Date: Wed, 5 Mar 2003 20:31:34 -0800 (PST)
From: Liam Barnes <pagangamer@yahoo.com>
Subject: The Awakening: Lexicon

<As usual, the normal legal deferments apply here. Mage and the World of
Darkness and all items there in belong to White Wolf Game Studio. This work
is in no ways a challenge to their copy right.>

Sorry that it has been so long since I have written. I have finally gotten
a place to live and am settling nicely. I am almost finished with Chapter 7
of the series, which finally gives a bit of what is Really going on, and
just what Andrew and Marcus have stumbled into.

This here is just something to help those not familiar with the Mage
universe understand some of the terms I tend to let fly during the story,
yet never get around to explaining.

Thanks again for all of the letters of encouragement. I really love to hear
from you all, and it lets me know that I'm not humiliating myself too badly
by publishing the story on the web. Please feel free to give your thoughts
on the story (good or bad, I can handle constructive criticism). As always,
Flames will not necessarily be taken seriously. If you have a problem with
what I write, either don't read it, or give a clear reason why, and maybe
I'll share why I choose to write it the way I did. ^_^

Love Liam



Lexicon of Terms


Acolyte: a non-Awakened servitor of a mage.

Arete: the measure of a mage's magickal enlightenment and will.

Ascension: the enlightened state of being to which all mages aspire.

Ascension War, The: an ongoing conflict between mage factions, with the
future of reality as the prize. Actually a series of conflicts, ranging
from subtle maneuvering to appalling violence. Seen by most mages as having
been lost due to mankind's own state of apathy. The Technocracy is seen as
the winner by default.

Arcane: an innate mystickal veil possessed by some mages which guards their
identities. Sometimes referred to as the Gandalf Effect, as mages
possessing this seem to disappear when note looked at, and reappear at
convenient times.

Avatar: a spirit shard, said by some to be a fragment of the Pure Ones who
originally inhabited the Tellurian. An Awakened Avatar enables a mage to
perform magick.

Awakened, The: True Mages; also applied to other supernatural creatures -
werecreatures, ghosts, changelings, mummies and vampires.

Awakening, The: the moment in which one realizes, mind, body, heart and
soul, the reality of magick and one's own destiny.

Branding: a punishment in which a mage has her Avatar marked.

Cabal: a group of mages bound to each other by loyalty and a common
purpose.

Caern: a node controlled by werewolves.

Censure: a common mild punishment among mages, similar to parole.

Chantry: the stronghold of a mage or cabal. On earth, this may be a normal
building or a magickally fortified and enhanced structure. Their
mundane places are often located on Nodes and connected to strongholds in
the Umbra. Technomancer Chantries are called Constructs, while Nephandi
refer to their strong holds as Labyrinths.

Coincidental Magickal: magick performed in such a fashion that it is
effectively indistinguishable from a mundane event.

Convention: one of five groups of mages that form the Technocracy and
enforce its policies. The Conventions are; Iteration X, the Syndicate,
the Progenitors, the New World Order and the Void Engineers.

Council; Council of Nine: the collective name for the Nine Mystick
Traditions and the federation they have formed. The Technocratic
equivalent is the Union.

Craft: when used as a title, this denotes mystick societies who play no
part in the Ascension War. They rarely refer to themselves as such.

Custos: a non-mage who works for or with a cabal as a servant or
warrior. A modern custos may be anything from a rent-a-cop to a gang
member to a mythical creature.

Deep Umbra: the aspects of the Umbra found beyond the Horizon, far from
Earth. The Shard Realms are scattered throughout the Deep Umbra.
Called the Deep Universe by the Technocracy.

Demon: enigmatic beings of evil intent and disputed origin.

Dream Realms: worlds created out of old dreams kept alive by the Oneira,
the Dream Lords. Also called Maya.

Dynamic Reality: reality in flux. It may be changed quickly through
vulgar magick, slowly through coincidental magick, or gradually through the
normal flow of worldly events.

Familiar: a spirit that has taken on flesh through a compact with a mage.

Focus: an object, action or gesture required to perform magick. Foci
vary with belief, from mage to mage and paradigm to paradigm. A
Technomancer focus is often called an apparatus or device.

Gaia: a common name for the Earth Mother; also used by some
nature-conscious mysticks to personify the Earth and its Near Umbra.

Gate: a temporary magickal "bridge" between two places.Frequently
created at Nodes. See Portal.

Gauntlet, The: a mystickal barrier between the Earth and the Near Umbra.

Gilgul: the destruction of a mage's ability to work magick by removing or
destroying his avatar. This is the most horrible crime or punishment
possible, as it essentially takes away the mage's soul.

Hedge Magician, Hedge Wizard: an un-Awakened mortal who uses a static craft
to affect minor changes in reality. See magic.

Hollow Ones: an Orphan group that embraces post-modern decay and Gothic
romanticism in response to the apparent failure of both. Though they
often work with Tradition mages, they are not, as of yet, taken very
seriously.

Horizon, The: the magickal barrier separating the Near Umbra from the Deep
Umbra.

Horizon Realms: small pockets of custom-made reality; artificial Realms on
the border between the Near Umbra and Deep Umbra. Umbral Chantries are
built within them, and earthly Chantries connect to them by way of Portals
and Gates.

Hubris: the overwhelming (and often fatal) pride which leads mages into
overconfidence or excess. Monumental hubris guides the Technocracy and
lies at the heart of the Ascension War.

Incarna: greater spirits; the servants of the Celestine. For all
intents and purposes, a demigod.

Initiation: a combined test and ceremony that marks a person's transition
from apprentice to mage among the Traditions.

Mage, True Mage: an Awakened person whose actions and beliefs dramatically
alter the reality around her. Used commonly to refer to followers of
Mystick Traditions, this term properly applies to all users of True
Magick. Also called willworkers, for their command of reality through
will; magi after the old form; and mysticks for their command of magick.

Magic: stage tricks, illusions, etc. Also refers to static magic,
which works with the momentum of reality, rather then reworking reality by
force of will.

Magick, True Magick: the act of dynamically altering reality through force
of will, knowledge and Awakened Avatar.

Marauder: an utterly unpredictable mage so given over to eternal change
that he is essentially a magick psychotic.

Metaphysic Trinity: a council view of the three forces of change- Stasis,
Dynamism, and Entropy. Also known by some as the Triat- Weaver, Wyld
and Wyrm.

Methodology: a sub-group of a Technocratic Convention, which specializes in
a certain function.

Mystick: those things which involve the forces of True Magick.

Near Umbra: the part of the spirit world that exists around each Realm.
Most often used to describe the area of the Umbra that surrounds the Earth.

Nephandus, Nephandi: a mage who follows the Path of Descent, choosing
darkness over light. Many Nephandi work closely with demons.

Node: a highly magickal place. Nodes collect and store Quintessence,
and the Gauntlet in their vicinity is thinner. Many Chantries, Gates
and Portals are built on these sites.

Oracle: one of the legendary mages who has attained mystick perfection.

Orphans: sleepers who have Awakened spontaneously without the assistance or
guidance of other mages. They have taught themselves magick, and are
often consider dangerous wild cards.

Ostracism: a punishment that completely divorces a mage from Tradition
society.

Otherworlds: collective term for the realms outside the Gauntlet.

Paradox: an anomalous state of reality caused when a mage disrupts the
momentum of reality with her own magickal acts.

Paradox Realm: a small Realm created by Paradox spirits to entrap a mage
and thus prevent any further disruptions of reality.

Paradox Spirit: a spirit formed from the collective beliefs of
humanity. Mages who are careless or unlucky with their magick in front
of Sleepers will find themselves hunted by these spirits.

Path: a general term for a mage's chosen destiny.

Pattern: the mystical composition of an object, entity, place or idea.

Procedures: what Technocracy mages call their magickal Effects.

Pure Ones: the legendary primordial beings of the Tellurian. Many mages
believe that all Avatars are fragments of these shattered entities.

Pogrom, The: the systematic purge of all opposition ("random elements") by
the Technocracy.

Portal: a permanent Gate. Portals are usually guarded by powerful
spirits that require a task to be performed or a puzzle to be solved before
they will allow safe passage.

Prime: the original unified force that composes the universe. All
things flow from this primordial energy.

Protocols, The: a code of honor established by the Traditions to prevent
abuses of power. Violation of this code is punishable by censure,
branding, ostracism, death or Gilgul.

Quiet: a state of insanity caused by the excessive use of magick.

Quintessence: the stuff of magick; the raw substance of the universe in
condensed form. See Tass.

Realms: the worlds of "solid" reality that exists within the Tellurian.

Resonance: the mystick traces that actions leave behind.

Rote: a tried and true magickal Effect, passed down as a tool or weapon.

Seeking: a mage's Avatar-guided quest for enlightenment.

Shade Realm: the Umbral "shadow" of a Shard Realm.

Shard Realm: one of nine Realms said to have been part of Gaia in ages
past. They roughly correspond to the other planets (including Luna) and
the nine spheres of magick. Each is ruled by Celestine.

Sleeper: a person potentially capable of magick, but not yet aware of its
existence.

Sphere: a particular element of reality manipulated by mages. The Council
recognizes nine Spheres; Correspondence, Entropy, Forces, Life, Matter,
Mind, Prime, Spirit and Time. Each Tradition has its own terms and
definition for these categories, but use these terms as a `common tongue.'
The Technocracy uses the same terms, except for Spirit, which they refer to
as Dimensional Science.

Static Reality: the foreword momentum of reality, often guided by the deeds
and beliefs of humanity. Magick, by its dynamic nature, disrupts static
reality to some degree. The parameters of static reality have, in
recent centuries, become more restrictive due to a single global paradigm
(belief system) espoused by the Technocracy.

Symposium: monthly meeting of the Technocracy. At these meeting
members of the Conventions gather to make policy.

Tass: Quintessence stored in physical form. It tends to collect in
Nodes and takes various forms based on its surroundings- i.e., mushrooms at
a wooded caern, water from a specific spring or magickal garbage mold at an
urban Node.

Talisman: an object that stores Quintessence and uses it to create a
specific magickal effect- i.e., magick carpets, wishing wells or etheric
ray guns. Technocratic Talismans are called Devices.

Tapestry, The: a metaphor for reality.

Technocracy, The: a ruthless and powerful group of mages that seeks to
eliminate the harmful elements of reality, thus making it safe for
humanity. Their magick, based on scientific principle, conforms and
shapes modern reality- to a point. This group will not be satisfied
until all possibilities lie within its control (see Pogrom). Also
called the Technocratic Union.

Tellurian: the whole of reality.

Tradition: one of the Nine Mystick Traditions, a Council formed in the
1400s to oppose the Technocracy, resist the radical changes of the
Marauders and fight the evil of the Nephandi. There are the Akashic
Brotherhood, Celestial Chorus, Cult of Ecstasy, Dreamspeakers, Euthanatos,
Order of Hermes, Sons of Ether, Verbena and Virtual Adepts.

Tribunal: a gathering of Council mages to discuss matters important to the
Traditions; usually held in times of strife.

Umbra: the spirit world (actually a series of worlds) outside the material
one.

Umbrood: any non-human not born or created on Earth. This includes both
the spirits that roam the Umbra and the inhabitants of other Realms.

Vulgar Magick: this is the fireball-and-lightning kind of magick, visible
as such to normal observers. Vulgar magick takes static reality and
tears it out by the roots.

Wyck: a common name for the original magi; supposedly descended from the
Pure Ones.



Titles

Adept: a mage with a fair degree of aptitude and power.

Apprentice: a mage who has not yet been initiated into a Tradition. Not
typically applied to Orphans.

Bani: a Council honorific meaning "Of the House of^Å." Used in
formal titles, like "Nightshade bani Verbena." Not in common use.

Barabbi: a mage who renounces her former loyalties to follow the dark Path
of the Nephandi.

Bygone: a mythic beast that has abandoned its physical form for an
Otherworldly one.

Celestine: the greatest of the spirits, equal in power to the ancient gods;
said to rule the Shard Realms.

Consor: a mage's powerful ally; not a mage, but of comparable ability.

Deacon: a common name for the founding member of a well-established
Chantry.

Disciple: the lowest rank among the Tradition mages. Disciples can
perform magick and have joined a Tradition.

Errant: a vengeful mage whose Chantry and cabal have been destroyed.
Errants are frequently shunned by other mages.

Fellow: a full member of a Chantry, but not a founding member and therefore
of lower status then its Deacons.

Garou: the term that werewolves use for themselves (also used by mages who
want their respect).

Guardian: a term some Council mages use to indicate the "challenging"
aspect of the Avatar, who pits a Seeking mage against herself to advance
her Arete.

Kindred: the term that vampires use for themselves.

Lord: an Umbrood spirit; less powerful then an Incarna but more powerful
then either Preceptors or Minions.

Master: a mage of great power and ability.

Mentor: one mage who teaches another.

Minion: one of the least powerful Umbrood spirits.

Pedagogue: a Hermetic tutor of great fame, usually quite powerful and
surrounded by students.

Preceptor: an Umbrood spirit that is less powerful then a Lord, but still
more powerful then a Minion.

Primus: "First One;" used to refer to the founders of the Traditions and
their living representatives at the Council. Also used to indicate
Chantry founders.

Rogue: a renegade mage turned mercenary.

Sentinel: one of the guardian mages of a large Chantry; not typically a
member herself.

Technomancer: a mage whose magick revolves around some scientific
principle. Often used to describe mages of the Technocracy, the term
properly applies to Virtual Adepts and Sons of Ether as well.

Tutor: mages who have become known as proficient teachers. They are
highly regarded by other mages.



Old Form

Certamen: a magickal, non-lethal duel between Council mages.

Curtain, The: the reality in which most Sleepers believe; when a Sleeper is
Awakened, she is brought "through" the Curtain and sees that things are not
truly as they seem.

Fallen One: a Nephandus.

Grog: a familiar form of custos.

Magus: a mage.

Postulant: a mage who serves the Oracles, trying to gain admittance to
their ranks.

Turb: a group of Grogs, used as one would use a "pride" of lions or a
"murder" of crows.

Vis: Quintessence.



Vulgar Argot (slang)

Black Hats & Mirrorshades: the Technocracy, taken from the traditional
uniform of the Men in Black Methodology of the New World Order.

Bloodwork: any magick that requires a tremendous amount of effort and
involves risk to life and limb. Also, Verbena magick.  Copperfield:
slang for a mage adept at performing vulgar magick in plain sight.

Crystal Wavers: "New Agers" who have no idea what true magick is, but
capitalize on it anyway; charlatans. Occasionally used as an insult to
the Dreamspeakers.

Doxed: a mage who accumulates a lot of Paradox is said to be doxed.

Dram: one Tass of Quintessence.

Faust: a mage who bargains excessively with spirits, especially dangerous
ones.

Freak: a dangerously insane mage; often applied to Marauders and Nephandi.

Fry: to attack someone with magick, specifically with the sphere of Forces.

Goin' Satanic: joining the Nephandi.

Greyface: a Technomancer, taken from the Principia Discordia. Describes
any mage or scientist who focuses on conformity.

Juice: Quintessence.

Merlin: an old mage, especially one who very rarely visits Earth anymore.

Mundane: a normal human; a Sleeper.

Nuke: what Paradox spirits do to those they attack.

Pit Bulls: werewolves; considered derogatory.

Technobabble: a derogatory term for the propaganda and inflexible magick
used by the Conventions. Sometimes used against members of the Sons of
Ether and Virtual Adepts.

Wyld & Fried: an insane mage; often applied to Marauders.