Initiate of Death
Ectoplasmic Shaping (Death •)
The mage can alter the form of an ectoplasmic manifestation, shaping it with his will into whatever form he desires. He must contend with the will of the mage who conjured the ectoplasm or the ghost who manifests through it.
Ectoplasm is the medium through which ghosts manifest.
Forensic Gaze (Death •)
This spell enables a mage to discern at a glance exactly how a creature died and how long ago. Thus, the mage might be able to realize that a cause of death obvious to all modern forensic evidence is in fact a ruse designed to distract from the subject’s true cause of death.
Because of the limitations of the Death Arcanum, Forensic Gaze reveals only cause of death and not mitigating circumstances. Can be used no matter the state of the body (mutilated, skeleton, burned, turned to ash.)
Grim Sight (Death •)
The mage gains the Mage Sight, perceiving the supernatural through the lens of Death. He sees the weight of death around a person or place — not his likelihood of death (unless the subject has a terminal illness), but how often he has rubbed shoulders (knowingly or not) with the dead or dying.
Using this spell, a mage can perceive another’s grief through a recent loss, and use this
knowledge to manipulate that person’s emotional vulnerability. It can be used
to identify murderers who have otherwise concealed their crimes from all
knowledge (although this rote reveals no details about the murder, only that
the target has blood on his hands).
Shadow Sculpting (Death •)
An initiate of Death learns how to manipulate the force of darkness, giving form to existing shadows or thickening them. Mages use this spell to hide themselves from easy
scrutiny, literally hiding in shadows, and even sculpting shadows to best cover themselves or an awkwardly shaped object that otherwise might jut out into the light under natural conditions.
Radius is 1 yard for the spell, can increase with consecutive uses.
An Apprentice of Death (2) can give shadows animation, while a Disciple (3) can conjure them.
Soul Marks (Death •)
This sense enables a mage to perceive a soul’s health. He can discern the presence of derangements, but not necessarily their kind (This will require longer and consecutive use of this spell).
Other kinds of soul marks can also be detected, such as the telltale signs of a mage who has created a soul stone. Some soul marks are sufficiently rare and insidious so it is harder to perceive them.
Speak with the Dead (Death •)
The mage can see, hear and speak with ghosts within Twilight (this world but immaterial). He can also detect their unseen presence, if they are hiding or have chosen not to reveal themselves.
He can see spirits within Twilight, too, but they appear hazy and indistinct and he cannot hear them, unless he also is an initiate of the Spirit school. He cannot perceive mental projections unless he is an initiate of the Mind School.
See end of file for ghost vs spirit description.