TEXT: This is the first Pariah Press newsletter. I cobbled together some
  information Whispering Vault players might find useful and
  dressed it up a bit. I hope you enjoy it. For the time being these
  newsletters will only be distributed at conventions.
  It has been a good year. I have an infant son named James, and
  my fledgling company is doing quite well. We have sold out of
  the first printing of the Vault, and despite a rocky start, we have
  half a dozen sourcebooks in various stages of production.
  I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their
  support. The enthusiastic response has been very encouraging and
  makes all the hard work seem worthwhile. I will try to return the
  favor by providing the best support material I can.
  Yours in Gaming – Mike Nystul
  WHISPERINGS
  1
  TINY NIGHTMARES
  Pariah Press has entered into an
  agreement with Global Games to
  produce a line of 25 millemeter
  figures for the Whispering Vault.
  The first 4 blister packs are the
  Bogey Men, Ogyrs, Pain Mothers
  and Phantasms (with flying bases).
  Global Games are the manufac-
  turers of the Legions of Steel game
  and miniatures line. Their work has
  always been exceptional, and they
  have assembled some of the finest
  sculptors in the field for the Vault.
  Things are going so well we are
  already planning another 6 blisters
  of critters from Dangerous Prey.
  HORROR HIGHWAY
  Pariah is very active in our
  support of the Game Company
  Support Board on America Online.
  This is the best place to get all the
  latest information on the Vault and
  previews of featured products.
  There are also regular Online
  Hunts run by Pariah staffers.
  We run our Online games in a
  realtime Chat area where you can
  roll dice and everything. It is the
  next best thing to being there, and
  you can play with people from all
  over the country. Stop by and drop
  us a line sometime – Pariah AJL for
  Aaron or PariahMike for me.
  #1
  Copyright 1995 Pariah Press
  All Rights Reserved
  The Whispering Vault and the Sanguine
  Seal are Trademarks of Pariah Press
  
  STALKER VERSUS STALKER
  QUESTION – Why can’t Stalkers whup
  each other in the head? Everything else
  in the game has a fixed Defend Attribute
  that serves as the Difficulty.
  OOPS... a key paragraph was edited out
  of the Combat chapter. Stalkers can
  whup each other all they like, but it was
  not given emphasis in an effort to
  discourage the practice. Through the
  miracle of overzealous editing, lack of
  emphasis became nonexistence.
  OPPOSED ROLLS – From time to time,
  Stalkers will want to use their Skills
  against one another. When this happens,
  the gamemaster chooses the applicable
  Skills and/or Attributes, both players
  make a Challenge Roll and the best result
  wins. In combat, this is simply an Attack
  Challenge versus a Defend Challenge.
  MORE ON MANIFEST DESTINY
  QUESTION – Mortals are part of the Dream, but do
  they have free will? If not, what are they capable of?
  ANSWER – Most mortals do not have free will as we
  understand it. In a lot of ways they are like characters
  in a play. Their lines have been written for them, but
  sometimes they get them wrong or improvise.
  The Forbiddance is protective of certain mortals
  because they are important characters in the Dream.
  Hamlet must always be Hamlet because any change
  in his behavior would invalidate the play, but the
  nameless guards in Act II can get away with a lot more
  because they are not as closely scrutinized.
  Free will is only possible because the Aesthetics are
  far from infallible. Most of those who gain the ability
  to perform actions which contradict the Dream are
  Sensitives. Sensitivity itself is an aberration because
  it allows mortals to see things they should not. To
  use my theatre analogy, it is like sneaking backstage.
  Magic is like tampering with the script.
  2
  HUMAN FORM?
  QUESTION – Why can’t you just
  have the Weavers weave you a
  human, normal looking form?
  ANSWER – Because all they do is
  spin threads of substance over the
  Avatar, which means the Vessel looks
  exactly the same as the Avatar but
  has mass. To create a human form,
  the Weavers would have to be able
  to shape the Flesh – which they
  can’t. Stalkers can come close with
  Mastery of the Morph Discipline.
  Questions? Please feel free to write us at
  5744 W. Irving Park Road, Chicago IL 60634
  WHICH DICE DO I USE?
  QUESTION – When you talk about dice you
  don't say what kind. When I am unsure is it safe
  to assume that you are referring to six–sided dice?
  ANSWER – The only die type used in the
  game is the good old D6. It is mentioned in an
  off-handed way in the introduction but is never
  clearly stated - an oversight we intend to correct
  in future editions of the book.
  Enlightenment
  
  3
  A few Stalkers are able to
  move between the Realms
  of Flesh and Essence under their own power.
  They lack the Sensitivity to track the Call and
  the experience to find a specific point on the
  Chronosphere but those who have learned
  from the Old Ones can find their way home.
  This Discipline allows a Stalker to return to
  his Domain from the Flesh without
  summoning a Navigator. Normally, the
  Stalker would have to spend three minutes
  summoning and wait an hour or more for the
  Navigator to arrive. This Discipline only
  requires a Complex Action and the
  expenditure of a point of Karma so it is a
  viable means of escape if the Hunt goes
  terribly wrong. It also allows the Stalker to
  return without ending the Hunt which can be
  very useful if a Stalker is badly wounded.
  A Master may bring
  other members of his
  Circle with him
  when he returns to
  his Domain. This
  requires physical
  contact and a round
  of preparation for
  every “passenger.”
  Everyone returned
  by the use of this
  Discipline loses a
  point of Karma.
  NAVIGATE
  When the Stalkers return to the
  Realm of Flesh their Essence is
  Bound into a physical Vessel by the Weavers,
  afflicting them with mortality. Normally, a Stalker
  is killed when his Vessel is destroyed. Those who
  have learned this Discipline can survive the
  experience by Binding themselves into a Radiant
  Orb. This Binding costs 2 points of Karma and
  requires a full round at the end of which the Stalker
  will permanently lose a point of Willpower. Once
  Bound, the Stalker cannot perceive the world
  outside the Orb and cannot communicate with the
  rest of the Circle without the Whisper Discipline.
  Worse yet, the Orb can only be moved by other
  creatures of Essence so it offers little more than
  survival. If attacked, the Orb has a Fortitude and
  Vitality equal to the Willpower of the Stalker it
  contains. If the Orb is destroyed, the Stalker is
  killed and cannot use this Discipline to save himself.
  A Master can create
  an Orb at the cost of
  1 Karma if he per-
  manently lowers his
  Willpower by 1, or
  he can create the
  Orb without the loss
  of Willpower if he
  spends 4 Karma. A
  Master can also use
  the Ward Discipline
  to protect the Orb
  from damage.
  PERSIST
  NEW DISCIPLINES
  These Disciplines are
  from the Whispering
  Vault Stalker's Guide
  which will be coming
  out on the 15th of June.
  
  4
  GM SCREEN
  WHISPERING VAULT SUPPORT
  The following Whispering Vault products are in
  development. They are listed in the order we intend
  to release them, but we have not finalized anything
  beyond the GM Screen. We hope to begin a monthly
  release schedule with the GM Screen in March but,
  this is not set in stone. When we know more, we
  will send notification to your local game store.
  GM Screen
  This product features a beautiful painting of the
  Black Abbott's Gate by Jim Nelson. The screen
  comes bundled with a gamemaster's book which
  contains an essay by Nigel Findley, an Enlight-
  ened timeline and an adventure by Kevin Hassal.
  Mortal Magic
  An exploration of the power of Awakened
  mortals over the Dreaming. Many secrets of the
  Flesh will be revealed, allowing the gamemaster
  to include powerful new magicks in his stories.
  Deadwood
  The first of our Deluxe hardcover books examines the
  American West from an Enlightened perspective.
  Enlightened Organizations
  In addition to general information about the care and
  feeding of Enlightend Organizations this product in-
  troduces several new groups and provides more
  material about those you have already encountered.
  The Stalker's Guide
  More Disciplines, more Servitors, and several new
  categories of powers for experienced Stalkers. Takes
  the Vault to the next level – Need we say more?
  1918
  The second sourcebook in our Deluxe Edition series
  deals with what really happened during one of the
  most eventful years in mortal history.
  DEADWOOD
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/The Whispering Vault/The Whispering Vault Whisperings.pdf