Names have power. Sometimes it’s literal — the Society has come across more than a few beings whose names can be used to directly control them. Sometimes it’s the more metaphorical power that comes from knowing the exact identities of those involved in an unfolding series of events. Names are like fingerprints, where every interaction with society can leave traces of them lingering for the attentive to discover. Even the most cautious and paranoid of secretive masterminds can let slip hints at their identity through the necessity of communication to enact their goals. The Rosetta Society sifts through the dross of media and messaging that spill forth from every act that ripples through the world, pulling out the sparkling fragments of revelation that reveal the hidden actors.
Some oracles liken the process to echolocation; they ping a few key, carefully crafted symbols into the world, then see what shape the messages take when they return from their venture through society. Others run automated pattern-recognition algorithms that trawl through vast amounts of online data. The spilling stacks of records in governmental bureaus, the scrawled marginalia in old texts, and the mass-produced patterns stamped into a million throwaway products all hold the shape of the names of those who brushed up against them.
A mage telepathically searches through the minds of the crowd, seeking familiarity with the impression of a face she projects into their subconscious. A werewolf ritemaster listens to the whispered names caught on the wind of the Shadow, the ones that the air spirits speak of most fearfully. A changeling rattles out messages on social media that are filled with the verbal trickery she learned from her Durance, luring out those who know the truth.
System: Two Rosetta members working in tandem can gather information on a target, including their name and their social connections. The characters must have at least some idea that the target exists, but do not need to know their exact nature or location; a member could try to gather the names of those responsible for a murder, find out the identity of the owner of a company producing Contagious substances, or discover the name of the masked vigilante terrorizing the city’s criminals. The limitations are that the Receivers must interact with society to use the vector, asking questions or checking through records or using social media; and the target must also be in some way connected to society. Success on the vector’s activation roll provides a number of names of up to the highest number of dots in Semiotics possessed by a participating Society member. Each name is the genuine, sympathetic, real name of a character who is as directly involved in the matter the oracle is investigating as possible, and will likely be of use to those characters who possess occult powers relating to names. Additionally, the vector reveals the nature of any Allies, Alternate Identity, Contacts, Status, and Resources Merits that the target possesses. A Clash of Wills is required for any powers that conceal themselves or their connections.
The vector is not instantaneous; it takes a day for its
results to be made available to the characters.
Cost: 1 Willpower
Requirement: Two Rosetta Society members must
interact with society to use this vector Dice Pool: Wits + Investigation Action: Instant
Duration: One scene
Edges:
Changelings, Deviants, Prometheans: Those Sworn who have learned to survive by keeping a low profile and clinging to the edges of human society know the value of vigilance. An oracle with this edge also learns whether the named targets are aware of the characters using the vector and whether they consider them to be a threat or obstacle.
Demons, Hunters, Mages: Knowing a name is just the first step on the path to total information coverage. An oracle with this edge gains the Informed Condition relating to the characters’ names they have gathered.
Vampires: For a consummate social predator, a web of names and influence is an opportunity to wreak havoc. An oracle with this edge may choose to afflict any or all characters whose names they have gathered with the Notoriety Condition.
Beasts, Sin-Eaters, Mummies, Werewolves: Names are more than just words; they hold real power, shaped by the person who has carried them and wielded them. Utter a name, and its shape holds truth; the ripples that spread through society from its mention reveal the nature of its owner. A Receiver with this edge also discovers the Vice and Virtue (or equivalent traits) of the named targets.
Specializations:
Circle of the Crone: The eldritch sorcery of Crúac intertwines with the power of names and blood, revealing what strange energies seethe in the veins of those whose sacred names are known to the Acolyte witches. An oracle with this specialization also learns whether the targets named by the vector possess supernatural powers, including broad indications as to what kind.
Messengers: Discovering the names of individuals is one small step toward elevating or destroying them. These Unchained members of the Rosetta Society can turn their targets’ Allies, Contacts, and other associated connections against them, shifting the impression level of all their personal relationships to hostile for one chapter. Targets may still utilize any associated characters in the way their Merits allow, but will need to deal with seemingly unprovoked resentment, unwillingness, or aggression, all spawned from the Messenger’s actions in soiling their targets’ names.