I am applying for the bonus quirk prize for the 2023 NaNoWriMo award, per this thread.
Up front, I'll note that Imogen has a Coven Quirk for Reaving in place of the usual five quirk slots. I'm unaware of any restriction which prevents one from obtaining bonus quirks in the same Rune as a Coven Quirk (or via Grandmastery, etc.), but since this could be an issue of first impression I wanted to highlight it.
Assuming there is no issue:
Reaving
Master Quirk - Shadows In Steel
To explain a little bit, as part of Imogen's plans for Grandmaster Reaving, I have been working on a series of techniques which emphasize and expand the use of Varnish, Transmutation and Morphosis to make her Pact Weapons more flexible. This builds towards that by permitting a mage to obtain a certain amount of information from the use of those techniques which will make later quirks easier to execute.Master Quirk - Shadows In Steel
Pact Weapons possess certain exotic qualities owing to their origins as spirit mimicking steel- however, the Rune of Reaving naturally shields the mage from many of the adverse effects of intermingling one's spirit with the world. This technique bypasses some of those safeguards, allowing the wielder greater understanding of the world at the risk of spiritual or psychological damage.
When using either Varnish or Transmute with a pact weapon, the mage's spirit intermingles more fully with the energy or matter being annexed. This enhances the mage's instinctive understanding of the weapon's new materials or magic, most notably allowing more complex expression of the energy from dragonshards. This connection may also carry more complex kinds of information, such as historical information (if the material being Transmuted has a significant history) and even impromptu flashbacks. (See The Hammer And The Anvil Song [Pt. 5] for an example of this.) These are difficult to understand and the mage has little control over what, if any, information they receive.
Although this technique can significantly increase a mage's precision and control, especially with regard to unknown substrates or dragonshards, it carries significant risks. Even fairly mundane substances become much more distracting as the mage receives new information from them, and it may expose the mage's soul more directly to dangerous and corrupting magics. These dangers can be mitigated with meditation and mental fortitude, but are an inevitable consequence of using the technique.
When using either Varnish or Transmute with a pact weapon, the mage's spirit intermingles more fully with the energy or matter being annexed. This enhances the mage's instinctive understanding of the weapon's new materials or magic, most notably allowing more complex expression of the energy from dragonshards. This connection may also carry more complex kinds of information, such as historical information (if the material being Transmuted has a significant history) and even impromptu flashbacks. (See The Hammer And The Anvil Song [Pt. 5] for an example of this.) These are difficult to understand and the mage has little control over what, if any, information they receive.
Although this technique can significantly increase a mage's precision and control, especially with regard to unknown substrates or dragonshards, it carries significant risks. Even fairly mundane substances become much more distracting as the mage receives new information from them, and it may expose the mage's soul more directly to dangerous and corrupting magics. These dangers can be mitigated with meditation and mental fortitude, but are an inevitable consequence of using the technique.
I also think it is narratively appropriate as an expression of Imogen's increasingly-tangled relationship with the spirits of Southern Ecith, which she first contacted through her Pact Weaponry last year, and which has broken down her understanding of the distinction between mage and pact weapon.
