Mage/Theme/Legacies/Wraiths of Epochs

WRAITHS OF EPOCHS

Those Who Forget History are Doomed

The modern world is not kind to magic. The Arcana taunt the descendants of Atlantis with miracles they dare not invoke for fear of Paradox or the mob rule of Sleepers. The Abyss yawns wider with every passing year toward grim apocalypse or the final severance of the Supernal. It is no wonder that many mages look back wistfully on bygone ages when they did not merely nudge the vagaries of chance by tremulous degrees, but invoked the cosmos with brilliance and courage.

Even as magic withers, the works of man give more cause for despair. For every wizard who marvels at the technological triumphs of the 21 century, there are those who lament such ubiquitous power, bitterly wondering what value their hard-earned rotes hold when anyone might fly or speak to another across the expanse of continents or lay waste to nations with forces wrested from radiant ores. What was once wondrous has become commonplace, no longer a reward of singular genius and invincible will. Worst of all, these advances threaten magic itself by offering mages quick-and-dirty alternatives to their Arcana.

Origins

Parentage: Moros, Mysterium

Background: Not all Wraiths come from academia, but those who do not must have sufficient open-mindedness to pursue such studies before being considered for membership. Ultimately, it is each Wraith’s devotion to the past that matters, whether that devotion manifests in a hoary armchair historian, a tribal shaman dedicated to preserving their people’s traditions or an armor-clad SCA enthusiast

Appearances: Regardless of their actual health or age, Wraiths of Epochs tend to evince a visage of frailty and age. They can be handsome or hideous, beautiful or decrepit, but their prematurely whitened hair and the delicate wrinkles framing the corners of their perpetually haunted eyes give them a kind of scholarly gravitas that often serves them well in their chosen professions. Such frailty is only skin deep, however, as each Wraith’s nimbus radiates an implacable primordial darkness that leaves onlookers feeling like children confronted with something impossibly and unknowably old.

Doctrine

Prerequisites: Time 2, Death 2, Academics 2, Occult 1

Initiation: Because of their myopic focus, the Wraiths of Epochs find few recruits. It is not enough that a potential Wraith be enamored of history, as so many mages are. A disciple must also reject the modern world so fiercely that they are willing to cut themself off from its advances. Such rejection can stem from disgust or horror or even an irresistible longing for a better and purer time. Whatever the motivation, candidates must endure extensive trials to test their commitment before a Wraith will help them craft their souls. These tests begin simply enough, initially intended to inconvenience and annoy. If the candidate persists, successive trials gradually sever them from the aspects of modernity they value most. Only when a mage fully divests themself of distractions and embraces a lifestyle of contemplative isolation can they make the final sacrifice, forsaking future for past as they give up happiness, prosperity and the comforting illusion that they matter in the grand design of the universe.

Organization: Similar to mundane historians, Wraiths of Epochs tend to specialize in a particular period of history or the history of a particular geographical region. Consequently, the Legacy is haphazardly structured according to Lineages of related curricula, as each student continues or branches away from the studies of her teacher. Given their shared reverence for the past, younger Wraiths tend to defer to their elders as a matter of respect, but some break with this tradition and take a more egalitarian approach rooted in the idea that all Wraiths are children when compared with the sum and total of history.

Theory: The Wraiths of Epochs have become the self-appointed stewards of all things forgotten, waging an endless war to uncover what time erodes faster than time can destroy it. They do not accept that all good things pass, despite the grim preponderance of evidence to the contrary.

Magic

Ruling Arcanum: Time

Yantras: Studying something ancient for the first time (+2), sharing historical facts (+1), Path tools older than the mage (+2), using outdated technology (+1, +2 if outdated before the mage’s lifespan), relating the current situation to a historical analog.

Oblations: Studying historical documents or artifacts; teaching others (especially about the past); engaging in ceremonial behavior in accordance with longstanding cultural traditions; forgoing a useful convenience of the modern world; experiencing and meditating on important events via postcognition.

Attainments

First: All Things Lost

Prerequisites: Initiation

One of the most important traits of the Wraiths of Epochs is their ability to bring the past into the present, and that’s where their training begins. By touching a location, a place, or a person they can reach into the mists of time and draw out information. This attainment mimics the Time 1 spell Postcognition Reach is applied to looking further back in time. With a Clash of Wills this attainment will still work even if another supernatural creature has scrubbed the item clean of resonance.

Optional: Death 1

The Atavist also may engage Active Mage Sight (Death) upon any scene they’re looking back upon. If it must pierce any form of supernatural concealment, it automatically scores successes equal to the mage’s Death dots.

Second: All Things Constant

Prerequisites: Time 2, Academics 3

By spending a scene anchoring themselves to the ever-moving present, the Wraith can prevent tampering with the timeline of themself or another target. This attainment mimics the Time 2 spell Constant Presence, with reach assigned to advanced duration.

Optional: Death 2

By spending a scene meditating the Atavist can reach through the mists of time and pull their aura forward from a time before their Awakening. This hides their nimbus and the resonances of spells active on them, as well as makes them appear as Sleepers to Mage Sight. Mundane attempts to read their emotions are at -2, and magical attempts require a Clash of Wills. This attainment mimics the effects of the Death 2 spell Suppress Aura, with reach assigned to advanced duration.

Third:

Prerequisites: Time 3, Occult 2

This attainment modifies the Postcognition effect of All Things Lost, the first attainment. They can now perform that attainment as an instant action, and the mage no longer needs to concentrate to witness the past with All Things Lost. Instead, they experience the entire vision in the time it takes them to perform the instant action necessary to invoke it. Furthermore, whenever they touch an object that carries strong resonance associated with a singular defining event in its past, All Things Lost self-activates as a reflexive action, instantly imparting a vision of that event. Unsurprisingly, Wraiths with this Attainment tend to avoid physical contact with strangers, and many wear gloves to avoid undesirable visions.

Optional: Death 3

By reaching into the history of an object they’ve witnessed the Atavist can pull the historical version of the object forward in time and create a duplicate of it which matches the original state. This attainment is similar to the Death 3 spell Shadow Crafting, with reach assigned to instant casting and advanced duration. However, it differs in some important ways. First, they may only create an object that they have used All Things Lost upon at any time in the past. Second, only one such object can be created at any time. The created object is an exact duplicate of the original object at any point in time the Atavist has witnessed with All Things Lost, and lasts until they dismiss it as an instant action.

Fourth: Never Forward

Prerequisites: Time 4, Academics 4

This attainment causes a permanent change on the Wraith. Their body enters into a state of suspended animation. They no longer need to eat, drink, or breathe. They become immune to mundane toxins and disease, or to bleeding out. An examination shows that they are in fact dead even though they continue to function, and an examination using life magic sees a living pattern unless the Mage also has the Optional attainment below. It protects them from new Conditions or Tilts that would depend on their body acting as though it were alive (like Drugged, Poisoned, or even Stunned) but not ones that are external to their body like Immobilized or Knocked Down or only work on their mind like Charmed.

This attainment most closely mimics the Time 2 spell Veil of Moments, with reach assigned to regaining willpower and mana while under its effects, and with the ability to spend XP. It is permanent, but comes with a significant drawback: the Wraith cannot end this effect under any circumstances, even when it would be of benefit to them. It also cannot be used on another target.

Optional: Death 4

Upon mastering this attainment the Wraith alters their pattern in such a way that they treat their pattern as if they were undead for purposes of magic, meaning that they treat their Death arcana as Life for altering or healing their body. This attainment has a permanent duration, with the same disadvantages as the primary attainment.

The mage can also move themselves into and out of Twilight as if using the Death 3 spell Ghost Gate, with Reach assigned to Instant Action casting and being a single target without a gate. The mage can only use this attainment on themself.

Fifth:

Prerequisites: Time 5, Occult 3

By wrapping themselves in a prolonged version of the now, the mage can accomplish in an instant what should take far longer. They can compress hours or days worth of study into a moment. This works like Blink of an Eye, with reach assigned to instant casting

Optional: Death 5

With a scene’s effort to reach into the moment before their own existence and pull it forward around them like a cloak, the Wraith can step outside of their own presence and erase it from the world. All trace of the mage’s existence briefly ceases to exist and they can’t be detected by any means outside of supernatural powers that invoke a clash of wills. No paperwork exists about them, all Doors they have opened disappear, and all Conditions upon her are resolved. This works as the Death 5 spell Empty Presence, with reach assigned to advanced duration