Overview

Syphon is a ghost's ability to restore their own ectoplasm by stealing energy from other beings, objects, and such. They are only able to achieve this through a physical connection with the target OR if the target is making a physical connection to one of the ghost's anchors. Ghosts are only able to steal emotional energy, life force, ephemera, and ectoplasm, and can only steal one of these at a time, of the ghost's choice. They are not able to steal ether of any kind.

Syphon

Once a physical connection is made, the ghost must open their soul. This is a very strange experience, the first time, for most ghosts, as they've often never had such an occurrence while alive. Typically those that were mages in life, those who had survived being flayed by a mage, or had been syphoned by a ghost themselves will find it easier to discover this ability.

Once discovered, the ghost opens their soul after the physical connection. The ghost becomes extremely vulnerable at this point in the process. They are unable to use any other ghost skills, divine abilities, or anything else that might have a connection to their soul. With their soul opened, it acts like a drain, absorbing energy from the ghost itself, and the being it is connected with. Much of the Ghost's own energy is protected in its ectoplasm form, and thus only some of it is sucked through the soul and deposited into Emea.

Other energy types get pulled through the ghost and toward the soul. At this point, the ghost begins converting the incoming energy into Ectoplasm, so as to keep it. At the earlier levels of this skill, much of the energy stolen goes to waste, lost in Emea. The ghost is able to maintain the connection for as long as they wish, however, long term use can cause many difficulties in a ghost, such as amnesia, being sucked into Emea, changing to a lower class of ghost, and many, many other side effects.

Life Force

In living beings of any kind, the ghost is able to syphon out life force. This is found in all living plants and animals, as well as people. This is often the most common energy a ghost has access to when syphoning the living. It is easiest to find, for most beings have no ability to control or use it. It simply exists. As it is syphoned out, the target begins to age at a continuous rate that is increased based upon the ghost's skills. This aging follows the natural progression for the being's growth.

Most creatures and beings will be slow to notice their life force being drained if they've not noticed the ghost's presence. The most common noticeable warning sign is sudden dry mouth.and ravenous hunger. Occasionally, old injuries will begin aching, limbs will fall "asleep", and the hairs on the back of one's neck standing up. Resistance can help slow down the effects and the loss of life force, but cannot prevent it completely by itself.

If a being is immortal or has access to infinite life force, such as a Mortalborn, then syphon will not force them to age. However, they will still cause the other side effects in the being. These beings are common targets by ghosts, as it is an infinite supply, and therefore is a veritable buffet.

Emotional Energy

Emotional energy is typically only found in sentient beings, those who have souls. This is the energy that attracts ghosts the most, for it nourishes them and gives them some semblance of what it was like while they were alive. While syphoning emotional energy, the ghost can feel the target's current emotions most vividly. This is incredibly soothing for even the most unstable of ghosts, to the point of being addicting. While a victim is being syphoned of emotional energy, they begin to slip into apathy, losing the ability to feel any emotion. However, so long as they are alive, the apathy is temporary and will eventually disappear.

This energy draining is the method that goes most unnoticed, as it is only felt by a change in the target's emotional state. Resistance affects this method in that it can slow it down but not completely prevent it. Discipline will help realize that it is occurring and meditation can speed up the process in which the apathy is cured.

Ectoplasm

Ghosts are often targets of other ghosts as well. While syphoning ectoplasm isn't nearly as satisfying as emotional energy, it is the most efficient source in terms of conversion. The ghost must still convert the ectoplasm to match their own, but very little of the ectoplasm is lost in the drain to Emea. Additionally, since ghosts typically spend the majority of their time in the Beneath, they are a lot more abundant.

The only innate defense one ghost has when being syphoned by another is their own materialization ability. As materialization helps to protect a ghost while in the mortal world, it also helps to protect them from other ghosts, and spirits. Ghosts are often quick to notice this, as it is incredibly painful, rending their body apart. Usually this is a violent affair, not one of subtlety.

Ephemera

Ephemera is acquired from syphoning spirits, of any kind. This energy, in terms of efficiency, nourishment, and such, it is quite similar to life force. But to many ghosts, it comes off as a strange "flavor". Those who've talked about it call it an acquired taste, not bad, just strange.

Spirits have little innate defense against a ghost's syphon ability. Much like syphoning from other ghosts, it is a violent, messy affair. Typically spirits often prefer to flee, especially Anak. Most Anak answer to Diri, and most Diri answer to Induk, as is the hierarchy of spirits. So when a spirit flees, they often flee to the spirit they answer to, in order to receive its protection.

Memory Snatching

One side effect of syphon is sometimes pulls out some memories. This is not a conscious effort on the part of the ghost. They cannot pick and choose the memories either, but if the target is currently reminiscing on a memory, the ghost is able to steal that memory in its entirety. Once that happens, it is gone from the host.

Ghosts with foreign memories can use those to create hexcores and it helps to keep them somewhat stable. However, too many foreign memories often leads to the ghost forgetting their true selves and evolving to a higher tier of ghost, losing more of their living selves in the process.

Ghosts can also syphon the hexcores out of another ghost's body, and syphon off the ectoplasm and memory from that hexcore. It is only through the creation and use of hexcores that memories can be returned to the owner. But each time a memory is turned into a hexcore, it is degraded, bits and pieces missing, sometimes changing the nature of the entire memory.

A Return to Life

Syphon works just as well in life as it did in death. The main difference between the two states is that ectoplasm syphoning becomes much less efficient, whereas life force syphoning becomes even more efficient.

Extra Notes

Syphon can be used while possessing a body.

Syphon can be used on objects of a seemingly magical nature as long as the energy within them is one a ghost can use.

Syphoning multiple energy types at the same time is not possible, attempting to do so often reduces the ghost to a Whisper.

Syphoning multiple targets is possible, but is much more difficult. This can be done by touching multiple targets, or if one target is touching another.

Progression

Novice

Life Force Syphoning - Target ages for the same amount of time spent Syphoning. The effectiveness is halved for each tier the target's Resistance skill is above the ghost's Syphon skill.

Emotional Energy Syphoning - Target experiences apathy for the same amount of time spent Syphoning. The effectiveness is halved for each tier the target's Resistance skill is above the ghost's Syphon skill. If the target's Discipline skill is a tier or more below the ghost's Syphon skill, it will go unnoticed. Meditation can reduce the apathy time by 10%, 25%, 50%, 75% at Novice through Master respectively.

Ectoplasm Syphoning - Target's Ectoplasm cannot begin being replaced naturally for the same amount of time spent Syphoning. The effectiveness is halved for each tier the target's Materialization skill is above the opposing ghost's Syphon skill.

Ephemera Syphoning - Target's Ephemera cannot begin being replaced naturally for the same amount of time spent Syphoning. There is no skill basis for combating Syphon.

Competent

Life Force Syphoning - Target ages for 5x the amount of time spent Syphoning. The effectiveness is halved for each tier the target's Resistance skill is above the ghost's Syphon skill.

Emotional Energy Syphoning - Target experiences apathy for 5x the amount of time spent Syphoning. The effectiveness is halved for each tier the target's Resistance skill is above the ghost's Syphon skill. If the target's Discipline skill is a tier or more below the ghost's Syphon skill, it will go unnoticed. Meditation can reduce the apathy time by 10%, 25%, 50%, 75% at Novice through Master respectively.

Ectoplasm Syphoning - Target's Ectoplasm cannot begin being replaced naturally for 5x the amount of time spent Syphoning. The effectiveness is halved for each tier the target's Materialization skill is above the opposing ghost's Syphon skill.

Ephemera Syphoning - Target's Ephemera cannot begin being replaced naturally for 5x the amount of time spent Syphoning. There is no skill basis for combating Syphon.

Expert

Life Force Syphoning - Target ages for 25x the amount of time spent Syphoning. The effectiveness is halved for each tier the target's Resistance skill is above the ghost's Syphon skill.

Emotional Energy Syphoning - Target experiences apathy for 25x the amount of time spent Syphoning. The effectiveness is halved for each tier the target's Resistance skill is above the ghost's Syphon skill. If the target's Discipline skill is a tier or more below the ghost's Syphon skill, it will go unnoticed. Meditation can reduce the apathy time by 10%, 25%, 50%, 75% at Novice through Master respectively.

Ectoplasm Syphoning - Target's Ectoplasm cannot begin being replaced naturally for 25x the amount of time spent Syphoning. The effectiveness is halved for each tier the target's Materialization skill is above the opposing ghost's Syphon skill.

Ephemera Syphoning - Target's Ephemera cannot begin being replaced naturally for 25x the amount of time spent Syphoning. There is no skill basis for combating Syphon.

Master

Life Force Syphoning - Target ages for 125x the amount of time spent Syphoning. The effectiveness is halved for each tier the target's Resistance skill is above the ghost's Syphon skill.

Emotional Energy Syphoning - Target experiences apathy for 125x the amount of time spent Syphoning. The effectiveness is halved for each tier the target's Resistance skill is above the ghost's Syphon skill. If the target's Discipline skill is a tier or more below the ghost's Syphon skill, it will go unnoticed. Meditation can reduce the apathy time by 10%, 25%, 50%, 75% at Novice through Master respectively.

Ectoplasm Syphoning - Target's Ectoplasm cannot begin being replaced naturally for 125x the amount of time spent Syphoning. The effectiveness is halved for each tier the target's Materialization skill is above the opposing ghost's Syphon skill.

Ephemera Syphoning - Target's Ephemera cannot begin being replaced naturally for 125x the amount of time spent Syphoning. There is no skill basis for combating Syphon.

Grandmaster

Life Force Syphoning - Target ages for 625x the amount of time spent Syphoning. The effectiveness is halved only if the target's Resistance skill is Grandmaster.

Emotional Energy Syphoning - Target experiences apathy for 625x the amount of time spent Syphoning. The effectiveness is halved only if the target's Resistance skill is Grandmaster. If the target's Discipline skill is a tier or more below the ghost's Syphon skill, it will go unnoticed. Meditation can reduce the apathy time by 10%, 25%, 50%, 75% at Novice through Master respectively.

Ectoplasm Syphoning - Target's Ectoplasm cannot begin being replaced naturally for 625x the amount of time spent Syphoning. The effectiveness is halved only if the target's Meditation skill is Grandmaster.

Ephemera Syphoning - Target's Ephemera cannot begin being replaced naturally for 625x the amount of time spent Syphoning. There is no skill basis for combating Syphon.