24 XP
Some amongst the Damned, such as the Unholy, are practically forces of nature (though they are most certainly not natural). With this Devotion, the vampire summons forth a veritable army of birds that choke the sky. In addition, she may move within the demonic flock as if she is one of them.
Cost: 2 Vitae
Dice Pool: Presence + Animal Ken + Animalism
Action: Instant
The vampire shrieks, her tongue and throat mimicking the sound of some awful predatory or scavenging bird. She summons birds in a radius around her equal to 1/4 mile (approximately 400 yards) per success gained. Birds suffuse the air at a rate of about one bird per square foot (so, if you imagine a small bedroom in a house being 100 square feet at 10’ by 10’, you’ll have a hundred flapping, screaming, frenzied birds in that small space). It takes a number of turns equal to 10 minus the vampire’s Presence dots for the birds to manifest. The birds are usually of one or two types (crows and blackbirds, for instance), but may be anything (gulls, hawks, owls, sparrows).
The birds are violent, pecking and scratching. Those caught within the frenzied flock take 3 points of Bashing damage per turn—those hiding behind or beneath objects may be safe, but all objects of Durability 1 caught within the effects of this Devotion suffer 3 points of Structure damage. Something as meager as a blanket is sure to be torn to ribbons. A glass window is likely to break. A pantry (where one might hide) will take damage, but will likely survive the onslaught.
At the time of using this Devotion, the vampire may signify targets that remain unaffected by the birds (other characters, never objects). These targets remain unscathed by the furious flock.
While the flock remains, the vampire may literally disappear and reappear through any one bird in the flock provided that bird remains in her field of view. She must spend 1 point of Vitae every time she does this, and it takes two full turns (one to disappear, one to reemerge). Emergence is literal: she springs forth from the bird, and the animal itself ruptures in a pop of blood, feather and bone.
The squall of birds lasts for the remainder of the scene. At the end of it, the ground is sure to be littered with dead birds—as the flock flaps around in frenzy the birds are harming each other just as much as they’re harming anybody on the ground.