Mage/Theme/Legacies/Illumined Path

The Illumined Path

Mages of the Illumined Path see themselves as guides to enlightenment, viewing Awakening as a spectrum rather than a binary state of being either Sleeping or Awake. They teach practices that coax or jar Sleepers into opening their eyes in hopes they will find their feet upon a Path to the Supernal, and believe Paradox should be neither contained nor feared, but mastered. Many Consilia cast a wary eye on this Legacy’s methods, but agree that its philosophy has merit.

Origins

Parentage: Thyrsus, Free Council, Silver Ladder

Background: Since the Illumined Path is open to anyone who wishes to guide others, the backgrounds of the mages (and Sleepers) who follow it are many and varied. The Shamans of the Legacy itself are often from professions that involve teaching or spiritual guidance, but this can just as easily be an avocation as a vocation.

Appearances: Guides try to appear approachable, but interesting. They dress and behave in a manner that doesn’t mark them as hostile or exclusive (so many of them shun religious paraphernalia), and try to appear as presentable as possible. Since members of the Legacy are Shamans, they are often capable of altering their features slightly to facilitate this.

Doctrine

Prerequisites: Prime 2, Socialize 2, two dots in one of the following Skills; Academics, Empathy, Expression, Occult, Investigation

Initiation: Nominally, anyone who reads Graham's Book and follows its philosophy is a member of the Illumined Path. To actually shape an Awakened applicant's Gnosis, however, elder Guides first take him as a pupil in an apprenticeship. While the Legacy allows different perspectives, it usually involves spiritually guiding Sleepers without violating the Consilium's laws or protecting them from violent supernatural phenomena.

Organization: As the Illumined Path is more of a philosophical movement than a mystery cult, it is open to everyone and frequently adopt modern communication technology to connect with both Legacy members and non-members. While truly sensitive information is kept hidden, the Guides don't care much for hiding the fact that they're wizards, or at least spiritual gurus. This, along with some of the Legacy's precepts involving facing Paradox straight on, has earned them some ire from other mages.

Theory: As physical light is a spectrum, so is the spiritual light of the Awakening. By gently leading a soul and recognizing the moment of its spark, even Sleepers may become Sleepwalkers or Awakened, and the Awakened themselves can reach greater wisdom. Therefore we must cherish all souls, guiding them out of the dark woods and banishing those who would harm them.

Magic

Ruling Arcanum: Prime

Yantras: light from a source the mage carries (+1); reciting from philosophical or religious texts (+1); deliberately releasing Paradox (+2)

Oblations: guided meditation, teaching, or tutoring; philosophical discourse; volunteering for a helpful charity; studying Paradox

Attainments

First: Mark the Trail

Prerequisites: Initiation

The mage bestows miraculous sight upon his subject, teaching her to meditate on the unseen. This Attainment emulates the Prime 1 spell “Supernal Vision” (Mage, p. 166), and takes a scene of meditation on both the caster’s part and the subject’s. It allocates its fixed Reach to Advanced Duration, allowing the subject time to acclimate and study her surroundings. As any Attainment, this doesn’t provoke Quiescence or breaking points in Sleeper subjects solely by virtue of showing them magic, but a willworker who isn’t careful about how he introduces a Sleeper to its insights can cause breaking points anyway simply due to shock and confusion that linger beyond the Attainment’s effects.

Optional: Spirit 1

The most immediate and numerous dangers of the Fallen World come from the spirits of the Shadow, so the Guide outfits his subjects to find their way through its darkened paths. This effect emulates the "Exorcist's Eye" spell, under the same Reach assignment and conditions for using the Attainment's main effect.

Second: In the Dark Wood

Prerequisites: Prime 2, Socialize 3

The world is comparable to a dark wood woven with lies, so the Guides aspire to shine a light to illuminate it. After a scene of calm meditation in the presence of a light, the mage replicates the "Pierce Deception" spell. Reach is assigned to Advanced Duration and Advanced Scale. Against magical deceptions and illusions, the Guide scores automatic successes equal to her Prime dots in the resulting Clash of Wills. If the Guide wishes to impart this Attainment's effects on another person, he must partake in the meditation with her.

Optional: Life 2

Much as the light of the truth can be revealed with a glance, so too can the truth of life be discerned. The Guide's gift emulate the Analyze Life spell, with Reach assigned to Instant Casting and Advanced Duration.

Third: Safeguard the Path

Prerequisites: Prime 3, two dots in a second Skill among the initiation Skill list

One reason why people avoid and forget the supernatural is because that it's just too dangerous. Therefore the Illumined Path work to guard the path to enlightenment from wicked forces with this Attainment. After a scene of reassuring her subjects to not fear the darkness and believe in the light of truth, she imparts a shield of sorts against the weight of the Lie, granting her dots in Prime as a Shielding effect against Integrity loss from exposure to the Supernal. Reach is assigned to Advanced Duration and Advanced Scale.

Optional: Life 3

Perceiving the truth of the world is often aided by being able to perceive it more keenly in the first place, or so the Guides believe. When activated this attainment emulates the Heightened Senses spell, with Reach assigned to Instant Casting and Advanced Duration.

Fourth: Light of Knowledge

Prerequisites: Prime 4, Socialize 4

The Illumined Path strongly believe that the Awakening is not a binary state, and that Sleepers can progress to Sleepwalking and finally Awakened status with just a little help. The Guide makes this conviction closer to reality, by emulating the "Stealing Fire" spell after a scene of sharing the Legacy's philosophy with them. Reach is assigned to Advanced Duration and Advanced Scale. If her subject is a nominal member of the Illumined Path, defined as having read Graham's book and officially recognized by Awakened members of the Legacy, the Guide may bypass his Withstand ratings. Should the Attainment's effects expire, its subjects benefit from a dice bonus equal to the Guide's Prime dots in their breaking points.

Optional: Life 4

At this level the mage discovers a magical technique that other willworkers have searched for over the centuries: the secret of using magic to heal damage inflicted by containing Paradox. The trick isn’t so much to heal the damage, but to prevent it from happening. The mage creates a layer of tissue at the instant of the Paradox to absorb the damage, which then immediately dissolves. In game terms, the player can spend a point of Mana and roll Gnosis + Life as a reflexive action whenever the character suffers damage from containing a Paradox. For every success, the character can ignore one level of bashing damage from the Paradox. Any remaining damage is still considered Resistant, and cannot be healed by magic.

Fifth: Light of Wisdom

Prerequisites: Prime 5, two dots in a third Skill among the initiation Skill list

Wisdom beyond knowledge is gained by not just seeing in the light, but focusing light to illuminate what is hidden. As such the most talented Guides use this Attainment to mimick the "Apocalypse" spell after a scene of disseminating the precepts of the Illumined Path to their subjects. This preparation can be done in conjunction with that of the fourth Attainment, if the Guide is performing both of them to benefit non-Awakened subjects. Reach is assigned to Advanced Duration and Advanced Scale. The Guide bypasses her subjects' Withstand ratings under the same conditions as the fourth Attainment, the satisfaction of which also shelters them from breaking points caused by Mage Sight. Also, the subjects may waive Willpower costs from extended usage of Mage Sight by a number of points equal to the Guide's Prime dots.

Optional: Life 5

The revelation of the truth often leads to a betterment of the self, and with this attainment the Guide can grant this on a physical level as well as a spiritual one. The attainment emulates the Honing the Form spell, with Reach assigned to Instant Casting, Advanced Duration, and to splitting the Potency between two physical Attributes.