1001 Interesting Paradox Backlashes

[Bluecho]

151) A Poor Fit [Flaw]: A minor bit of Paradox that can afflict any Mage, though individuals reliant on the Art of Desire or Fashion as an Instrument encounter this most frequently. The Mage's garments, regardless of their normal size, don't seem to fit the wearer. Whether too big or too small, too long or too short, the clothing items and accessories ill match the wearer's form. Uncomfortable or inconvenient in most cases, liable to result in tearing or stains from dragging along the ground in others. It may even result in penalties to rolls, as excess or insufficient material cause the Mage to trip over their own pants, slip from their shoes, or become stifled by tight garments. Those who rely on their wardrobe for social standing and magick (if indeed the one doesn't feed into the other) are the most stymied by this Flaw, as their fashion-conscious peers take notice of their apparently poor standards.

152) Fire Breath / Incendiary Indigestion [Burn]: Flame is a hazardous, temparmental element, tamed by man but never truly domesticated. The expression "those who play with fire may get burned" is all the more apt among Forces users, especially the magi of Hermetic House Flambaeu. Here, the act of creating and channeling the flame can result in the Mage internalizing the element. In this case literally, the caster's body becoming host to a minor but problematic combustion. Some feel the elemental balance in their lungs shift from Air to Fire, while others experience a stomach burn more potent than any acid. Either way, the blaze often is exhaled or belched from the Mage's mouth, as their insides experience painful damage. This backlash often happens to those who botch attempts to breath fire offensively, the magic normally responsible for protecting the user from their own flames failing.

[Muad'Dib]

153) Lost Days [Paradox Flaw ; Prime, Time, Correspondence] This mysterious Flaw causes Mages to miss entire days of their lives - sometimes one, sometimes as many as four. At any time when the Mage is alone or when he isn't interacting with anyone around him, he might skip ahead in time. The skip usually happens during an event: stepping off a bus, making a phone call, going to sleep, exiting or entering a room etc. Mages with Time Sense active will get a momentary strong feeling that something is odd. (Which the Mage can use to later recognize the skips, as the feeling is always the same for a particular Mage.) The Mage doesn't exist during the time that he lost (Or does he..?). The skips are always by 22-26 hours. Any time keeping items like phones or calendars will show the correct date and hour. This Flaw, and an incoming appearance of a Mage with it, can be detected by others with Time Sense; but trying to purposefully divine when a skip will occur tends to fail.

[Bluecho]

154) Pattern Fray [Burn/Flaw]: Manipulating one's mystical pattern is a process not without risk. A single mistake can have costly consequences. Those who modify their bodies with Life or Prime may find their metaphysical threads fraying at the edges, most often when they Botch. Their energy feels sapped, and their extremities tingle or ache. At higher levels of backlash, their bodies begin to blur or become unnaturally ragged at the edges, as their presence in this world becomes untenable.

155) La Fee Verte [Spirit/Quiet]: Stereotype sees drunks tormented by visions of pink elephants (or serpents). These manifestations are common enough for Mages who use Drink as an Instrument in their magic. But one particular kind accompanies that most infamous of beverages, Absinthe. A classic favorite of poets, writers, artists, and even the occasional overt occultist, it's unsurprising that Mages of various stripes would draw upon the spirit to make the magic flow.

(For the record, contrary to common wisdom, modern studies show no particular psychoactive properties to Absinthe, above that which is inherent to high proof alcohol in general. Mages, however, are more than willing to stretch the placebo effect to its limits in order to achieve ecstatic states. Some Ecstasy Cultists even maintain that the Technocratic Union fabricated evidence to support the idea that Absinthe is not inherently psychoactive, as a means of closing off an avenue for mystic praxis.)

Named for a common pseudonym of the drink, La Fee Verte is a Paradox Spirit or Hobgoblin taking the form of a green fairy. Sometimes wholly green in hue and sometimes just clad in it, sometimes tiny and sometimes full sized, sometimes as a tempting adult and sometimes as an innocent child (usually female, though male versions have been documented). Whatever the case, the fae creature appears to the Mage and invites them to imbibe more Absinthe. In times when she is "merely" a Paradox Spirit, this can result in great levels of intoxication, which may prove dangerous (either as direct health effects or from what the inebriated person will do). Regular users (or abusers) of the drink, however, may slip into a Quiet, wherein Le Fee Verte plays a prominent role. Her M.O. remains unchanged, however. Cooing softly into the Mage's ear one minute, heaping abuse upon them the next. Always she urges indulgence. This Quiet weaves together with the effects of alcohol dependency, preventing the Mage from channeling magic without Absinthe just as it prevents them from functioning generally without it. Hallucinations - long the hallmark of withdrawal - become frightening phantoms at the corner of the Mage's vision. All the while, La Fee Verte remains an emerald rock in a sea of horrors, ever offering emotional support and the "medicine" upon which the Mage depends.

[Muad'Dib]

156) Traitorous Shadow [Burn] The Mage's shadow attacks him when he is in a barely lit place. The shadow might deliver a beat down for bashing or lethal damage, try to strangle, or cut with a knife for lethal or aggravated. (Other weapons can also be used.) This tends to happen to Mages who betray their principles or companions, whether through spells or other actions. The Mage might fare better if he manages to somehow realize his wrongdoing(s) and sincerely apologize for it, while being attacked; the shadow sometimes offers some clues as to the reason(s) for the attack.
Fully lighting up (an average flashlight is not enough) the area where the Mage is standing stops the attack - but it is merely postponed and will be more severe when it happens; unless the Mage finds some way to make up for his wrongdoing(s). If the Mage tries to avoid dark areas to avoid this Burn, he might be very unpleasantly surprised - the lights just might go out.

[Bluecho]

157) Crypt Country [Realm]: A cold, desolate Realm of the dead, thought by Paradox scholars as situating itself not far removed from the Shadowlands. Distinct from that Umbral realm, of course, by the fact that the living are not dying to get there. Awakened - and some unfortunate others - are dragged there by bony hands that leap from darkness, as penance for crimes against the dead. Necromancers, murderers, and Frankenstein monster makers are claimed most often. Darkness overtakes them, and they find themselves suddenly trapped in confined spaces. For indeed, most end up interred in coffins or sarcophagi, to experience firsthand the reality of their victims. The first part of escaping the Realm involves escaping their tiny space, before they join the legion of the dead.

Upon exiting their coffin, the lost individual is left to wander through Crypt Country proper. A dry, cold, gray land, divided between "city", "suburb", and "wilderness". The wilderness is a landscape with ground choked by dead trees and tombstones, placed as thickly as the Old Jewish Cemetery, in Prague. The suburbs are endless lines of small tombs, broken up by fences of headstones and roads of flat grave markers. But it is the cities that stand out, for their mausoleums many stories tall and packed together, until barely any light filters down from the eternally overcast Crypt Country sky. Instead of normal municipal fixtures, the "skyscrapers" are broken up by enormous sepulchres, cenotaphs, and open mass graves littered with bones.

The whole land's foundations, however, are built over an endless network of tunnels, several layers deep. These catacombs are similarly choked by human remains. Stacks of bones, innumerable ash urns, and at times even shriveled mummies in quiet repose. It is said that one must make their way to the deepest depths of these catacombs in order to escape Crypt Country.

Of course, not all of the dead in this land remain silent and immobile...

[Bluecho]

158) Extreme Germaphobia [Quiet]: When one works with bacteria and viruses as much as a Progenitor microbiologist, one comes to understand just how terrifying the microscopic world can be. Moreso when one works to cultivate and modify such organisms, a delicate science that could at any moment spawn the next civilization-rocking pathogen or death plague. Which can either be The Work going horribly wrong, or horribly right, as the case may be. Regardless, for a Technocrat, keeping everything they create contained - and unsullied by outside organisms - is of the utmost importance.

Unsurprisingly, Progenitors (and the rare Traditionalist biologist) can slip into Quiet for their fear of infection. Simply because of their ability to literally see Life, everything around them becomes covered in a film of contagion, germ, and filth. And we do mean everything. The Mage sees the world as a filth-covered nightmare realm. The only way to fight off the contaminants is to sterilize. Such poor souls exhibit Obsessive Compulsive behavior, seeking to clean all that they interact with. Every surface of their home scrubbed down, every instrument of their work cleaned, and their very hands washed and disinfected until their skin is red. No contaminants can be allowed into their labs or their lives, and nothing can be allowed out. Either case could prove calamity...or so the Mage thinks.

As the Quiet worsens, the film of grime the Mage sees begins to leak out into Reality, Coming into contact with this filth can spread disease, ironically making the cleanliness-obsessed Enlightened Scientist into a vector for contagion.

[Bluecho]

159) Green Lion [Spirit]: A classic bit of alchemical symbolism, now appearing in the flesh. Just as the Green Lion was depicted as devouring the sun, Alchemists that make of themselves beacons of light become the creature's targets. It has all the strength possessed by the King of the Jungle, with the added ability to consume ambient light in the area, even that which is created by magic. The emerald predator stalks its prey through the darkness. Some Alchemists, however, relish the opportunity to turn the tables, and make prey of the Green Lion in turn. When slain, shiny golden fluid pours from its belly. This liquid sunlight - and the pelt of the beast itself - are prized in alchemical circles, both as rare ingredients and as clues for furthering the Great Work.



160) Superman [Spirit]: Literally the man of steel, as depicted in the comic books. Chaos magicians file this figure under the many Paradox manifestations to arise from egregore, those thought forms that gain particular strength from their persistence in popular culture. Superman is a symbol, standing for heroism and that classic triumverant of Truth, Justice, and the American Way.

When Superman appears as a result of Paradox, it is as the indomitable man of tomorrow. Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful that a locomotive, etc, etc. So in most cases, a Mage confronted by him is unlikely to stand a chance in a straight fight. Pedantic comic fans point out that, canonically, Supes is vulnerable, not just to Kryptonite - a material that requires Matter 5 to create - but also to Magical attacks and weapons. Only those who understand this bit of lore actually encounter versions of this Paradox Spirit who share the vulnerability, so even a Prime 2 enchanted sword can wound him. This is cold comfort, as he in endowed with stats suitably great that it's rarely as simple as attacking him. Regardless, it is fortunate that Superman-As-Paradox rarely tries to kill the Mage. He is, after all, a benevolent figure.

No, he is usually attracted by Magely misuse of power, which has the possibility of getting innocent people harmed. He often imposes himself between the Mage and endangered bystanders, using his superhuman might to protect. He usually implores the Mage to cease whatever hostilities they may be engaged in, for the sake of the innocent. For all his power, he is soft-spoken and slow to anger, seeking to diffuse situations and stop wickedness. Mages, being prone to hubris, do not always heed his warnings. For those who insist on using their powers in a selfish or irresponsible manner, the Paradox Spirit of Steel will, reluctantly, do what he needs to do to make them stop.

For most of its history, this interference has been powerful but rarely lethal. Like his comic counterpart, the Superman Spirit is interested in stopping crime, not punishing evil doers. However, recent film adaptations of the character have colored the manifestations in a darker, less merciful light. Darker, in this case, being literal; where before the Superman wore a bright suit, now he may be found with desaturated hues, and a scowly demeanor. He is also quicker to violence, and likely to cause collateral damage. Where before Paradox scholars vastly preferred him to other spirits, as a byproduct of his benign interference and gentle (if superhumanly strong) hand, now they wonder if changes in media portrayal have uncorked a dangerous element inadvertently.

[Bluecho]

161) Phantom Wind [Flaw]: Afflicts Mages who manipulate wind and air. Their hair, clothing, and carried items billow in a wind that seems to come from nowhere and affects only them. A clever Mage might be able to employ this Flaw to their advantage, to make themselves look more impressive to bystanders. What benefits could be gained, though, are generally outweighed by the strangeness of the phenomenon. It attracts attention, which is at best a double-edged sword. At higher levels of backlash, the wind intensifies to the point where the uncontrolled movement of the Mage's hair and clothing hinder their normal activities. Hair flies into their eyes, capes and cloaks get blown into closing doorways, standing objects get knocked to the floor by errant fabric, papers become unreadable or fly from the Mage's hands, etc.


162) Tongue of Beasts [Flaw]: Botch a spell to speak the language of animals, and one might find it impossible to talk human. Instead of words, grunts and hissing and hooting exit the Mage's mouth. They become unintelligible to their fellow man, only capable of conversing with beasts. Even attempts to read the Mage's mind may yield poor results, as the Mage comes to think in animal tongues. (For the sake of maintaining the severity of this Flaw, Storytellers should avoid using it when the character only has animals to talk to. They should also enforce strictly the inability for the character to convey information to other player characters.)

[Bluecho]

163) Fused Joints [Burn]: An extreme form of arthritis, this manifestation of Paradox causes the joints in the Mage's body to become so stiff, they are practically fused solid. Lesser forms are limited to specific parts of the body, while more severe backlashes can afflict the entire body. If the Mage doesn't move the joints for a period of time, they become stiff to the point of immobility. The only way to get them "unstuck" is to force them to move, a painful process from which the Burn aspect of this Paradox comes into play. The joints pop loudly, are slow to get working again, and hurt terribly. Victims of high level backlashes liken it to being forced to break their own bones, just to get moving. This stiffness persists until the Mage has satisfied the damage levels incurred, which usually take the form of acute pain.


164) Sod Men [Spirit]: Humanoids with bodies composed of soil and thick vegetation, bones of thick roots and facial features of molds and mushrooms. Grass grows across their body like hair, and they smell of moist, fresh-turned earth. Mages who use or misuse Life or Matter magicks most often gain the ire of Sod Men. They lie in wait on patches of open ground, blending in with the local flora; their particular complement of grass and occasional flowering bodies match the region and environment in which they manifest. When the offending Awakened being is around, the being or beings of turf rise up and act against them. This may involve a straight fight, or surprise attack, followed by retreating back into the environment. Sometimes the Sod Men attack the Mage's home or place of work, despoiling their possessions, and leaving dirt and grass stains everywhere.

Sod Men are not terribly bright, but some can be clever enough. As creatures of earth and tough vegetation, they are notoriously resistant to bodily harm. They halve Bashing damage, and take Bashing rather than Lethal from ballistic weapons, not unlike a Vampire. Also like a Vampire, they are beings of both Matter and Life, and require both to inflict direct Pattern damage. Still like Vampires, though, they take Aggravated damage from fire, the heat burning away the vegetation and baking their soil bodies like clay.

[Bluecho]

The Seven Realms of Purgatorio [Realms]

A series of seven Paradox Realms, based upon the terraces of Purgatory as described by Dante. Unsurprisingly, members of the Celestial Chorus and Knights Templar most often find themselves spirited away to these zones, when Paradox acts upon latent remorse for their sins. It is not unknown, however, for Mages of other backgrounds to find their way to one of the Purgatory Realms, or a Realm similar to them but in the Mage's own Paradigm. The aspect of remorse is important, theologically speaking; a failure to see and feel guilt for one's shortcomings (and the magical Effects springing from those motivations) usually instead results in the Mage being dragged to a relevant, Hellish Paradox Realm for punishment.

Each of the Realms corresponds to one of the Seven Deadly Sins (dur-hey), and seeks to impart upon the Mage the importance of their opposite Virtue. These terraces of Purgatory are considered separate Paradox Realms, as it's rare for Mages to go through more than one at a time. They enter the terrace, endure its purification tasks, and then return to the world. An angel related to the relevant Heavenly Virtue presides over the terrace, and decides when the Mage has proven sufficiently penitent. Attempting to force the issue is...unwise, as well as fruitless. The Mage is marked with a 'P' on their forehead, a sigil representing their outstanding sin; it is physically impossible to pass through the exit gate with such a mark, and only the presiding angel can remove it.


165) First Terrace [Pride]: Mind effects that instill admiration for the caster, or effects of great scale done for the purpose of proving that one can, are punished here. Mages, as beings of Hubris, often find themselves here, to be reminded that, for all their power, they are not omnipotent. It is surprising that some Hermetics find their way here, considering they do not consider self-assurance to be a sin, but a necessary part of doing magick in and of itself. Still, some Hermetics may have enough self-awareness to differentiate between having a strong Will, and believing themselves invincible. If they end up in this Realm, it is because they have not (yet) earned the right to be called Inheritors of Creation, yet mistakenly believed they had.

The terrace floor is littered with murals depicting figures and acts of great pride, including Lucifer, the Tower of Babel, Arachne, and Niobe. Penitents come to the Realm are made to carry heavy stones upon their backs, to teach humility.

[Bluecho]

166) Second Terrace [Envy]: Magick done to spoil another person's happiness, destroy their possessions, foul their dreams (figurative or literal), or simply for spite, are punished here. Spells to aid thievery (invisibility, teleporting objects, luck manipulations, and Quintessence vampirism) can also apply, so long as they are done, not for the value of having the object(s) of theft, but to deprive the target of them. By obsessing over the prosperity of others, they fail to appreciate the good aspects of their own lives. More than a few Hollow Ones find their way into this Realm, embittered by the successes of their peers or other Mage groups.

The Mage is made to wander the terrace in a gray cloak, their eyes having been sewn shut with iron wire. This much like the practice of falconers upon their falcons, in order to train them; the Mage is forced to stop focusing on the fortunes of their fellow men, and focus instead on their own progress towards the exit. Their navigation is accompanied by audible tales of famous envy, such as the bitterness of Cain towards his brother Abel, that motivated his eventual fratricide.


167) Third Terrace [Wrath]: Violent spells, motivated (and fueled) by rage drag Mages here. Life used to bolster strength, Matter to tear down obstacles, Forces to blast apart, Entropy to spit vile curses, and even the high level Prime magicks to unmake one's enemies. Whether through the heat of the moment or the cold, calculating hate, it draws the Mage in for their sin of Wrath. Dreamspeakers and Ba'ta, though often justly angry for the injustices heaped upon themselves and their people, are no more immune to taking their vengeance too far. Many of them have ended a bloody swath of revenge by being dragged into this Realm, or something like it.

As they were blinded by fury, so the Mage is made blind by acrid smoke, so thick and so hot that it stings the eyes and lungs. Pushing through by force comes to nothing, as the smoke field takes as long to traverse as it takes to grasp the value of Meekness. Not weakness, as is so often thought, but controlled strength. No matter how horrid the experience, the Mage must eat their frustration and walk with control.

[Niza]

The Slime Skin - [Flaw] Mages who begin manipulating their bodies into the elements have a lot to learn when this backlash occurs. At light levels (1-3) it will cause a deep translucent tint in the skin or green. At higher levels the player is merely a face and some hair in a puddle of congeled bodily mess. The player will have to spend willpower to even form a semi human state, gooping around the house and falling through floorboards. Pieces lost are flesh lost. Next time the mage wants to merge with a body of tainted water or other semi liquids, they might want to bring a large glass box. This can lead to death.

[Bluecho]

...Cont.

169) Fourth Terrace [Sloth]: Draws in Mages who abuse their magick for no other reason than to avoid effort. Rituals that siphon fractions of cents to pay one's bills, make backpacks lighter than they should be, affect other's minds so they don't bother the Mage, or levitate objects so the Mage doesn't need to get up from the couch. If magick serves as a shortcut in the Mage's life, it ceases to be mere judicious use of one's gifts, and instead becomes laziness. This is especially so if the Mage has overcome the need for one or more Instruments, and uses it as an excuse to never engage in mystical processes. Sloth, however, is not merely related to one's work ethic. It can also reflect a Moral laziness, most often taking the form of Despair (to the point where Despair is sometimes substituted for Sloth outright in certain lists of the Deadly Sins). To despair is to shirk the task of keeping and maintaining hope, and become paralyzed by lack of belief in the meaning of living. Again, Hollow Ones are often drawn here, because of their Craft-wide insistence that there is no point in fighting the Ascension War. But surprisingly, Akashayana have been known to end up on the Sloth Terrace as well, if their detachment from worldly concerns grows so great that they see no use in doing anything but meditating. For fear of creating new Bad Karma, they forgo creating any of the Good. In this as in many things, they have need to follow the Middle Path, between becoming too involved in the world and becoming too distant from it.

There is no rest for the slothful on this terrace, as the Mage is made to perform labors constantly. No time for talk, no time for rest. Mages, by their nature, are dynamic beings, and thus must be re-taught the value of Zeal. Much of their labors revolve around tending to statues and murals that depict either examples of great efforts (the Labors of Hercules, the career of Julius Ceaser), or of great laziness (Aeneus' unwillingness to fight in the Trojan War) or despair (Demeter's sadness over her missing daughter bringing about near-fatal drought).


170) Fifth Terrace [Avarice]: Those Awakened known for their greed, ambition, or extravagance - and who use their magick only for same - find their way to this terrace. In a world where temporal wealth and power mean little compared to Ascension, these Enlightened squander their talents and their time for both or either. Not to further their own understanding or to achieve a goal, but as ends unto themselves. Matter arts used to create gold or valuables. Mind to make others love them or to pry into the heads of their rivals. Forces used for ostentatious displays of might, done simply to prove they can. Entropy to bend fate and fortune to their whims. Time to predict advantageous opportunities and exploit them. While Hermetics and Etherites find themselves drawn here for their desire to gain acclaim within their Traditions, and the Children of Knowledge fall in when they stop seeing Transmutation as anything but a tool for their own Great Work, the at once most and least surprising is the presence of Syndicate representatives. Few would ever admit to believing in any sort of afterlife, let alone a cosmic law attempting to enforce moral reform on them. But, on occasion, these money changers find themselves awash with the sin of their greed and their ambition. When one of them oversteps the bounds of Union policy by employing Vulgar Procedures (or, more commonly, botching Adjustments too often), and they understand the error of their behavior, they may be sucked into the fifth terrace.

Avarice is defined by acts working towards maximized gains. Whether this is through actual hard work or by employing shortcuts and immoral strategies, the Mage got where they are by moving relentlessly towards their goals, rather than allowing fate (or providence) to provide in due time. As such, in contrast to the fourth terrace's constant labor, the fifth terrace would cure the Mage's Avarice by making them do nothing. To break them of their focus on earthy gains (of which, by their Avarice, they find no true satiation, defeating the joys of escaping Want) and teach them the value of Charity, the Mage must lie face down on the ground and not move. With their faces pressed to the dirt, they are made to understand how worthless base matters are. And because they must not move, not even crawl towards the exit, they are taught to quiet the spiritual restlessness that caused them to endlessly seek material rewards in the first place. (It's not coincidental that being made to lie patiently for extended periods usually has the side effect of reducing that which the Mage possessed on Earth when they return, as finances and political positions are difficult to maintain when the Mage is absent). The ground shakes beneath the Mage's body after a time, signalling that they've done sufficient penance and may leave.

All around the figures that lie prone on the ground are statues and murals depicting Avarice. Figures like Midas, Pygmalion, Crassus, and even more recent figures like John Blunt. Also events, such as the sale of his daughter into marriage by Charles II of Naples to an elderly and disreputable man, or the condemnation of the Knights Templar by Philip IV of France in order to alleviate the latter's debts (the presence of this event in the terrace is a comfort to Templar Mages, though a cold one; a Templar Mage only finds himself in this Realm if they commit much the same sins as brought their own order to ruin).

[Bluecho]

...Cont.

171) Sixth Terrace [Gluttony]: A corrective place for those Mages who indulge too heavily in food, drink, or other consumables, and rely on magick to do the same. Summoning a banquet can do it, as can turning water into wine. Gluttony displays a marked obsession with bodily comforts, a sin not just for its excesses (and the problems that arise thereof), but for the degree to which the Mage ceases to so much enjoy those comforts, as be dependent on them. Unsurprisingly, members of the Cult of Ecstasy often find themselves on this terrace, resulting from abusing drink and drug. Their tools were never meant to be crutches, let alone addictions. Some in the Sahajiya consider this realm an extreme, but ultimately beneficial, rehabilitation method.

The terrace of Gluttony hosts a grove of trees, from whose branches grow fruit, roasted animal dishes, bottles of booze, and assorted narcotics and medicines. All of which grow well out of reach of even the tallest person. The trunks of the trees are impossible to climb, and the branches move up on the off chance a grasping hand reaches close. Those consigned to this purgatory are forced to understand the value of Temperance, as they are made to see, but never touch, the substances vital for life (and the drugs). They never perish, but the hunger, thirst, and shakes persist. While a Mage who returns to Earth is likely to feast, they hopefully gain a new appreciation for their meal and drink. Those with drug addictions must suffer until they push through the pain of withdrawal; if they are strong, they'll use the ordeal as a lesson, and not return to their old ways.

Many of the trees grow in the shapes of centaurs or men, harking back to the Battle of Centaurs and Lapiths, which was instigated over abuse of drink.



172) Seventh Terrace [Lust]: Magick for love - or more appropriately lust - are punished here. Love potions, mind control, appearance enhancement, and dream invasion (for the purposes of seduction) display a rank obsession with carnal desire, and a sore disrespect for the feelings of others. If a Mage only thinks of another person in terms of how they can gratify the Mage's urges, it is easy for them to reduce them, in their minds, to mere Objects, instead of rational and emotional actors like themselves. Those for whom lust is the driving motivation behind magick are also drawn to the terrace, as are magicks used to aid infidelity. Verbana, for whom love potions and amphrodesiacs, and all manner of such arts are commonplace, can find their way to this terrace. While sex and sexuality are natural parts of human existence, for everything there is a season, and there is such a thing as too much of a good thing.

For those who allow their passions to burn bright, only one cure suffices: jumping through a wall of fire. Chastity and Fidelity are the order of the day, as the Mage is made to learn to control their emotions, and do the right thing (despite the pain). Some consider this a harsh punishment, but no one ever said that Paradox - or purification - was a pleasant process. Between walls of flame, the terrace is littered with murals depicting disastrous romances and affairs. The deaths of Romeo and Juliet, the affair of Sir Lancelot and Lady Guinevere that results in King Arthur's demise, and the Trojan War starting because Paris chose Aphrodite for the golden apple (in exchange for Helen), among others.

[Crowley]

one of my pc's (Virtual Adept. Gamer Paradigm. MMORPG Paradigm) has earn her first permadox flaw..but im still thinking what effect could it be. any ideas?. she teleported two mages to a room (she considers that every place where she is, is part of her 'server' and she sees herself as an administrator. which would fit with her paradigm )