The Keys are not physical artifacts, but rather a set of patterns of
gematriac knowledge, having the effect of attunements, for corporeal
characters.
Only human or once human beings may master the Keys of Solomon.
Whether that includes Lilith or not is an open question.
A key may only be acquired from someone who likewise holds the same key.
Most of the (very) few remaining groups which hold knowledge of the keys
hold only two to four of them, while a few more favored groups may hold
as many as six.
Only the Dozen, and perhaps the remaining hidden branches of the Knights
Templar, are suspected of still holding all nine of the lesser keys.
If anyone still holds knowledge of the four greater keys, which require
prior knowledge of all nine of the lesser, the fact has yet to be rumored.
Each lesser key costs five character points to acquire, and is activated
by rolling less than the holder's Will plus their Celestial Forces, and
paying the activation cost in essence listed for each Key.
Each key lasts a number of minutes per activation equal to three plus
the CD of the roll. Activating a Key causes no disturbance.
Most of the keys are primarily useful for Sorcerers, but it is not
necessary to know any Sorcery skills or to have the Sorcery attunement
to hold a Key.
Several Keys invoke penalties against certain opponents or Require Will
rolls for such an opponent to attack or influence the Keywielder. Any
such key's functioning is immediately apparent to anyone with Symphonic
Awareness who passess a Perception roll upon meeting or viewing the
Keywielder. Anyone who is warded against by such a Key need not roll.
There are nine lesser keys, which correspond to the nine supporting
Sephiroth of the Tree of Life:
The Key of Malkut, Granting Kingship Over the Spirit. 3 Essence
This Key grants a bonus of +3 to all Sorcerous rolls to Summon or
Control "Simple" (which is to say unaspected) Ethereals. It also
grants a bonus of +2 to all rolls to resist their powers, songs or
attunements, and forces any such Ethereals to pass a Will roll to be
able to attack, influence or forcefully withstand the Keywielder.
All rolls to attack or influence the Keywielder by such Ethereals
are penalized by -2.
The Key of Yesod, Building a Foundation on the Bones of the Dead. 3 Essence
This Key grants a bonus of +3 to all Sorcerous rolls to Summon or
Control the Undead, Ghosts or once-human Spirits, including Dream-
shades. It has no effect on Saints or Bodhisattvas. It also grants
a bonus of +2 to all rolls to resist their powers, songs or
attunements, and forces any such Undead to pass a Will roll to be
able to attack, influence or forcefully withstand the Keywielder.
All rolls to attack or influence the Keywielder by such Undead
are penalized by -2.
The Key of Hod, Bringing Spendour In Peace. 4 Essence.
Adds +2 to the wielder's Intelligence and Perception, and 3 to the
wielder's Will. Renders the wielder immune to mental or Celestial
shock or pain, and pacifies all Ethereal or Celestial disadvantages
for the duration of its activation.
The Key of Netzach, Bringing Victory In War. 4 Essence.
Adds +1 to the wielder's Dexterity and Precision, and 3 to the
wielder's Strength. Renders the wielder immune to Corporeal shock
or pain, and pacifies all Corporeal disadvantages for the
duration of its activation.
The Key of Tiferet, Bearing Witness to the Beauty of Life. 3 Essence.
The wielder will heal at a rate of 3 points of any damage per turn. The
wielder may heal 1 point of any damamge in another per turn, by touch
and Concentration. The wielder gains 2 points of toughness in each
Realm, for the purposes of determining Hit Points in that Realm.
The Key of Gevurah, Strength Over the Stable Elements of Earth and Fire. 4 Essence.
This Key grants a bonus of +3 to all Sorcerous rolls to Summon or
Control Ethereals bearing an Aspect of Stability, or an Elemental
Aspect of Earth or Fire. It has no effect on Celestials. It also
grants a bonus of +2 to all rolls to resist their powers, songs or
attunements, and forces any such Ethereals to pass a Will roll to be
able to attack, influence or forcefully withstand the Keyweilder. All
rolls to attack or influence the Keywielder by such Ethereals are
penalized by -2. Also, the effects taken by the wielder of this key
from hostile Elemental sources of Earth and Fire, whether natural or
supernatural, is halved (this does include bullets). This Key may only
be taken if the holder also has at least one of the Keys of Malkut,
Yesod, Hod, Netzach or Tiferet.
The Key of Chesod, Love For the Mutable Elements of Air and Water. 4 Essence.
This Key grants a bonus of +3 to all Sorcerous rolls to Summon or
Control Ethereals bearing an Aspect of Mutability, or an Elemental
Aspect of Water or Air. It has no effect on Celestials. It also
grants a bonus of +2 to all rolls to resist their powers, songs or
attunements, and forces any such Ethereals to pass a Will roll to be
able to attack, influence or forcefully withstand the Keywielder. All
rolls to attack or influence the Keywielder by such Ethereals are
penalized by -2. Also, the effects taken by the wielder of this key
from hostile Elemental sources of Air and Water, whether natural or
supernatural, is halved (this does include drowning and suffocation).
This Key may only be taken if the holder also has at least one of the
Keys of Malkut, Yesod, Hod, Netzach or Tiferet.
The Key of Binah, Granting the Understanding of the Truth. 5 Essence.
This Key grants a bonus of +3 to all Sorcerous rolls to Summon or
Control Celestials. It also forces any such Celestials to pass a Will
roll to be able to attack, influence or forcefully withstand the
Keywielder. All rolls to attack or influence the Keywielder by such
Celestials are penalized by -2. This Key may only be taken if the holder
also has at least three of the Keys of Malkut, Yesod, Hod, Netzach,
Tiferet, Gevurah or Chesod.
The Key of Chockmah, Granting the Wisdom to Achieve Mastery. 5 Essence.
The wielder of this Key gains a bonus of +2 to all rolls made to resist
Powers, Songs or Attunements originating from Celestials. Also, the
effects taken by the wielder of this key from hostile Celestial sources
is halved. Finally, the wielder of this key may Summon and Control
Angelic Celestials with the same difficulty as Demonic ones, although
this ability is a very perilous one, and the proper rituals must still
be found or created, as Demonic rituals will not work. This Key may
only be taken if the holder also has at least three of the Keys of
Malkut, Yesod, Hod, Netzach, Tiferet, Gevurah or Chesod.
The Powers and restrictions surrounding the Four Greater Keys, the
Keys of Keter, Marking the Head of the Body of Holiness, are not
reliably known. But anyone capable of wielding them certainly
has more mojo, and much bigger friends, than you do, so you should be
very respectful anyway.
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