Puppeteers Guild

"You're a passenger in your own body right now, so sit back and enjoy the ride. I think it's time that this dead man showed you how to live."

Puppeteers, as one might expect, are the wraith who delight in controlling and possessing the living. The practice is known as Skinriding, and can impart as much or as little control as the puppeteer has skill to maintain. This guild has never been a part of stygian society, and their presence is tolerated only because they don’t technically break any laws of the dead, and manage to maintain strong relations with the other guilds. Demands for puppeteer’s services are usually rather low, and many practice their art for fun or simply the joy of the experience rather than for profit or influence. Puppetry is one way the dead may live both literally and vicariously through the living.

On the other side of the coin most of those who use puppetry are actually rather fond of mortals, and will go to great lengths to protect their favorite mortals. They use their art as a means of communicating with the living and become very protective of those they watch over. There are many stories of living people gaining super strength, or just the right information just in time to save them or their village from some disaster that can be traced back to a well timed skinrideing.

Puppetry is often used as a defensive art. While hiding inside a mortal, an injured wraith is immune to whatever damage or attacks other might try to bring against them, as these attacks will instead harm the mortal they ride leaving the wraith relatively untouched. While the body they borrow will take the brunt of any physical damage, with the wraith controlling their every action they expose themselves to mental vulnerabilities. It’s not a perfect arrangement, and often a most disturbing one for the mortal host, but it has been used to great effect to escape dangers in the shadowlands. The more talented of the puppeteers have found that possession can extend to not only mortal humans, but to some plants and animals as well. It may be rather boring to jump inside and live vicariously through a tree, but at least you can catch up on your sleep relatively undisturbed.

Puppetry has the powers of Control Voice, Control Body, and Possession. Puppetry tends to be an all or nothing gift. Most people, who take it, do so to obtain possession. It’s rather difficult in a game full of people who can see you to fool anyone into not noticing you while skinriding, so don’t expect to get away with having too much fun before the disapproving stares, yelling or hitting starts. Alternatively, everyone cheers when you can jump into the villain and walk him into the fireplace, gingerly stepping out when he crumbles to ash.