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The Secret and Terrible Words, of which there are three, convey information so vile and dangerous as to harm the mind, body or soul of any who hear them. Each word is 6 syllabuls long, but is otherwise impossible to remember, record or describe, even for the speaker. Mearly knowing any of these words would expose someone to the constant danger of their effects, so a special, isolated subsection of the brain's language center must be constructed through surgery and cybernetics in order to store the deadly information. Posessing one of these words is a level 5 Device, but the first dot represents the special information security core; any words learned after the first are only level 4 Devices.
Each word has two modes: targeted and indescriminant. To use the targeted mode, the user spends 3 Quantum and a regular action. Using a special language akin to the words themselves, the speaker designates a target within ear-shot (for this to work, it is necessary to know them by name or be able to describe them in enough detail that only one person in ear-shot could qualify). They are the sole subject of the word's primary effect, although eveyone else who hears the foul sound (including the speaker) suffers some minor effect from the exposure. The indescriminant mode (which costs 5 Quantum and may be spoken as a reflexive action) effects everyone in ear-shot as if they had been subject to the targeted effect (again, including the speaker). (To be effected, targets must be able to hear or otherwise recieve the word - all of the words can be communicated non-verbally, as text or via telepathy in order to narrow [or expand] the audience exposed to them, although they won't endure if written down.) At present, Kafka has unlocked the secrets of only one of the three words:
The Scouring Word dissolves and erases matter. Unlike the other two Secret and Terrible Words, the Scouring Word may target inanimate and unliving objects (with a maximum size of Int + Linguistics cubic feet if targeted, and a sphere centered on the speaker with a radius of [Int+Linguistics] yards if indescriminant). Roll Int+Linguistics resisted by the target's Z-rating. The number of net successes is the number of levels of Aggravated damage dealt to the target (which may then be soaked normally). In addition to the destruction of body or form, all non-Telluric metal within 5 yards of a target instantly tarnishes. Bystanders whose Z-ratings are equal to or lower than the speaker suffer 1 level of Aggravated damage. This may be soaked by those with an Agg soak rating, but is sure to maim any healthy adult Baseline and prove lethal to the sick, the injured and the young.
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