MVA

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1. #1Mageselective

   Keys: Awakened, Reality Deviant, True Mage, Mage

   Mages are one of the supernatural races. Every human being has a single spark of supernatural potential. Most people, known as Sleepers, don't know they have this, don't care and want to get on with their lives as if it didn't exist. Some people though, figure out what that spark is. That spark is very important, because sometimes that potential activates and the normal everyday, average mortal Awakens. It might mean magical enlightenment, the finding of the perfect bit of blotter acid, or the realization of a theory that had been bothering you for years. Mages are individuals with the power to warp reality, who know the power they possess and use it to the best of their ability. Technocracy calls mages (their operatives) just scientists, others - Reality Deviants and brutally hunts them down.

2. #2Magicselective

   Keys: Magic, Enlightened Science, Enlightened Art

   Magic is the art and science of reworking reality through force of Awakened will and knowledge. Dynamic mages reshape reality itself and, manipulating the Nine Pillars of Creation, they are theoretically capable of anything. Unfortunately, as payment for their near-infinite capabilities, they're subject to Paradox, a punishment handed down from reality for working against its rules. Technocracy does not recognize magic, they call it Enlightened Science. Order of Reason called it Enlightened Art.

3. #3Sleeperselective

   Keys: Sleeper

   A Sleeper is a mortal who is not aware of magic in the world and their own inner power.

4. #4Paradoxselective

   Keys: Paradox

   Paradox is the collective force of consensual reality fighting back against the enlightened will of the mage. Paradox can take a variety of forms. Backlash, reality directly attacking the offensive mage, can cause temporary, long term, or even permanent wounds, flaws, or oddities. Quiet, a magical form of madness, forces the offending mage to resolve their guilt over disjointing reality. Exceptionally offensive mages can be catapulted into a Paradox Realm, or hounded by Paradox spirits.

5. #5Consensusselective

   Keys: Consensus, Reality

   The Consensus is the term used by mages to refer to the overriding consensual reality created by the beliefs of Sleepers. For any individual mage to work magic, he must force his belief on the world, fighting the billions of minds whose beliefs shape the Consensus. Subtle or coincidental magic seeks to act in tune with the paradigm established by the Consensus, and is thus easier than obviously unnatural vulgar magic. When a mage contradicts the Consensus, it fights back in the form of Paradox.

6. #6Paradigmselective

   Keys: Paradigm

   A paradigm is the way in which a mage understands magic and incorporates it into their broader interpretation of reality. While all mages are willworkers, bringing about effects by imposing their will on the Tapestry, it is hubris to imagine that an Awakened mage may simply think of something and have it occur. The power of the Consensus must be overcome, and one mage's mind is rarely enough to break the rules of modern belief. Instead, each mage comes to an understanding of magic through the rituals and trappings of a particular style of magic, which focuses their will and resonates through the Tapestry, tapping into beliefs still held by a significant proportion of Sleepers.

7. #7Umbraselective

   Keys: Umbra

   The Umbra is a realm existing alongside and yet separate from the material world.

8. #8Sphereselective

   Keys: fields, Sphere

   A Sphere is a well-rounded knowledge of nine different yet interrelated elements of reality, Earthly metaphysics. Technocracy calls it fields.

9. #9Correspondenceselective

   Keys: Data, Correspondence

   Correspondence is one of nine Spheres of magic. Correspondence magic allows powers such as teleportation, seeing into distant areas, levitation, and flying. By bending space or bypassing it entirely, a mage can travel rapidly, fly or teleport from place to place. Divining locations allows the mage to see far-away places or direct magic over distances. Distance forms no barrier to a master of Correspondence. Indeed, distance and even space do not exist to the student of this Sphere. Data is a variation of the Correspondence pioneered by Technocratic Union. Users of the Data Sphere accept that everything that is can be reduced to ones and zeros: to the binaries of modern computer technology. By manipulating Data, and in turn, Information, the user can shape how the world works.

10. #10Entropyselective

    Keys: Entropy, Chaos Theories

    Entropy is one of nine Spheres of magic. Entropy concerns itself mainly with the study of order, chaos, luck, and destiny. From this Sphere comes the study of order and randomness, and thus, the study of totally random creation and destruction. All things dissolve eventually into haphazard components, and similar events form from disjointed, unconnected patterns. Determinism and chaos are equal partners to the student. The mage can spot chance on the move, recognizing points where probability quirks in odd directions. An Entropy-schooled mage can manipulate random factors, observe and influence flaws within a system, induce or remove corruption, and otherwise exert their Will through the inexorable process of mortality

11. #11Forcesselective

    Keys: Paraphysics, Forces

    Forces is one of nine Spheres of magic. Forces is the Sphere of energetic Patterns, among them heat, light, vibration, radiation and gravity. In effect, Forces are constructs of Quintessence in motion. Forces is prone to heavy Paradox, thanks to its universal and often blatant altering of reality.

12. #12Quintessenceselective

    Keys: Primal Energy, Chi, Quintessence

    Quintessence is the raw material of reality. Technocrats refer to it as Primal Energy. It is what flows through the patterns of reality and what makes magic possible. The primal force, quintessence can not truly be divided, measured, or contained.

13. #13Lifeselective

    Keys: Life, Enlightened Biology

    Life is one of nine Spheres of magic. Life governs those Patterns that grow, evolve and eventually change. This Sphere embraces everything that has living cells within itself, even if that object is technically dead. Preserved blood and organs, still-living plants, live-culture cheese, and so forth contain Life, but corpses, cotton fibers, withered organs, or cut wood become Matter.

14. #14Matterselective

    Keys: Enlightened Physics, Matter

    Matter is one of nine Spheres of magic. Matter is the Pattern Sphere that purviews all inorganic Patterns that hold Quintessence. Representing the base of the physical world, Matter governs the elements from the periodic table in all their physical conditions. You can transform matter into other matter, change the properties of matter or simply create matter from nothing.

15. #15Mindselective

    Keys: Mind, Psychodynamics

    Mind is one of nine Spheres of magic. Since human beings perceive reality through a complex interplay of consciousness, the Mind Sphere affects how a being sees the world around it. The Mind magician can use thought to communicate, control, and wipe away the inaccuracies and errors of human misjudgment for the peaceful serenity of total concentration. All thought is open to the mage: From the refined sensibilities of human philosophy to the feral instincts of animals. Any thinking process can be comprehended and manipulated with sufficient skill.

16. #16Primeselective

    Keys: Primal Field, Prime, Primal Utility

    Prime is one of nine Spheres of magic. Prime is the Sphere of magic that governs the raw energy of reality - Quintessence. A mage who uses Prime can sense magic of other magi, use the power of the universe to create effects out of nothingness, and can store Quintessence past their Avatar background rating. With Prime, magi can create, destroy or reshape the universal energies. A mage can further enchant objects and living creatures with magical energy, fight back the effects of Paradox, use countermagic, and make the changes they exact on the world permanent. Primal Utility represents the Syndicate's unique take on the Prime sphere. It utilizes many of the ordinary Prime Sphere’s functions, but modifies them to fit the Convention’s economic paradigm.

17. #17Spiritselective

    Keys: Spirit

    Spirit is one of nine Spheres of magic. Spirit is the Sphere of the ephemeral stuff that is the building block of the three Umbrae, the realms between the pureness of unbridled Prime and the Patterned World of flesh. Spirit is a homogeneous whole, a sort of conceptual energy given a special form that can mirror or mimic the more mundane Patterns of elements. Spirit is also needed to communicate or suborn Spirits, the inhabitants of these strange realms. These entities are bound by strange rules and customs mage would do very well to learn, and they can be powerful allies or relentless foes.

18. #18Dimensional Scienceselective

    Keys: Dimensional Science, DimSci

    The technocratic equivalent of the Sphere of Spirit. DimSci is evoked in two primary methods: Space Travel and Entity Contact. The Void Engineers hold near exclusive ownership of space technology, often providing (or withholding) transportation to the realms for other conventions. Each convention has its own contact protocols, however, summoning Alien AI to power massive supercomputers, or illiciting extraterrestrial biology for their splicing algorithms.

19. #19Timeselective

    Keys: Time, Temporal Science

    Time is one of nine Spheres of magic. Temporal magic. At low levels you can perceive time accurately, then you can do more interesting stuff like sensing the past and trying to sense the right future between all the possible futures, controlling the flow of time on targets. Time travel is possible for Masters but remains a dangerous and inexact field of study.

20. #20Avatarselective

    Keys: Avatar, Enlightened Genius

    The Avatar is the portion of an individual's soul which is the source of an Awakened mage's ability to perform magic, and which grants the possibility of Ascension. Mages experience the Avatar as a separate personality which is connected to the mage's soul, and which drives the mage toward Ascension. It will often speak to the mage, usually as a "voice in the head", or via dreams. Technocrats call it Enlightened Genius.

21. #21Traditionsselective

    Keys: council, Traditions

    A Tradition is a group of mystically-oriented mages allied with the Council of Nine Mystic Traditions. That is, they believe in magic and understand that they manipulate magic to create desired effects. This contrasts with scientifically-oriented mages, who believe that they use Enlightened Science rather than magic, and this Science is manipulated to create desired effects. Each Tradition claims a seat on the Council of Nine, representing one of the Spheres of magic. That Sphere is that Tradition's specialty. Currently there is 8 Traditions - seat of Matter is still vacant after betrayal of Solificati.

22. #22Akashic Brotherhoodselective

    Keys: Akashic Brotherhood

    The Akashic Brotherhood is a Tradition of mages masters of mind, body, and spirit pursuing the arts of personal discipline. They believe that mind, body and spirit are all part of the larger whole of the person, just like at the same time that person is part of the whole of the universe. In other words, conflict, is an illusion, and the same can be said of identity and dispute, so when mind and body harmonize, the soul follow them. By honing their bodies, these mages make a temple for the mind that ultimately brings the comprehension of the spirit. The Brotherhood uses simple tools — exercise, meditation, practice and study — to refine the simple man into a brother of knowledge.

23. #23Euthanatoiselective

    Keys: Euthanatoi

    The Euthanatoi are a Tradition of mages intimately devoted to the forces of death, rebirth, destiny, and karma in the world. They represent a collection of thanatotic cultists, necromancers, priests of fate, assassins, scholars, gamblers and healers. Euthanatos mages embrace the role of death in the world as that which cleanses and makes way for future growth. Most believe in the reincarnation of souls, meaning death in one life is not to be feared and in fact may be crucial to one's spiritual development. Most controversially, many Euthanatos see it as their duty to push this cycle forward, removing sources of disease, corruption, and misery from the world in order to quicken the turn of the Wheel of Ages. This means judging when a person's moral degradation has grown too harmful to themselves or others to be allowed to continue, and when it is appropriate to deliver the Good Death.

24. #24Celestial Chorusselective

    Keys: Celestial Chorus

    The Celestial Chorus is a Tradition of mages united by their efforts to touch the Divine as well as their belief in the One and Prime from which all things originate. Closely tied to the God of Abrahamic faiths, the One represents the source of all Creation and all Creation is believed to be a part of the One. Humans in particular carry shards of the divine within them. t is this connection which the Celestial Chorus believes enables them to clearly hear the One's song and to shape Creation. While their faith is essentially monotheistic, it is accepted that the Divine has many facets and can be expressed through any number of names, religions, and creeds.

25. #25Dreamspeakersselective

    Keys: Dreamspeakers

    The Dreamspeakers are a Tradition of mages consisting of individuals who practice shamanism, communing with spirits as part of their magic and existing as intermediaries between the Mortal World and the Spirit World. The most important part of shamanic magic is placing oneself in the correct state of mind to be able to perceive and influence the boundary separating the Spirit and Material World. Just about anything that helps a mage reach this ecstatic state of consciousness can serve as a focus, including drugs, exercise, music and dance, or simple meditation.

26. #26Order of Hermesselective

    Keys: Order of Hermes

    The Order of Hermes is one of the pillars of the Traditions. Hermetic philosophy is complex and many-layered. At the heart, the Hermetics profess the drive to perfection. This drive manifests through trials, tests, self-discovery, and the rejoining of fragmented patterns like disparate languages or mathematical conundrums. The Order of Hermes is, without a doubt, the most hierarchical of the Traditions.

27. #27Sahajiyaselective

    Keys: Sahajiya

    Sahajiya is a Tradition of mages and visionary seers who transcend boundaries and limitations through sacred experience. To achieve that, the Cult uses things like drugs, music and sex, but they are just means to an end. The objective is to achieve a mental state that transcends the physical world, a trance that allows the mage to see beyond his normal experience and go outside all the lines that keep most people and mages penned in. Cultists take the word ecstasy in its original meaning: a sudden, intense rush of feeling that catapults the subject into an altered state. It does not have to be a pleasant feeling, but given a choice, most Cultists definitely prefer it that way. Sahajiya breaks down barriers and self-imposed limitations to give people a rush of eye-opening experience.

28. #28Ahl-i-Batinselective

    Keys: Ahl-i-Batin, Batini

    The Ahl-i-Batin, or Batini, are a group of Arabian mages that practices mainly magic with a strong focus on subtlety. They hold the Seat of Correspondence and are founding members of the Council of Nine. The Ahl-i-Batin were the first ones to postulate the existence of the Tenth Sphere, which they called Unity. The Doctrine of Unity has its ultimate basis in the absolute monotheism of the Ahl-i-Batin. This belief, of course, sees a public manifestation in Islam, which rejects even Christian Trinitarianism as incompatible with a belief in only one God.

29. #29Verbenaselective

    Keys: Verbena

    The Verbena is a Tradition of mages dedicated to preserving the ancient crafts and wisdom passed down over the ages by witches and warlocks, druids and druidesses, shamans, mystics, and priests and priestesses of the Old Gods. Regardless of their many differing faiths and customs, the Verbena share many principles in common. This includes a deep respect for the Earth and the natural order, a holistic view of people and the world as intrinsically intertwined, and the belief that power and understanding can be found by embracing life in all its passions and pains.

30. #30Society of Celestial Mastersselective

    Keys: Society of Celestial Masters

    Society of Celestial Masters is one of the Technocratic conventions. Star-gazers and explorers of the Void, they protect humanity from extra-terrestrial and Umbral horrors. Their paradigm sees a World of Gods and Monsters. They map the heavens, reconfigure space, and serve as scouts and guardians. Their Spheres are Spirit, Correspondence, and Time.

31. #31Sanctumselective

    Keys: Sanctum, Laboratory

    It is a place where a Mage can hone their craft in relative safety. The form of the Sanctum will likely mirror the paradigm of the user such that it may look like a herb garden, meditation chamber, mad scientist’s laboratory, a stone circle, or any of hundreds of other forms.

32. #32Guild of Analytical Reckonersselective

    Keys: Guild of Analytical Reckoners

    Guild of Analytical Reckoners is one of the Technocratic conventions. Pioneers of mathematical engines and information science, they believe everything is calculable. Their paradigm is a Mechanistic Cosmos. They are divided between physical engineers (Iterators) and virtual scientists (Virtual Adepts), using tools like slide-rules and Babbage engines. Their focus Spheres are Matter and Time.

33. #33Marauderselective

    Keys: Marauder

    Marauders are insane mages whose Avatars have been warped by their mental instability. Within the bubble of alternate reality that surrounds them, their hallucinations and bizarre rules are real; objects and creatures that come into contact with the bubble are transformed to fit in with its rules. They return to normal once the Marauder moves on, without any evidence of what happened, though the effects of conscious magic remain. The external Quiet of a Marauder protects them from Paradox; their alternate reality supports their paradigm, so the vulgar magic they use does not violate the rules of that reality. That does not mean they do not attract Paradox, only that most of the backlash is deflected onto other Awakened beings outside the Marauder's bubble. Marauders are usually killed on spot.

34. #34Nephandiselective

    Keys: Nephandi, Nephandus

    The Nephandi, Nephandus as singular, are a sect of fallen mages. Evil agents of Entropy who worship either insane demons or creatures of the Abyss, they seek to cause not Ascension but Descent, encouraging humanity to give into the darkest excesses of their worst impulses and thus transform reality itself into a literal Hell, terraforming the universe as a whole into a place their dark masters can exist so that they may take possession of it. Becoming a Nephandus basically involves twisting up your soul badly enough to corrupt your Avatar. This has to be done willingly - a Mage cannot be forced into turning Nephandi, since the process almost always insta-kills unwilling Mages. There are Nephandi that are born with an Avatar from a former life, called Widderslainte. No reliable process to de-corrupt an inverted Avatar has ever been found the only way to prevent it from polluting others is to obliterate it completely.

35. #35Hippocratic Circleselective

    Keys: Hippocratic Circle

    Hippocratic Circle is one of the Technocratic conventions. Masters of biology and medicine who view the body as a machine to be perfected. Their practice includes surgery and pharmaceuticals, using Spheres of Life and Prime. Divided into healers (Medical Corps), chemists (Apothecaries), and warriors (Phylaxoi), they are driven by the paradigm that Might is Right.

36. #36Guild of Electrodyne Engineersselective

    Keys: Guild of Electrodyne Engineers

    Guild of Electrodyne Engineers is one of the Technocratic conventions. Scientists of electricity and energy who believe in a Mechanistic Cosmos. Split between the working-class Voltarians (electrical specialists) and the aristocratic Etherites (aether theorists), they use Spheres of Matter, Ether (Prime), and Forces, employing tools like lightning guns and Leyden jars. Etherites' projects receive much less support from the higherups.

37. #37Void Seekersselective

    Keys: Void Seekers

    Void Seekers is one of the Technocratic conventions. Explorers who push the boundaries of the map, taming frontiers and hunting Night-Folk for the empire. Their Spheres are Correspondence and Spirit, using the practice of weird science and hypertech. Their paradigm is Might is Right, seeing the world as a place to be dominated.

38. #38Golden Guildselective

    Keys: Golden Guild

    Golden Guild is one of the Technocratic conventions. Masters of the Art of Desire and social manipulation who control the empire's commerce. Their Spheres are Entropy, Prime, and Mind, following the paradigm that Creation is Divine and Alive. They believe in the power of human desire as the ultimate currency.

39. #39Invisible Exchequerselective

    Keys: Invisible Exchequer

    Invisible Exchequer is one of the Technocratic conventions. Financial analysts who see Everything as Data and believe in a Mechanistic Cosmos. They control global finance through double-entry bookkeeping and central banks, using Spheres of Entropy, Time, and Prime to build an Enlightened Economy.

40. #40Qlippothic Sphereselective

    Keys: Qlippothic Sphere

    Qlippothic Sphere is an Entropic counterpart of one of the usual nine Spheres of Creation. Each Sphere has a Qlippothic opposite swirling with dark resonance. They are usually employed by the Nephandi.

41. #41Lightkeepersselective

    Keys: Lightkeepers

    Lightkeepers is one of the Technocratic conventions. Spymasters and enforcers of secular order who replaced the Cabal of Pure Thought. Using Spheres of Mind, Forces, and Prime, their paradigm is Might is Right. They manipulate information and maintain surveillance to control the Consensus.

42. #42Infernalistsselective

    Keys: Infernalists

    These Nephandi worship demonic entities (or potentially something pretending to be a demon). The Nephandi Infernalists are different to standard infernalists who sell their soul for their own gain – these guys sell their soul to kill the world (there is also the issue of the exact nature of their masters). They are the most internally organized and socially skilled of the factions, able to pass fairly well within human population. They are also the most human in behaviour and mindset.

43. #43Malfeansselective

    Keys: Malfeans

    hese Nephandi worship the Wyrm: the primal force of entropy and corruption. They are somewhat wild and primal in their evil. Often with close ties to the Black Spiral Dancers. The Malfean are often quite insane and zealous in their devotion to the Wyrm. The style of their methods tends to be strongly based on simplistic primal concepts.

44. #44Sorceryselective

    Keys: hedge magic, linear magic, Sorcery

    Form of magic used by mortal non-mages. Unlike true magic, one does not need to be Awakened (or Enlightened) to use sorcery. Thus, any mortal with sufficient traits can become a sorcerer. Sorcery does not causes paradox.

45. #45Enlightened Scientistselective

    Keys: Enlightened Scientist

    Enlightened Scientist is a term used by Technocracy to call their most valuable workers. Enlightened Scientist are not mages, and they do not believe in magic.

46. #46Brotherhood of Mechaniciansselective

    Keys: Brotherhood of Mechanicians

    International Brotherhood of Mechanicians is one of the Technocratic conventions. Practical engineers and laborers who believe Might is Right and a Mechanistic Cosmos. Using the practice of craftwork, they build the engines of industry, from steam engines to agricultural machinery, using Spheres of Matter and Prime.

47. #47Skeleton Keysselective

    Keys: Skeleton Keys

    Skeleton Keys is one of the Technocratic conventions. Inspector Basil Rathbone of Scotland Yard led a secret society dedicated to ferreting out and eliminating supernatural threats; the Keys had even come to the attention of Queen Victoria herself. Reginald Proctor envied the Keys' political connections, which he lacked. And so, during the Albertan Reformation of 1851, the Skeleton Keys were recruited into the nascent Technocratic Union as a Convention, joining the Ivory Tower political bloc. Investigators and monster-hunters who serve as the enforcers for the Lightkeepers. Their paradigm sees a World of Gods and Monsters, and they believe Might is Right. Using Spheres of Mind and Correspondence, they patrol the streets, hunting occult threats.

48. #48Solificatiselective

    Keys: Solificati

    The Solificati are a group of mages notable for being founding members of both the Order of Reason and the Council of Nine Mystic Traditions. Their time among both factions, combined, only amounts to 15 years. Magic is a symbol for self-refinement. While it bestows great powers, those trinkets are nothing compared to the spiritual process. Everything in Creation is part of the process (the stars, the minerals, the spirits, the beasts), and is a reflection of a cosmic truth; every item has a higher state. The world is organic, caked with baseness that, when smelted away, reveals Divinity. That smelting presents the greatest challenge; it requires wisdom, education, intuition and outer elements. After the Great Betrayal, Solificati became an independent group.

49. #49Order of Reasonselective

    Keys: Order of Reason

    The Order of Reason, founded in 1325 CE, was a group dedicated to the protection of humanity from the depredations of the supernatural – specifically the Order of Hermes. Their main goal was to destroy supernatural creatures and bring magic to the masses in easy and accessible way - science. In 1851 The Order of Reason undergoes a reorganization at the Great Exposition in London. After the Exposition, they first became the group known as the Technocratic Union.

50. #50Technocratic Unionselective

    Keys: Technocratic Union

    Prince Albert, a strong proponent of science and progress, led the reorganization of the faltering Order of Reason at the Great Exposition in London, and the group finally became known as the Technocratic Union, although the old "Order of Reason" name persisted for several decades. Immediately following the reorganization, the next several decades proceeded with the newfound Union acting with a renewed sense of purpose and a strict Time Table headed by the Invisible College. Two factions were forming; a more Utopian faction who simply wanted to use science to help better humanity, and a more oppressive faction who felt that what is considered "safe" for humanity would be dictated to it. This latter faction approved of such techniques as thought control, elimination of creativity among the masses, and became the dominant one.

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