Pathos is pure emotion. Wraiths feed upon Pathos and use it in their daily existences. It is responsible in large part for the existence of wraiths, and is hoarded and treasured beyond almost anything else in the Shadowlands.
Pathos is used for two primary things: to heal the Corpus of a wraith, and to power a wraith's Arcanoi. In order to regain spent Pathos, a wraith can Slumber in their Fetter, use specially endowed Artifacts, make another feel an emotion strongly attached to their Passions, or, in certain circumstances, drain it from another wraith. Pathos can also be crudely fashioned into a sort of wraithly foodstuff, but this is available only to the most powerful and richest members of the society of the dead and is seen as a sign of pure luxury.
The opposite of Pathos is Angst. Faith is a form of Pathos, though it is a specific emotion.
References[]
- WTO/cMET: Oblivion, p. 23-24, 70, 139-140
- HTR: Hunter Storytellers Companion, p. 12