Mage the Awakening

Mages are expected to promote the goals of their orders which often means opposing the goals of the of other orders the machinations of mystical societies might come as a shock to those expecting sedate scholarly brotherhood and yet the sheer conniving nature of awakened politics is an obvious expression

Of the basic currency in which mages trade power the caucus a caucus is a meeting in which the separate members of an order from a particular region gather to discuss issues of importance members are often spread across different cabals so getting them together on a regular basis is not easy

Boxes rarely occur more than once a month and sometimes not even with the order’s full local membership the highest ranking representative of the order usually calls for a caucus although sometimes it’s merely the mages who is most active or involved in achieving the society’s ideas many places the meeting place is typically a

Well-guarded sanction owned by the leading source or someone who has who volunteers to you to use his place it could be a rented club a small apartment a secluded grove or even a chapter house specifically maintained for that purpose in the last case one or more members are wealthy enough to afford maintaining

A permanent location where members are expected to tithe to help with the costs such donations are the exception rather than the rule however since most mages have their own individual or cabal owned sanctums to maintain and don’t see the need for another investment that is used only once in a while topics rise

Or raised at a caucus depend entirely on local context for some orders it may be a strategy meeting about how to gain more power such as tactics for gaining the favor of one or more counselors or how to lobby for their own seat on the ruling council for other orders it may

Simply be a party or even a rote training workshop for all of them at one time or another cox’s serves as places to trade favors among order members the pentacle the loose affiliation of the atlantean orders and the free council is sometimes called the pentacle especially when referring to concili

In which all five orders participate some mages believe there is magical power and strength in an alliance in five of five orders four it mirrors the five-pointed atlantean pentagon other scoff claiming that the age-old alliance of the four orders with true claim that no alliance should ever be

Enshrined with a title lest it becomes magically binding on all parties hindering the freedom of the individual orders the adamantine arrow there are weapons that bring death and weapons that bring life the adamantine arrow embraces both every order practices essential occult defense techniques but the arrow goes further internalizing the metaphor of war

It is the order’s political stance and occult proxies for some it is hard a scent aesthetic pack for some it’s a hard ascetic path that burns away cowardice and encourages action over contemplation others see the order as the perfect platform to lead the awakened secret battles sell ring

Services to the highest bidder or even seizing the demise-ness away from the week above all the adamantine arrow acts badminton arrow acts members are not given to purposeless cloistering naval gazing meditation or weak pacifism they know the awakened are in the midst of an esoteric war and bring a strong

Hand to bear for the right side instead it champions with the common virtues of warriors from many cultures and errol might insist that these virtues are the spiritual radiance of the order’s legacy after the exile a torch burning to guide soldiers of all ages away from petty violence to the common ethnic of

Ethic of justice if this is true though it poses a contradiction for the order carries within it the capacity for atrocity and a thirst for violent self-justifying power like the occult art of war this flaw can manifest in endless varieties making it hard to detect and check adamantine arrow recognizes the essential problem

But is not always sure whether to protect to whether a particular action upholds its ideas or sins warriorship is never its own virtue only righteous service gives an arrows life meaning arrogance led to the fall and the fall led to the exile atlantis fragmented in the adamantine herald guarded the shards

The arrow has always claimed to be above politics devoted to the pure duty of defending the secrets of magic from its defilers now however doubt and opposition rack the old orders every time an arrow mage chooses a side she shapes the political arena it’s a little wonder that such mages often grow impatient

With mere guardianship and strive to cease power for themselves an arrow is a warrior first but this isn’t as narrow a calling as many suspect for every frontline fighter who runs the horrors of the abyss with bare hands and soul there’s strategists strategists who seize and manipulates the secret

Struggling patterns of the world economic ecological and more esoteric conflicts are studied mastered and beaten into any shape and arrow desires they just see reality as a mini layered thing full of signs and movements invisible to the uninitiated the awakened art of war follows these patterns using a thousand techniques and adamantine arrow

Is assured of its roots in atlantis but it does not claim any particular historical event as it airs as its heirs to atlantis to atlantis its mages defend damash sanctums and cabals as long as they are legitimate and guard evil things that cannot or because of some cruel fate must not

But banish from the world when arrows assume power they claim to follow their ethos in spirit sometimes a threat arises that requires martial leadership sometimes inhereal changes are morally or mystically weak and she feels the best way to uphold her oath is to take command but while the and

Mantine arrow is respected it cannot guarantee that its members are virtuous souls power not prudence motivates many members to take up the mantle of rule the adamantine arrow attracts a large number of young mages impulsive confident men and women who believe their arcana automatically can fear confer martial wisdom

These partitioners are quickly disabused of such notions an arrow trains to endure much and live simply arrow mentors dangle the secrets of battle magic before their eyes only to deny teaching until a student has humbled himself with hard work ascetic discipline or a torturous quest some masters are incredibly harsh and leave tragedy

Prodigies with physical and no with physical and psychic scars some never graduate beyond the petitioning stage but in most cases mentor mentors mentors are love to let one of the awaken waste her life best teachers create warrior diplomats who can handle etiquette and bloody combat with equal confidence

The worst teachers turn out emotionally stunted guardians whose awkward tacit taciturn nature might be mistaken for quiet wisdom and some candidates don’t need to be tempered these are the natural tacticians and athletes that are elders seek to train and importantly reign in before they can endanger others

A cell is connected to a greater colony of tissue like a machine without true understanding life is more than suffering it is a continual test of will and doesn’t give these young mages a choice in the matter while they learn battle creativity in this scheme even the x-arms have their place they

Separated the supernal from the fallen and created the ultimate test even though the error lost atlantis atlantis the sundered cosmos gives it the opportunity to test itself beyond spells easily enough and can fit their mind to a strategy with fluid ease they need to be taught honor discretion and a sense of

Responsibility for the rest of the awakened the order mourns when it fails to indoctrinate these initiates it brings shame to kill them their names are not spoken again olden ages tend to join the order in response to a crisis or out of a sense of outrage

The arrow gives them the tools to avenge themselves or to right or wrong ideally the order only accepts vengeance seekers who can learn to broaden themselves or to right or wrong ideally the order only accepts vengeance seekers who can learn to broaden themselves or to know who can broaden their perspective and

See that all of the awaken deserves help there no the adamantine aerial practices what is called the brilliant road or the adamant way the atlantean name had no precise translation and meant both unyielding wisdom and light of thunder the adamant way is divided into five precepts the hand the human hand creates

Communicates and destroys it is always meeting negotiating with the vanquishing and external world and is one of the primary gates of the sense of touch according accordingly its five fingers represents the ideal ways for the warrior to conduct herself in the fallen world