Lore: Mage 

 

Mage Lore 1

 

Many different cultures have myths and legends about humans with special powers, and the ability to control the world around them.  Those legends have to be based on something, right?

You are familiar with the perceptions of magic from various different cultures.

Some of the things those magicians do defies belief; it can't all be smoke and mirrors, right?

You may have some second-hand knowledge of the magic going on behind the scenes- perhaps you dated a Wiccan in college who had some hard to believe stories.

 

Mage Lore 2

 

You are quite sure there are people out there who can use actual magic.

You have begun stringing together some of the commonalities between perceptions of magic in various cultures and have an idea of how you think it might work.  You're almost certainly wrong.

Most of the more fantastical stories of magic are certainly just that; no one can throw fireballs around or turn people into newts.  However, a more subtle kind of magic, the kind that someone less educated than yourself might pass off as a coincidence, might just be possible.

Now that you think about it, that Wiccan you dated could do some pretty hard to explain things herself.

 

Mage Lore 3

 

You have most likely witnessed a few things that you can't explain.

Magick users are definitely real, and they spell it with a "k," thank you very much.

You're familiar with folk remedies from various cultures that are supposed to protect against or remove hostile magick.

Most magick users make use of subtle effects, but the more powerful among them can do things that defy the laws of physics.

Some of these magick users are definitely organized.

You have begun to notice a trend in the accounts of magick, both in historical and cultural records and your own observations, suggesting that there are three fundamental forces behind it- a force for creation and change, a force for preservation and safety and a force for destruction and renewal.  You are sure there is a relationship between these concepts and Magick, but you are uncertain what it is.

 

Mage Lore 4

 

There are many different kinds of magick users, some more powerful than others.  You may know a common term for the weaker ones, such as "sorcerer" or "hedge wizard."  The more powerful ones are usually called "Mages."

Magick users usually work through some kind of tools or trappings, like alchemical potions or magic wands.  These can vary from individual to individual or group to group, and can differ wildly based on cultural traditions.

Those folk remedies?  Yeah, not so helpful as it turns out.

There are definitely three forces underlying magic in the universe; different cultures have different names for them, but they boil down to the concepts of of Dynamism, Stasis and Entropy.

While magick certainly can violate basic laws of reality, it turns out that it is very dangerous to do so.  Reality has ways of protecting itself from such tampering, ways that can be disastrous for the Mage and anyone nearby.

 

Mage Lore 5

 

You have learned that there is some kind of qualitative difference between Mages and the rest of humanity, that they are "awake" while everyone else... including you... is "asleep."

Because of this qualitative difference, True Magick is not something that can be learned by anyone... though the weaker "Hedge Magick" can, theoretically, be learned by anyone...

Mages do use tools and trappings, but these need not be mystical in nature.  Some mages make use of advanced technology that, to paraphrase a science fiction author, is indistinguishable from magick.  These can be among the most subtle magick users of all.

Mages are divided into many traditions, crafts and conventions, some of which are allied together into larger groups and some of which function on their own.

Almost every group is linked in some way to the concepts of Dynamism, Stasis or Entropy, and Mages themselves sometimes embody these concepts.

These different groups of Mages are in perpetual conflict with each other over these fundamental forces and their role in reality.

There is, indeed, a force that protects reality from tampering.  Mages call is "paradox," and the more their magic fits in with the traditions and beliefs of the populace, the more safely they can use it.  This has led you to start questioning the very nature of reality.  Perhaps what we call "reality" is not a fixed concept, but something mutable based on the collective beliefs and perceptions of sentient minds...

 

Lore: Spirit

 

Lore Spirit 1

 

You know that there are ethereal beings that live in the place called umbral, and astral realms which are known as spirits, and that they differ in basic functioning from wraiths.

You know that spirits each exemplify and embody some sort of concept or function (such as emotions, elements, physical locations, thoughts or abstracts), and that they will always act in accordance with the principle they signify.

You know that spirits usually do not speak in a human tongue. You further know that even if this is circumvented, that spirits tend not to think in human terms, and that as a result they can sometimes be excruciatingly difficult conversationalists.

You know that spirits possess a wide array of powers which they may employ both upon the astral, umbral and/or material planes. You have heard of spirits possessing people, causing damage or decay to structures, taking control of their element (ex: a water elemental changing the behavior of the tides briefly), physically attacking the living, and occasionally manifesting a material form and walking the earth.

You know that spirits can be either bartered with or compelled by force to carry out favors for a knowledgeable shaman or magician. You know that spirits forced into servitude rarely react well in the long run.

You know that spirits often have taboos which they cannot act against (ex: spirits of peace cannot commit violence).

 

Lore Spirit 2

 

You can generally divide spirits into two separate camps: those more abstract ones that tend to stand for ideas, concepts and theological personae (thought of as demons, angels, gods, or platonic forms) and those who stand for primal analogs to natural phenomena, animals, elements, and material objects (thought of as elementals, naturae or totems).

You know that spirits are comprised of, powered by, and feed off of a metaphysical material known as "essence", and that spirits (depending on their strength, affinity and temperament) can gain "essence" in a variety of ways, including immersing themselves in principle they represent, receiving a physical offering, going into a dormant sleep-like state (occasionally called "slumber"), or consuming another spirit.

You know that spirits can be physically harmed, banished or even destroyed (in rare cases) if they are fought on their own plane of existence, or if they have intruded on the material realm in physical form.

You have idea of some powers of the spirits.

You have heard that spirits may occasionally possess people for long periods of time, and that such people become physically and mentally changed by the experience. You hear such cases are rare though, and that spiritual possession generally only lasts for a day at most.

You know that spirits have some sort of complex ranking or hierarchy amongst themselves, although you're at a loss as to how to understand it.

You know that spirits universally must follow their "taboos"

 

Lore Spirit 3

You know that new spirits come into existence each time a new thought, idea, or thing is birthed, shaped from the endless substance of their umbra. You know that there are an infinite number of spirits.

You have heard that spiritual possession of persons and even objects can cause the host to bend toward the affinity of the spirit in strange and varied ways. (People possesed by fire spirits may seem full of energy and have an abnormal body temperature. People possessed by peace spirits may lose their ability to feel rage.) You know that sometimes the effects of long term possession can even cause the human body to reshape itself in seemingly alien ways over time.

You know that the mightiest of spirits are referred to as the Aeons (or occasionally Incarnae), and that these roughly equate to Gods or Godesses and tend to represent far reaching universal concepts such as the Sun, the Sky, Love, War etc.... You further know that they are served by a series of minions and courtiers who take on the duties pertaining to specific aspects of the Aeons.

You know that spirits technically possess little in the way of free will, although they can seem to have very complex personalities which would make them seem to. As such, there is no such thing as an "evil" spirit.

You know that spirits will almost universally partake of whatever desired offering a supplicant gives them until they are cut off from it, and that if left to it's own devices a spirit will not stop partaking. You can imagine why this fact might be particularly useful to remember when it comes to such things as blood offerings.

 

Lore Spirit 4

 

You know that intrinsically demons and angels fall under a similar loose classification as spirits, and that some spirits attempt to masquerade as them. You have a pretty good understanding of whether or not you're dealing with something impersonating an angelic/demonic entity, or if you've had the misfortune to stumble on the real deal.

You have heard rumors that corporeal wanderers within the realms of the spirits can lose their way and become spirits themselves.

You know that those men or animals possessed by spirits for a long time can fall into roughly three categories: Those who are possessed by spirits relating to entropy or decay (called Fomors or Fomori); those who are possessed by spirits of stasis (called Drones) or those possessed by spirits of dynamism and chaos (called Gorgons). You know that each broad group has a tendency to develop features similar to others of its class (Drones, for example, have an increased tendency to cease aging), but that ultimately each possessed creature is still ultimately as unique as the spirit that hold it.

You know that roughly below Aeons are Praceptors (ocassionally called Jagglings among the non-Astral courts) who serve specific aspects of their Aeon.(ex: The Aeon of the Moon might have a Praeceptor of the Waning Moon, or the Moon as it relates to the tides), that below them are the Minions (sometimes called Servitors or "lesser Jagglings") who in turn serve the Praeceptors, and that lastly are the Minor Umbrood (Gafflings) who are animal-like, only vaguely self-aware and usually lead very short life cycles in the spirit realms. You still have no clue as to how a spirit might move from one rank to another - or if they even can.

 

Lore Spirit 5

 

You know that a spirit can grow more powerful by devouring another spirit, and that this is how Minions become Praeceptors, Minor Umbrood become Minions, etc...

You know that the Aeons existed before all other spirits, and that they have never been usurped in their station. You get the impression that they existed before all things.

You know that any living creature that wanders too long and too far into the Umbral or Astral realms (such as might be done using high levels of Auspex, will eventually suffer disconnection from their body and that they will become a spirit in their own right, usually embodying some aspect of their human personality. You know that such spirits are rare, and that they often prove extremely volatile.

You know that a possessed being after several years has little remnant of the host left, and that many possessed creatures have been known to die once the spirit wears through the body.