Dawson/magic

Magic, the darkest magic.

My soul swims in it...

“David Lo Pan, Big Trouble in Little China”

Enchantments

Black Flame Candle

Source: Enchantment 3

Concept: A candle used to aid in occult-based crafting/research/ritual work.

Desc: A pure black candle enscribed with various arcane sigils and back-filled with gold or silver foil. When lit, the candle's flame starts like any other but will quickly shift its color to white, then to grey and eventually burn pure black. This unnaturally colored flame will fill the area directly around it (within 10 feet) with a cold, grey light until the candle is consumed (1 scene)

Effects: Occultatum Occulus "The Hidden Eye". Once lit the candle provides anyone within its light (10 foot circle) a +3 bonus to all occult-based rolls. This benefit extends to rituals/crafting/research-based checks for the duration of the scene (until the candle's flame burns out).

Drawbacks:

• Lucubratio: (lit. work by night) This item can only be used at night or in places devoid of sunlight.
• Limited Use: The candle is completely consumed upon use and can not be reused.
• Eyes of Flame: After successfully using this candle (benefiting from the effects during the scene), the character's eyes will burn with the light of a black flame. Any camera, mirror or reflective surface will also capture this effect. This causes the character to radiate an 'Otherworldly Taint'.
• Otherworldly Taint: The character suffers a -1 to all social rolls until dawn. This is a result of their connection, however brief, with the powers of the Other World. Other characters get an awareness check (see news awareness) the first time each person with this Otherworldly Taint is encountered per night. Depending on successes, the feeling is non-hostile, has a target and source of the person they've encountered, and has the intent to open their 'eye' to the secret world.

Creation: Black Flame Candles are often created in batches (no more than three at a time) but their creation in itself is not difficult. They are created over three nights and the work can only be done at night.

• The first night the character braids the wicks out of natural fibers while reciting an incantation to aid in their occult work.
• On the second night, pure black wax is mixed with a pinch of grave dirt, three drops of the creators blood and ash from a burned secret (written on paper) before being poured into a mold with a hand-braided wick of natural fibers and left to cool.
• Lastly, on the third night, the cooled candles are enscribed with an iron nail or spike to carve runes of power, thought and mastery. If successful, the runes will glow with silvery light when exposed to the light of a full moon. They must be kept away from sunlight at all times