At that point, Harry is powerless to help Molly, Molly is barely able to hold her consciousness together, and Capiocorpus is about to take control of the body of a very powerful practitioner of magic. That's fairly serious stuff.  It's important to the narrator due to his inability to help his apprentice, it's important to Molly because of all the stuff she's dealing with (with regard to Harry's death, what has happened since then, and what's currently going on in her own mind), and it's important to the world at large, because the Corpse-Taker is about to steal a new body, one with a helluva lot of punch compared to her previous one.

And then we get a scene from 1980's Sci-Fi?  To me (and this is only my experience, etc. etc.) that was the literary equivalent of a single obnoxious tuba note sounding in the middle of a concert. Especially because I wanted to be just emotionally distraught after Molly's denouement of "Not only did I invade your mind, I did so with your encouragement, and it's driving me insane," but I, as the reader, had my emotional priming blown by being on the bridge of the Enterprise, and the catharsis that should have come after the moment of truth with Molly kind of passed me by.

Whisper-Tainted
When Warden Freya Lengaardi arrived in Minneapolis, her first order of business was tobutt heads with a demon-worshipping sorcerer cult.  The cult had gotten a hold of bad mojo on a serious level, and had used it to conjure up an Outsider.  Freya torched the cult, expediently made with the metaphysical slice and dice for which Wardens are most famous, and dispatched the Outsider as best as she knew how.  Instead of successfully banishing the demon though, she shattered its consciousness.  Over time, that fractured consciousness has settled into vulnerable mortals of the region, granting them morsels of the demonic power that had been intended for the members of the sorcerer cult.

As always, power is a trade off.  This one is transmitted through circumstance, psychic attack and/or ritual (see below).  Some might think of it as a curse.  It amplifies people’s tendencies, their impulses, highlighting the violent nature of human.  As people make more and more violent choices, the call to do more gets stronger and stronger until people are consumed by this power.  Choice is paramount here.  This power is temptation. 

It can be increased physical strength and speed, as needed.  It sharpens the senses, such as hearing, sight, and taste in particular.  It manifests differently in different people, and can change over time.  Psychic powers are not uncommon, especially the ability to increase the emotions of nearby victims to be more receptive to the user’s desires.  Reaction time is increased.  One of the many costs is increased fatigue.  It draws on the stores of the body, burning energy at an alarming rate.  Frequent users of power are typically gaunt and appear underfed.  Also, it is sentient, to a degree.  It whispers to the user, drawing them toward violent means.  It heals injuries in quick order, using the body stores to do so.

A person’s control over her temptation is somewhat limited due to her ability to concentrate on resistance.  Physical deprivation will lead to reduced control, and since intense caloric consumption is a byproduct of using the Whisper, decreased control over one’s temptations is a side effect of power usage.

Violence does not imply wanton destruction.  It could be sexual violence or oppression.  Mostly what the power users are tempted toward is exerting their will over those less powerful than themselves.  Political manipulation, etc.  As this goes on, more and more control and choice is ceded to the parasite power-giver.

Vulnerable victims/recipients of the demon-parasite power might include coma victims, the chronically ill, trauma victims, or recent victims of psychic trauma.

Musts:
Marked by Power [-1], p. 169
Cloak of Shadows [-1], p. 169
Domination [-2], p. 170
Incite Emotion [-1], p. 170

Feeding Dependency [+1], p.190


Options: Whisper-tainted may use a variety of inhuman powers at the cost of exhausting their hunger track.  The more an ability is used, the more difficult it become for the Whisper-tainted to ignore the commands from their inner impulses or parasite.  Their hunger manifests itself as an increased metabolism, so they don’t feel the need to eat anything repulsive or evil, but it’s best to not let them get caught without a Burger King nearby.


Inhuman Speed[-2], p. 178; OR Inhuman Strength [-2], p. 183;

Depending on the power-level of the game, Whisper-tainted may increase any of the supernatural abilities (Inhuman to Supernatural, etc.), depending on the consent of the GM.



Important Skills: Deceit (p.126), Discipline (p. 127), Stealth (p. 142), Intimidation (p. 132), Presence (p. 136),

Minimum Refresh Cost: [-4]