This form of magic is centered around the sense of smell. Practitioners use perfumes, incense and other strong-smelling substances to influence emotions and evoke memories. Unless otherwise noted the mage must release a perfume or burn incense to use an ability, and only those who can smell the scent are effected.
Most abilities may be enhanced by tailoring the scent to have a specific effect or by the use of Emotional Essences (see below).
The abilities work at the listed levels on a single, willing subject, and take around 15 minutes with the mage concentrating on producing the effect. Variations are more difficult - and the effect of multiple enhancements is cumulative.
- Single Subject - the magical force is focused on a single subject. Others who can smell the scents involved may be slightly affected Affecting a range of designated subjects, or everyone other than the mage who can smell the scent is one level higher.
- Willing - the subject must be either actively cooperating or already inclined in the direction the spell is attempting to influence them. If the subject is neither the effect is one level higher. If the subject is actively resisting or strongly inclined against the effect the effect is two levels higher.
- Time - effects typically take about 5-30 minutes. Making the effect immediate is one level higher.
- Concentration - the mage may take other actions, provided they do not require a great deal of attention. However the mage must be present, and cannot allow themselves to be affected by the spell. At one level higher the ability may operate without concentration, which also allows spells to affect the mage. However such spells must be targeted either at all who smell the scent or the mage must produce a special scent targeted at a person or group known to the mage.
The abilities at Levels 7-9 are as much artistry as magic. The mage's Water score may have a significant effect on the final result.
1) Influence Emotions - the mage may induce a particular emotional state. As explained above at Level 1 the mage may only affect a single person who actively wishes to feel the emotion or who is already inclined to feel it.
2) Evoke Memory - the mage can assist in the recall of a memory. To evoke a specific memory requires the active cooperation of the subject or detailed knowledge of the circumstances of the memory and specially prepared perfumes or incense. The mage must have some idea of the memory to be evoked - especially the emotional state of the subject at the time.
Human memory is not entirely reliable, so information gathered by this technique may not be entirely reliable.3) Fantasy - the mage may generate a false memory. The mage may influence the emotional content, but most of the fantasy is generated by the subject. If the subject can be rendered suggestible or a Memory Essence is available the mage may have more control. However, unwilling subjects will feel that there is something "wrong" about the implanted memories. This ability always takes at least half an hour unless a Memory Essence is used.
4) Distill Emotion - the mage may "steal" a strong emotion, in the form of a highly volatile perfume, called an Emotion Essence. The perfume collects in a container held by the mage, which must be tightly stoppered as soon as the effect is complete. This ability is relatively quick - taking about 5 minutes. If multiple subjects are to be affected they must all be feeling the same emotion. The subject will feel drained and emotionally numb but is not permanently harmed.
Anyone holding an open vial of Emotion Essence to their nose and inhaling deeply will feel the full force of the emotion. Anyone smelling it will be mildly affected. It may be used to enhance the power of spells.
Wards - also at this level a mage may Influence Emotions on multiple unwilling targets, without concentration. This permits the creation of an Emotion Ward. An area is treated with a suitable perfume or incense is lit. Anyone entering the area designated by the mage will be affected by an Influence Emotions spell. Such wards require regular maintenance - renewing the incense or perfume.5) Distill Memory - the mage may "steal" a memory, which is converted into a volatile perfume - a Memory Essence. This ability works in the same way as Distill Emotion above. The subject must be concentrating on the particular memory and although they will still remember that the events happened the emotional content is lost to them forever. The only way to restore such a memory - without Divine Intervention - is to use the resultant Memory Essence and the Fantasy spell above (in this case the memory will not seem "wrong" even if the subject doesn't want the memory back).
Sniffing a Memory essence gives the user full recall of the memory as the subject remembered it. However the experience rapidly fades and cannot itself be remembered. The only way to claim the memory permanently is to use the Fantasy spell with the Memory Essence.6) Purify Emotion Essence - emotions are often mixed. With this ability the mage may separate out the emotions in an Essence. Some of the Essence is lost - usually leaving only the dominant Emotion. The mage also learns how to add small quantities of other Emotion Essences to achieve the desired effect.
7) Adjust Memory Essence - the mage learns how to use small quantities of Emotion Essences to enhance a Memory Essence.
8) Blend Memory Essences - the mage learns how to mix Memory Essences with each other. This is a very delicate process.
9) Create Memory Essence - working with elements of various Emotion and Memory Essences the mage may create an original "memory".
Examples
Aphrodisiacs are always popular items so we will use those as an example.
At level 1 a mage may influence the emotions of a single person who is already - at least slightly - attracted to them, and whose affections are not committed elsewhere. The effect will not be immediate, but it would certainly enhance a romantic dinner for two.
A mage at level 2 could sell a young woman a perfume to attract a specific man who felt some affection towards her and was known to the mage (no concentration, single willing subject). The perfume would, however, have to be specially formulated.
At level 4 the mage could influence all the members of the appropriate gender they came into contact with - except those that found the mage repulsive, unpleasant or otherwise dislikable (multiple unwilling subjects, immediate effect).
At level 6 with an appropriate Emotion Essence the mage could turn the most disgusting old lecher imaginable into a veritable Casanova. (multiple, opposed subjects, immediate effect, no concentration).
Everway is copyright Rubicon Games 1996. Everway is a trademark of Rubicon games. This document is not intended as a challenge to those rights.
This document is copyright Paul King 1998.