The Strain Of Passion

Tell me the truth... Did I hurt anyone?

The Strain of Passion is often the first strain a practitioner of The Scarlet Arts learns. The strain focuses heavily on The Scarlet Rapture and The Passion. You learn to feel the surrounding blood through The Static, and can connect with the blood. When you enter The Passion, you will often seem unhinged. You experience every glorious death, every drop of adrenaline, and every victorious high as you roam the field of battle. They channel these things, harvest them, and as they do, the blood begins to flow to them like a magnet. This is the base strain and is required for all other strains.

The Addiction

All practitioners are addicted to blood in one form or another. Some consume it and fall into the addiction through the unique power this consumption grants them. Others are addicted to the power of the spells and the sensations brought about by linking themselves with the blood split in battle. Others are simply addicted to the kill and the pain that proceeds it.

Regardless of why, the addiction is there, and every practitioner risks falling into a downward spiral as they lose control of their passion. Every amount of blood harvested, every spell cast, every trait used brings them closer to this madness. It is important for a them to take great care.

They must use these gifts in moderation, lest they become uncontrollable, taint the blood, or kill themselves as much of Arcana Sanguis involves using one's own blood, and the high can cloud their judgement as they go to far in a fit of passion.

Every action involving blood is counted and for every 4 actions in a single encounter, The character must roll a d6 on this table.

Dice Roll	Effect
1	Character enters a rage state and is no longer effected by pains or terror but suffers 1 DMG per turn. This effect last until the end of the encounter unless the character can make a successful composure roll.
2	Character makes a critical error in their excitement, usually severing their own arteries. take 10 points of dmg
3	All blood the character harvests this encounter is tainted.
4	Character makes a terror roll at their own brutality.
5	Character gains 10 blood resources as the blood flows quicker.
6	Character summons a creature from The Wetworks and can control this creature, provided they have not lost control.

The Blood Afflicted

Tainted blood is any kind of blood that is diseased or impure in some way. The addiction can taint the blood due to a lack of care in handling the blood, or simply the addiction itself. The reckless and violent mind at play tainted the blood and makes it impure.

Scarlet Fever

A play on a commonly known ailment, in the context of Arcana Sanguis, Scarlet Fever is the official term for the effect of the addiction taking hold. It clouds the casters judgement, makes them uncontrollable, and taint the blood they use. It should be no surprise that some blood mages actually try to enter this state. The practitioners of The Strain of Profanity need it to ensure that they have plenty of tainted blood.

Harvest

The key ability one must have to be able to do any spell in Arcana Sanguis is Harvest. It allows any blood mage to gather the blood they use to power their spells. They can gather it from themselves or others, some even bottle the rarest blood they come across.

Linked Veins

A blood mage can literally link their veins with others. The process is metaphorical but does have literal effects. Doing so allows them to feel everything those they link with feel. They are overwhelmed by the complexity of so many emotions and use this to enter The Passion so they may affect the blood of others as well as their own. The longer they are linked, the deeper The Passion becomes. This can come to a point where The Passion overwhelms them, and the practitioner can experience gaps in memory if not a complete black out.

Brutality and Carnage

The caster can sacrifice blood and the blood of their allies and then used to assail their foes, but all blood can be used. More often than not, stripping an enemy of their blood can be much more powerful. Seeing every drop of blood ripped through the pores in a single instance of red mist is a sight of brutal terror and many blood mages have sent enemies fleeing in fear at the sight. The more blood spilled, the more power a practitioner has. As battles rage on, practitioners on the field admire the sight. They take it in and often capitalize on the horror of it. In the face of all the carnage their powers are more effective, their passion more refined.

Blood on the Blade

Practitioners have long been able to alter the quality of blood. They can make it boil, make it toxic, even set it ablaze. It was only a matter if time before they realized they could give these unique qualities to their weapons and the weapons of their allies.