Epilogue: Dance with the Devil 99 aspirant’s ambitions with fear, Ethan. And for what? He who cannot master Darkness knows only half of Creation.” “But to use such powers, Magister?” Ethan pleaded. “To master them, boy,” the old wizard hissed, ripples of unseen mystic force radiating outward from him like heat. “To bend and control them. To build the City of Pymander within the Light, I must know how to crush and dispel the shadows. I must know them as they know themselves. My Will must be made manifest upon them and made to rule over them. I do not advocate service to these… creatures,” he spat the word, “any more than I admonish you to suborn your Will to the service of the angelic hierarchies or the rudest elemental. I urge you, by your power, to subjugate them. To grasp the whole of the world in one’s hand and to dominate it: that is the Ars Hermeticae. These are no different.” Ethan was confused, lost in the Master’s tirade. “Magister, I—” A wave of the Master’s hand, however, cut him off. The old man’s lip curled into the slightest hint of a sneer. “I was raised by cowering Sleepers, Ethan, but they instilled me with a few simple shreds of wisdom I continue to treasure to this day. One of those is this: there is no Devil and no Hell. There are no fork-tailed imps salivating at the notion of your sins, waiting to drown you in a lake of licking flames. Why would I fear controlling these creatures when I don’t even believe that they are what they claim to be? Perhaps they believe that they were outcast from some marble-pillared Paradise endorsed by the descendants of men who filled the bellies of Roman lions, but I have no time for such fairy-stories. I am a magus of the Houses of Hermes. I stride forth into the night of ignorance and, with my lantern outstretched before me, drive out that terrible darkness, illuminating all and setting my seal upon it.” “But the Code, Magister…” Ethan whispered, afraid to look into his Master’s eyes. The smile returned, fiercer than before. “Choose, Ethan: slavery or exultation. Will you be a pawn in this game or a hand that controls the board? Choose. I will be here when you find your answer.” Terrified of the secrets at which his Master had hinted, yet strangely exhilarated, Ethan turned and walked away, leaving the old mage to return to his studies. Authors’ Notes Credit Where it’s Due A host of people invented and contributed to the Order of Hermes, from its inception in Ars Magica to its current incarnation. The Order’s foundations were laid in the RPG Ars Magica (currently available from Atlas Games), while later work in Mage: The Ascension and Mage: The Sorcerers Crusade came from Phil “Porthos” Brucato, with Steven Brown, Beth Fischi, Robert Hatch and Allen Varney, plus later contributions from Jess Heinig and Kraig Blackwelder, Bryan Armor, Bill Bridges, and Stephen Michael DiPesa. Ave Hermetica! References Aveni, Anthony: Beyond the Crystal Ball: Magic and Science from Antiquity to the New Age — Entertaining overview of the long love/ hate marriage of mysticism and technology in the western world. Davis, Erik: Techgnosis: Myth, Magic + Mysticism in the Age of Information — Stunning look at the mystic undercurrents of the world in which we live. Highly recommended, especially for folks who believe that magic is dead. Denning, Melita & Phillips, Osborne: The Foundations of High Magick, The Sword and the Serpent, and Mysteria Magica — Detailed yet accessible trilogy of books covering the occult practices and fellowships of the western tradition. Guiley, Rosemary Ellen: Harper’s Encyclopedia of Mystical & Paranormal Experience — Detailed reference to many important (and not-so-important) concepts, incidents and people in occult history. Recommended. Mage sourcebooks: Mage: The Sorcerers Crusade; The Swashbucklers Handbook; Guide to the Traditions; Tales of Magick: High Adventures; Dark Ages: Mage; The Fragile Path; The Book of Chantries; and Blood Treachery — Books offering the Order’s extensive history, culture, influence, misdeeds, Arts, and other achievements. Recommended, especially for chronicles with historical elements. Matt, Daniel C.: The Essential Kabbalah: the Heart of Jewish Mysticism — Accessible yet contemplative observations of the Kabbalah and its significances. Moore, Alan; Williams, J.H.; Gray, Mick; and Klein, Todd: Promethea — Incredible graphic novel (“comic book” does not begin to do it justice!) featuring an exploration of the Sephiroth that must be seen to be believed. Very highly recommended. Norvill, Roy: Hermes Unveiled — This one is just plain silly… every innovation in human history is credited to Hermetic initiates and secret societies! Even so, it’s an amusing read, if only for potential plot ideas. Penczak, Christopher: City Magick: Urban Rituals, Spells, and Shamanism — Flawed but helpful book of modern magic, including symbols, spirits, tools and workings. Useful for the citybased Hermetic. Salaman, Clement, with van Oven, Wharton and Mahè: The Way of Hermes: New Translations of The Corpus Hermeticum and The Definitions of Hermes Trismegistus to Asclepius — Honestly, these ancient writings have been better served by later summations. In their original forms, they’re redundant, pedantic and often contradictory. As the foundation of a radical new concept in spiritual thought, the Corpus is brilliant; as modern
100 Order of Hermes reading, it often seems obvious and even trite. Still worth reading, if only to see where the Hermetic tradition began. Tame, David: The Secret Power of Music— Let it be said that this author [Phil Brucato] disagrees vehemently about Tame’s view of rock, jazz and blues. (See the Composer template for the general idea.) Nevertheless, he makes some excellent observations about the mystic nature of Classical music, the history of its composers, and the physical and metaphysical effects of sound. Whitcomb, Bill: The Magician’s Companion and The Magician’s Reflection — Everything you ever wanted to know about magical codes, symbols, systems, correspondences, alphabets, terms and practices, all listed in easy-reference format. Very highly recommended.
Strength______________ Dexterity_____________ Stamina______________ Nature: Essence: Demeanor: Name: Player: Chronicle: House: Concept: Cabal: Advantages Attributes Physical Social Mental Charisma______________ Manipulation___________ Appearance____________ Perception_____________ Intelligence____________ Wits__________________ Talents Alertness______________ Athletics______________ Awareness_____________ Brawl_________________ Dodge________________ Expression_____________ Intimidation___________ Leadership______________ Streetwise_____________ Subterfuge_____________ Crafts_________________ Drive_________________ Etiquette______________ Firearms_______________ Meditation_____________ Melee_________________ Performance____________ Stealth________________ Survival________________ Technology_____________ Academics______________ Computer______________ Cosmology_____________ Enigmas______________ Investigation___________ Law__________________ Linguistics_____________ Medicine______________ Occult________________ Science________________ Skills Knowledges Correspondence________ Entropy_______________ Forces________________ Life__________________ Matter________________ Mind_________________ Prime_________________ Spirit_________________ Time_________________ Backgrounds Arete Health OOOOOOOOOO Willpower _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ Quintessence Bruised -0 Hurt -1 Injured -1 Wounded -2 Mauled -2 Crippled -5 Incapacitated Experience Paradox Abilities Spheres OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO • OOOOOOOOOO Resonance Dynamic______________ Entropic_______________ Static________________ OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO Other Traits _________________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO ™
Weapon Difficulty Damage Range Rate Clip Conceal Merits & Flaws Merit Type Cost Flaw Type Bonus ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ Magic Preferred Effects Rotes ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ Combat Maneuver Roll Difficulty Damage/Effect Armor:___________ ™
Expanded Background Allies ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ Contacts ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ Destiny ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ Influence ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ Library ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ Mentor ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ Node ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ Resources ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ Possessions Gear (Carried) ____________________________ ____________________________ ____________________________ ____________________________ ____________________________ ____________________________ Equipment (Owned) ____________________________ ____________________________ ____________________________ ____________________________ ____________________________ ___________________________ Foci ____________________________ ____________________________ ____________________________ ____________________________ ____________________________ ____________________________ Wonders ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ Familiar ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ Past Incarnations ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ™
History Awakening ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ Goals/Destiny ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ Seekings:__________________________________Quiets:___________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ Description Age:_________________________________________________________________________________ Apparent Age:________________________________________________________________________ Date of Birth:__________________________________________________________________________ Age of Awakening:_____________________________________________________________________ Hair:________________________________________________________________________________ Eyes:_________________________________________________________________________________ Race:________________________Appearance/Nature of Avatar:_______________________________ Nationality:__________________________________________________________________________ Height:_________________________________________________________________________________ Weight:__________________________________________________________________________________ Sex:________________________________________________________________________________ Visuals Cabal Chart Character Sketch ™
Notes
Notes