Everything

Starlight

There are Paths that go back centuries and then there are some that only arise from the unique environments of the modern night. Urban sprawls gave sorcerers a unique worldview and provided a compass for the lands beyond the Shroud. Peering into the lands of the dead is not a new concept to the magical community, but those who walk the concrete valley started to see a pattern in the stars of the Shadowland skies that matched the lights of their cities. Through study and the broadening of their understanding, the Path known as Starlight was born. Much to the dismay and jealousy of the inhabitants of the Shadowlands, only those gifted in Starlight seem able to see the stars that they use.

Like navigators of the golden age of sail, Starlight practitioners understand the unique sky of the Shadowlands and chart courses to safely travel through the realm of the dead. Simply knowing where they are going is only the start of the power these navigators have. Their minds produce a sort of protection and preservation shield for any mortals traveling with them. This becomes a necessity for travel since the shadow­ lands have no air and the very ground is anathema to the living. This is no physical shield against all harm, though, and any violent wraith that means them harm can easily indulge that urge. Should the duration of the spell expire, those traveling will be exposed to the lethal environment of the Shadowlands.

It is knowledge of the guiding lights of the Shadowland skies that also allow navigators to open doorways into the Shadowlands directly, completely

48 Sorcerer

bypassing the Shroud in the process. Any door can lead to the Shadowlands; it just takes a lot of preparation, and the journey begins. Moving quickly towards the destination is advised, considering few navigators have been able to complete a journey that took longer than one day.

System

Modifiers: Decrease difficulty by –1 if carrying a personal item of the recently deceased

Aspects: The Aspects of Duration, Passengers, and Wending:

Wending

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The threshold is the first obstacle a navigator must master. With focus and will, any doorway can serve as a threshold into the Shadowlands. The door only remains open for the navigator and will allow them and their passengers to pass. Traveling companions benefit from the same life preserving effect as the caster so long as they remain within sight of their navigator. Anyone attempting to reopen the doorway once closed will find the mundane corresponding threshold. This door collapses after it has been reopened and closed again by the navigator during their return from the Shadowlands, or willfully collapsed by the navigator to close the way behind them. A different doorway in the Shadowlands can be used to re-enter the Skinlands, but another activation of Starlight must be performed to create the new threshold. There is a drawback to this technique; The des­ tination in the Skinlands is difficult to know without more capabilities as a navigator.

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The Shadowlands are more familiar to a navigator of this level. Confidence swells in their chest, and the realm of the dead seems far less frightening. While traveling in the Shadowlands, the navigator benefits from –1 difficulty on all Awareness, Leadership, Survival, and Occult rolls concerning this environment, as well as Willpower rolls to overcome fear and intimidation.

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The navigator has found a point in the Shadowlands that is akin to their own personal North Star. No matter where they are in the Shadowlands, so long as they can see this star, the navigator has a general understanding of