Tradition Politics

Life is like high school, only with money.

-Frank Zappa

Many young mages assume that enlightenment will bring about tolerance, understanding and an end to the kind of petty politics that runs rampant in the mundane world. Unfortunately, such isn’t usually the case. Mages are as famous for their egos as their abilities, and feuds can last decades or even centuries as one group of mages tries to assert its dominance or its paradigm over another. Even within a Tradition, various cliques and factions vie for recognition and control of resources. Mages who don’t mind what they say or who they say it to can quickly find themselves outcasts.

THE COUNCIL OF THE NINE

Once, the Traditions had a dream of unity, in which all mages would work together to achieve Ascension and restore the Mythic Ages to humanity. At the pinnacle of this dream stood the Council of Nine, a collection of the wisest and most powerful mages of each Tradition who would oversee everyone’s efforts and provide a neutral ground for the exchange of ideas and settling of grievances. Sheltered in a Realm known simply as Horizon, the Council met for several centuries, weathering the worst times on Earth and encouraging the bursts of creativity and invention that kept magic alive as the Technocratic Union spread across the globe. As the Hermetics and their numerologists well know, nine is a number that represents the highest synthesis of power.

Destiny can be cruel, however,for a combination of political infighting and a crippling invasion have recently brought the Council crashing down. Nothing has been heard from Horizon since the Avatar Storm began and the Gauntlet strengthened. Even many Masters on Earth disappeared or fled to seek refuge from a world that balked at their magical presence.

As a result, the Traditions are left without much of their senior leadership, and the mages of Earth have begun adjusting to the reality of those changes. Some hotheads have responded by pointing fingers and laying blame, which has only increased the tension between Traditions. Other mages are searching desperately for some way of contacting the surviving Councilors. Many of those mages who remain have simply given up in disgust or despair, thinking that this is just one more sign that the Technocracy has finally triumphed after all.

Many, but not all.

A few dedicated souls still strive to keep the Council’sdream of unity alive. They work in ways large and small to foster fellowship and cooperation between the Traditions and to douse the divisive flames that threaten to consume what remains of the grand design. Theirs is perhaps the most difficult and least certain path of all those that lie before the Awakened, but those who follow it draw from a deep well of strength indeed. Sometimes it seems that they alone remember what the Traditions ultimately stand for:

Hope.

FACTIONS

As individualistic as many mages are, it’s no surprise that different camps and cliques within each Tradition have long struggled to establish their own interpretation of how to uphold the Tradition’s goals. What’s more, the modern age of division and isolation has opened many of these old wounds once again and created more than a few new schisms.

An Apprentice who follows one mentor may find himself snubbed by others of his Tradition, and he not have the slightest clue as to why until much later on in his training. Likewise, those who fail to espouse the “correct” doctrine may find themselves unable to gain access to Chantries, Nodes, mentors, libraries or other Tradition resources, depending on who controls these assets and how they feel about a character’s metaphysical viewpoint. Some Traditions are more lenient than others when it comes to tolerating members of other factions, but most mages have an opinion on the matter of factional alliance, even if they don’t choose to act on it. As some seasoned faction players say, choosing not to be on a team is really a team of its own, and no one gets to just sit on the sidelines.

Storytelling disputes between factions is perhaps the ultimate exploration of delicate alliances, double entendres and the well-timed snub. Since outright battle is strictly frowned upon by all Traditions (although it does still happen occasionally), and harsh penalties follow those who shed the blood of fellow Tradition members, mages of differing factions must wage their wars subtly and kill each other with a thousand tiny cuts. Since most Tradition members appear to embrace the same philosophies on the surface, the slightest difference in metaphysical phrasing can carry immense political and social consequences. A rejected invitation can become a declaration of war, and a remark that was meant as merely a passing comment can earn a character powerful allies... or lasting enemies. Turn the paranoia factor up, make the characters feel they must look into the motives of their fellow Tradition members at every turn, and make all contact with others of their kind seem significant

CHANTRIES

Chantries serve as strongholds of magic, whether they are baroque hillside manors or the back of a beat-up station wagon, and control of these places of power IS one of the oldest conflicts in Awakened society. Even members of the Technocratic Union sometimes have to step in to break up fights between Conventions over a particularly powerful Node.

Different Chantries in an area may do battle with each other over local magical and mundane resources, or even to determine who will get the first pick of particularly talented Awakened students. Sometimes members of a squatter Chantry -one without a Node -will even try to oust mages from an existing Chantry to gain control of its power reservoir. Battles of this sort are typically brutal and quick, and the winners take all. Within a Chantry itself, clique feuds erupt all too frequently as different groups argue over issues such as leadership of the Chantry and who will have access to specific Chantry features. Sometimes these cliques form along Tradition lines, sometimes they center around cabals, and sometimes they simply represent social or political groups.

Chantry-versus-Chantry conflicts form some of the easiest stories to frame in Laws of Ascension. Unlike faction feuding, Chantry conflicts can easily flare up into exchanges of magical or mundane violence, and little quarter is typically i given on either side, especially when vital resources such as Nodes are at stake. These story types are fairly straightforward, and they can be the most powerful ii ones as well, depending on whether the players want a want to create a shadow war of double agents and secret meetings or a very real war that actually bums Quintessence and spills blood on the streets. It's usually just a question of how much the Storyteller wishes to emphasize politics or violence in the game.

When building stories about rivalries within the Chantry, a Storyteller has a few immediate options. He can stress open and entrenched feuds, in which different cliques don't hesitate to how their disdain for each other and do their best to alternately ignore and persecute members of other cliques. In this type of story, only dire issues such as the defense of the Chantry itself can rouse any collective response.New mages are not certainly immune to being sucked into these conflicts, whether they like it or not. Characters in those situations must choose their allies carefully and be careful to not appear too sympathetic to members of another clique, even by accident.

CABALS

A mage’s cabal is often the only real family she has left. The people in her cabal are the only ones who understand her new life, face her problems with her, and who she can count on to back her up when she needs it most. Even if the cabal formed out of a more pragmatic concern-such as mutual protection or advancing some collective interest -and not due to any particular ties of friendship, the members of a cabal know that they can trust and depend on each other.

Cabals used to be composed of members of one Tradition, but this trend broke down in the last century. Faced with the Avatar Storm and the end of the Ascension War, most modem mages are glad for any company they can find. Of course, even the tightest cabals can still fall victim to the same problems that groups of friends or associates do in everyday life. Jealousy, ambition, romantic fallout, petty feuds, buried grudges or even simple differences of opinion can all stir up divisive conflict within a particular cabal.

Since they tend to form these groups on their own, the basic interactions of the players naturally generate many cabal-oriented plot lines, as different cabals come into conflict and members’ attitudes change over time. Those players or Storytellers looking for additional motivation or ways to approach stories about cabal conflicts should think about that original battleground of personal association: high school. Remember how the different cliques used to butt heads, often over the smallest and stupidest things?Think about how your own circle of friends always seems to have some crisis or another going on, be it a love triangle, two people who aren’t speaking to one another or some other interpersonal turmoil. Keep that social dynamic in mind and extrapolate from it the behaviors of cosmically enlightened folks with gigantic egos who are waging a largely one-sided and desperate battle against the ultimate symbol of authority. From that perspective, it’s not hard to see how conflicts can arise between or within cabals.

RANK AND REPUTATION

When the Council of Nine formed, one of the first initiatives that the Order of Hermes took on was to establish a standard system of ranks and titles, so that mages would have a universal means of recognizing magical accomplishment. Mages tend to be rather highly competitive by nature, so keeping up a strong public image is a point of both pride and necessity for many wizards.

Reputation is the game measure of a mage’s standing among others of her kind, and it is measured in Traits. It usually stems from a proven level of magical accomplishment, although it can also be a function of holding some official position in the magical community, such as a Chantry head or faction leader. A mage may also gain Reputation Traits by being influential in a city’s business community, pulling off impressive magical feats, foiling the plots of rival groups or by simply catching the right eyes at the right time.

Anyone taken into a Tradition immediately receives the Trait: Accepted. Those without this Trait cannot be subject to Tradition justice save for the most serious crimes, but they also cannot expect aid, shelter or even civil treatment from proper Tradition mages either. Different Traits are bestowed at each rank, as shown in the following chart.

RANKS AND REPUTATIONS

Rank	Reputation Trait
Apprentice	Accepted
Initiate	Devoted
Disciple	Promising
Adept	Respected
Master	Visionary
Archmage	Enlightened

A character who has earned both the Apprentice and Initiate levels of a Sphere qualifies as an Initiate. She becomes a Disciple when she earns the first Disciple level in a Sphere, and she becomes an Adept when she earns the first Adept level in a Sphere, and so on. A character can earn each Reputation Trait only once, upon attaining that level of mastery of a Sphere for the first time. Therefore, if a character earns Promising for his advancement in the Life Sphere, he will not earn it again if he demonstrates the same degree of mastery over the Prime Sphere. He has already proven that he possesses that level of enlightenment.

Troupes should feel free to invent Reputation Traits to suit their own stories and the deeds of the characters receiving the Traits. For example, a mage who turns back a terrifying Nephandi assault might earn a Trait like Fearless or Noble. A Chantry leader might be considered Trusted or Revered by the local cabals, and a wizard who establishes a homeless shelter to give hope to the downtrodden might receive one such as Wise or Understanding.

Here are some common uses of Reputation:

Reputation Uses

• You may add your Reputation Traits to your Social Traits during an applicable Social Challenge. (Note: You may not do so in casting a magical Effect unless the Storyteller specifically approves of such usage in advance.) You must announce such a usage before resolving the challenge, however, since the target can choose to ignore your Reputation and force you to rely on your normal Social Traits. Since most Reputation Traits derive from accomplishments rather than social acclaim, such a snub is a serious insult in Awakened society. Even if he wins the challenge, the offending character can expect lasting enmity and possibly even some form of formal punishment. Someone who ignores the Reputation Traits a bully is using to intimidate him might get away without too much trouble, but a mage who disregards another’s Reputation for no good reason can expect some serious consequences.

• Reputation is a measure of a character’s credibility, as well as the general I regard her opinion receives in magical circles. In any formal debate between two characters that pits one mage’s word against another, in which no clear resolution presents itself, Reputation is the tie-breaking factor. In all such cases, the character with the most Reputation Traits is the one whose word is more likely to be accepted. However, those who get caught making false charges and relying on their Reputation Traits to save them lose face quickly and usually suffer other punishments as well. Reputation is also typically the deciding factor in determining which plan of action a cabal or Chantry takes when multiple valid plans are on the table and there’s no other way to determine which one to pick.

• One character may give Reputation Traits to another to show his favor, although the individual to which he gives the Reputation Trait must return it immediately upon the asking. This system is the basis for scenes in which lowly characters get by guards or gain audience with a powerful being because they’re acting on behalf of a more respected character. However, if the bearer loses this Trait in a challenge, it is gone for the duration of the story, so be careful about whom you support. You can use loaned Reputation Traits exactly as you would use your own, but you can give only one Trait of Reputation to any one person in this fashion.

• Anyone may remove Reputation Traits from characters of a lower rank than themselves at a cost of one Reputation Trait per Trait to be removed. Removing Reputation Traits also involves performing an appropriate smear campaign in character. Only mages of the same Tradition may remove a character’s Accepted Trait. Removing Reputation Traits is a costly but effective way of showing one’s disdain for a less experienced wizard and letting him know who really runs the show.

• Alternatively, a group of characters of lower rank can remove the Reputation Traits of someone higher up the ladder than them, provided that they all have more Reputation Traits between them than their target has. Accepted Traits do not count toward this total, unless all of the characters are of the same Tradition as their target. This system provides younger mages a way to fight back when more experienced wizards try to rule them through force of Reputation alone. They had best beware their own success, though. No mage is going to suffer in silence as a bunch of young upstarts give his image a black eye.

• Reputation Traits cannot be granted by any particular system of game mechanics. A mage must earn these Traits through great deeds, honorable conduct and exemplary actions in pursuit of their Tradition’s goals. Character input figures into the process as a measure of public opinion and approval, but only the Storyteller gives out Reputation Traits. Reputations are fragile things that are hard to build and all too easy to lose, so mages who play the status game had best be ready for a long and difficult road. Even still, the potential rewards are worth the effort for those who pursue them.

• Orphans, Hollow Ones and other Disparates begin with no Reputation Traits, and they cannot gain any from Tradition mages. On the flip side, they suffer no tangible consequences if they choose to ignore the Reputation Traits of a Tradition mage either. They might actually gain respect in the eyes of their fellows for a well-timed snub of this nature. Of course, they must still watch out for any revenge plans the slighted mage might be cooking up, because being shown up by a lowly Orphan really sticks in a Tradition mage’s craw.

• A t the Storyteller’s discretion, Hollowers and others like them may receive Reputation Traits in regard to their own kind, which function just like normal Reputation Traits in even way. However, they never apply to Tradition mages, just as Tradition Reputation Traits do not apply to them. The social ~ games the Disparates play can be just as vicious as any Tradition politics, and this system adds another level to games with a substantial Orphan presence.

TRADITION JUSTICE

Even though the Council has fallen, a system of justice still exists among the Traditions, and mages who violate that system’s laws can expect to be brought before some sort of formal tribunal eventually. Considering the magical and mundane resources a gathering of mages can bring to bear, it is usually not terribly difficult to ascertain a subject’s guilt or innocence. Mind and Time rotes are common investigative measures, not mention highly effective ones, al- though all of the other Spheres and a host of mundane Abilities can play a part as well. Resisting the use of investigative rotes performed by a tribunal is usually considered an admission of guilt, unless the accused can prove that some foul play might occur during or as a result of their use. Suffice it to say, however, there are seldom many doubts as to the veracity of these verdicts, so most mages accept the punishments that are handed down, however sorrowful it may be to do so.

When it comes to crimes themselves,each Tradition has its own particular notions of what counts as a crime, and they police their own on such subjective matters. (See the Tradition descriptions in Chapter Two for a general idea of what they do and do not find acceptable.) However, there are some crimes that all Traditions recognize, and they will go to great lengths to punish those who commit them. The type of punishment depends on the severity of the crime of which a mage is found guilty, and it can be anything from temporary ostracism to a permanent mark of shame to the destruction of an offender’s very Avatar.

Certámen

Two mages who exhaust normal channels of resolving a dispute sometimes turn to certámen, a wizard’s duel that pits the mages’ skill with their Spheres against each other. Certámen is traditionally performed with at least one witness who acts as a judge, and it is almost always non-lethal. Indeed, it was invented as an alternative to the blood feuds that were too popular in darker times. To avoid Paradox, certámen is almost always performed in a Chantry, although Hollowers and others without many mystical resources occasionally practice so-called“gutter cert6men” in back alleys and smoky clubs. Within a proper certámen circle, k however, mages have free rein to conjure all manner of Effects, since certámen never incurs Paradox. The ultimate goal of a certámen is simple: You do not attack your opponent directly, you destroy his reservoir of Quintessence Traits.

To this end, each mage uses his Spheres to form a gladius, an aegis, and a locus. The gladius is the attacking Sphere that the mage uses to launch his assaults on his opponent’s Quintessence. The aegis is his defensive Sphere, and it governs how he must attempt to thwart his opponent’s strikes. The locus is the Sphere that represents the mage’s Quintessence Traits. A mage may switch which Sphere he is using for any one of those three purposes at any time, but doing so takes up his action for the turn. In addition, a given Sphere cannot be used for more than one of these purposes at a time. Finally, for each successful attack that slips past an opponent’s defenses, the attacker destroys one of his foe’s :: Quintessence Traits, and the first person to destroy all of his opponent’s Quintessence is the winner. As part of the certámen oath, the loser is expected to accept defeat graciously and live by it.

Running certámen is primarily a descriptive exercise, based on the Spheres each mage is using. For example, an attacker using a Forces gladius may declare that she is manifesting it as a bolt of flame and lashing out at her foe, while her opponent (using Matter as his aegis) declares that he is conjuring a wall of water to douse her flames, and so on. Certámen can be over in seconds or hours, but it is seldom dull to watch. Regardless of what dramatically descriptive forms they take, though, all strikes, blocks and dodges are resolved like normal magical tests and retests using the Spheres involved. The order of challenges likewise proceeds normally.

Storytellers should emphasize the wits and ingenuity of the mages involved over strict systems as much as they can, however, and possibly even offer bonus Traits or other benefits to players whose attacks or defenses are particularly clever. Certámen is supposed to be a battle of wits and magical prowess, not a showcase for brute force and Trait-stacking.

Ostracism

A form of collective shaming,ostracism is the typical punishment for those found guilty of spilling secrets unwittingly, disrespecting an elder mage, wasting Quintessence on unnecessary magic, harming or manipulating Sleepers for no good reason, feuding with a fellow cabal or Chantry member for petty reasons or other lapses of judgment that are not necessarily especially dangerous, but which still warrant a substantive punishment of some kind. Ostracized mages get the proverbial “silent treatment” from their fellows for a proscribed number of days or even weeks. During this period they are also denied further instruction by their mentors or access to libraries or other magical resources, in order to give them more time to think about their crime. They may also be required to perform menial tasks to teach them proper humility. While they will not be denied aid in an emergency, this otherwise total loss of personal contact often proves very effective at ensuring that the offender doesn’t repeat his mistake. This is the most common form of punishment in most Laws of Ascension games.

Branding

More serious crimes may get an offender branded, permanently marked by magic for all to see. Branded mages lose all Reputation Traits, they are removed from any leadership position they might have held, and they can be banished from the area. Some may even be declared Errants by their Tradition if the crime is serious enough.

In addition, they are two Traits down on all Social Challenges with mages who know their status (which is usually obvious, either to mundane sight or Prim magic). Breaking solemn oaths, leaking secrets intentionally (as long as no deaths arose from them), attacking another mage without provocation, wantonly killing one abusing Sleepers, destroying a Wonder or committing other clearly intentional acts that represent a serious disregard for the lives and trust of other mages are all potentially worthy of branding. Brands cannot be removed without a great amount of effort, and word of the offender’s deeds usually travels quickly enough to make removal of the actual mark a moot point anyway. This punishment should be rather infrequent in most games, since it usually means that a character must depart the chronicle. When it is necessary, the Storyteller should ensure that it is enforced, or the attitude toward Tradition justice will quickly become too relaxed.

Death

Mages who commit depraved acts such as rape or kidnapping, who betray a Node or Chantry to enemy forces, who spy on and/ or betray fellow Tradition mages for any reason, or whose deliberate actions of any kind bring death or serious injury to other mages are usually sentenced to death. These kinds of crimes stain souls, spread needless misery and set back the efforts at Ascension that lie at the heart of , all Tradition activities,and that simply cannot be tolerated.Even if the mage did not specifically intend to end someone’s life (say, he leaked secrets to someone who later utilized that knowledge to kill another mage), he may still be sentenced to death, since he knew that the original act was wrong and went ahead with it anyway.

The penalty of death is still not a common sentence, but most mages aren’t in the least bit squeamish about enforcing it when it’s called for. Many still consider themselves at war, after all, and one cannot afford to be undermined from within during a war. Obviously, both death and Gilgul should never be used lightly in a chronicle, since they put an end to a character once and for all. Storytellers should make sure that these punishments are not applied inappropriately.

Gilgul

Mages who commit the most irredeemably foul, vile, and unspeakable acts of murder, betrayal and corruption are sentenced to Gilgul - the destruction of the Avatar itself. This punishment prevents the mage from being reincarnated and destroys any magical talent the subject might have, so it is performed only when it is determined that there’s absolutely no chance to redeem a particular mage, in this lifetime or any other. Most of the time, such an immense pronouncement is reserved for the Nephandi, since their blasphemous ways leave an indelible taint on the souls they touch. Unfortunately, even untainted mages are capable of performing hideous acts without any outside help at all.

Naturally, no mage will submit willingly to such a punishment, so offenders are usually restrained physically and magically before the sentence is carried out. Once the ritual is completed, the accused is either released (often after being mind-wiped as well) or executed, depending again on the overall severity of his crimes. Some criminals are deemed too dangerous to live, even after such a terrible punishment, while others are let free, to live out the rest of their lives as a broken shell. It’s anybody’s guess as to which fate is worse.