Rain, again. Orchid knew what that meant. Fate, calling to him, pulling at him like so many strings. Each droplet of water was a needle, and his skin was the canvas. This time around, someone else was pulling the strings, though. It had all started since he'd taken out Sam over that keystone. That had opened up a bit of a power vacuum. No, who was he kidding? The vacuum had been fucking huge. The Orders hadn't let it rest since that night, even with a lich breathing down their neck.
Orchid ran his thumb over the stopwatch in his coat pocket, tried to make time and fate bend back to him, and pushed into the saloon. Gunfire erupted almost immediately, each staccato of lead literally guided by the sender's will, and then he was dead.
That was nearly 80 years ago.Welcome to Crow's Landing, circa 2012. It's a fairly large city, located on a fairly large island somewhere off the coast of Maine. Used to be a stop for sailors, and it's still a bit of a fishing community. You can find all sorts, here: Junkies looking for their next hit, cops on the lookout for said junkies, fishermen trying to catch their next drink, vodun practitioners fleeing New Orleans and their rivals, willworkers seeking the answers to the universe, warlocks trying to build up the powerbase of one of the many shattered mystic orders. All sorts.
You will take the role of a Mage, one of the Awakened. What you do with your abilities is up to you. Do you seek control over the city? Or simply knowledge of the universe? Do you try to strengthen your abilities, or hide them and slowly slip back to sleep among the mortal flock? These choices, and more, are yours.
Setting Information(Info in italics courtesy of
here, or in the M:tA sourcebooks)
The OrdersThrough conflict one purges weakness and becomes greater than one could imagine. Claiming descent from the Ungula Draconis (or "Claw of the Dragon") of Atlantis, members of the Arrow say that their Order arose from the Exiles who protected the shards of fallen Atlantis. Carrying both weapons that brought death and instruments that created life. Members of the Adamantine arrow follow the Adamant Way which encourages strength and adaptability. The name Adamantine refers to the durability of the order's resolve and illustrious shine of their honor.
The Adamantine Arrow of Crow's Landing has been greatly devastated by war between the orders and various outside groups for control of Crow's Landing. It is presently very weak and in need of a leader, just like the others.
Modernists in every sense of the word, the Free Council claims neither ancient texts nor links to the ancient island of Atlantis. Instead they forge ahead feeling that Sleepers have touched on the supernal through modern ideas, science and technology. By learning these ideas the Free Council hopes to change the face of magic and revitalize it for the modern age.
The Free Council of Crow's Landing has been greatly devastated by war between the orders and various outside groups for control of Crow's Landing. It is presently very weak and in need of a leader, just like the others.
The Guardians of the Veil are the sons and daughters of Visus Draconis (or "Eye of the Dragon") and serve as enforcers, secret police and spies for the Lex Magica and Concilii that hold to its tenets. Often times social pariahs, they are considered by Awakened society to be assassins. The guardians seek to keep the Diamond Wheel (their vision of the sacred path of creation) moving, whole, safe, and in balance; with this in mind they may make the sacrifices other Orders are simply unwilling to make so that all may fulfill the true destiny of magic.
The Guardians of the Veil of Crow's Landing has been greatly devastated by war between the orders and various outside groups for control of Crow's Landing. It is presently very weak and in need of a leader, just like the others.
Lore masters who hold (or seek) all the keys to all the doors, the Mysterium seeks out knowledge for its own sake. The Mysterium comes from the remains of Alae Draconis (or Dragon's Wing), the research and development branch of Atlantean society. Now they seek to reclaim the lost lore of the world and remember the lessons of fallen Atlantis. (Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it.)
The Mysterium of Crow's Landing has been greatly devastated by war between the orders and various outside groups for control of Crow's Landing. It is presently very weak and in need of a leader, just like the others.
Someone needs to guide and lead those who cannot lead themselves, and the Silver Ladder rises to the challenge. Basing themselves in the various groups of Atlantean priests and viziers collectively known as Vox Draconis (Dragon's Voice), the Silver Ladder does not lead as Kings but as the enlightened among the masses. They follow the Elemental Precepts which states that the Awakened must be united and that magic is the right of all humans who live.
The Silver Ladder of Crow's Landing has been greatly devastated by war between the orders and various outside groups for control of Crow's Landing. It is presently very weak and in need of a leader, just like the others.
Ruling Arcana
Time and Fate
Inferior Arcanum
Forces
Favored Resistance Attribute:
Composure
Acanthus is a magical path whose ruling Arcana are Fate and Time. Mages on this Path are also known as the Enchanters on the Path of Thistle, Scions of the Watchtower of the Lunargent Thorn in the Realm of Arcadia, Kingdom of Enchantment and Abode of the Fae and the realm of illusion, enchantment and constant change. They are characterised by their Awakened companions as flighty, reckless and irresponsible. Using the arcana of Time and Fate allows the Acanthus to sidestep the setbacks and perils that many other Awakened and all Sleepers must endure or overcome. While this can be to the mage's benefit, it can also be detrimental to his/her development. They fail to remember that we learn more through our failures then our triumphs. They seem to rely overmuch on themselves - their uncanny timing and luck. Since theirs is the Arcana of foresight and fortune, this open-minded attitude serves them better than it does most; however they are at times impatient, lack the ability to plan properly, and because of that they often lead into strife by their refusal to plan ahead.
Ruling Arcana
Mind and Space
Inferior Arcanum
Matter
Favored Resistance Attribute:
Resolve
The Mastigos or Warlocks, are who gain their magical power from the realm of Pandemonium, the Realm of Demons, nightmares, and punishment. Mastigos have a reputation for being deceptive, manipulative, and evil, and in some cases, this reputation is fully deserved. However, many Warlocks take great pains to remain on the path of virtue and as many more are as difficult to categorise as simply good or evil as anyone else. Many Mastigos believe that they function in a Darwinian role, exposing the weaknesses of their fellow mages, that these mages may improve themselves. This sounds callous to outsiders, but the quest for ascension, any weakness unknown to the mage may be exploited by their enemies, so it is best to expose and remove as many of one's weaknesses as possible.
Ruling Arcana
Death and Matter
Inferior Arcanum
Spirit
Favored Resistance Attribute:
Composure
The first thing being a Moros teaches you is there is no good or evil in death. In this universe a good man will die as soon as a wicked man. It rains upon the head of a wicked man, the same as a good man. Death is the great leveller, as the song says 'You may be a king or just a street sweeper, sooner or later you'll dance with the Reaper.' The Moros specialise in the Arcana of Death and Matter, and suffer penalties when trying to learn the Arcanum of Spirit.
Ruling Arcana
Forces and Prime
Inferior Arcanum
Death
Favored Resistance Attribute:
Resolve
The Obrimos often called Theurgists, are the of the awakened who draw their power from the Realm of Aether, the realm of angels, gods, and magic unbound. The Obrimos are mostly thought in terms of arrogant, self-absorbed zealously moralistic. Indeed, a great many of those who walk the Path of the Mighty live up to this stereotype perfectly. Many, however are of a far more pleasant bent. They can be virtuous paladins, stalwart defenders of mankind, simply people who wish to do the right thing by other people. yet more are as morally indefinable as anybody else. Though they don't all believe in the same god or gods, and many don't believe in such entities at all, the Obrimos path as a whole is devoted to making the will of the Divine manifest on Earth.
Ruling Arcana
Life and Spirit
Inferior Arcanum
Mind
Favored Resistance Attribute:
Composure
The Thyrsus are a magical path whose ruling Arcana are Life and Spirit, and suffer penalties when trying to learn the Arcanum of Mind. They are also known as the Shamans on the Path of Ecstasy, Scions of the Watchtower of the Stone Book in the Realm of the Primal Wild, Kingdom of Totems and Abode of Beasts. Their theme is Instinct, their mood is Passion, and their Tarot card The Moon.
Rules and JunkIf it isn't obvious yet: We'll be using the New World of Darkness ruleset. Sanctum & Sigil, Block by Bloody Block, and Damnation City will likely all see heavy use. Please keep your character sheet private.
You do not need to know the rules to play.Character CreationYou have 2 Options when Joining this Game:
1) If you have access to the
New World of Darkness rulebook, you can make your own character. You do not start with any experience points. Naturally, you are a Mage.
2) You may answer the below questionaire, and wait until I get around to making your character sheet for you. It might be a while, and it sure as hell won't be optimized, so I'd seriously advise you to access the rulebooks somehow.
1. Describe the concept behind your character in a sentence.
2. Pick a Path
3. Pick an Order, if you want to be in one
4. Pick one of the seven deadly sins
5. Pick one of the seven virtues (Charity, Faith, Fortitude, Hope, Justice, Prudence, Temperance)
6. Describe your character's appearance. Are they short? Tall? Thin? Fat? Attractive? Butt ugly?
7. Describe your character's skillsets in one (1) paragraph.
8. Please write your character's biography in no more than 3 paragraphs.
-You can't be anything other than a mage, unless we discuss it in length, first. So maybe consider most other books out of the question.
-Dudes of Legend. Sorry
Miscellany Rules-Proper spelling and grammar are a must. Do NOT make me post three full updates from my iPod just to prove to you that it isn't that hard.
-Similarly, proper formatting is also incredibly important. Kthx.
-If we need to wait more than two updates for you to post, then the scene you're in automatically ends. Probably in a way that is negative for you.
-In order to prevent burn-out of myself: If you try to do something which is
completely fucking stupid, or you are just stupid in general, I will ignore your posts. There will be no warning. I'm not dealing with the sort of dude who thinks it's plausible to randomly start shooting cops, this time around.
Finally, a message from our GM:
Hey there, folks. It's me again, and I've brought company!
Why yes, it's another sandbox-styled game for me to eventually burn out on. But don't worry, he's brought along a few rules so that, hopefully, it will take me a while before that happens. In the meantime, you're probably wondering what happened to that sweet little number who I introduced a few of you to last month? Starship Echo? Well, it turns out she stopped accepting your calls. Said something about packing up and moving off to become a short story in the big city. Best just to forget about her, man, it's a big sea and there are lots of other sci-fi fish out there.
In any case, the focus of this game will be both broad and focused. I'd like to see you all, y'know, work together (or not), and interact with one another from the get-go. Assume that there aren't a lot of other mages in Crow's Landing. In fact, outside of a few rare NPCs to flesh out each order, the only ones are probably PCs at this point!
There may or may not be a definitive plot, eventually, but I can guarantee you all that the sandbox element will not go away.
Author
Topic: The Crow's Landing Cabals (A Sandbox Game) (Read 834 times)