Mage

The Awakened in Washington D.C.

The Awakened. Wizards and sorcerers, witches, mystics, and even super-scientists. Humans more so than the other supernatural denizens of the World of Darkness, and yet possessed of a power greater than any; the grip of True Magick. They guide the world of mankind, in one form or another, adjusting the common beliefs of humanity, the Paradigm. But magick is no longer what it once was. Since the Renaissance, the Technocracy, the wizards of science, and logic, have convinced mankind that magick does not exist; that nature has rules, that science governs all. They have replaced the world of faith and magic with that of fact and science. The Traditions fight a battle already lost for six hundred years, trying to sway the world back away from the Technocracy. But each has their own view of what Ascension should be, and so each Tradition pursues it differently. And in the shadows, the Nephandi, the Fallen Ones, coil and writhe, seeking to bring the dark kiss of Oblivion to all, and serve their dark masters. In the end, there is no telling whose vision, whose Dream, will be the right one.

D.C. is a city divided, like few others. Some of the forces of the Technocracy are strong here, and it is rumored that the University itself, the core and in many ways, the life of the town, is firmly under their control. And yet here, unlike most any other city, the beliefs of the Traditions are strong. The Ascension War has not ended here, but remains in an uneasy cease fire; the Traditions are not powerful enough to overthrow the well-entrenched Technocracy, but they are firmly enough dug in that to remove them would require a full overt action by the Technocracy, which they will not do for fear of alarming the Sleepers. It is a tenuous, unofficial peace, and setting foot in one another's territory is often fatal. A tinderbox, awaiting the match. Only time will tell whether the fires of Mage-war will rage through the city. Indeed, some whisper it has already begun. On one fell night, five Traditions suffered attacks. While it's assumed the Technocracy was behind it, there's no guarantee in the Ascension War. Even the Traditions have been known to betray each other...

All right, everyone...this is your chance to play a mage, and all sort of mage-related things! Washington is strong in the Awakened, and that means we're opening with a whole parcel of mages. At this point, we have a grand total of thirty slots. Now, that's not thirty Tradition mages, mind you; that's thirty down the middle. I'm looking for approximately 14 Tradition Mages, 10 Technocracy Mages, 4 Nephandi, and 2 Marauders. Yes, that's right, we actually are having PC Nephandi and Marauders.

I also have another 10 slots that I can fill, at my discretion. These are meant for things like Craft Mages, Orphan Mages (yeah, Hollow Ones fit in there too), or familiars. Applications for the groups listed below will be given preference, however, as they have much more of a presence in the area, and some groups will be rejected outright unless the writer has the skill of a Shakespeare. (If you app for a Kopa Loei in D.C., I'm gonna look at you funny.)

I'm also actively seeking consors. Consors will be given special consideration. A mage-consor app will be looked at with great favor!

The following groups are the ones that have a particular interest, or activity, in the area. Others will be accepted, but preferential treatment will be given to the groups listed below.

• Akashic Brotherhood: D.C. has a very high Asian population; it's in fact the city's most numerous minority. As such, the Akashic Brotherhood is here as well, trying to guide the minds of the city's people to enlightenment. Before the attack, they were more populous. Now, they keep very quiet. Perhaps they are licking their wounds. Perhaps not...
  
• Verbena: Wiccans are active within the city, and their items and beliefs are commonplace. The Verbena are responsible for such, and outside of the city, are often as powerful as the Technocracy is within it. They maintain places in the city for the homeless, and for abused women and children.
  
• Virtual Adepts: A great deal of the work on ArpaNet, which later became the Internet, was done in D.C., and it remains one of the most connected cities to the net. The Universities have a number of computers, and a plethora of computer labs, and the overall level of computer awareness is much higher in the city. They, too, are keeping low-key after their numbers were decimated.
  
• Iteration X: Iteration X has been forced into activity in the area to counteract the Virtual Adepts' computer work. In addition, there are persistent rumors that Iteration X, in conjunction with the Progenitors, have managed some degree of infiltration into the University's private police force.
  
• Syndicate: The downtown area has a number of regional and corporate headquarters for several banks. In addition, there are certain facets of organized crime in the area, and these, as well, have Syndicate infiltration and control.
  
• Void Engineers: The Void Engineers have made some degree of infiltration into the city's observatory and aerospace facilities. Although they are not numerous in the area, they nonetheless have a stronger presence than the few New World Order in the area.
• Orphans: Orphan mages deserve special mention, because each Orphan is different. I will accept Orphan applications, but they need extra work. I don't want to see an Orphan as a "focus-less" mage. I want to see them as what they are; mages who follow a belief system and Paradigm that just happens not to mesh with any other. That means that to app for an orphan, I want to see how their belief system works.
  

  Hollow Ones: Washington does have its Goth sections, but the Hollow Ones find themselves in a difficult position. Not a Tradition, and lacking the support structure of it, they often find themselves in the crossfire between the Traditions and the Technocracy. As such, I will allow Hollow Ones, but be warned, you may have a short life span.
  

Those of the groups not mentioned above do maintain a presence in the city, but not to such a degree as would merit an entry at this time. This is not to say they have no impact, but that, as a group, they have no planned place at the start of our story. Players are encouraged to change this fact, and are welcome to involve themselves on an individual basis.

The Mage Application and a Sample App.

Mage Staff

David Bowie -- Mage Wizard

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