Mage/Theme/Legacies/Orphans of Proteus

ORPHANS OF PROTEUS

Guardians of the Tribe

They have been with us since before the beginning. Before even the Time Before and Atlantis called. Before apes learned to walk upright and pile stones atop one another to make their caves. Before man chose to set himself apart from beasts and trees and rocks, they knew the truth: that the circle of life is broad enough to include all things “organic” and “inorganic,” that this great wheel turns easily from one form to another, that man and beast and tree and rock are one.

It was they who first took to the grazing-fields, to follow the comings and goings of the herds. And when they had learned the steps of the herd-dance and could sing the words of the herd-song, they put on themselves the skins of the herd-dress and slept in the cold and rain until they became part of the herd itself. It was they who first ran with the wolves and learned the worth of honesty when the wolves pointed toward unseen prey in hopes of sharing the kill. And it was they who stalked against the great cats and learned the value of deception, letting other hunters pass by in hopes of keeping the “lion’s share” of the kill for themselves. They it was who flew with the birds, crept with the vines and slept with the stones. They went where others could not go and did what others could not do.

They learned the lessons that life taught from every angle and brought their knowledge back to their tribes to teach the business of living. They sought wisdom to lead their tribes out of darkness and cold and hunger, and set mankind on a path that would eventually lead to civilization. But mankind mistook its new powers of stewardship over the land as mastery, and regarded the animals, plants and rocks only as resources to be plundered rather than as partners in the circle of life. In their hubris, they forgot the wisdom that they had taught and dismissed their utterances as backward superstition.

They who had sacrificed the semblance of their humanity for the greater good were now cast out. Ostracized and despised, they were relegated to the status of monsters and bogeymen used to frighten unruly children. The mighty warriors who had once donned hide and claw and fang in the service of their people were now cast in the role of bloodthirsty murderer. Those who lived by the old lore of leaf and stone were hunted down and torn to pieces or burned in public spectacle. The horns and hooves of the most sacred were denounced as emblems of evil.

All the oldest languages of the world once had a name for them, most now forgotten. In modern English, they are known as the Orphans of Proteus, for their metamorphosis ability. Some say they, not the Atlanteans, were the very first humans to Awaken, and some even go so far as to suggest that all other types of magic are derived from theirs.

Whether that is true or not, many now consider them to be a dying breed. Marginalized by the encroachment of civilization, they are often found at the edges of mage society. Some see that as the fringes, and some the bleeding edge, because the Orphans of Proteus constantly seek new experiences. They engage in few formalities, and the kinship of spirit they share is something that is felt, unspoken, deep within their souls, and those who write the Proteans off as out of touch or a dying breed miss the technoshamans in their midst and their adaptations to the modern age. Being mired in the past does not allow you to bring new experiences to the Tribe.

Inheritors of the Proteus Legacy can be unnerving, not only to other mages, but to those who know nothing of magic. Social customs and mores — at least, those of the modern civilized world — mean little to them, and they may at times break laws, cross boundaries or ignore table manners and dress codes without compunction. This is not to say that they are dumb brutes. Members may exhibit as much intelligence and compassion as any other sorcerer. They tend to be plainspoken, even rudely blunt, and act impulsively upon primal urges known only to them. For those who have experienced the non-human world directly, such phrases as “nature red in tooth and claw” or “the force that through the green fuse drives the flower” are no mere poetic conceits, but the very bedrock of reality.

Origins

Parentage: Thyrsus
Background: It is generally assumed that Orphans come almost exclusively from beyond the fringes of civilization — rural areas, remote wildernesses or underdeveloped nations — and this is often the case. As such places dwindle and disappear, however, more inheritors of the Proteus Legacy can be found in cities and suburbs, taking on the forms of domesticated animals, cultivated plants and manufactured objects. Of these, some may be descendants of tribal cultures that knew and respected the power of the Orphans, while others have rejected modern culture and attempt to reconstruct and/or reclaim earlier values that they consider to be safer, healthier and (so to speak) more humane.
Appearances: The more time an Orphan spends using her attainments — whether they provide animal, vegetable or mineral features — the more likely she is to physically resemble that form in some way. Common features include excessive hairiness, a forward-slumping posture, enlarged teeth and nails, overdeveloped ears or nose, iridescent eyes, dermatological conditions that cause the skin to resemble the bark of a tree, or an angular craggy profile like the face of a cliff. In general, all scratches, scars, rashes, infections and other outwardly visible ailments that might mark the mage while in animal form remain visible in an analogous place on his human form, (although these features tend to fade over time if the Orphan avoids frequent use of his attainments)

Doctrine

Prerequisites: Life 2, 2 dots in Animal Ken or Survival
Initiation: The Orphans of Proteus don't take just anyone. A potential Orphan must prove themself not only willing to undertake the physical trials of becoming an Orphan, or the understanding of Life necessary to reshape the body, but must also prove themself dedicated to the ideals of the Legacy. It's not enough for a potential Orphan to want to be able to shed your skin like a snake because he thinks that'll make him harder to kill. He must be willing to reshape his body and challenge his conceptions of self and reality, and he must be devoted to the ideals of the Legacy. His adroitness with Life is tested, as is his mentality -- challenged for days to weeks in order to make sure that not just skill but mentality match.
Organization: Loosely-organized at best, the Orphans all act according to their own best interests, looking after their own tribes. They often consult with one another, and work in loose confederacies. No one understands an Orphan like an Orphan.
Theory:

Magic

Ruling Arcanum: Life
Yantras: Blood or organs from a recent kill (+1), Animal leather, fur, or teeth (+1), Howling, snarling, or other animalistic vocalizations/behavior (+1), Succeeding on a relevant Animal Ken or Survival check prior to casting (+2), Wild animal/s utilized in the casting (+2)
Oblations: A sacred hunt; the ritual acting out of an animal’s behavior; the ceremonial offering of food to animals; the ritual arrangement of rocks and stones in a certain area; sacred gardening.

Attainments

First: Animal Tongue

Prerequisites: Initiation
The Orphans of Proteus first learn how to seek wisdom from the natural world, and with a scene’s worth of activity can communicate with a specific breed of animals in their own language of behaviors, with grunts, growls, cues and/or markings. This Attainment grants a bonus to Animal Ken rolls equal to the mage’s dots in Life, and permits them to communicate as freely as their subject animal. This does not however render the subject capable of comprehending advanced topics, and all communications should be framed as such.

Optional: Matter 1
Under the Orphan’s eye, no tool is mysterious. By studying an object for one turn, the subject gains a complete understanding of the object’s intended function. From a tool as simple as a hammer to an intricate puzzle box, the item’s intended purpose is plain to see. If the object has no purpose (for example, a simple rock), the attainment reveals that too. Likewise, if something prevents the object from fulfilling its purpose (for example, a car missing its spark plugs can’t drive), the attainment reveals the nature of the problem.

Second: Snake Skin

Prerequisites: Life 2, two specialties in Animal Ken or Survival
The Orphans of Proteus also learn how to quicken the passing of injuries from their body, shedding their skin and wounds faster than others would believe. So long as the Shifter maintains frequent periods of communion with nature, they decrease their healing time for Bashing and Lethal wounds by half for each Dot in Life they have. For example, a Shifter with Life 2 would heal 1 Lethal damage naturally every 12 hours, and one Bashing damage naturally every 3 minutes and 45 seconds.

Optional: Matter 2
Understanding the basic tools of Man by the clues left in their composition, the Orphan is capable of using any item through an instinctive understanding of its purpose. This Attainment takes an Instant Action to activate, and indicates to the mage the solution to puzzles, the combination to safes, but also the purpose of incredibly advanced technology, and provides mage an 8-Again on all attempts to use that tool for its intended purpose. This attainment lasts for rounds equal to the Mage’s dots in Matter.

Third: Becoming the Beast

Prerequisites: Life 3, Animal Ken or Survival 3
As animals develop adaptations to their environment, so does the Shifter to theirs, spontaneously manifesting the features of another living thing. This attainment functions as Life 3 “Transform Life”, with Potency equal to the mage’s dots in Life, but can only be applied to the Shifter themselves. They gain one new animal feature per point of Potency assigned. Note that these adaptations must be something that a mundane animal could plausibly develop in nature, even if the Shifter then takes the feature to an extreme. Some examples include are listed on page 151 of Mage the Awakening

Optional: Matter 3
The Shifter bolsters their animal form through non-organic features that make them physically stronger and more durable, such as bones reinforced with hard crystal or powerful stone hands. When using Beast Gift, the Shifter may choose to assign the points in Potency to boosting their Physical attributes (As with Life 3 “Honing the Form”) in addition to or instead of giving themselves physical adaptations. They may mix and match between the two as they like, so long as they do not exceed the Attainment’s Potency with their combined adaptations, or exceed the Shifter’s Attribute caps.

Fourth: Primal Skin

Prerequisites: Life 4
The mage can now reflexively shapeshift at will into a single, specific creature as an instant action. This creature is chosen at the time of this attainment and cannot be changed. The transformation lasts for one scene/hour, and the Mage does not risk losing themselves to instincts while in this animal form. If the Mage also has Matter 4, their clothing shifts with them.

Optional: Matter 4
When the mage uses this power on themselves, they may also choose to also heal the earth in an area around them equal to their Gnosis in yards. Within this zone, inorganic structures or tools made from natural materials (stone, wood, clay, etc) are mended by a number of Structure equal to the Shifter’s Matter, dead plants burst into full bloom, poisoned earth is revitalized, and impurities in ore and jewels disappear. Individual elements cannot be excluded from the area of effect, but the attainment does not affect animals or sapient creatures.

Fifth: Going Forth To Gather

Prerequisites: Life 5
Sometimes, true wisdom comes from the ability to become something else, and no one is better than that than an Orphan of Proteus. This attainment functions similarly to Life 4 “Shapechanging”, but with some additional benefits. The shifter may become any natural living creature that exists (or a mixture of several different ones), but they must still obey the laws of physics in their new body - fantastical creatures such as dragons are not possible. The shifter does not have to contend with animal instincts in this new form, and if they have Matter 4 their clothes and equipment become a part of their new form unless they deliberately choose to exclude them. Unlike Shapechanging, it’s easier to become a large creature; their new size can range from anywhere from 1 - 7 without needing to make a roll. In addition, the transformation can be made into a reflexive action by spending a point of Willpower. The mage can incorporate a number of animal shapes as their dots in Life.

Optional: Matter 5
By incorporating Matter into the spell, the Orphan of Proteus can work inorganic structures into their transformation; diamond tipped claws, stone wheels, metal spikes, and stone plated skulls are only a few of the potential options. These mineral features must be made from naturally occurring materials. The shifter can add their dots in Matter as an equipment bonus split between certain skills and natural weapons. Alternatively they can spend a Willpower point and shape-shift into inanimate materials that naturally occur in nature.