TEXT: Manifest 
  Destiny
  Faction Pack
  Thorns: Part 2
  
  Writing & Development by 
  Miquel Tankard  
  russell Meader 
  Sam Sleney 
   Gavin Jones
  Illustrations By
  Will Kirkby
  "SINS" 
  Created By 
  Miquel Tankard
  Writing & Development Team Lead
  Sam Sleney
  Copyright © First Falling Leaf Limited 2013.
  Sins, Nemissary, Nemissaries, Brood, Hollow, Aerthir, Risen, Ravagers, Metaforms, and Brood-mothers are 
  © First Falling Leaf Limited 2013.
  “Trees there were, old as trees can be, huge and grasping 
  with hearts black as sin. Strange trees that some said walked 
  in the night.” 
  - Neil Gaiman
  
  2
  Thorns
  New Faction Trait
  The Thorns have a diverse range of unusual abilities at 
  their disposal. The following is an overview of the various 
  unique Traits and abilities of this faction.
  Faction Arietta
  The Songs known to the Nemissaries are not the true 
  limits of their capabilities; rather they represent the raw 
  substance of their being, but this is not the only source 
  of strength. These other routes so far have been barred to 
  the Nemissaries. A few may have found the doors to such 
  knowledge but they stand closed. The Thorns, through the 
  Oaths, found a way for Nemissaries to access fragments of 
  a far more ancient knowledge.
  Elemental Arietta
  Not all Arietta derive from a Nemissary’s innate being. 
  Some can alter and control the world around the Nemissary. 
  These are known as Elemental Arietta, as opposed to 
  the common Corporeal Arietta that Nemissaries wield. 
  Normally, such powers are linked to a unique series of 
  Songs, but the Thorns, through their Oaths, are able to 
  wield a limited selection of Elemental Arietta as if they 
  were traditional Corporeal Arietta.
  Thorns characters may purchase the Arietta in this 
  section as a Corporeal Arietta. If they do this, it’s treated 
  for all rule purposes as a Corporeal Arietta, and the any 
  Keywords noted in red are ignored.
  Keywords
  The following new Keywords are introduced with 
  these Songs, though they apply only to Nemissaries that 
  somehow acquire these Songs without being part of The 
  Thorns and taking Oaths.
  Elemental: This power is an Elemental Arietta. Learning 
  it requires the “Shattered Seal” Nemissary Feature.
  Transient: This Arietta can be purchased either as a 
  Corporeal or Elemental Arietta.
  Rank 1 Arietta 
  Wake the River
  Blood / Water
  They say blood is thicker than water, and yet the two 
  are truly akin. A Nemissary with this Arietta makes this far 
  more than words, and can establish Blood Synergy through 
  water and those in contact with it.
  Action Type: Standard Action
  Keywords:  Shaping, Echo, Elemental, Transient
  Cost: Anima based on the body of water. See under 
  Effect.
  Use: Touch a body of water.
  Effect: The Nemissary must touch a body of water 
  and may spend up to their Permanent Creed in Anima. 
  Each point spent allows this power to affect an area of 
  approximately a 50 metre radius in a body of water such 
  as a lake or a pool, or 100 metres downstream in flowing 
  water such as a river or stream.
  The Nemissary is then considered to have Blood Synergy 
  with the water affected and everything within it. This also 
  counts if a target drinks the water or gets it on their skin. 
  Vaporising the water and turning it to steam will disrupt 
  the power but will affect anybody touched by the Steam 
  exactly as if they had come into contact with the water.
  This Synergy will persist after a target has touched the 
  water for a number of minutes equal to the Nemissary’s 
  Creed. The power itself lasts as long as the Nemissary 
  maintains contact with the water. Once they break contact, 
  effect will linger for a number of hours equal to their 
  Permanent Creed.
  Bones of the Earth
  Bone / Earth
  The whispered lore of the Shards calls the forests and 
  jungles of our world “The Bones of the Earth”. With this 
  Arietta, the Nemissary learns how to shape them as they 
  would living bone.
  Action Type: Permanent Effect
  Effect: The Nemissary can count living wood and 
  recently dead wood that has not yet begun to rot as if 
  it were bone for the purposes of all other Arietta in the 
  Song of Bone. If they use wood as a substitute in this way, 
  the power gains the Elemental and Echo keywords. In 
  addition, if the Nemissary is using this power on an adult 
  tree, they may generate 1 Dark Anima to help offset that 
  power’s cost by drawing out the life force of the tree. This 
  requires the Nemissary to take a Standard Action before the 
  use of the power and kills the tree, reducing it to a withered 
  husk over the following hour.
  The Seal
  As noted in the text, other Nemissaries can 
  learn Elemental powers, and the five Arietta listed 
  in this supplement are far from the only such 
  abilities. As it stands, Nemissaries from the Core 
  book lack access to such abilities but a Nemissary 
  that has managed to break their Seal and gain 
  access to Elemental Songs can learn the Arietta in 
  this supplement like any other Elemental Arietta. 
  What exactly the Seal is and how to unlock it will 
  be covered in future Supplements.
  
  3
  Thorns
  Kinsong
  Brood / Ether
  The Oath binds those who take it through more than a 
  simple consideration of consequence; its power is deeper, 
  and a Nemissary with this Arietta can call upon that 
  connection, both to find their kindred and to communicate 
  wordlessly with them over great distance.
  Action Type: Permanent Effect
  Requirements: The character must possess the “Faction 
  Devoted: OathKeeper” Quality
  Effect: The Nemissary has a strong bond with all 
  individuals who have shared their Tribe’s Ambrosia or 
  taken an Oath with that Tribe. This bond gives them a deep 
  understanding of such individuals. As a result, they gain 
  +1 Automatic Success on all Social Rolls. The Nemissary
  may also spend 1 Anima to allow them to communicate
  non-verbally through this connection for the duration of
  1 Scene.
  The Nemissary also knows the general location of all 
  such individuals within a number of miles equal to their 
  Permanent Creed. They can also, as a Minor Action, spend 
  1 Anima to convey a short message to everyone within the 
  area of effect. If the Nemissary wishes, they can convey 
  their general location along with the message.
  Fury Like Fire
  Flesh / Fire
  Fire is a transient thing; it consumes and it devours until 
  no fuel remains. With this Arietta, a Nemissary can echo 
  this ancient lesson, drawing forth a terrible fury but leaving 
  themselves utterly spent. Whilst this power is in effect, the 
  Nemissary’s skin becomes cracked and broken, an intense 
  red light shining from within. It grants them immense 
  physical strength and speed but enacts an awful toll upon 
  their bodies. Once started, this power cannot be stopped. 
  The Nemissary must use every resource they have to grant 
  them this deadly but dangerous power.
  Action Type: Minor Action
  Keywords: Elemental, Echo, Visceral
  Cost: See below
  Use: Self
  Effect: To activate this power, the Nemissary must spend 
  1 Dark Anima. They then take 1 Light Baleful Wound. 
  The power is then considered in effect, and the Nemissary 
  gains a Bonus of +1 to both Body and Prowess. At the start 
  of each subsequent Activation, the Nemissary must pay 1 
  Dark Anima. The bonus for this power then increases by 1, 
  and at the end of that Activation, the Nemissary suffers a 
  further 1 Light Baleful Wound. 
  The bonus from this power can raise to a maximum 
  of 3, or the Nemissary’s Permanent Creed, whichever is 
  higher. Regardless of the limit, the Nemissary must still 
  spend the Anima and take the damage at each Activation. 
  If at the start of any Activation the Nemissary is unable 
  to pay 1 Dark Anima, they instead suffer 1 Light Baleful 
  Wound. They may use the bonuses for the remainder of 
  their Activation, at the end of which, the power comes to 
  an end without inflicting any further damage.
  Winter’s Gift
  Will / Air
  Winter is a harsh time, and it’s not without reason that 
  people fear it. The bitter cold and the scarcity of food pushes 
  people to their limits. To a Nemissary, Winter is a reprieve 
  and a defence. Freed from the limits of human bodies, they 
  can often move unopposed and use all the weaknesses of 
  flesh against their enemies. With this 
  
  4
  Thorns
  Arietta, a Nemissary can shield their human allies from the 
  worst of Winter’s effects, enabling them to shrug off the 
  cold, to go without food, and make long marches heedless 
  of the freezing conditions.
  Action Type: Sustained Action, 10 Minutes
  Requirements: The character must possess the “Faction 
  Devoted: OathKeeper” Quality
  Keywords: Elemental, Echo, Transient
  Cost: 1 Anima per Roll
  Use: A gathering of human individuals of the Nemissary’s 
  chosen Tribe, up to a maximum of the Nemissary’s 
  Permanent Creed × 100
  Pool: Passion/Keening (1 per 100 Individuals affected)
  Threshold: 5 per 100 Individuals affected
  Effect: The Nemissary using this power must lower 
  their maximum Light Anima pool by 1 for every 100 
  Individuals affected. Their maximum Anima Pool returns 
  to normal when the Nemissary chooses to end this power’s 
  effects. There is no maximum duration or time limit and 
  the power may be maintained as long as the Nemissary is 
  willing to keep their Light Anima pool at its reduced level.
  All affected individuals double their Body for the 
  purposes of resisting cold, endurance and general survival 
  in a cold or freezing environment. They can go without 
  food and water three times longer than normal. Injuries 
  suffered as a result of cold such as Frostbite may still take 
  effect in extreme cases but will never result in the loss of 
  limbs or appendages if suffered whilst under this power’s 
  effects. In addition, those affected that are within a number 
  of miles equal to the user’s Permanent Creed gain a general 
  +1 Resilience and +1 Pool to all Actions.
  Faction Meta Qualities
  The following new Qualities are unique to The Thorns 
  faction. All of them are available to characters of that 
  faction who meet the prerequisites.
  Name: Bind Shard
  Requirements: Conviction of 6 or higher, and the 
  “Awakened”, “Ward” and “Shard Keeper” Qualities.
  Effect: Your character is capable of Binding a Shard and 
  bringing it under your Tribe’s control. This requires a ritual 
  performed in the presence of the Shard that the character 
  intends to bind. The character may do this alone or work 
  with a group of other individuals which also possess this 
  Quality.
  To begin the Ritual, they must transfer a total amount 
  of Anima equal to the Shard’s Fate × 10. This Anima must 
  be provided by the Ritual’s participants and no-one else, 
  though it need not all be provided at once. Once this is 
  done, an Extended Action will begin. The character who 
  initiated the Ritual must make a Conviction/Keening roll 
  against a Difficulty equal to 3 + the Shard’s Fate. Each 
  additional participant in the Ritual reduces this Difficulty 
  by 1.
  If any roll fails, the Shard lashes out with a psychic 
  attack, twisting and distorting the flesh of the participants. 
  Roll the Shard’s Conviction as described on page 218 of 
  the Core Book. For each Success the Shard gains, 1 Light 
  Baleful Wound is inflicted. This damage may be split 
  amongst the participants in the Ritual. Once the Ritual has 
  begun, the Shard is prevented from using its other powers. 
  If this Ritual is attempted on a Dormant Shard, that Shard 
  Awakens immediately.
  If the group succeeds, the Shard is successfully bound 
  and the characters involved in the Ritual can then use the 
  Shard’s abilities, directing them as they see fit.
  Name: Ritual of Binding
  Requirements: “Bind Shard” Meta Quality
  Effect: This Ritual allows the character to perform the 
  Ritual of Binding and confirm a character’s Oaths, thus 
  inducting them into the Thorns as OathBound. Performing 
  this Ritual simply requires 1 Anima and both participants 
  must speak and fully understand the Oaths to be taken. 
  In the event that one participant cannot speak, the Ritual 
  can still be successful, so long as through some means both 
  parties comprehend the Oaths fully.
  Name: Gift of Thorns
  Requirements: “Bind Shard” Meta Quality
  Effect: A character with this Quality is capable of 
  prompting the growth of Thornglass or creating the 
  Ambrosia used in the Thorns’ rituals. To create Thornglass, 
  the character must spend a number of points of Anima. 
  Each point will, over the course of a week, generate 5 to 
  7 fragments of Thornglass, or a single larger fragment that 
  can be used as a weapon. Alternatively, the character can 
  spend an additional 3 Anima to have this process completed 
  in a day, or an additional 6 Anima for the process to take 
  only minutes.
  Creating the Ambrosia simply requires a liquid to be 
  brought into the presence of the Shard and 1 Anima spent 
  for every 10 individuals to be affected. As with the ritual 
  which binds the Shard itself, Anima costs for this ritual can 
  be spread amongst other individuals which also possess this 
  Quality.
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Sins/Manifest destiny - thorns part 2.pdf