The beliefs and techniques of Magi vary enormously, and the ability to alter reality can only exist in the context of a coherent system of belief and technique, called a paradigm. With the Technocracy representing Stasis and the Marauders acting on behalf of Dynamism, the third part of this trifecta is Entropy, as borne by the Nephandi. In more extreme cases paradox can cause Quiet (madness that may leak into reality), Paradox Spirits (nebulous, often powerful beings which purposefully set about resolving the contradiction, usually by directly punishing the mage), or even the removal of the Mage to a paradox realm, a pocket dimension from which it may be difficult to escape. When I decided to buy every Mage: the Ascension book, it was on a whim. The final book in the line, Ascension implies that the tenth sphere is the sphere of Ascension (in as much as spheres are practically relevant at that point in the story). This sphere allows Quintessence to be channeled and/or funneled in any way at higher levels, and it is necessary if the mage ever wants to conjure something out of nothing (as opposed to transforming one pattern into another). Mage the Ascension: Refuge. This capacity, personified as a mysterious alter ego called the Avatar, is dormant in most people, who are known as sleepers, whereas Magi (and/or their Avatars) are said to be Awakened. Mage challenged people to make a difference in their world. This barrier was called the Avatar Storm because it affected the Avatar of the Mage. The Ascension War in Mage: The Ascension is a battle over the very nature of reality and is the driving conflict in the metaplot. However, from the turn of the 17th century on, the goals of the Order of Reason began to change. To this end, the Technocracy and Traditions have been known to set aside the ongoing war for reality to temporarily join forces to oppose the Nephandi, and even the Marauders are known to attack the Nephandi on sight. Most Magi's paradigms differ substantially from the consensus. (This struggle has in every edition of the game been characterized both as primarily a covert, violent war directly between factions, and primarily as an effort to sway the imaginations and beliefs of sleepers.) Re: Mage - The Ascension: I do not understand the paradigm of Verbena and Order of He I think people put too much thought into the Nephandi. Ascension Nova uses all of the rules innovations of Mage: The Awakening, but introduces the great setting elements that made old world Ascension so awesome. The sigil of Forces is part of the symbol for "boiling," "Ebbulio". By advancing their metaphysical cause, each faction in the War seeks to control the Consensus and make their reality dominant - locking out the ability of rival factions to alter it without incurring heavy Paradox . This metamorphosis has a sort of terrible permanence to it: while each Mage's avatar will be reborn again and again, theirs is permanently twisted as a result of their rebirth: known as Widderslainte, these mages awaken as Nephandi. Hey chums, its me 8. Other mystical traditions that are not part of the nine exist, and are known as Crafts. [1]:217–218 Mage was the first World of Darkness game that Mark Rein-Hagen was not explicitly involved with, although it featured the Order of Hermes from his Ars Magica as just a single tradition among many. In the revised edition, Marauders were made darker and less coherent, in keeping with the more serious treatment of madness used for Malkavians in Vampire: The Masquerade Revised Edition. They are mages fallen so deeply into Quiet that they have transcended Paradox - reality is defined by the Marauder rather than by the Consensus. The Euthanatos' destruction of House Janissary. Though there were hints, it was deliberately left vague. Mage developer Satyros Phil Brucato walks through ideas in using the 1960s as a chronicle setting, how it’s informed by what came before, and how it sets the stage for our modern Ascension War. as well as the appearance, meaning, and understanding of a character's "Spheres," the areas of magic in which their character is proficient, vary depending on the Paradigm of the Mage in question, even though they are often, in the texts of the game, described from particular paradigmatic points-of-view. The Sphere is referred to as Dimensional Science by the Technocratic Union. While other mages may be callous or cruel, the Nephandi are morally inverted and spiritually mutilated. First Edition Mage was the second World of Darkness game I tried to run back in high school (Werewolf was the first) and it was gloriously broken. (This struggle has in every edition of the game been characterized both as primarily a covert, violent war directly between factions, and primarily as an effort to sway the imaginations and beliefs of sleepers.). The Nephandi, also not a coherent group, seek to destroy reality altogether in order to make way for a new creation. The Marauders are a group of mages that embody Dynamism. Time magic offers one means to speed up a character to get multiple actions in a combat round, a much coveted power in turn-based combat. As with Correspondence, the sigil of Matter is another symbol for the process of amalgamation, "Amalgama". At high levels, Mages can create new complete minds or completely rework existing ones. Because they're awakened, Magi can consciously effect changes to reality via willpower, beliefs, and specific magical techniques. 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