![]() It transforms the user, and the journey is just as important as the solution reached at the end. The problem, of course, is that even if they knew how, it would not be teachable with mere words. This was the Time Before, when humans were free, and it seems to these mages that study it that it is possible, by some means unknown to most, to Ascend to those realms Supernal and dwell there forever, in the world of truth. And in the far reaches of the Fallen World, hidden and secret, there are signs that once, the world was not Fallen. By focusing on an imaginary journey, the mages can shut out the physical world and go inward, traveling to the Astral landscapes of the human soul. They refer to the symbols that resonate with them as Paths, and labyrinth or prison imagery is common in their description of Mysteries. Halfway between the Supernal power and the comfort of the Sleeping Curse, mages often feel like their lives are always moving - always forward, unable to go back to what once was. They did it to keep humans vulnerable to their influence and ignorant of it. These beings, known as the Exarchs, made the Lie. And some of those creatures are evil gods. ![]() However, they do know that the Supernal is inhabited by creatures - creatures of pure magic. ![]() They can see how the Supernal symbols inform the Fallen World, but cannot become those symbols and experience the being of pure magic. They can see the Supernal but can never reach out and touch it. Despite this understanding, however, mages too are trapped here by those evil gods. This Fallen World around us is not real, not true - it is merely physical and concrete. These symbols, this secret truth, is the Supernal World. Mages Awaken by confronting that Lie, either deep in themselves, or by being shocked by the world, seeing past the Lie to the symbols that lie beneath. It is a Lie created by evil gods out of the symbols of oppression and the Paradox that draws off the untrue world of the Abyss. World Chronicles of Darkness, the voice in your soul that tells you you have no worth, that you are a mere human. Hunger, oppression, failure, prejudice, pain, disease.and in the The world is all of reality - a cruel, oppressive reality that grinds us down. People want to believe reality is only what they can touch and see, that the physical is more real than abstract concepts, which exist only to define the real. ![]() Why do they call this world the Fallen World? Well, is. Mages must deal both with the powerful supernatural beings of this world, which they know as the Fallen World, and the fact that most humans are Sleepers - people whose souls reject magic and recoil from it. The more power they gain, the more esoteric the Mysteries they seek, until they either escape this world entirely or die. They deal with these mysteries by use of the ten Arcana, each of which controls some aspect of reality. They deepen their insight, called Gnosis, by seeking out and understanding the Mysteries of the world - the strange, the bizarre, the unknown. While they are no more than any human when surprised, they are capable of grand power when prepared. Mages have power because of this, as their insight into the true nature of the world lets them perform the Art - magic, the manipulation of symbols to cast spells. Mages are the Awakened, humans who have unlocked the potential that exists, buried deep in every person, to see the occult symbols and magical conspiracies that influence every part of the world. So, straight up, we open with our themes: Gnosis and Mystery. As the line went on, however, the game found its feet and ended up as quite a good game, if bogged down by some poor mechanics decisions in certain areas (Mage Sight, for example) and some bad books (Free Council, for example). And when Mage 1e came out, it was met with rather lackluster feeling - in part because people were still mad about the whole oWoD/nWoD thing, but also because Mage 1e was laid out terribly, had no clear direction at the time and spent a lot of time talking about an Atlantean prehistory that was essentially irrelevant to most of play. (Well, technically speaking, it releases tomorrow, but it released to Beast backers a few days ago and while I am not a Beast backer, I know someone who didn't pull backing before it ended, and so.) The first edition of Mage was released way back in August of 2005 - just over ten years ago, really. See, you know what just came out? A new Onyx Path game! Well, sort of. Post posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post
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