Murder (sage study)

Murder is a sage study in the field of Grace, encompassing the deliberate and illicit act of ending the lives of humanoid individuals, typically characterised by its lack of legality and a clear intent to cause harm. Mastery of this field grants the practitioner a certain detachment from any emotional reactions they might otherwise experience when dealing with victims, regardless of the circumstances, including situations involving the murder of children, pregnant women, officials, nobility, individuals of exceptional talent or those revered for their piety. All forms of homicidal acts are included within the scope of this study.

The study of murder also delves into the realm of inflicting pain, whether for the purpose of sadistic pleasure or to extract concealed information from victims. Proficiency in this aspect of the discipline imparts knowledge of various tools and techniques, some of which may have alternative applications within the context of games or other activities. As characters advance in their proficiency, their unique skills become highly sought after by the upper echelons of society. Consequently, even individuals engaged in this macabre profession have the potential to attain a lofty social standing, notwithstanding the grim nature of their chosen vocation.

The skills below describe the forms of murder that the character might indulge in, or the degree of suffering the character is able to cause.

Sage Abilities

The sage abilities below are those acquired by a character through the study, according to status.

Amateur Status

• Assassination: the art of of eliminating a target with precision and efficiency, utilising hand-held weapons for swift and decisive execution. This ability encompasses knowledge of vital strike points, silent approach techniques and the ability to kill without unnecessary struggle or delay.

• Dosing: discreetly introducing a poison or other substance into a ready glass or prepared food. This requires precision, subtlety and an understanding of both the toxic effects and the appropriate dosage to achieve the intended result without immediate detection.

• Execution: the practiced expertise in carrying out established forms of capital punishment, such as hanging, beheading and other sanctioned methods. This includes proficiency in ensuring a swift and precise death, as well as an understanding of the procedural and anatomical aspects necessary to perform executions effectively.

• Exhaustive Questioning: the application of relentless interrogation techniques, often accompanied by psychological pressure or physical coercion, to extract information or force a confession. This requires a calculated approach, balancing intimidation and persistence to break a subject's resistance while avoiding immediate incapacitation or unintentional death.

Authority

• Arson Method: the deliberate use of fire as a means to eliminate a specific target. This includes knowledge of how to set and control a blaze to ensure the intended victim is trapped or consumed while minimizing unwanted destruction or detection. Practitioners understand how to exploit structures, fuel sources and conditions to create deadly and inescapable infernos.

• Blood Revenge: gains tactical and psychological advantages when seeking retribution against a target who has previously attacked, insulted or otherwise wronged the assassin. This grants the assassin heightened resolve, a deeper understanding of the target's habits and a greater likelihood of striking with precision and finality.

• Suffering: the practiced ability to prolong a victim's death through precise methods, ensuring extended agony while preventing immediate fatality. This skill allows the assassin to control the rate of demise, whether for the purpose of intimidation, coercion or the sheer art of drawn-out execution.

• Unfair Duel: the ability to manipulate a seemingly honourable one-on-one fight to the assassin's advantage through deception, concealed weaponry or other underhanded tactics. This ensures that while the duel appears fair in the eyes of onlookers, the assassin holds a decisive and often lethal edge over their opponent.

• Weregild: the ability to negotiate or claim compensation for the murder, disablement or injury of specific individuals, often within a legal or customary framework. This skill enables the assassin to operate within societies where such payments can be arranged, either to settle blood feuds, avoid retribution or exploit the practice for personal gain.

Expert

• Missus Dominicus: the ability to be formally commissioned as an assassin in service to a significant political or ruling authority. This allows the assassin to act under official sanction, often as an agent of the state, a noble house or a religious institution, granting access to resources, protection and legitimacy in carrying out sanctioned eliminations.

• Practical Torment: extracts reliable and verifiable information through the systematic application of physical and psychological torment. The assassin ensures that the victim's suffering is measured and deliberate, preventing unconsciousness or death before the desired knowledge is obtained.

• Target Assassination: the ability to eliminate a specific individual from a distance using a bow or crossbow. The assassin is trained to identify vulnerable moments, select optimal firing positions and ensure a lethal strike without alerting nearby witnesses.

Sage

• Brainwashing: the ability to methodically reshape an individual's beliefs, instilling new loyalties or convictions while eroding previous ones. Through coercion, manipulation and psychological conditioning, the assassin can implant thoughts or alter perceptions, making the subject more compliant or loyal to a designated cause.

• Missus Immunitas: grants the assassin protection from legal prosecution within significant states or jurisdictions, due to their recognised usefulness as an instrument of targeted elimination. This status allows the assassin to operate with impunity, shielded by influential patrons who benefit from their deadly skills.

See Assassin Sage Abilities