<As usual, the normal legal deferments apply here. Mage and the World of Darkness and all items there in belong to White Wolf Game Studio. This work is in no ways a challenge to their copy right.>
Sorry that it has been so long since I have written. I have finally gotten a place to live and am settling nicely. I am almost finished with Chapter 7 of the series, which finally gives a bit of what is Really going on, and just what Andrew and Marcus have stumbled into.
This here is just something to help those not familiar with the Mage universe understand some of the terms I tend to let fly during the story, yet never get around to explaining.
Thanks again for all of the letters of encouragement. I really love to hear from you all, and it lets me know that I'm not humiliating myself too badly by publishing the story on the web. Please feel free to give your thoughts on the story (good or bad, I can handle constructive criticism). As always, Flames will not necessarily be taken seriously. If you have a problem with what I write, either don't read it, or give a clear reason why, and maybe I'll share why I choose to write it the way I did. ^_^
Love Liam
Lexicon of Terms
Acolyte: a non-Awakened servitor of a mage.
Arete: the measure of a mage's magickal enlightenment and will.
Ascension: the enlightened state of being to which all mages aspire.
Ascension War, The: an ongoing conflict between mage factions, with the future of reality as the prize. Actually a series of conflicts, ranging from subtle maneuvering to appalling violence. Seen by most mages as having been lost due to mankind's own state of apathy. The Technocracy is seen as the winner by default.
Arcane: an innate mystickal veil possessed by some mages which guards their identities. Sometimes referred to as the Gandalf Effect, as mages possessing this seem to disappear when note looked at, and reappear at convenient times.
Avatar: a spirit shard, said by some to be a fragment of the Pure Ones who originally inhabited the Tellurian. An Awakened Avatar enables a mage to perform magick.
Awakened, The: True Mages; also applied to other supernatural creatures - werecreatures, ghosts, changelings, mummies and vampires.
Awakening, The: the moment in which one realizes, mind, body, heart and soul, the reality of magick and one's own destiny.
Branding: a punishment in which a mage has her Avatar marked.
Cabal: a group of mages bound to each other by loyalty and a common purpose.
Caern: a node controlled by werewolves.
Censure: a common mild punishment among mages, similar to parole.
Chantry: the stronghold of a mage or cabal. On earth, this may be a normal building or a magickally fortified and enhanced structure. Their mundane places are often located on Nodes and connected to strongholds in the Umbra. Technomancer Chantries are called Constructs, while Nephandi refer to their strong holds as Labyrinths.
Coincidental Magickal: magick performed in such a fashion that it is effectively indistinguishable from a mundane event.
Convention: one of five groups of mages that form the Technocracy and enforce its policies. The Conventions are; Iteration X, the Syndicate, the Progenitors, the New World Order and the Void Engineers.
Council; Council of Nine: the collective name for the Nine Mystick Traditions and the federation they have formed. The Technocratic equivalent is the Union.
Craft: when used as a title, this denotes mystick societies who play no part in the Ascension War. They rarely refer to themselves as such.
Custos: a non-mage who works for or with a cabal as a servant or warrior. A modern custos may be anything from a rent-a-cop to a gang member to a mythical creature.
Deep Umbra: the aspects of the Umbra found beyond the Horizon, far from Earth. The Shard Realms are scattered throughout the Deep Umbra. Called the Deep Universe by the Technocracy.
Demon: enigmatic beings of evil intent and disputed origin.
Dream Realms: worlds created out of old dreams kept alive by the Oneira, the Dream Lords. Also called Maya.
Dynamic Reality: reality in flux. It may be changed quickly through vulgar magick, slowly through coincidental magick, or gradually through the normal flow of worldly events.
Familiar: a spirit that has taken on flesh through a compact with a mage.
Focus: an object, action or gesture required to perform magick. Foci vary with belief, from mage to mage and paradigm to paradigm. A Technomancer focus is often called an apparatus or device.
Gaia: a common name for the Earth Mother; also used by some nature-conscious mysticks to personify the Earth and its Near Umbra.
Gate: a temporary magickal "bridge" between two places.Frequently created at Nodes. See Portal.
Gauntlet, The: a mystickal barrier between the Earth and the Near Umbra.
Gilgul: the destruction of a mage's ability to work magick by removing or destroying his avatar. This is the most horrible crime or punishment possible, as it essentially takes away the mage's soul.
Hedge Magician, Hedge Wizard: an un-Awakened mortal who uses a static craft to affect minor changes in reality. See magic.
Hollow Ones: an Orphan group that embraces post-modern decay and Gothic romanticism in response to the apparent failure of both. Though they often work with Tradition mages, they are not, as of yet, taken very seriously.
Horizon, The: the magickal barrier separating the Near Umbra from the Deep Umbra.
Horizon Realms: small pockets of custom-made reality; artificial Realms on the border between the Near Umbra and Deep Umbra. Umbral Chantries are built within them, and earthly Chantries connect to them by way of Portals and Gates.
Hubris: the overwhelming (and often fatal) pride which leads mages into overconfidence or excess. Monumental hubris guides the Technocracy and lies at the heart of the Ascension War.
Incarna: greater spirits; the servants of the Celestine. For all intents and purposes, a demigod.
Initiation: a combined test and ceremony that marks a person's transition from apprentice to mage among the Traditions.
Mage, True Mage: an Awakened person whose actions and beliefs dramatically alter the reality around her. Used commonly to refer to followers of Mystick Traditions, this term properly applies to all users of True Magick. Also called willworkers, for their command of reality through will; magi after the old form; and mysticks for their command of magick.
Magic: stage tricks, illusions, etc. Also refers to static magic, which works with the momentum of reality, rather then reworking reality by force of will.
Magick, True Magick: the act of dynamically altering reality through force of will, knowledge and Awakened Avatar.
Marauder: an utterly unpredictable mage so given over to eternal change that he is essentially a magick psychotic.
Metaphysic Trinity: a council view of the three forces of change- Stasis, Dynamism, and Entropy. Also known by some as the Triat- Weaver, Wyld and Wyrm.
Methodology: a sub-group of a Technocratic Convention, which specializes in a certain function.
Mystick: those things which involve the forces of True Magick.
Near Umbra: the part of the spirit world that exists around each Realm. Most often used to describe the area of the Umbra that surrounds the Earth.
Nephandus, Nephandi: a mage who follows the Path of Descent, choosing darkness over light. Many Nephandi work closely with demons.
Node: a highly magickal place. Nodes collect and store Quintessence, and the Gauntlet in their vicinity is thinner. Many Chantries, Gates and Portals are built on these sites.
Oracle: one of the legendary mages who has attained mystick perfection.
Orphans: sleepers who have Awakened spontaneously without the assistance or guidance of other mages. They have taught themselves magick, and are often consider dangerous wild cards.
Ostracism: a punishment that completely divorces a mage from Tradition society.
Otherworlds: collective term for the realms outside the Gauntlet.
Paradox: an anomalous state of reality caused when a mage disrupts the momentum of reality with her own magickal acts.
Paradox Realm: a small Realm created by Paradox spirits to entrap a mage and thus prevent any further disruptions of reality.
Paradox Spirit: a spirit formed from the collective beliefs of humanity. Mages who are careless or unlucky with their magick in front of Sleepers will find themselves hunted by these spirits.
Path: a general term for a mage's chosen destiny.
Pattern: the mystical composition of an object, entity, place or idea.
Procedures: what Technocracy mages call their magickal Effects.
Pure Ones: the legendary primordial beings of the Tellurian. Many mages believe that all Avatars are fragments of these shattered entities.
Pogrom, The: the systematic purge of all opposition ("random elements") by the Technocracy.
Portal: a permanent Gate. Portals are usually guarded by powerful spirits that require a task to be performed or a puzzle to be solved before they will allow safe passage.
Prime: the original unified force that composes the universe. All things flow from this primordial energy.
Protocols, The: a code of honor established by the Traditions to prevent abuses of power. Violation of this code is punishable by censure, branding, ostracism, death or Gilgul.
Quiet: a state of insanity caused by the excessive use of magick.
Quintessence: the stuff of magick; the raw substance of the universe in condensed form. See Tass.
Realms: the worlds of "solid" reality that exists within the Tellurian.
Resonance: the mystick traces that actions leave behind.
Rote: a tried and true magickal Effect, passed down as a tool or weapon.
Seeking: a mage's Avatar-guided quest for enlightenment.
Shade Realm: the Umbral "shadow" of a Shard Realm.
Shard Realm: one of nine Realms said to have been part of Gaia in ages past. They roughly correspond to the other planets (including Luna) and the nine spheres of magick. Each is ruled by Celestine.
Sleeper: a person potentially capable of magick, but not yet aware of its existence.
Sphere: a particular element of reality manipulated by mages. The Council recognizes nine Spheres; Correspondence, Entropy, Forces, Life, Matter, Mind, Prime, Spirit and Time. Each Tradition has its own terms and definition for these categories, but use these terms as a `common tongue.' The Technocracy uses the same terms, except for Spirit, which they refer to as Dimensional Science.
Static Reality: the foreword momentum of reality, often guided by the deeds and beliefs of humanity. Magick, by its dynamic nature, disrupts static reality to some degree. The parameters of static reality have, in recent centuries, become more restrictive due to a single global paradigm (belief system) espoused by the Technocracy.
Symposium: monthly meeting of the Technocracy. At these meeting members of the Conventions gather to make policy.
Tass: Quintessence stored in physical form. It tends to collect in Nodes and takes various forms based on its surroundings- i.e., mushrooms at a wooded caern, water from a specific spring or magickal garbage mold at an urban Node.
Talisman: an object that stores Quintessence and uses it to create a specific magickal effect- i.e., magick carpets, wishing wells or etheric ray guns. Technocratic Talismans are called Devices.
Tapestry, The: a metaphor for reality.
Technocracy, The: a ruthless and powerful group of mages that seeks to eliminate the harmful elements of reality, thus making it safe for humanity. Their magick, based on scientific principle, conforms and shapes modern reality- to a point. This group will not be satisfied until all possibilities lie within its control (see Pogrom). Also called the Technocratic Union.
Tellurian: the whole of reality.
Tradition: one of the Nine Mystick Traditions, a Council formed in the 1400s to oppose the Technocracy, resist the radical changes of the Marauders and fight the evil of the Nephandi. There are the Akashic Brotherhood, Celestial Chorus, Cult of Ecstasy, Dreamspeakers, Euthanatos, Order of Hermes, Sons of Ether, Verbena and Virtual Adepts.
Tribunal: a gathering of Council mages to discuss matters important to the Traditions; usually held in times of strife.
Umbra: the spirit world (actually a series of worlds) outside the material one.
Umbrood: any non-human not born or created on Earth. This includes both the spirits that roam the Umbra and the inhabitants of other Realms.
Vulgar Magick: this is the fireball-and-lightning kind of magick, visible as such to normal observers. Vulgar magick takes static reality and tears it out by the roots.
Wyck: a common name for the original magi; supposedly descended from the Pure Ones.
Titles
Adept: a mage with a fair degree of aptitude and power.
Apprentice: a mage who has not yet been initiated into a Tradition. Not typically applied to Orphans.
Bani: a Council honorific meaning "Of the House of^Å." Used in formal titles, like "Nightshade bani Verbena." Not in common use.
Barabbi: a mage who renounces her former loyalties to follow the dark Path of the Nephandi.
Bygone: a mythic beast that has abandoned its physical form for an Otherworldly one.
Celestine: the greatest of the spirits, equal in power to the ancient gods; said to rule the Shard Realms.
Consor: a mage's powerful ally; not a mage, but of comparable ability.
Deacon: a common name for the founding member of a well-established Chantry.
Disciple: the lowest rank among the Tradition mages. Disciples can perform magick and have joined a Tradition.
Errant: a vengeful mage whose Chantry and cabal have been destroyed. Errants are frequently shunned by other mages.
Fellow: a full member of a Chantry, but not a founding member and therefore of lower status then its Deacons.
Garou: the term that werewolves use for themselves (also used by mages who want their respect).
Guardian: a term some Council mages use to indicate the "challenging" aspect of the Avatar, who pits a Seeking mage against herself to advance her Arete.
Kindred: the term that vampires use for themselves.
Lord: an Umbrood spirit; less powerful then an Incarna but more powerful then either Preceptors or Minions.
Master: a mage of great power and ability.
Mentor: one mage who teaches another.
Minion: one of the least powerful Umbrood spirits.
Pedagogue: a Hermetic tutor of great fame, usually quite powerful and surrounded by students.
Preceptor: an Umbrood spirit that is less powerful then a Lord, but still more powerful then a Minion.
Primus: "First One;" used to refer to the founders of the Traditions and their living representatives at the Council. Also used to indicate Chantry founders.
Rogue: a renegade mage turned mercenary.
Sentinel: one of the guardian mages of a large Chantry; not typically a member herself.
Technomancer: a mage whose magick revolves around some scientific principle. Often used to describe mages of the Technocracy, the term properly applies to Virtual Adepts and Sons of Ether as well.
Tutor: mages who have become known as proficient teachers. They are highly regarded by other mages.
Old Form
Certamen: a magickal, non-lethal duel between Council mages.
Curtain, The: the reality in which most Sleepers believe; when a Sleeper is Awakened, she is brought "through" the Curtain and sees that things are not truly as they seem.
Fallen One: a Nephandus.
Grog: a familiar form of custos.
Magus: a mage.
Postulant: a mage who serves the Oracles, trying to gain admittance to their ranks.
Turb: a group of Grogs, used as one would use a "pride" of lions or a "murder" of crows.
Vis: Quintessence.
Vulgar Argot (slang)
Black Hats & Mirrorshades: the Technocracy, taken from the traditional uniform of the Men in Black Methodology of the New World Order.
Bloodwork: any magick that requires a tremendous amount of effort and involves risk to life and limb. Also, Verbena magick. Copperfield: slang for a mage adept at performing vulgar magick in plain sight.
Crystal Wavers: "New Agers" who have no idea what true magick is, but capitalize on it anyway; charlatans. Occasionally used as an insult to the Dreamspeakers.
Doxed: a mage who accumulates a lot of Paradox is said to be doxed.
Dram: one Tass of Quintessence.
Faust: a mage who bargains excessively with spirits, especially dangerous ones.
Freak: a dangerously insane mage; often applied to Marauders and Nephandi.
Fry: to attack someone with magick, specifically with the sphere of Forces.
Goin' Satanic: joining the Nephandi.
Greyface: a Technomancer, taken from the Principia Discordia. Describes any mage or scientist who focuses on conformity.
Juice: Quintessence.
Merlin: an old mage, especially one who very rarely visits Earth anymore.
Mundane: a normal human; a Sleeper.
Nuke: what Paradox spirits do to those they attack.
Pit Bulls: werewolves; considered derogatory.
Technobabble: a derogatory term for the propaganda and inflexible magick used by the Conventions. Sometimes used against members of the Sons of Ether and Virtual Adepts.
Wyld & Fried: an insane mage; often applied to Marauders.