Proctors Guild
"Here I am. Again. In the flesh."
Embody is the art of physically manifesting yourself across the shroud and into the mortal world. To what degree a wraith can manifest themselves depends on their skill in the art, their level of concentration, and where and to who they are manifesting to. In areas where the shroud is thin, a proctor can maintain a mortal form for hours on end. In Usha Moor, most of the populace is aware of the dead, and as such the local shroud is wafer thin. This freedom allows a wraith to cross easily and maintain their corporeal form for hours at a time.
Proctors tend to be a rather thrill-seeking bunch as their arconai allows them to bask in the wealth of emotion and experience of life outside of the Shadowlands. While in a mortal form a wraith takes damage as if they were alive. and should they fall, their assumed form dissipates and they are thrown back into the Shadowlands to recuperate. Some wraiths can become depressed or cathartic if they are thrown back into the Shadowlands unexpectedly or violently.
Materializing is taxing on the corpus and exhausting, requiring focus to maintain the effect. It is a small task to bring one's voice across the shroud, but a larger one to push the whole of their being across. In general two main forms of gauntlet crossing are practiced. When a wraith simply wants to jump across quickly they can appear, but doing so is very temporary, and they are all but defenseless while in the realm. In places with an especially thin shroud, a wraith may materialize using their pathos to lock their form in shape. This allows a wraith to persist in the realm for longer, even use their other Arconai. But it comes with a price. Once a wraith is materialized, they cannot return to the Shadowlands until the pathos binding them expires or is physically ripped asunder.
The Proctors guild is less interested in the affairs of Stygia as they are in spending time walking amongst the living. Many view their art as a method of returning to life, yet the vast amounts of pathos required to spend any length of time in the mortal world making it dangerously prohibitive.
As such the guild acts as a sort of support group, helping to teach members the most effective means of contacting their loved ones and say goodbye without requiring an extensive presence. The guild advocates restraint when it comes to the living, but for many, the heady rush of taking a corporeal form is an addiction, causing proctors to flock to places where the shroud is thin and their efforts require less expense. Continued passage through the shroud leaves it's marks on the wraiths who practice it. Those who regularly use Embody end up with mottled marks of light and shadow on their skin. Proctors are highly sought after to help a wraith take care of affairs on the other side of the shroud.
Embody has the powers of Disembodied, Appear, and Materialize. This power is ideal for interacting with players who are not in and have no means of interacting with the Shadowlands. It can quickly drain the pathos pool if one is not careful, as small bursts add up quick, and extended stays can keep going for far longer than one would expect.
