The Nine Spheres
Spheres represent the divisions of the Arts as the nine “Pillars of Creation”.
The nine spheres and the fields they control are as follows:
Sphere Field
Correspondence The element of connection between apparently different things.
Entropy The principle of chance, fate and mortality.
Forces The understanding of elemental energies.
Life The mysteries of life and death.
Matter The principles behind supposedly “inanimate” objects.
Mind The potentials of consciousness.
Prime An understanding of the Primal Energy within all things.
Spirit Comprehension of Otherworldly forces and inhabitants.
Time The strange workings of chronological forces and perceptions.
Each mage has a particular Affinity Sphere that often manifests during the Awakening, but can
also express itself in the interests and personality of a mage.
Awakened and Sleepers
Every human being has a single spark of potential. Most people do not know they have this, do not
care, and want to get on with their lives as if it did not exist (Sleepers). Some people though,
figure out what that spark is. That spark is very important, because sometimes that potential
activates, and the normal everyday average mortal Awakens.
What does this Awakening mean? It means magical enlightenment, the power to warp reality for
any reason you see fit, in other words, becoming a “mage”.
Consensus and Paradox
The Consensus is the term used to refer to the overriding consensual reality created by the
beliefs of Sleepers.
Mages know that all humans shape the world with their wills, but Sleepers do so unconsciously -
reality is what the majority of people believe it to be. For any individual willworker to work magic,
he must force his belief on the world, fighting the billions of minds whose beliefs shape the
Consensus. Subtle or coincidental magic seeks to act in tune with the Consensus, and is thus
easier than obviously unnatural vulgar magic. When a mage contradicts the Consensus, it fights
back in the form of Paradox.
You can change reality to suit your whims. So can they. You want to fly. They do not believe you
can.
This conflict in belief between you and everyone else can cause your magic to go haywire, cause
physical damage to you and the area around you, or even manifest as a sentient entity, intent on
making you pay for breaking the Laws of the Consensus.
Coincidental vs Vulgar Magic
A magical effect that fits within the local Consensus and could be dismissed as coincidence.
Coincidental magic does not incur paradox.
Examples of coincidental magic:
A ricochet off of a nearby pipe happens to hit the target
A jet of flame shooting out from a nearby gas pipe
An old man has an unexpected heart attack.
Each of these effects could be coincidental, or could be the work of a will worker. By design and
definition, coincidental magic can't be distinguished from coincidence.
Vulgar magic, by contrast, is obviously not coincidence. Stopping a bullet in mid air, hurling a
fireball from an open palm, or draining the life from a healthy person with a touch, are all vulgar
effects that incur paradox.
Quintessence
Quintessence is the raw material of reality, and is the "fuel" a mage has in their system to cast
magic. It is what flows through the patterns of reality and what makes magic possible. Mages can
use it to temporary boost their powers or chances to succeed with magic.
Being the primal force, quintessence can not truly be divided, measured, or contained. A small
amount it is naturally generated by mages themselves, but it can also be absorbed at a node: a
natural wellspring of quintessence where the line between the two worlds (the spiritual and the
material ones) is thinner than elsewhere.
Paradox can stick on mages and prevent them from absorb or generate quintessence, cause it
can cancel quintessence as they are opposite.
Using Magic
Casting a spell is as difficult as the complexity or power of the desired outcome.
Only a single effect can be achieved with a spell, the more vulgar it is, the harder it becomes.
There are different ways to use magic, some more efficient than others:
Spontaneous Magic: The most common method—thinking about a desired effect and
manifesting it immediately.
Prepared Magic: Requires proper preparation, using full concentration and/or additional
external aids.
Collaborative Magic: Multiple individuals combine their strengths to compensate for
weaknesses or achieve stronger effects.
Ritual Magic: By performing a structured ritual, alone or in a group, one can achieve
precise and enhanced results.
Various external aids can be used to enhance magical abilities:
Tools (personal/familiar instruments, unique instruments, personal item (sympathetic) etc.)
Additional time
Quintessence
Knowledge
Proximity to a Node