Styx

The Veiled Skull, Lady of the Far Shore, Keeper of the River
The goddess Styx is not merely goddess of the River Styx – she is that ancient and hallowed riverway. Most often seen as a figure shrouded in veils upon the far shore of the river (upon the side of the dead for the living who see her, and upon the side of the living when the dead catch their glimpses), Styx's powers are invoked for power over death and life. The undead are anathema to her, and her magics are frequently used in destroying them, but she also offers Achilles-like powers of invulnerability for the living who invoke her spells.

The Arcana of Styx are not commonly known. They are usually known only to those with mentors among the dead, or with access to the River itself.

Common Spells

The following spells are available to characters with access to this arcana. They are not the only secrets the River has to offer a sorcerer, however.

Baptism of the Styx

This spell creates a limited invulnerability for the target of the spell, which need not be the magician themselves. Unlike Achilles, it is not permanent or perfect, but neither does it create a vulnerability.

• Protection • 3 points per rank • No Action, Close, Sustained • Affects Others, Impervious • Sustained

The Call of the Black Waters

This spell calls to the living as the waters of the Styx do.

• Affliction • 1 point per rank • Resisted/Overcome by Will; Entranced • Standard Action, Close, Instant • Area (Burst), Selective • Limited Degree (Entranced only)

To Lie Upon the Shore

This spell mimics the waves of wearying exhaustion that the living feel as they walk the shores of the Styx.

• Affliction • 3 points per rank • Resisted/Overcome by Fortitude; Fatigued > Exhausted > Incapacitated • Standard Action, Close, Instant • Area (Burst), Selective

The Veil of Death

This spell pushes an undead creature further across the river, returning them to a state of proper death.

• Damage (Life) • 3 points per rank + 3 points • Standard, Perception Range, Instant • Affects Insubstantial 2, Increased Range 2 (Perception), Incurable, Secondary Effect • Limited (Undead only)

The Veil of Life

This spell pulls a living creature away from the river, returning them to life if they have not been dead for very long.

• Healing • 2 points per rank • Standard Action, Close, Instant • Resurrection • Limited (Resurrection effect only)

Uncommon Spells

The following spells are only ever found in rare sources of Stygian Arcana, or by those with direct connections to the River Styx or its goddess.

Banshee's Wail

This spell grants the sorcerer the horrifying wail of one of Styx's handmaidens, the shrieking washer-women at the river who protend the deaths of mortals.

• Affliction • 3 points per rank • Resisted/Overcome by Will; Dazed > Stunned > Dying • Standard Action, Close, Instant • Area (Hearing Perception), Selective

Reaper's Blessing

Though they do not serve Styx, the unearthly reapers occasionally have cause to be found along the river banks of the afterlife, passing between places in the world. In exchange for their use of this passage, Styx's arcana includes this spell, which mimics their death-touch. When cast, mist swirls around the hands of the sorcerer, and a void-like sigil of death marks the palm.

• Damage • 1 points per rank + 3 points • Standard Action, Close, Instant • Affects Insubstantial 2, Incurable
• Extra Traits (Advantages) • 5 points • Accurate Attack, Improved Aim, Improved Critical 1, Move-by Action, Takedown
• Total Cost: 1 point per rank + 8 points