Cassandra

Named for the figure in Greek mythology (though gods of nearly every Pantheon have created them), Cassandras are a special kind of Prophet cursed by the gods to speak absolute truth, but to never be believed by those who hear their prophecies. Where Prophets understand the structures of Fate and thus glimpse what must happen next, Cassandras see how the World flows within those structures, understanding what is happening. Theirs is a more immediate gift of prophecy, but no less useful— the problem is getting other people to act on it. Cassandras often find themselves pulled into the orbit of Scions for the simple fact that those of divine blood are immune to the curse. They make excellent Guides, and are often fiercely loyal to those rare few people who believe them.

 

Path Effect

  Once per session, the Storyguide tells the Cassandra the absolute truth of a situation. This includes, but isn’t limited to, the agendas of those present, anything concealed or hidden nearby, and the immediate outcome of whatever is happening around her. This gift doesn’t extend to anything outside the Cassandra’s immediate vicinity.
 

Example: The original Cassandra, for whom this Path is named, saw the Greek army bring the Trojan Horse to the gates of Troy as a “peace offering.” This triggered her Path effect, making her immediately aware that the Greeks were not seeking peace and that many soldiers were hiding within the Horse. As the Trojans brought the Horse into the city, she was also aware that the immediate outcome would be ambush and slaughter. She was not able to perceive the rest of the Greek fleet waiting just beyond the horizon, nor was she able to predict that the long-term consequences would include Aeneas fleeing the city’s destruction and ultimately founding Rome.

  No matter the information a Cassandra gleans from this effect, no one she tells will believe her until it’s too late to change the outcome of events. No amount of persuasion or social skill short of God-level Knacks can make someone believe a Cassandra’s prophecies, but it is possible to force people to act in accordance with the Cassandra’s warnings. It’s only the prophecies gleaned from the Cassandra Path effect that evoke this effect; general statements and inferences aren’t automatically disbelieved.
 

Continuing the example of the Trojan Horse, the Trojan soldiers didn’t continue disbelieving Cassandra’s warnings when the Greeks sprung their trap, but by then it was far too late to do anything about it. If Cassandra remarked that the Trojan Horse was certainly large enough to hold a phalanx of angry Greeks, the Trojans would likely agree, but would immediately discount the possibility that it actually was. If Cassandra had managed to get some leverage (say, a knife at King Priam’s throat), she might have been able to force the Trojans into destroying the Horse anyways, but they’d still steadfastly refuse to believe there was any point to it.

  This curse doesn’t affect with divine blood. PostVisitation Scions, Gods, and anyone related to them are free to believe or disbelieve a Cassandra’s warnings as they see fit.
 

Knacks

 

• The Ties That Bind: Once per scene, a Cassandra reads someone’s Fate at a glance and discern their strongest Fatebound relationship (if any). If the subject has more than one Fatebond at the same strength, this Knack reveals the oldest one first. Subsequent uses of this Knack on the same subject reveal sequentially younger and weaker Fatebonds. Each time the Cassandra uses this Knack, they suffer a Path Condition on an unrelated Path, related to their reputation as a liar who can’t be believed.
• Truth, Lies, and Alibis: Sometimes there are advantages to nobody believing you. Once per session, a Cassandra automatically succeeds on a simple Manipulation by telling the simple, unvarnished truth. This is a conscious manipulation of the effects of the Cassandra curse, making whatever the Cassandra says seem utterly ridiculous and inconsequential in the moment (and the Cassandra herself, therefore, not worth bothering with). Once the Cassandra leaves the scene, this Knack’s effects end. For example, a Cassandra caught by a police officer while en route to the Pine Barrens to dispose of a body might use this Knack in response to the cop’s questioning her presence and answer “I’m here to bury Sal Gemino’s body.” The Knack’s effect will make the cop dismiss the story and the Cassandra herself as inconsequential, but later, when Mrs. Gemino files a missing persons report for her husband, he’ll remember the story. (“At the time I thought she was joking, but now…”)
  This Knack doesn’t affect anyone with divine blood.

 
• Self-Consistency Principle: If you can’t warn people about the future, you can at least take perverse joy in guaranteeing your predictions will come to pass. Once per session, after using her Path effect, the Cassandra adds a Complication equal to her Cunning to all actions that would prevent her prophecy from coming true. Maybe those Trojans would have checked inside the Horse, just to be 100% sure, but once Cassandra starts raving about hidden Greeks, it seems like a terrible idea.
  Self-Consistency Principle does affect those with divine blood.