Mage
Prehistory
Awakened Society in San Diego is ancient. Long ago, before the Kumeyaay people came to the region, when it was largely despoiled by human hands save for those few passing nomads who traveled away from the predation of the Impergium, the land was larger, with the great plains populated by all manner of creatures before they would be flooded by the glaciers and ice sheets that crawled on either side of the world. The myths of the ancient people say that what would become the La Jolla Sea Plain was flooded quickly, catching all of the creatures that walked, crawled, or slithered there off guard. Some say that this is why the area is replete with Quintessence: life essence remaining after the flesh was swept away by the hand of God, or the gods.
Mammoths were hunted in San Diego over one hundred thousand years ago. To state that anyone, Awakened or otherwise, knows what happened in that ancient time would be an act of supreme hubris; rather, the scientific record shows that prehistoric humanity hunted mammoths, used their bones for structures, used their bones for rituals. Perhaps some of those rituals were magickal. Perhaps they were merely superstitions. Either way, the course of the land was set. The first structured rituals in evidence that were magickal in nature could be traced back to ten thousand years before the Kumeyaay tribe began to occupy the estuaries of San Diego. These rituals were focused on simple things: calling the clouds for rain, attempting to see through time to the next harvest, healing the sick, improving fertility. Some of the earliest spells cast in this place were ingenious in their cunning, allowing for great constructions of impenetrable stone that were eventually crumbled by the weight of Paradox as belief decayed and static Reality began to seep into the land. Bits and pieces of these things can be found, prickling awareness like radioactive detritus alights Geiger counters.
Eventually, whatever prehistorical, post-Impergium human life that existed in the region established societies along with newcomers from the north, consolidating into the first organized tribes of indigenous Americans.
Pre-Columbian History
Several tribes made their home around San Diego. The original inhabitants, and likely those who cast those first clever rituals, were the Kumeyaay. They were joined by other Yuman-speaking people who drifted back and forth in nomadic groups from the sea to the inland plains. Life was largely good in this area; the land was bounteous and seas were plentiful. The people were often well-fed and content to their lot. The leaders of each tribe were often advised by shamans. Despite modern misconceptions, Awakened were no more common then than they are now. Actual willworkers were rare, with many shamans of tribes being hedge magicians or sorcerers, learning “static” magick through training and the experience of their mentors rather than changing reality with their will and Avatar.
Awakened were often mistrusted by others as they are now. The werecreatures of the region had more connections to the people of the tribes than their European peers. Still, they understood the threat that the Awakened posed towards their sacred places. The war against the Wyrm had begun long ago, although the Uktena had begun to lock Banes away and seal them rather than destroy them utterly. Curious willworkers, shamans (for there were no Traditions and the idea of calling them “Dreamspeakers” for the sake of them being indigenous would be disingenuous) and other Awakened found themselves seeking out these Bane spirits to ask for powers beyond mortal ken. They would often even get their way.
Halyaxai’s Story -- 3000 BCE
The most successful shaman in San Diego 5,000 years ago was who we would call a Nephandus today. His actual name was lost, but he was known simply as Halyaxai, the Kumeyaay word for the new moon. He had been Kumeyaay and was known to be a sweet child, but cruelty had wormed itself into his heart with the betrayal of his family. He was sent as a peace offering to be a hostage to a hostile group of Cahuilla people. They kept him with the dogs and fed him offal and blood for nourishment. Eventually, Halyaxai broke free of his restraints in a surge of the Awakened soul.
Humanity has rarely changed since homo sapiens began walking the face of the Earth. Hurt people often hurt other people. In the wilderness between the camps of his birth and his capture, he found men who had forsaken the safety of the tribes. Criminals, cannibals, and those who were simply desperate and exiled. Honing htem into a powerful force, equipped with weapons harder and sharper than steel, they put Halyaxai’s tribe to the spear. The Cahuilla tribe that had kept him hostage were treated with harsh indignities. A hedge magick shaman who traveled with Halyaxai wrote that following the final battle with the Cahuilla, he had walked into the nearby canyon and found a hole in the ground. When the shaman arrived at the hole, he found it warm and dripping like torn flesh. This was Halyaxai’s Caul, his entrance to Nightside. The unnamed shaman never found it again, so goes the legend.
Halyaxai’s Descent was the foundation of one of the strongest Labyrinths connected to the Pure Lands. Halyaxai had no interest in following the Wyrm or some group of infernal gods and demons, but found peace in the void itself. He is said to have constructed a great underground citadel somewhere near Otay Mountain. Then, he all but disappeared from popular conciousness, becoming a kind of bogeyman for the Kumeyaay bands that traveled near Otay. The dark truth is that once every season, Halyaxai’s Lords of the Outer Dark would call for blood. He would sacrifice his own followers whom he found useless or unable to help him further; if he had none to provide, his band of marauding raiders would capture any human they could find in the area.
It’s said that Halyaxai became the Oracle of Life. While it is unclear how true this is, he no longer seems to serve that position.
Rise of the Kumeyaay
Following the disappearance of Halyaxai’s band, the Kumeyaay were the ascendant tribe in the region. More than that, the first powerful node was found in San Diego, on the spot where the Mission Basilica is today. There was an immediate struggle to control this powerful font of magick, with the Garou who had Kumeyaay kin claiming it was rightfully theirs by right of territory. The Kumeyaay Mages, finding themselves outnumbered, joined into a coalition with Cahuilla and Digueno Mages to put up a united front against the
Concepts
| Category | Types |
|---|---|
| Common | Celestial Chorus, Euthanatos/Chakravanti, Cult of Ecstasy/Sahajiya |
| Uncommon | Akashic Brotherhood, Dreamspeakers, Virtual Adepts, Order of Hermes |
| Rare | Verbena, Sons/Society of Ether |
| Unlikely/ Very Rare | n/a |
Concepts
| Category | Types |
|---|---|
| Common | Syndicate, Progenitor, Iteration X |
| Uncommon | Void Engineer |
| Rare | New World Order |
| Unlikely/ Very Rare | n/a |
Concepts
| Category | Types |
|---|---|
| Common | n/a |
| Uncommon | Malfean, Infernalist |
| Rare | K'llashaa |
| Unlikely/ Very Rare | n/a |
Restricted Merits/Flaws
- Kinfolk/Shapechanger Kin: It's important to understand why you want to be Kinfolk. Mages are traditionally a very gregarious group of people and Dies Irae does not limit interactions with other spheres. Therefore, you could as a normal Mage, hang out with shifters. That said, kinfolk and mages are at a strange crossroads. Kinfolk have many expectations in Garou society; Mages are often seen as dangerous enemies who destroy Caerns and steal Fetishes to drink the magical energy within. Additionally, Mages also often have very strange relationships with spirits and seem to not have much in the way of knowledge about the Triat. This leads to Kinfolk Mages living very precarious lives where they often cannot speak about their Awakened life to their Shifter (and generally speaking, Garou) relatives, or their shifter relationships to their Awakened Cabalmates. You will be expected to understand how your character fits into whatever Shifter group you are kinfolk of and how this dichotomy affects their lives. This can often be the entire struggle of a character and their entire RP focus, so please bear that in mind. Kinfolk Mages will be a dual-sphere character who will need to work with both Shifter staff and Mage staff on their concepts. Please make sure that your character's relationship (or lack thereof if you're a callow/unknowing kinfolk) is indicated in your background.
- Twin Souls: This Merit requires another PC to take it as well. It also requires a good justification as to why and how you have this, how it's affected your characters' lives, and what you stand to gain out of it. This can be a very powerful merit insofar as it allows two fairly strong characters and a way to channel more quintessence than usual with a very strong Avatar.
- Fae Blood: While not as hardcore on disliking Mages as the Garou/Fera, Changelings who realize that Mages can drain Tass from their Balefires may also not be too pleased at having them around. Similar to being Kinfolk, please indicate how your being Kinain has affected you, how your character has dealt with this, and what you intend to do within both Changeling and Mage spheres. As per the books, you cannot take this if you are a Technomancer of any sort.
- Oracular Ability: Oracular powers can be both difficult to run in a MU* setting due to the number of players involved in any given plot, and can also be hard to keep track of. This will be heavily evaluated if taken.
- Inner Knight: Restricted for everyone except Technocrats.
- Nephilim/Laham: It goes without saying, but someone attempting to app in as a half-angel will be heavily scrutinized.
Banned Merits/Flaws
- Shattered Avatar: You'll be allowed to purchase Avatar after chargen with plots dedicated towards it. This merit is superfluous as a result.
- Faerie Affinity: This is intended to work on Changelings. It is not suitable for a MUSH environment that has a Changeling sphere.
- Supernatural Companion: This merit is designed explicitly for tabletop, allowing you to have an ally/friend who is a member of another supernatural group. It is not appropriate for a MUSH environment.
- Guardian Angel: This merit is inappropriate for a MUSH.
Restricted Concepts
- Batini: Although they have survived the purge of the Crafts/Disparates, the Batini will require a good justification for why they're in San Diego.
- Orphans:
- Hollow Ones:
- SPD Technocrats: These are allowed and fine to take, but you will need to get approved by both Mage and Wyrm staff.
Banned Concepts
- Nephandi BSD Kinfolk: I would really rather not. Nephandi who want to be considered part of the Wyrm sphere will need to be employed by Pentex. This even goes for Malfeans. Remember, you are not Wyrmish as a Nephandus, you serve oblivion/universal Entropy in some way. We might be splitting hairs, but BSDs aren't any more inclined to trust you than they would any other Mage.
- Kinain-Kinfolk Mages: Just... no, man.
- Disparates: Should go without saying, but there are really no Disparates anymore.
- Ghoul Mages: Not allowing ghouls at this time. If it comes up in play, I will address it then.
- Marauders: You can't be an insane demigod who whimsically changes Reality.
There are three rules of thumb to abide by if you want to run Mage PrPs or plots. The overall gist is that everything should have consequences, and that we do not operate within a vacuum. If things happen in Mage, it affects the rest of the game (arguably more than many other Spheres).
- The Travails of Magick: Mages are hubristic creatures by nature. They will incur Paradox because they think they can get away with something, or they don't think about the consequences of changing Reality. Reality will snap back when stretched enough and you will be expected to run Paradox backlashes. If you feel uncomfortable running backlashes for your friends, please notify staff and we'll handle it either on site or via +job. Second, Awakened magick is a powerful thing and can often lead to large-scale changes. You must receive permission to make any changes to the grid that would be permanent or require adjustments. This isn't to say that plots including this will be denied, but they may be adjusted. That said, if there are on-the-fly changes (collapsing a bridge, blowing up a building, etc.) this falls into the territory of staff, as there will be a response from the city at large. Please let us know if this occurs.
- No Silly Bullshit: Okay, look. Mage can sometimes be campy and ridiculous. Some would say the whole point of the Etherites is to play off camp. That said, there's an extent to which camp is allowable. If you're following the plot to children's cartoons or doing junk like having dinosaurs rampage through part of San Diego, this is 100% vetoed. There are umbral realms where things like dinosaurs exist, but on Earth, a dinosaur would be similar to Bygones in that the power of Disbelief would immediately destroy them. If you're wondering if you've surpassed camp, chances are you have. But if you really would like to get an eye on your plot, page staff.
- Nephandi, Technocrats, Traditionalists: Since we do allow all of the Mage factions, having adversaries that are part of the other factions (ex. if you're running a plot for Traditionalists and showcase a Nephandic adversary), please let staff know. This may impact the way that the other factions interact with the game, as not all NPCs are going to be faceless. Even the most distant k'llashaa Nephandus is still going to be known by other Nephandi in the city. This means that your players may have a target painted on their back if they take out that lone Nephandus. Staff is always willing to work with you to make your plots have far-reaching consequences. We can also work with you to find other ways to incorporate adversaries that may not cause factional animosity -- more so than normal. Marauders are free game, of course. The Disparates have largely been hunted to extinction, but they still show up on occasion. Remember that any Mage can be evil, and an Orphan can be just as compelling as a Nephandus with the right motivations if your players want to be the good guys.