[OOC] [Mage: the Awakening 2E] The Supernal Suburbia

[rwknoll]

I plan to have availability this weekend to reply and help finalize characters. Please try your best to have everything on your character sheet drafted by Monday, even if it's only a rough draft, so I can start to focus on getting the game up and running. I'm itching to play!

We can continue to edit character backgrounds, stats, etc. even once we start posting in the IC thread. I just need enough of a working draft that I have info to go off of as I start to introduce plot hooks, antagonists, and so on. We can retcon things if needed.

I'm going to work on statting some NPCs, moving a few things around between the introductory posts on the OOC and IC threads, and putting up some gaming conventions/rules that were discussed throughout the OOC and IC threads but need to be compiled in some easy to find location.

Kvitebjørn Kong Valemon - I forgot to ask, would Lynx still have a roommate? If so, would you like to stick with Ewan Byrne? He was the jock who acted really macho but was suspected (at least in the OOC thread) as being closeted gay.

Let me know if anyone has any questions or concerns, or if you are worried about being able to post 1-2 times in game each week.

[Kvitebjørn Kong Valemon]

Kvitebjørn Kong Valemon - I forgot to ask, would Lynx still have a roommate? If so, would you like to stick with Ewan Byrne? He was the jock who acted really macho but was suspected (at least in the OOC thread) as being closeted gay.

I think I'd prefer to not have a roommate. Maybe a wall-to-wall neighbour though? Could be Ewan, but I think I'd prefer someone else, in which case, surprise me. I'll leave that up to you though.

[rwknoll]

Sure, sounds good. I can reuse the character concept somewhere else.

To be clear...I meant there is more to that NPC that wasn’t explored in the last game. So I can find other ways to use him.

[DArchon5]

rwknoll Yeah, I think I'm at the end of my rope, creativity wise. I keep trying to expand on Rene and keep getting distracted by other things. I could probably get through it given time, but I already dragged this out long enough.

I'll just back out of this. Sorry for wasting everyone's time.

[rwknoll]

Awww, I'm sorry to hear that. Are you sure you won't reconsider? I'd love to keep you in the group.

What if we roleplay out more of the Changeling stuff in character? Then we could figure it out as we go along. You could say that you Awakened, and have finally realized that something is very off with Rene's brother. If you're feeling stuck creatively, you can reach out here to me or the other players for ideas. You also could pick the options that would result in the most dramatic play.

If I were to pick, I would say that the Fetch is still here, but that maybe you realized in hindsight that your brother hasn't been the same for a long time. He could return from captivity at some point during the story when it's dramatically relevant or interesting.

If you're straining too much to figure out the Changeling crossover stuff, you could drop that explicitly for now and say that your brother was one of the LT High School kids who went missing for weeks at a time. Rather than give in to the Lie and the pressure of La Grange suburban culture, something in your soul pushed back and demanded to know what was happening to change his destiny, and it was a catalyst for your own Awakening. That would give you and Morganna some shared interests with that particular Mystery. We could still add the Changeling crossover later if it's interesting to you.

[rwknoll]

On an unrelated note, I have added some details about game rules and conventions to the introductory posts on the OOC thread here, including info about bookkeeping, combat, rolling dice, and so on. Please let me know if anyone has any other questions/concerns, or anything else you think we should add or discuss.

[DArchon5]

Awww, I'm sorry to hear that. Are you sure you won't reconsider? I'd love to keep you in the group.

What if we roleplay out more of the Changeling stuff in character? Then we could figure it out as we go along. You could say that you Awakened, and have finally realized that something is very off with Rene's brother. If you're feeling stuck creatively, you can reach out here to me or the other players for ideas. You also could pick the options that would result in the most dramatic play.

If I were to pick, I would say that the Fetch is still here, but that maybe you realized in hindsight that your brother hasn't been the same for a long time. He could return from captivity at some point during the story when it's dramatically relevant or interesting.

If you're straining too much to figure out the Changeling crossover stuff, you could drop that explicitly for now and say that your brother was one of the LT High School kids who went missing for weeks at a time. Rather than give in to the Lie and the pressure of La Grange suburban culture, something in your soul pushed back and demanded to know what was happening to change his destiny, and it was a catalyst for your own Awakening. That would give you and Morganna some shared interests with that particular Mystery. We could still add the Changeling crossover later if it's interesting to you.

... I'll try this one last push. The changeling crossover part is just a bit too entrancing for me to just drop though.

Rene's backstory is:

She's a girl who was born in Chicago and moved to La Grange. Her father raised her and she never knew her mother. Dear old dad always changes the subject or goes silent when the topic inevitably rolls around, and his relatives either don't know or are silent as well. She has confirmed he's her biological dad at least.

She has a bit of a thing of being a maelstrom of luck. Her luck Nimbus essentially being something that had followed her all through her life, and getting stronger after she Awakened. She got treated as cursed by her classmates in middle school and eventually some of the parents as well. She and her dad moved to La Grange to get away from it all.

Rene has a bit of an interest in superstitions involving luck and fate, particularly Tarot cards, which I'll probably make as one of her Path Tools somehow. While she does hide the whole 'probably cursed' thing from her friends, she has more or less learned to live with it. After a while of living with strange luck, you learn to minimize the bad sides and exploit the good sides.

Jack lived a similar life, having been born and raised in La Grange. His dad died a while back and his mother has been trying to raise her son alone for years. He's a bit abrasive and blunt, but tends to cut to the heart of issues to lay it bare. Sometimes this solves things, other times it just makes it more obvious to everyone watching. Once Jack makes a promise he'ss go through hell and high water to keep it.

Rene's dad and Jack's mom met in La Grange and got engaged. They actually still have two homes since one of them hasn't gotten sold yet, but the two families have started moving in with one another.

Rene and Jack were cold to each other at first, but eventually Jack reached out since he realizes his problem is more with his mom getting married than with Rene. They promise to try getting closer. That night, Jack gets replaced by the Fetch.

Jack got cold again and Rene sort of accepts that Jack doesn't actually want anything to do with her, but some part of her knows this isn't the case. During the Deathstorm, things got to ahead in her Mystery Play.

She's confronted with the fact that she's trying to protect herself with flimsy lies even when she knows something's wrong with Jack. She Awakens and she resolves to find out whats going

She finds out about the Pentacle Orders and joins the Mystagogues since they have the most information. Her mentor is [Insert Someone Here]

Jack is captured by the True Fae and has been forced into the role of the 'Hero' of the Fae's story. Each time, he would be clad in armor of resolve and armed with a sword called hope. He would scale up the thousand levels of the Fae's tower, avoiding traps and fighting its minions.

At the top, he would confront the Fae in the form of a great beast, a nightmarish Manticore invincible to normal arms. They would fight and at the end, Jack would trust the sword through the beast's chest.

Only to see the blade shatter.

The monster would then hurl Jack off of the Tower, falling a thousand levels down to the jagged rocks beneath. He would survive, but his armor would break during the fall.

The servants of the Fae at the bottom would reforge his resolve and hope into a set of armor and weapons and force him up the Tower once more.

And so the cycle continues.

[squidheadjax]

Looks good.

[rwknoll]

DArchon5 - That looks great. That is perfectly reasonable as a starting point, we can always flesh it out as we start playing.

That is assuming you still want to play? Please don’t feel pressured or obligated. If you are worried you won’t have enough interest to keep playing, please let me know now. No hard feelings. I just figured that if you needed help with the creative process, we can help with that.

From your backstory, and your emphasis in Fate Arcana, I’m guessing you would want another Acanthus as your mentor? Would Fatewise intentionally seek out a mentor who shares her Path so she could learn more about Arcadia?

Would Rene still live at home? Or would she feel a need to get out of the house while the Fetch is living there? If she would have moved, she would probably have a one-bedroom apartment somewhere in La Grange, maybe near Lynx.

Still need a photo, if you can find one you like. You can always update it later.

[Second Chances]

Well, this week was more exhausting than I expected, so not quite as far as planned, but I've got stats and a photo at least! While its tempting to take one of the Olympians as a Mentor, I will go with Ovid, since they are also on theme. Tweaked aspirations/obsession. Will keep picking away at background as I have, but it is still point form. Character/setting connections are on the todo list too, but this should be enough to at least get started.

- Former high school teacher, mid to late 30s, single. Greek neopagan since teens.
- Was married, built a house together, but things soured when he started getting restless at his job. She didn't want anything when they parted, so he still lives in an empty house made for a family.
- Looked for a career change, so planned to go back to the University of Chicago to get a Masters in Classics
- Awakened during the first week, causing him to experience a particularly Orphic Mystery Play of Stygia, where he met various Chthonic entities form the Greco-Roman underworld. Scribed his name in Orpheus’ place to give him another chance to escape the Underworld with Eurydice.
- Basically had to drop out of his program because he was MIA for so long, but doesn’t regret it since he gets to experience the Supernatural (and Supernal) directly. Blamed it on a mental break/mid-life crisis to the faculty, who (mostly) bought it. Tutors high school students to keep up appearances. Sometimes tutors freshman it at the University if he needs an excuse to be on campus or stick his nose downtown.
- Sees spirits, ghosts, and goetia as different manifestations of the divine, despite most Mages categorizing them as entirely separate and unrelated phenomena.
- Joined the Arrows by reasoning that Greek Gods and Heroes both grow through conflict, be it with nature, each other, or themselves.
- Lived in La Grange prior to the Deathstorm, but didn’t get super involved with other Mages. Believed the Highstorms were blessings form a Supernal Olympus/Atlantis.
- Is now concerned the consilium has lost the Supernal's favour and that the ghosts of the deceased may yet linger, becoming restless ancestors for the Pentacle.

General Links
Places of Worship: The Heir's general thesis is that all faiths point toward a greater Supernal Truth (in that the Gods actually exist in the Supernal), but even Mages have difficulty perceiving it because it requires viewing multiple Paths at once (he may or may not be right about that). Goetia, spirits, ghosts, shadow names, and nimbuses are all emanations of the greater truth in his view. He's very protective of all religious spaces as a result, even those who look down upon his own faith.
Wild Spaces: These are one of the places the Gods and the Nymphs inhabit and the Heir prefers to relax in them when he needs to clear his head. Probably something he would get along with Lynx about, although they would have different perspectives on why its important.
Homes: These are the other important place that Gods inhabit, albeit the less well-known ones in pop culture. The Heir loathes violating homes and Sanctums, even if it would be the most expedient way to get something done.

Specific Links
Fatewise: The Heir would be VERY interested in finding out what happened to Jack and trying to fit Changelings/the Fae into his idiosyncratic metaphysics. Also, FATE is a significant belief for him, so taking that on as a Shadow Name is something that would intrigue him. Its possible that he taught or tutored her as Rene.
The Olympians: The Heir puts special weight on Shadow Names tied to his faith, believing that the Mages using them are channeling the Gods from the Supernal. He tends to regard everything the Olympians do as significant, above and beyond their prominence on the Council. That doesn't necessarily mean he defers to their wishes, Heroes quarreling with Gods is a fixture of Hellenic myth, after all, but he pays very close attention to the leads they give and the causes they champion.
The Mythologos: The Heir has been actively pursuing closer ties with this Column, hoping they will become allies (and Allies) in the future. Homer and Dante are the two he is drawn most to.


Concept: A neopagan obsessed with ephemeral beings
Sympathetic Name: Peter Hunter
Shadow Name: Eurydice's Heir
Mentor:Askia

Path: Moros
Order: Adamantine Arrow
Legacy: n/a
Attributes:Intelligence 3, Wits 3, Resolve 2; Strength 2, Dexterity 2, Stamina 2; Presence 3,
Manipulation 1, Composure 3
Skills: Academics 3 (Hellenic Religion)*, Computers 1, Investigation 2, Medicine 2 (First Aid), Occult 3, Politics 1; Athletics 3 (Archery), Drive 1; Empathy 1, Expression 2, Intimidation 2, Persuasion 1, Socialize 1
Willpower: 5
Wisdom: 7
Virtue: Curious
Vice: Hasty
Initiative: 5
Defense:5
Speed:9
Size:5
Health: 7

Gnosis: 2
Mana/per turn:10/1
Arcana: Death 3, Matter 1, Mind 1, Space 1
Dedicated Magical Tool: Lead Obol
Attainments: Counterspell (Death, Matter, Mind, Space), Eyes of the Dead, Mage Armour (Death), Targeted Summoning (Death)
Praxes: Know Nature (Mind 1), The Outward and Inward Eye (Space 1)
Rotes: Odysseus’ Offering (Speak With Dead - Occult), Asclepius’ Intuition (Correspondence - Medicine*), Hephaestus' Insight (Craftsman’s Eye - Investigation*)
*Order Rotes
Merits: Adamant Hand (Athletics), Contacts (Students, Teachers)*, Dream 1, High Speech, Interdisciplinary Specialization (Hellenic Religion), Language (Ancient Greek), Professional Training (Teacher; Academics, Expression) 2, Shadow Name 1, Status (Adamantine Arrows) 1 Supernatural Taxonomy
*Professional Training

Long-Term Nimbus: Those around the Heir become more musically inclined and attract the attention of ephemeral entities, particularly ghosts and ancestors.
Immediate: Thunder and lightning crash around the Heir and witness here the joyful shouts of the maenads.
Signature: The smell of blood and burnt offerings.
Nimbus Tilt: The majesty of the Gods fills witness, granting +1 on Presence rolls.

STA: Meet a spirit.
STA: Descend into the Underworld
LTA: Form a neopagan support group.
Ob: Study goetia of Greek mythological concepts.

[DrSteve]

Everything is consolidated into an official character sheet post #1199 on page 80.

[Kvitebjørn Kong Valemon]

Okay, so here are some initial notes for connections and impressions Lynx has with his new cabalmates:

Callie (squidheadjax): Lynx is probably fascinated with Callie in many ways, in particular how ... true? she is with herself (on account of her 3 Dots of Shadow Name). However, he is also slightly reserved, since she's a Guardian, and her nimbus reminds him a lot of his depression a couple of years back.

Eurydice's Heir (Second Chances): Lynx is very engaged in helping the Heir understand the nature of Spirits, and as a Moros, Lynx is likewise looking for guidance in how to understand the Matter arcanum. Lynx also finds him physically appealing (because that beard, woof).

Fatewise (dArchon5): Lynx and Fatewise both being Mystagogues probably have a lot in common when it comes to the acquisition of knowledge. He is also interested in the Fate arcanum. However, Fatewise also makes Lynx feel a little frustrated due to her superior intelligence, academics and occult abilities, which makes her seem like a better fit for the Mysterium as a whole.

Morganna (DrSteve): Lynx is engaged with Morganna when it comes to the Spirit arcanum, though he's dubious about the nature of Goetia - reflecting Mind being his inferior as a Thyrsus. He is also a little uneasy with her as an individual, since she can be difficult to read due to her astounding Subterfuge skill.

Apologies for the absence as of late, life does what life does.

Re: praxes and rotes, I'll look over them sometime later, today's a bit rough in general. Figured connections were more important to focus on right now.

[DArchon5]

DArchon5 - That looks great. That is perfectly reasonable as a starting point, we can always flesh it out as we start playing.

That is assuming you still want to play? Please don’t feel pressured or obligated. If you are worried you won’t have enough interest to keep playing, please let me know now. No hard feelings. I just figured that if you needed help with the creative process, we can help with that.

From your backstory, and your emphasis in Fate Arcana, I’m guessing you would want another Acanthus as your mentor? Would Fatewise intentionally seek out a mentor who shares her Path so she could learn more about Arcadia?

Would Rene still live at home? Or would she feel a need to get out of the house while the Fetch is living there? If she would have moved, she would probably have a one-bedroom apartment somewhere in La Grange, maybe near Lynx.

Still need a photo, if you can find one you like. You can always update it later.

I really do want to play, its just been like hitting my head against a brick wall in terms of getting the paragraphs written. I think I'll just output streams of thought for now, to make it a bit easier.



Fatewise probably has an Acanthus watching her since she got to La Grange. Her maelstrom of fate is sort of hard to miss, even for sleepers. She lights up like a chrismas tree to Fate Sight. That might mean people with the Fate Arcanum already know who Fatewise is, but maybe not since people don't generally walk around with Mage Sight.

Another Acanthus Mystagogue would fit as a mentor. Since she doesn't know about the Mage Orders yet, she was using her magic to guide her to information that could help her out and managed to cross paths with them. They probably have some knowledge of the True Fae, but hasn't told her anything because she hasn't opened up about her problems. I forgot how long ago the Deathstorm was, but since it's recent them focusing on aspects of Magic Society for their mentorship seems like a good bet.

Rene hasn't had a chance to move out yet, the Fetch is pretty recent. She might be in the process of getting her own place during the campaign though. Speaking of Jack, I'll move the dot of Ally from him to Resources, to represent the money Rene regularly finds lying around. I also thought about giving her Destiny with a Doom of Bad Luck or increasing Potent Nimbus to 2. I think there's also some Nimbus perks of Signs of Sorcery that might fit, but I don't have that book.



Some stuff about Jack I came up with:

Jack has resolve and hope in spades and will cimb the tower however many times it takes, but willpower alone cannot overcome the Manticore. He's essentially trying to punch through a brick wall with his bare hands. Yeah, he might accomplish it if he tries hard enough for long enough, but there are way easier ways to do this. He needs to stop trying to face it head on and try finding a weakness or a tool better suited for the job.

[rwknoll]

Well, this week was more exhausting than I expected, so not quite as far as planned, but I've got stats and a photo at least! While its tempting to take one of the Olympians as a Mentor, I will go with Ovid, since they are also on theme. Tweaked aspirations/obsession. Will keep picking away at background as I have, but it is still point form. Character/setting connections are on the todo list too, but this should be enough to at least get started.

Totally understand! I appreciate you taking the time to try and flesh out the character more. I had a few questions for you.

First, I can make Ovid work but it would make you unique because everyone else's mentor is from the same Order. Unless Ovid was the one to "discover" your Awakening and was one of the first mages to whom you build a connection post-Awakening, it would probably make more sense to have at least one mage contact within the Arrows. Because you don't have any dots in the Mentor merit and he's a Libertine, this relationship with Ovid would start pretty one-way, probably consisting of you ingratiating yourself to earn his favor and social maneuvering to enhance the relationship over time. If you don't like this, you could have an Order mentor who has a greater initial connection to you and is more accessible for navigating Awakened society, and we can say that he points you in the direction of the Mythologos cabal early on in the game so you can pursue your shared interests.

Second, you need a second Praxis, since you start with Gnosis 2.

Everything is consolidated into an official character sheet post #1199 on page 80.

Awesome, thanks! There are a few random formatting issues on your post (formatting tags that don't have missing partners) but that's just me nitpicking. You also do have several Attainments you could add (Counterspell, Mage Armor, Targeted Summoning, etc.). Otherwise your character sheet looks great!

I will try to work on drafting Vivian using the ideas you have already shared on the forums here.

I really do want to play, its just been like hitting my head against a brick wall in terms of getting the paragraphs written. I think I'll just output streams of thought for now, to make it a bit easier.

Fatewise probably has an Acanthus watching her since she got to La Grange. Her maelstrom of fate is sort of hard to miss, even for sleepers. She lights up like a chrismas tree to Fate Sight. That might mean people with the Fate Arcanum already know who Fatewise is, but maybe not since people don't generally walk around with Mage Sight.

Another Acanthus Mystagogue would fit as a mentor. Since she doesn't know about the Mage Orders yet, she was using her magic to guide her to information that could help her out and managed to cross paths with them. They probably have some knowledge of the True Fae, but hasn't told her anything because she hasn't opened up about her problems. I forgot how long ago the Deathstorm was, but since it's recent them focusing on aspects of Magic Society for their mentorship seems like a good bet.

Rene hasn't had a chance to move out yet, the Fetch is pretty recent. She might be in the process of getting her own place during the campaign though. Speaking of Jack, I'll move the dot of Ally from him to Resources, to represent the money Rene regularly finds lying around. I also thought about giving her Destiny with a Doom of Bad Luck or increasing Potent Nimbus to 2. I think there's also some Nimbus perks of Signs of Sorcery that might fit, but I don't have that book.

Some stuff about Jack I came up with:

Jack has resolve and hope in spades and will cimb the tower however many times it takes, but willpower alone cannot overcome the Manticore. He's essentially trying to punch through a brick wall with his bare hands. Yeah, he might accomplish it if he tries hard enough for long enough, but there are way easier ways to do this. He needs to stop trying to face it head on and try finding a weakness or a tool better suited for the job.

Glad to hear you want to stick it out. I am really intrigued by all of the flavor stuff regarding the Fae.

Of the NPC concepts I have created, Cadence is an Acanthus Mystagogue whose Shadow Name I've come up with but haven't really fleshed out her out yet. I would be glad to do that, unless that character sounds uninteresting to you at the surface level, in which case I can create a new NPC concept. Cadence would be the cabalmate of Melody, the Consilium's Herald, so you would have some potential neat opportunities to interact with her if you developed that mentor relationship.

[rwknoll]

FYI, I have the day off today and I have a late work day tomorrow, so if anyone has questions about their character or the game that I can help to address so we can get started, let me know and I'll try to reply quickly.

Please work on helping to finalize your characters! Itching to play and get the creative juices going again.