others. This is not to
say they find social environments unpleasant;
they simply tend to feel indifference, and often
enjoy the experiences due to a satiated boredom.
Entertainment does not necessitate affection,
after all.
 25

Initial Freeings: Choose two of the follow- You may find an alternative character sheet
ing Freeings to have one dot in: Amnesia, Burn with a labeled Journey track instead of an Ado-
& Dark, or Suppress. ration track both (usually) wherever you found
this book and within the Appendix of this book.
Use of this alternative character sheet is fully
Purpose optional, however is recommended for immer-
The heartless are ultimately capable of very little sion purposes.
within the realm of supernatural talent, howev-
er, they are nigh unshakeable and can be resilient
beyond words. Choose one of the following: Order Interactions
Strong Will; Take No Heed. You are Warm. An Adored belonging to the Warm
fully capable of resisting the impulsiveness and Order, while near the heartless they are connect-
instinct you were born with. When you make a ed to, will be innately capable of comprehending
Willpower roll for any reason, you may add two the heartless’s emotions. Anything the heartless
dice to the roll. experiences will be understood and potentially
Steady Breath. You are brilliantly proficient experienced as well by the Adored.
in maintaining a steady and powerful demeanor. Cold. An Adored belonging to the Cold Or-
When you make a Stamina roll for any reason, der will cause any who are within contact with
you may add two dice to the roll. it to cease to feel any emotion at all. They will
remain capable of self-preservation, but other-
wise will simply be devoid of feeling.
Sin Home. An Adored belonging to the Home
A heartless Concubus is without love, and thus, Order will cause any who are within its bound-
cannot connect to their Adored as they would aries while the heartless is near to be especially
like to. The Journey is long and difficult, how- vulnerable to mild illnesses such as the common
ever they will reach their goal eventually... unless cold. If at least ten people are within the bound-
the decay overtakes their Adored first. aries of the Adored, at least one will become ill.
Without Adoration. You cannot have more Beings who are typically not capable of illness
than four dots in any of your Hearths. While may still become ill due to this.
you have seven dots in your Journey track, this Ethereal. An Adored belonging to the
becomes no longer the case. Ethereal Order will cause any who interact with
it regularly, spend a significant amount of time
Journey thinking about it, or strongly believe in it to,
Instead of an Adoration track, you have Jour- while in the presence of the heartless, experience
ney. This depicts your progress towards achiev- a sudden decrease in the quality of their eye-
ing true Adoration. Every time you gain a dot sight, unless already blind. This may range from
in your Journey track, you become capable of blurriness to absolute lack of sight until separat-
experiencing love and affection for the following ed from the heartless.
day, after which you cease to be capable of such
again. When you have seven dots of Journey,
you become fully capable of experiencing Ad-
oration, and thus may turn your Journey track
into an Adoration track.
 26

Panite
“Come now, don’t fall behind! We’ve miles and miles to go, my friend!
Do not let your feet grow weary; there is yet safety to be found. Here
is hardly a place to rest.
... Very well, you may have your seconds. Take at most an hour, then we will be off again.
You’ll see your brother yet. The mountains are but stone; we are but flesh.”
-Frizzle Adams, guiding their Adored through a mountain range,
as is written in the Journal of the Seeker.
Panites are, first and foremost, shepherds, Additionally, panites experience a significant
guides, and protectors. They embody the sort of call to nature. They are known for caring
natural desire of Concubi to be helpers to their for gardens and forests, fending off poachers
Adored Ones, to grant them safety and comfort, and any who would see harm done to the wilds.
however for them, it is taken a step further. To a They are also often seen as farmers and farm-
panite, one’s Adored is considered to be lost and hands, assisting with the care of animals; some
without direction within the Gifted World; they panites are innately mortified by the animals’
either do not understand the supernatural or eventual slaughter, though others merely per-
cannot survive it alone, and thus must be kept in ceive it as a necessity in life.
safety by the panite. Appearance: The appearance of a heartless
Their history is one of adventure and help- is one of warm tones, tanned skin, and brown
fulness; the Journal of the Seeker, written by an in their hair and eyes. They appear no different
unknown scholar, holds many tales regarding from the common person otherwise, though
them. Amongst these stories is that of Friz- there is no denying the comparison made by
zle Adams, who led his Adored across a great many that they look as though a strip of wood
mountain range, fending off wolf-men and bark simply fell off a tree and turned human.
Devils, until at last they reached the household There is, too, always a certain sparkle to their
of the Adored’s brother, reuniting the two sepa- eyes, something telling you that they care, now
rated childhood companions at last. and forever.
Panites are often very social individuals, Lifestyle. Panites tend to pursue existences
reaching out to many people, and becoming an of tranquility and friendship, valuing connec-
almost parental figure to them all. They can be tions and heart. There are few people a panite
trusted with secrets; they can be trusted with will not attempt to befriend; even the wicked
affection. Seldom will a panite hurt a friend may be cured of their wrongness, or so many of
without very, very good reason. They are pro- these believe. There is always their connection
tectors of their Adored Ones first and foremost, to nature, leading them to the appreciation of
but never will they sacrifice those within their the world beyond mankind’s cities and walled
care for the world. homes.
 27

Initial Freeings: Choose two of the follow- Order Interactions

ing Freeings to have one dot in: Cottage, Pledge, Warm. An Adored belonging to the Warm
or Shepherd. Order, while near the panite they are connected
to, will be innately capable of sensing the pres-
Purpose ence of all thinking things within their general
vicinity. Additionally, the panite can hear the
Panites live with respect and companionship;
they are shepherds, and yet no shepherd is Adored’s heartbeat from any distance.
complete without their hound, nor their crook. Cold. An Adored belonging to the Cold Or-
Choose one of the following: der will cause any who are within contact with it
Shepherd’s Hound(s). You gain three dots in to become invincible. They will be unable to be
the Allies Background. harmed entirely, immune to all external stimuli.
Shepherd’s Crook. Choose any object, such In addition, they will be unable to move what-
as a crook, cane, watch, or inhaler. When you soever unless that movement is made to cease
make an Empathy or Animal Ken roll while touching the Adored.
holding that object, you may add two dice to the Home. An Adored belonging to the Home
roll. Order will cause any who are within its bound-
aries while the panite is near to be susceptible to
any verbal directions. Any roll made to convince
Sin these individuals of something or convince them
Though compassionate and often kind, a panite to do something is made with three additional
is often simply too trusting. At the same time, dice.
their companionship is especially desired by Ethereal. An Adored belonging to the
some; their essence can be simply intoxicating to Ethereal Order will cause any who interact with
the lonely. Choose one of the following: it regularly, spend a significant amount of time
Betrayer. One person you know is only by thinking about it, or strongly believe in it to,
your side so that they might gain something while in the presence of the panite, be especially
from you to your detriment. They may attempt susceptible to any verbal directions. Any roll
to harm you physically, or may simply rob you; made to convince these individuals of something
whatever the case, you do not yet know who it or convince them to do something is made with
is. three additional dice.
Stalker. Put simply, you have a stalker.
Somebody is obsessing over you, whether it be
because they want your affection, resources, or
death. They are especially good at not being
caught, potentially to a supernatural degree.
 28

Hephaestine
“It’s a ring. How can a ring actively not want me?
That’s stupid. I’ll just grab it and- OH FUCK, ow, shit!
You didn’t tell me it would fucking burn!
Oh, yeah, uh-huh, because I totally would’ve known that, SURE.
Whatever, man. I’ll just pick it up with a glove and- AH! Okay. Still burns.
... It really is pretty, though. Quite precious. I think I’ll just sit here with it a while... and watch.”
-Jonathon Stone, observing his Adored ring.

Hephaestine, carrying the namesake of the god Hephaestine are often very talented with cer-
Hephaestus, are notable amongst Concubi for tain skills, having practiced alone for significant
one reason: they are, in every way, scorned by amounts of time. With lonely existences come
their Adored Ones. They are despised, whether talent, for what else could one do without com-
it is deserved or not, and carry the burden of panionship? Of course, a hephaestine cannot be
being a protector to one who does not desire without their Adored entirely; they simply must
protection. Even Adored Ones belonging to keep a distance. For hephaestine, protecting
the Home and Ethereal Orders inspire absolute their Adored Ones is often enough to satiate
hatred towards the hephaestine in mortals. the Slow Burn... but at the same time, doing so
It is believed that the story of Hephaestus actively causes the decay.
is, in fact, simply a mythologized rendition of Appearance: Unfortunately, regardless of
a concubus who was rejected by their mother whether or not they were prior to their Con-
despite loving her dearly. This tale, however, sumption, hephaestine are often afflicted with
ended with the act of the Severance, for the hep- unpleasant appearances. It is feasible for them
haestine never did forgive his mother in the end. to hide their ugliness with makeup and fashion,
He was, however, betrayed, time and time again, but ultimately, their existence is to be hated, and
and yet was never hurt, for in his Severance he the Fruit has ensured that they will know that by
did not know love. the disgust of everyone they speak to.
Hephaestine often live lives dedicated to Lifestyle. To put it simply, hephaestine live
solitude, for the meager love of typical friend- alone. They may have friends, but they are few;
ship and romance pales in comparison to the only other Concubi tend to accept them. They
love they cannot satiate. They are seldom offered leave from their homes to protect their Adored
affection, especially not by their Adored; who Ones, they return, they perhaps speak to their
would love such miserable wretches after all? fellow Concubi, then they work.
 29

Initial Freeings: Choose two of the follow- Order Interactions

ing Freeings to have one dot in: Bask, Goliath, or Warm. An Adored belonging to the Warm
Revolution. Order, while near the hephaestine they are con-
nected to, will experience a sensation of disgust
Purpose and revultion towards everything around them,
especially the hephaestine.
You have spent enough time to know the ins and
outs of your profession. Cold. An Adored belonging to the Cold
Lonely Worker. You gain four dots in one Order will cause any who are within contact
Ability of your choice, up to a maximum of with it to immediately hate the hephaestine it is
four. connected to. They will do anything possible to
prevent the Adored from falling into the hands
of the hephaestine, even going as far as to kill
Sin them if necessary.
You hurt. That is the plain fact of your existence. Home. An Adored belonging to the Home
You. Hurt. You will never have your love. Order will cause any who are within its bound-
Protective Guardian. For every scene where aries while the hephaestine is near to want to
you are directly and intentionally preventing leave immediately. If they are bound by some
physical or emotional harm towards your manner of duty to stay, they will, however they
Adored, you gain one dot of decay. will leave as soon as possible.
Additionally, choose one of the following: Ethereal. An Adored belonging to the
Face of Hephaestus. Due to the changes Ethereal Order will cause any who interact with
made by the Fruit, you have been afflicted with a it regularly, spend a significant amount of time
certain unattractiveness that sickens others. Your thinking about it, or strongly believe in it to,
Appearance is decreased by two dots, even if this while in the presence of the hephaestine, entirely
would reduce you to no dots. despise and feel revulsed by the hephaestine; at
Weariness of Hephaestus. You are so, so times, they may even be violent towards them.
very tired. The Slow Burn hacks away at your Additionally, the difficulty of any roll made by
soul, and you can scarcely bring yourself to the hephaestine to interact with the Adored is
satiate it; after all, you would have to go directly increased by one.
against your Adored’s wishes. Still, you must do
so, lest you go mad. If you choose to satiate the
Slow Burn by being near your Adored, for every
scene you spend near your Adored, you gain one
dot of Decay.
 30

Chthonic
“What a curious way to awaken...
I have a question for thee, if thou wouldst answer?”
-Unknown chthonic, exiting a tomb.

A chthonic is a being of death and ailment, but The chthonic connection to the dead goes
also life and cure; they are the natural cycle of beyond just communion and rest. They are
death and life, and the love which occurs in-be- also fully capable of understanding past lives in
tween. They are the manifestation of the decay, reincarnation; at least, it is believed that these
offering themselves to it fully in acceptance of are past lives. In truth, the answer may be that
what is to come, even as the sorrow of know- chthonics perceive the lives of the dead, using
ing wreaks havoc upon their hearts. There is their Adored as a conduit; none are certain of
nothing that can truly halt the decay, they know, which is the case.
and so they know to move on once it fully takes Appearance. Chthonics tend to be very
hold. In the wider world, chthonics typically plain in appearance; there are very few distinct
live as any person would; they have few unique features, and even if they are jaw-droppingly
qualities beyond the supernatural world, and are gorgeous or handsome, in a crowd, they would
deceptively plain. be easily looked over. They are inconspicuous
Tales of chthonics revolve around horrid and simple; this is the deception of their hearts,
necromancy; there are myths that, once upon which forever are tied to the supernatural world
a time, a chthonic could raise the dead, imbue and the Brethren in Sin.
them with souls, and create new life; they were, Lifestyle. Chthonics have very typical lives, if
perhaps, amongst the most powerful of the they have a life at all. They maintain friendships,
Concubi. Whether these legends are true or not, they work their jobs, they go to the grocery
however, is entirely unknown; regardless, there store, and they have their hobbies. They seldom
remains none with such power in the modern have genuine connections to these, however, for
age. Now, the most a chthonic is capable of is the night calls to them, and the Gifted World is
communing with the dead and learning of their forever in their sight. They truly live outside of
final words. the light of humanity’s normalcy, and bathe in
Chthonics typically live within the super- the night. They are also prone to their Adored
natural world beyond the veil of normality, Ones being Brethren in Sin; vampires, change-
experiencing it with an open heart, and paying lings, mages, werewolves, and the like.
little heed to the necessary averageness of day-
to-day existence. As some are capable of doing,
a number of chthonics choose to enter a state of
hibernation for long periods of time, awakening
only to satiate the Slow Burn with their Adored
Ones. This type of chthonic is only recommend-
ed for play if they have awoken for the chronicle
and cannot rest until the story is complete.
 31

Initial Freeings: Choose two of the follow- Order Interactions

ing Freeings to have one dot in: Advent, Oracle, Warm. An Adored belonging to the Warm
or Zen. Order, when near the chthonic they are con-
nected to, will become extraordinarily aware
Purpose of the Gifted World. While in this state, they
will be capable of recognizing any Concubus as
The sight of a chthonic travels far beyond the
veil of life and death, seeing one’s past in their being a Concubus on sight, and, if they make a
falling, and experiencing the Gifted World in its roll to attempt to recognize a Brethren in Sin as
entirety. Choose one of the following: being supernatural in nature, they may add two
Corpse-Whisperer. When within speaking additional dice to the roll.
distance with a corpse while your Adored is Cold. An Adored belonging to the Cold Or-
nearby, you may roll Manipulation + Agape der will cause any who are within contact with it
with a difficulty of 8. You, in some way, learn to immediately become aware that the super-
a number of facts from its life equal to the natural is real. They will have no evidence, have
number of successes you roll. The method of no explaination for the belief, but will believe
communication can be anything; direct speech it firmly and with an absolute conviction. They
during which the corpse is partially animated, may make a Willpower roll with a difficulty of
imagining a conversation in your head, or even 10 to come to the conclusion that they are incor-
just knowing. You do not get to choose what rect and that the supernatural is not real.
information you learn, however - if possible - the Home. An Adored belonging to the Home
information is always in some way useful, even if Order will cause any who are within its bound-
its use isn’t apparent yet. aries to immediately know the year they are
Friend of the Brethren. During character going to die. They will not know how they
creation, when you augment your Backgrounds know, and it will not be an absolute certainty in
using Freebie Points, Backgrounds of supernat- their mind, but the thought will simply pop up
ural nature which cost double the points instead amongst their thinkings.
only cost one point. Ethereal. An Adored belonging to the
Ethereal Order will cause any who interact with
it regularly, spend a significant amount of time
Sin thinking about it, or strongly believe in it to,
Not all Brethren in Sin are so kind as one might while in the presence of the chthonic, feel in-
hope; most, in fact, are quite hostile. Beware tensely exhausted, as though they require sleep.
the night, and tread upon its death-worshipped Each affected individual must make a Stamina
grounds with caution. roll with a difficulty of 7. On a failure, the diffi-
Upon Sinner’s Ground. All chthonics are culty of any roll they make is increased by one so
targets; a supernatural being who might already long as they are within the boundaries.
be hostile towards Concubi or the clique a
chthonic belongs to will be obsessively hostile
towards a chthonic. Their very existence will
inspire hatred and bloodlust. Friendly or neutral
Brethren in Sin, however, remain so, at most
experiencing a mild disdain.
 32

Chapter Four
Freeings & Hearths
“There is no greater freedom than that which is granted by
power. There is no force greater than that which you
push upon the world, yourself.”
-Howard Kane, briefly prior to empowering his Adored to turn a man to dust.

Concubi are subject to the Adoration, and

with the Adoration comes a selfless need to Using Freeings
protect. A Concubus’s Adored must be kept A Freeing is typically a somewhat obvious
safe at all costs; no harm may come to it. The thing to those who know what to look for.
The blowing of a kiss, a shouted incantation, a
Gifted World would do all to bring the Adored
spoken curse, or the giving of a gift; these are all
of a Concubus to an early destruction, and so a
possibilities, though just about any action can
Concubus must learn to fight back. With souls
be a method of channeling one’s Adoration. It is
transformed by the Fruit, they may bring about
possible to make use of Freeings subtly, though
the rejection of the nature of the Stolen World.
it requires a very special sort of Concubus; this
The magic of a Concubus is known as a Free-
is, of course, excluding a select few Freeings
ing, titled such for its potential to bring a certain
which are innately subtle. Keep this in mind
degree of freedom from the loveless existence
when near those who belong only to the Stolen
led by mortalkind. Freeings are extensions of a
World; you never know how they might react.
Concubus’s emotions, reaching out and aug-
Each Freeing is limited by a Concubus’s expe-
menting the world by means of desire. To focus rience and knowledge regarding it, represented
these Charitable powers into tangible effects, a by how many dots they have in each in particu-
Concubus requries practice and learning; they lar, alongside their Hearths, also defined by their
do, however, innately hold some small talent dot counts. A Concubus’s dots in a Freeing
with their abilities. define how powerful it will be when used; it
The Banished hold that all Freeings are to be is a display of how brilliantly they can enforce
used only with absolute intent. To make use of it upon the world and how much control
them at a whim or without thought is to invite they have. Their dots in a Hearth define what,
ruin to oneself; after all, what if a mortal sees? exactly, the Freeing actually does. The Contact
A Concubus faces many threats, the wrath of Freeing is nothing without a Hearth; with three
those belonging only to the Stolen World chief dots in Contact and one dot in Joy, the Freeing’s
amongst them. Regardless, most Concubi target may experience a temporary high, enough
adhere to this simply because it is easier to do so; to leave them dazed and unable to form coher-
Freeings are, of course, rather draining on one’s ent sentences, but at five dots in Joy, the target
Adoration. may simply begin to laugh their head off, taking
off to dance in the streets in utter derangement.
 33

To manifest the effects of a Freeing, the player

must decide which level of the Freeing they
wish to use, which Hearth they wish to use, and
Freeings: Step by Step
whether or not they wish to expend Adoration Step One: Manifest
to increase the chances of success. The player The player decides on a specific dot rating of a
then rolls the Freeing with a difficulty of 5 + particular Freeing to use.
their dots in Apathy; on a success, the Freeing Step Two: Hearth
manifests as intended, and the listed effect comes The player decides which Hearth they wish
into play. On a failure, the player gains one dot to use, determining the intended effect in the
in Apathy and nothing happens. Additionally, process. Additionally, the player determines the
for each die which rolls a one, the player gains difficulty based upon Apathy. The formula is 5
one dot in Apathy. Unusually, when rolling a + the player’s dots in Apathy.
Freeing, a die roll of one does not cancel out a Step Three: Adoration
success, nor does it result in a botch. If the result The player may choose to expend up to three
of the roll is a failure, than dice rolls of one do dots of Adoration, decreasing the difficulty of
not give the player a dot in Apathy. the Freeing roll by one per dot.
Step Four: Complete Freeing
The player rolls their Freeing. On a failure,
Expending Adoration they gain one dot of Apathy, and on a success,
they gain one dot of Apathy per die roll of one,
A Concubus is capable of sacrificing their love, then consult the details of the relevant Freeing
albeit temporarily, to empower themselves to for the manifested effect.
more easily manifest Freeings. When performing
a Freeing, a player may choose to expend up
to three dots of Adoration; each expended dot
A Concubus is inherently aware of what they
decreases the difficulty of the roll by one.
are capable of based upon their Hearths, though
they do not have a concept of “points” regarding
Freeings such. For example, a Concubus with five dots
in Fear and two dots in Joy might understand
The details of Freeings are organized as follows: that the effects of their Freeing might diminish
the title of the Freeing, the base effects which should they take their anxiety medication, and
manifest regardless of if the Freeing succeeds that what they can do might be augmented in a
alongside the requirements for the Freeing’s potentially positive way if they go out partying.
effects, the levels of power, and finally what
the effects are based upon Hearths. Hearths
do not always have an effect for every dot one
has in them; instead, the effect which manifests Dots in Freeings, as previously stated, can be
is either equal to how many dots you have in obtained through Freebie Points and experience.
the Hearth or the closest effect requiring fewer There is no restriction on which Freeings you
dots, whichever is most available. A Freeing will can take, despite the initial Freeings you obtain
always manifest based upon the highest available due to your Dedication; a Concubus has signifi-
Hearth effect. Additionally, if the chosen cant potential in their ability to learn.
Hearth presently has no dots or not enough
dots to reach the minimum threshold, then only
the base effect manifests if possible.
 34

Advent
There is no moment of simplicity amongst Con-
Advent Level
•••
You may affect a crowd of no more than sixty
cubi; every moment is an event, an experience, people, or may cause a crowd of fourteen people
a moment of grand happening. Advent is an as- to gather around the target.
surance that this nature of Concubi will spread
beyond their immediate selves, instilling in Advent Level
others a certainty that any action they take will ••••
be one of grandeur. Crowds upon the street will You may affect a crowd of no more than
halt in place to watch the simplest of actions; a one-hundred people, or may cause a crowd of
man examining a coin immediately becomes the twenty people to gather around the target.
most fascinating of things.
Concubi wielding the power of Advent are Advent Level
masters at distraction and mild control of the •••••
masses. They are able to direct the many to You may affect a crowd with no size limit, or
point their attention to the few. may cause a crowd of forty people to gather
around the target.

Base Effects Fear Level

• Either your Joy or Hatred increases by two.
• Either your Peace or Joy decreases by one. •
• All Advent level effects require there to be You cause the affected individuals to feel a mild
at least one person present to create a crowd sensation of discomfort regarding the target of
from. the Freeing. They will gather nearby to warily
• You must target a living, sapient being with confirm any potential suspicions.
this Freeing. This being must be one which
you can see in person.
Fear Level
• Affected crowds must be gathered for one
•••
You cause the affected individuals to become
unified purpose; mere proximity, such as at
convinced that the target has done something
NYC’s Times Square, does not constitute a
wrong, even if they don’t entirely know what.
crowd. Gathered crowds will only gather if
They will gather nearby to interrogate the target,
doing so is not unreasonably difficult.
cast accusations, or otherwise demand answers.
Advent Level
•
You may affect a small crowd of no more than
fifteen people, or may cause a crowd of no more
than four people to gather around the target.

Advent Level
••
You may affect a crowd of no more than thirty
people, or may cause a crowd of seven people to
gather around the target.
 35

Fear Level Hatred Level

•••• •••••
You cause the affected individuals to develop You cause the affected individuals to feel very
various, disconnected ideas about what they hostile towards the target. This will result in
believe the reasoning for their concern, fear, or insults, mockery, and at least one attempt at
hatred regarding the target is. non-lethal violence. This violence may become
lethal if the actor already has a reason to hate the
Fear Level target. The crowd will develop a unified driving
••••• idea about what they believe the reasoning for
You cause the affected indiviuals to develop a their hatred regarding the target is and will for-
unified driving idea about what they believe get the reasoning after the crowd dissipates.
the reasoning for their concern, fear, or hatred
regarding the target is. This may extend to su- Joy Level
pernatural reasons, even if the affected individu- ••
als have no belief in such. You cause the affected individuals to feel mildly
entertained by the target.
Hatred Level
• Joy Level
You cause the affected individuals to, if they are •••
already gathered, forget the reason they have You cause the affected individuals to believe
gathered, and if they are not, to gather for what- that the target is particularly entertaining; it is
ever the most sensible reasons they can individ- enough that they will provide their absolute
ually come up with are. They forget the reason attention, not even bothering with their phones.
upon the gathering ending.
Joy Level
Hatred Level ••••
•• You cause the affected individuals to believe that
You cause the affected individuals to feel mildly the target is very entertaining; they may ap-
hostile towards the target for no particular plause, cheer, or offer money at the end of some
reasoning. This may result in insult or mockery, action.
but little more.
Joy Level
Hatred Level •••••
••• You cause the affected individuals to become
You cause the affected individuals to feel mildly immensely entertained by the target. Nearly all
hostile towards the target; each individual pro- of them will offer money, and all of them will
duces their own reasoning for why they dislike find themselves applauding.
the target and will forget the reasoning after the
crowd dissipates.
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Peace Level Base Effects

• • Either your Fear or Joy increases by one.
You cause the affected individuals to become • Your Hatred decreases by one.
mildly curious about the target. They will • You must target a living, sapient being with
patiently wait their turn, asking one or two this Freeing. This being must be one which
questions, then moving on. They will not know you can see in person.
why. • The target is innately aware of the action
they have been denied alongside the
consequences.
Peace Level
••• Allow & Deny Level
You cause the affected individuals to become •
particularly curious about the target. Except for The effect lasts for one minute. If the denied
one or two excited participants, most will pa- action is taken, the target takes four bashing
tiently wait their turn, expecting full interviews. damage.
They will produce individual reasons of why.
Allow & Deny Level
••
Peace Level The effect lasts for ten minutes. If the denied
••••• action is taken, the target takes six bashing
You cause the affected individuals to become damage.
extremely curious about the target. None will
patiently wait their turn, expecting full inter- Allow & Deny Level
views all at once. They will collectively produce •••
a reason for the target to be interesting. The effect lasts for thirty minutes. If the denied
action is taken, the target takes three lethal
damage.

Allow & Deny

To manifest Allow & Deny is to simply, firmly,
Allow & Deny Level
••••
and powerfully say no. It is to lay out a com- The effect lasts for three hours. If the denied ac-
mand that, if not followed, will inflict absolute tion is taken, the target takes five lethal damage.
harm upon the target. There is a barrier of
Charitable wickedness which is set before a Allow & Deny Level
Concubus’s foe; only the brave and the foolish •••••
will step foot beyond it. A warrior will die by his The effect lasts for five hours. If the denied
own strike. action is taken, the target takes four aggravated
Allow & Deny is wielded by tricksters and damage.
diplomats. Whether they will fool a foe into
harming themself, or set forth an efficient threat
to provide time to talk, it is a useful tool through
and through.
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Fear Level Joy Level

• •
The target is denied the ability to exit the situa- The target is denied the ability to smile or laugh.
tion or run away.
Joy Level
Fear Level ••
•• The target is denied the ability to provide any
The target is denied the ability to evade, deflect, manner of assistance to another living being.
or negate your attacks in any way.
Joy Level
Fear Level •••
••• The target is denied the ability to perform any
The target is denied the ability to receive assis- action which would heal themself or assist in
tance of any kind. their own healing process.

Fear Level Joy Level

••••• •••••
The target is denied the ability to walk, run, The target is denied the ability to breathe.
jump, or move using their legs in general. This effect ends when you take any amount of
damage.
Hatred Level
• Peace Level
The target is denied the ability to use insults, •
argue, or otherwise speak unpleasantly. The target is denied the ability to make any
non-combat related rolls.
Hatred Level
•• Peace Level
The target is denied the ability to perform un- •••
armed attacks. The target is denied the ability to make any
combat related rolls.
Hatred Level
••• Peace Level
The target is denied the ability to speak. •••••
The target is denied the ability to see. For the
Hatred Level purposes of this effect, closing one’s eyes means
••••• that they cannot see.
The target is denied the ability to perform any
manner of physical attack.
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Amnesia
To manifest Amnesia is to deny a person the
Amnesia Level
••••
You forget a somewhat important memory
simple right to thought. It is to subtly inform about your Adored, such as their childhood
them that they are no longer capable of holding nickname.
power over their own mind; it now belongs to
the Concubus who has made use of such terror. Amnesia Level
Always, a victim of the Amnesia Freeing will •••••
recall that they have forgotten, but what is lost You forget something relatively unimportant
cannot be brought back. about your Adored, such as their favorite color,
Amnesia is wielded by those who will do the name of an ancient philosopher who studied
anything and everything within their power to it, what year it was made, or who the architect
reach their goals. It is a thing of terrifying power, who designed its walls was.
not to be trifled with. Following this, it of course
too has a significant cost, one many may not be Fear Level
willing to pay. ••
If the target is afraid of or hostile towards you,
for the next minute, they will forget why.
Base Effects
• Either your Fear or Peace increases by one. Fear Level
• Your Hatred decreases by one. •••
• You must target a living, sapient being with The target will forget who you are for the next
this Freeing. This being must be one which minute.
you can see in person.
Fear Level
Amnesia Level ••••
• The target will forget who they are for the next
You forget an extremely significant memory minute, but will retain vague memories of their
about your Adored, such as your first encounter life.
with it.

Amnesia Level Fear Level

•• •••••
You forget a very important memory about your The target will lose all memories for the next
Adored, such as the first gift you got them, or minute.
the first time you gifted it to someone.
Hatred Level
Amnesia Level ••
••• The target forgets how to perform a certain
You forget an important memory about your skill until the end of its next turn. Choose one
Adored, such as their favorite restaurant, or your Ability. For the duration of this effect, when the
prized essay regarding it. target rolls that Ability, the difficulty is increased
by two.
 39

Hatred Level Peace Level

••• •
The target partially, but permanently, forgets The target recalls a relatively unimportant but
how to perform a certain skill. Choose one Abil- forgotten memory about something important
ity. The target loses one dot in that Ability and to themself.
cannot be affected by Amnesia ever again.
Peace Level
Hatred Level ••
•••• The target recalls a somewhat important but
The target forgets how to perform a certain skill forgotten memory about something important
for one minute. Choose one Ability. For the to themself.
duration of this effect, the target has no dots in
that Ability. Peace Level
•••
Hatred Level The target recalls an important but forgotten
••••• memory about something important to them-
The target permanently forgets a significant self.
portion of how to perform a set of skills. Choose
one Attribute other than Appearance, Strength, Peace Level
or Stamina. The target loses one dot in that ••••
Attribute and cannot be affected by Amnesia The target recalls a very important but forgotten
ever again. memory.

Joy Level Peace Level

• •••••
The target permanently forgets the earliest hap- The target recalls an extremely important but
py memory they have. forgotten memory.

Joy Level
••
The target forgets their most recent happy mem-
ory for one minute.
Bask
A dead Concubus is just about as useful as a
needle in an empty desert. Manifesting Bask
Joy Level ensures that a Concubus does not die or, at the
••• very least, does not succumb to hopelessness.
The target permanently forgets the very exis- Bask can cure just about whatever ails a Concu-
tence of one close friend, ally, or companion, bus... even their Adored’s decay, at times. It is a
and cannot be affected by Amnesia ever again.
powerful Freeing, and one which speaks true to
the heart.
Joy Level Bask is usually used by those who are without
••••• other means of refreshing themselves. It is used
The target permanently forgets one happy mem-
by those who are hurt as a coping mechanism.
ory of your choice. You must be aware of at least
It is ultimately a learned skill to protect oneself
some details of the memory to do this.
when they do not know how to otherwise.
 40

Base Effects Hatred Level

• Either your Joy or Peace increases by one. ••
• Either your Fear or Hatred decreases by two. You gain a number of dots of Adoration as
• You gain one dot in Apathy. determined by your Bask level.
• You cannot manifest this Freeing if you have
three or more dots in Apathy. Hatred Level
•••
Bask Level You lose a number of dots in decay equal to half
• of the number determined by your Bask level.
The affecting number is one. You must wait two weeks before you can use
Hatred when manifesting Bask.
Bask Level
•• Hatred Level
The affecting number is one. •••••
You lose a number of dots in decay as deter-
Bask Level mined by your Bask level + three. You can never
••• use Hatred when manifesting Bask again.
The affecting number is two.
Joy Level
••
Bask Level You gain a number of dots of Adoration as
•••• determined by your Bask level.
The affecting number is three.
Joy Level
Bask Level •••
••••• You gain an amount of Adoration as determined
The affecting number is four. by your Bask level + two. If you do not spend at
least two Adoration within an hour, you take
Fear Level one point of bashing damage.
••
You turn an amount of lethal damage into bash- Joy Level
ing damage as determined by your Bask level. •••••
You gain a number of dots in any one Hearth
Fear Level equal to half of the number determined by your
••• Bask level.
You turn an amount of aggravated damage into
bashing damage as determined by your Bask Peace Level
level. ••
You restore an amount of spent Willpower equal
Fear Level to half of the number determined by your Bask
••••• level.
You recover from an amount of damage as deter-
mined by your Bask level.
 41

Peace Level
•••
You restore an amount of spent Willpower
determined by your Bask level.

Peace Level
•••••
You restore an amount of spent Willpower
determined by your Bask level + two.
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