Invocation to a Skin Weaver

Perhaps the least overtly hostile variety of invader spirit, the broad category of skin weavers are more than willing to bestow their gifts when invoked correctly – incorrect summons lead to rooms of corpses drained of all essence.

The Skin Weavers are willing to give their gift freely because it is a mutually beneficial relationship – those who take the gift carry the twisted progeny of the Skin Weaver until they die, whereupon something departs to find its parent.

Invoking a Skin Weaver is one of the more simple callings to an invader spirit, though still exacting in its demands. The entire ceremony must be performed inside. The one receiving the gift must be nude and anointed in the mixed blood of a human and two foxes. The bean of the Llangn plant must be burnt, and the choking fumes inhaled by the invoker. They must then speak the invocation itself, which is notable in which it is more of a promise than a command, as compared to most invocations which rely upon strict instructions and commands to coax a spirit to manifest.

With these steps followed correctly, a Skin Weaver will manifest. Appearances vary wildly, but common features include many long legs, compound eyes and emaciated forms. It will rest between the wall and roof, lurking patiently until it is noticed. An uncomfortable whisper will then converse with the invoker. The common trend in this communication is a blank refusal of there being any cost to the gift, laying endless praise upon the prospective recipient of the gift and a snickering at normal command and control methods. Once this exchange has occurred, the spirit descends and bestows its gift. Each spirit has its own method, some wrapping the gifted with webs, whilst others deliver a bite which seems to enact the change. The receiver will scream and wail and claw and fight back, but the spirit is inexorable once the agreement has been made. Those bearing the gifts deny any memory of the experience of receiving the gift. With this done, the Skin Weaver will happily leave.

Effects of the gift

D6	Description
1	Thin, metallic silver tracery seemingly sits just under skin level. It shifts every night, and it appears there are slightly more lines over time. You can feel the tracery all the time, and it is just slightly stiffer than your skin. It provides a +1 to AC, but is very visible. Those with the knowledge of invader spirits will instantly recognise this.
2	Warty, lumpy nodules a dark brown/red colour are chaotically placed all over your body. Small tendrils emanate from them, are they are visible under the skin. They slowly form a network over time. Whenever you are affected by a magical effect, benign or malign, make an additional save vs. magic. Upon success, one of the nodules erupts, causing excruciating pain and the loss of 5 hit points.
3	You can feel it move within your chest cavity. Something lives there now, coiling around your organs. It speaks to you in your dreams, showing you the terrible sea of chaos its parent calls home. Occasionally it tries to nudge you into certain actions, but with no obvious rhyme nor reason. Magic Users can use the thing as a familiar. The carrier is immune to disease and parasites, although they are unable to take meaningful action for a day after the thing cleanses you of the taint.
4	You grow copious amounts of body hair, far beyond human extremes – more like light fur. The hair is short, coarse and black, and incredibly uncomfortable for people to touch as it continuously pricks them. You will never suffer ill effects from cold conditions, and magical effects relying on the cold are at half-effectiveness against you. You leave a trail of discarded hairs everywhere you go.
5	You are entirely covered in scales, much like a snakes. You lose all hair on your body. The scales will match your original skin colour, although the occasional one will be off. You have to adapt clothing and equipment to ensure it does not rub your scales the wrong way, as this is a painful a deeply uncomfortable experience. You get a +2 to AC, but permanently have 1 point of encumbrance to account for your extra care/extra layers to avoid brushing your scales the wrong way.
6	A large, open wound is left on your body. It is raw and weeps constantly, although it does not hurt. The clear fluid it leaks can be used as a food source, as well as a substitute for water. It tastes slightly sweet, like honeyed water. It weeps enough to keep 2 people alive indefinitely. Those who use it as a sole source of nutrition slowly come to depend on it, and fight themselves unable to derive sustenance from actual food and drink. For each person addicted to the fluid, you can support an additional person per day on the wound – it flows more as more crave it.