Chapter Five: Born of Two Worlds
Repentant_Dragos
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Chapter Five: Born of Two Worlds
"To be a Mage is to have seen the Supernal Realms, the underlying truth behind Reality, the meta-concepts which in turn form the higher 'Root' which is the foundation of this world," the Magus giving us a tour around the Mage Consilium's prime meeting spot. "You may know this already, have seen it for yourselves when you Awakened, but it is important to stress this: We Mages have seen metaphysical truth for ourselves. Other supernaturals have their own perspectives and otherworlds and those are not entirely invalid, but they are parts of a much greater whole."
Right now, all I could think of was, I know this already from the game books, and This guy looks like Wodime from FGO.
Originally Kirstachia Wodime from Fate/Grand Order.
Of course, the name he gave was 'Prometheus', and he had introduced himself further as a 'Magister of the Silver Ladder's American Convocation', marking him as of very high rank in the Order of the Silver Ladder, which in turn was the most elitist of the five Pentacle Orders, yet at the same time, voted to allow the fifth Order, the Free Council, to join the 'Diamond' (the previous conglomeration of Orders) in order to form a united front against the Seers.
As he led us and Erisse toward the Consilium's meeting hall, 'Prometheus' said, "Note by the way that the existence of a world in which the 'Chronicles of Darkness' are fictional and most of our deepest secrets are well-known does irk many members of my Order and others who claim that it undermines the entire philosophy of Magic. So make sure to be tactful when bringing up your Reincarnations from that universe."
He then smiled warmly at us and spoke as we reached the large oaken door which led to the meeting hall, "After you've been introduced to the various high-ranking Mages of the Consilium, I'll also give you a refresher on the Silver Ladder's philosophies so that you can compare them with the Free Council's; who knows, maybe I can debunk some myths and misperceptions…"
-------
The meeting hall was, in fact, a covert convention center hidden within the depths of a five-star hotel, a convention center that legally existed and was paid for but was never used by those unaware of the Supernatural. It had a stage, a podium, seats, and well, all that boring stuff. Oh, and a buffet close to the side, which is great as I'm hungry.
Honestly, maybe I should skip the internal description of how we were introduced before the assembled Magi of Infinity City; it was a chore anyway.
Yes, someone can make a meeting between Magi who can shoot fireballs boring, okay?
-------
Brodime Prometheus' lecture, with Erisse accompanying him, was much more entertaining and worthy of record, with Prometheus creating a whiteboard made up of pure, congealed Mana (Tass, which is also a term used in the other Mage, Mage the Ascension) while Erisse just took out a mundane erasable marker and began writing on it.
"All right," Prometheus said in a warmer, softer tone which nevertheless echoed through the small room which had been reserved for the four of us beforehand, "Let us begin; how much do you know of the Silver Ladder from your previous incarnations?"
His eyes and posture were relaxed, in a way that made him look more like a dork than a properly elegant and refined man even as he held a cane with a top of pure electrum and used it as a pointer.
I raised my hand like the dutiful schoolboy I am (of course it was difficult not to cringe internally, I probably looked too eager and ridiculous in that respect) and said, "Well, to summarize, the Silver Ladder are descended from the alleged Priest-Kings of Atlantis, the ancient civilization of Awakened that most Magi claim their heritage from, and believe that Mages should lead Humanity but all Humans should be Mages and that the difference between them and the Seers of the Throne, their enemy, is that they want the entire Human race to be 'uplifted'... Under their leadership."
Prometheus chuckled at that and said, "Well...you aren't wrong, but the phrasing you've decided to use...It draws a clear line between 'us' and 'them'. Making the other side appear to be little more than megalomaniacs, barely removed from the Seers."
The congealed Mana which made up the whiteboard began forming letters that assumed a matte-black color, letters which spelled out: The Elemental Precepts of the Silver Ladder.
"Diamond; the Awakened are one Nation," Prometheus spoke as he twirled his cane theatrically, catching the glimmer of the electric lights above, "Diamond is earth, purified and strengthened under the crucibles of fire, hardship, and time. A natural transformative process that forms the foundation of our philosophies - that Mages have a common bond, descending from the Awakened Civilization of Atlantis. They are then further united by the struggle of exaltation, guiding mankind beyond divinity."
Erisse then wrote down on the whiteboard, Drawback: The Silver Ladder believe themselves to be above all mundane laws, which is dangerous when people who hunt 'Witches' are more powerful here than they are in other versions of the setting and have technology which is equal to Magic. Or in other words, Hunters are very strong in this 'continuity'.
Prometheus nodded gravely, acknowledging the point before smiling and taking a step back, "This is valid and true, but we have more to gain than we have to lose. Dual citizenship to both mundane and magical nations is always an option, of course... Not that I have ever had to worry about such things before. Now, for the second tenet."
He cleared his throat and said, "Thunder: Imperium is the Birthright of all Humanity. No God or Metaphysical Personification of any given Concept has the right to control Human Destiny and there is no Original Sin, no deserving of the punishment levied by a Fallen World. That phrase I emphasized is in the sourcebook you've read in your previous lives, by the way, 'Mage the Awakening Second Edition', right?"
We cringed at that, considering how before we got reincarnated into the Chronicles of Darkness/New World of Darkness 2e, we did believe in some form of 'Original Sin' as it made sense to us, more so than the restrictions on who we can love.
After all, before I and Leon died the first time, we saw enough of our own world to know that Humans are not innately good and that it is as naive as a belief in any God to believe that Humans have an innate goodness that will cause them to help each other when every 'impediment' to doing so is destroyed.
This is only my personal opinion; I am not going to preach to you guys - Find your own path.
Prometheus' eyes glinted as he looked at me and Leon and said, "Point is, all Humanity has the right to Awaken and become Mages and the Silver Ladder shapes society so that more people can Awaken, become Mages, and then Ascend, retaking Reality from the Seers and the Exarchs and breaking this cycle of futility, death, and despair."
Then he gave an exaggerated sigh as he wiped his brow with the head of his cane - How impractical! - and admitted, "Note that this effort is undermined by the fact that no one knows what exactly causes people to Awaken as Mages; some people say that the 'Oracles', allegedly Atlantean Mages who defied the Exarchs and their minions, the Seers of the Throne in order to retain a presence in the Supernal Realms and keep part of Reality free, created the Watchtowers which act as a mechanism for Mages to Awaken. Of course, as a member of the Silver Ladder, I do not disbelieve in this dogma as the 'Supernal' portion of Reality is literally malleable and subject to multiple entities who can literally rewrite reality so that their intended changes were already part of the universe since their origins…"
Erisse interrupted by raising her hand and saying, "Uh-huh. Enough with the suspiciously specific denial and allow me to write down the Free Council's compatible yet competing tenet."
And she wrote down on the whiteboard: Humanity is Magical.
"By Humanity," Erisse said sternly, "I mean mundane Humanity; unawakened Humanity, in groups and as a species. Human culture, science, technology, and art already reflect the Supernal Realms, corresponding to new symbols which they themselves create in 'Supernal Reality'. Note that like the Silver Ladder, we seek to make all Humanity worthy of Ascension, but we do so not by teaching or 'leading' individual humans or groups of them but by destroying the Capital-L Lies which crush the Human soul so that all Humans, everywhere, can Awaken simultaneously in a revolution!"
Prometheus blinked and said, lightly tapping the whiteboard with his cane, "And that is not actually in opposition to our own beliefs; most of us just disdain Sleeper, aka mundane human, culture, science, and technology and that holds us back." He then made red writing appear on the whiteboard, Blood: The Sleepers Follow.
His tone turned firmer, more serious, "If Diamond is Earth and Thunder is energized Air, Blood is living Water. Sleepers are wounded by The Lie, which keeps them from becoming Mages themselves. Until we create a Utopia where everyone becomes a Mage, the Silver Ladder must lead Humanity."
He then stood aside to let Elise write the next countervailing creed of the Free Council on the whiteboard with her marker: Democracy fosters the Trurh.
"Yes, you can be skeptical," Erisse spoke as she waved her right index finger in a tut-tutting way, "But one must remember that the people using lies to get an advantage in democratic politics are those who believe in Hierarchy, and Hierarchy innately dilutes the power of the Supernal World, power shown by Humanity acting in groups, even if the Hierarchy is led by Mages. Thus, we preserve the potency of Supernal Truth by making group decisions, taking on collective responsibility, and electing temporary leaders based on current needs."
Prometheus cleared his throat and said, "Which nevertheless leaves room for cooperation as said temporary leaders are often experienced Mages."
Then with a flourish of his right hand and a twirl of his staff, the entire top section of the whiteboard turned into floating liquid mana which floated up and congealed into the glowing, blue-white words: Star: The Silver Ladder is the Path to Victory.
"The Ladder is made up of the stages of enlightenment, and all Humans have the right to select which rung they want to be on, even if it's not at the top. Despite the Free Council railing against Hierarchy, freedom means the right to choose not to be on top. Of course, this also means that the Awakened, or Mages, have the obligation to uplift Humans towards Awakening, which leads us to…"
He glanced at a faux-offended Erisse, who wrote on the bottom of the board, Destroy the Followers of the Lie.
Erisse then intoned in a solemn tone which sounded like a gothic mausoleum, "The Lie represents the hostile forces keeping Humanity from Awakening, and which forces the artificial divide between Mage and mundane Human by existing. The Seers of the Throne, our enemies, want to keep said divide existent because they are literally motivated by wealth, power, and pleasure. Note that due to the Silver Ladder being arrogant like the Seers and even making occasional common cause with them 'to save the Awakened as a people, some among us see the Silver Ladder as 'Followers of the Lie' too."
Prometheus then spoke, "Which I assume is a notion I've disabused you two of. So, I presume that you two will at least consider being part of the Silver Ladder?"
"Not me," Leon was blunt and unhesitating, "I've already chosen."
Then he turned to me and saw, in my eyes, that I was not going to share his choice.
"Daniel, please no. Don't get taken in," he implored, even as I turned to Prometheus and said:
"I will seriously consider it, yes."
I am not afraid of thinking differently from my brother. As explained by Prometheus, the Silver Ladder's creed didn't sound that bad anymore and they were one of the five Orders of Magi non-villainous PCs can choose to belong to for a reason…
"To be a Mage is to have seen the Supernal Realms, the underlying truth behind Reality, the meta-concepts which in turn form the higher 'Root' which is the foundation of this world," the Magus giving us a tour around the Mage Consilium's prime meeting spot. "You may know this already, have seen it for yourselves when you Awakened, but it is important to stress this: We Mages have seen metaphysical truth for ourselves. Other supernaturals have their own perspectives and otherworlds and those are not entirely invalid, but they are parts of a much greater whole."
Right now, all I could think of was, I know this already from the game books, and This guy looks like Wodime from FGO.
Originally Kirstachia Wodime from Fate/Grand Order.
Of course, the name he gave was 'Prometheus', and he had introduced himself further as a 'Magister of the Silver Ladder's American Convocation', marking him as of very high rank in the Order of the Silver Ladder, which in turn was the most elitist of the five Pentacle Orders, yet at the same time, voted to allow the fifth Order, the Free Council, to join the 'Diamond' (the previous conglomeration of Orders) in order to form a united front against the Seers.
As he led us and Erisse toward the Consilium's meeting hall, 'Prometheus' said, "Note by the way that the existence of a world in which the 'Chronicles of Darkness' are fictional and most of our deepest secrets are well-known does irk many members of my Order and others who claim that it undermines the entire philosophy of Magic. So make sure to be tactful when bringing up your Reincarnations from that universe."
He then smiled warmly at us and spoke as we reached the large oaken door which led to the meeting hall, "After you've been introduced to the various high-ranking Mages of the Consilium, I'll also give you a refresher on the Silver Ladder's philosophies so that you can compare them with the Free Council's; who knows, maybe I can debunk some myths and misperceptions…"
-------
The meeting hall was, in fact, a covert convention center hidden within the depths of a five-star hotel, a convention center that legally existed and was paid for but was never used by those unaware of the Supernatural. It had a stage, a podium, seats, and well, all that boring stuff. Oh, and a buffet close to the side, which is great as I'm hungry.
Honestly, maybe I should skip the internal description of how we were introduced before the assembled Magi of Infinity City; it was a chore anyway.
Yes, someone can make a meeting between Magi who can shoot fireballs boring, okay?
-------
"All right," Prometheus said in a warmer, softer tone which nevertheless echoed through the small room which had been reserved for the four of us beforehand, "Let us begin; how much do you know of the Silver Ladder from your previous incarnations?"
His eyes and posture were relaxed, in a way that made him look more like a dork than a properly elegant and refined man even as he held a cane with a top of pure electrum and used it as a pointer.
I raised my hand like the dutiful schoolboy I am (of course it was difficult not to cringe internally, I probably looked too eager and ridiculous in that respect) and said, "Well, to summarize, the Silver Ladder are descended from the alleged Priest-Kings of Atlantis, the ancient civilization of Awakened that most Magi claim their heritage from, and believe that Mages should lead Humanity but all Humans should be Mages and that the difference between them and the Seers of the Throne, their enemy, is that they want the entire Human race to be 'uplifted'... Under their leadership."
Prometheus chuckled at that and said, "Well...you aren't wrong, but the phrasing you've decided to use...It draws a clear line between 'us' and 'them'. Making the other side appear to be little more than megalomaniacs, barely removed from the Seers."
The congealed Mana which made up the whiteboard began forming letters that assumed a matte-black color, letters which spelled out: The Elemental Precepts of the Silver Ladder.
"Diamond; the Awakened are one Nation," Prometheus spoke as he twirled his cane theatrically, catching the glimmer of the electric lights above, "Diamond is earth, purified and strengthened under the crucibles of fire, hardship, and time. A natural transformative process that forms the foundation of our philosophies - that Mages have a common bond, descending from the Awakened Civilization of Atlantis. They are then further united by the struggle of exaltation, guiding mankind beyond divinity."
Erisse then wrote down on the whiteboard, Drawback: The Silver Ladder believe themselves to be above all mundane laws, which is dangerous when people who hunt 'Witches' are more powerful here than they are in other versions of the setting and have technology which is equal to Magic. Or in other words, Hunters are very strong in this 'continuity'.
Prometheus nodded gravely, acknowledging the point before smiling and taking a step back, "This is valid and true, but we have more to gain than we have to lose. Dual citizenship to both mundane and magical nations is always an option, of course... Not that I have ever had to worry about such things before. Now, for the second tenet."
He cleared his throat and said, "Thunder: Imperium is the Birthright of all Humanity. No God or Metaphysical Personification of any given Concept has the right to control Human Destiny and there is no Original Sin, no deserving of the punishment levied by a Fallen World. That phrase I emphasized is in the sourcebook you've read in your previous lives, by the way, 'Mage the Awakening Second Edition', right?"
We cringed at that, considering how before we got reincarnated into the Chronicles of Darkness/New World of Darkness 2e, we did believe in some form of 'Original Sin' as it made sense to us, more so than the restrictions on who we can love.
After all, before I and Leon died the first time, we saw enough of our own world to know that Humans are not innately good and that it is as naive as a belief in any God to believe that Humans have an innate goodness that will cause them to help each other when every 'impediment' to doing so is destroyed.
This is only my personal opinion; I am not going to preach to you guys - Find your own path.
Prometheus' eyes glinted as he looked at me and Leon and said, "Point is, all Humanity has the right to Awaken and become Mages and the Silver Ladder shapes society so that more people can Awaken, become Mages, and then Ascend, retaking Reality from the Seers and the Exarchs and breaking this cycle of futility, death, and despair."
Then he gave an exaggerated sigh as he wiped his brow with the head of his cane - How impractical! - and admitted, "Note that this effort is undermined by the fact that no one knows what exactly causes people to Awaken as Mages; some people say that the 'Oracles', allegedly Atlantean Mages who defied the Exarchs and their minions, the Seers of the Throne in order to retain a presence in the Supernal Realms and keep part of Reality free, created the Watchtowers which act as a mechanism for Mages to Awaken. Of course, as a member of the Silver Ladder, I do not disbelieve in this dogma as the 'Supernal' portion of Reality is literally malleable and subject to multiple entities who can literally rewrite reality so that their intended changes were already part of the universe since their origins…"
Erisse interrupted by raising her hand and saying, "Uh-huh. Enough with the suspiciously specific denial and allow me to write down the Free Council's compatible yet competing tenet."
And she wrote down on the whiteboard: Humanity is Magical.
"By Humanity," Erisse said sternly, "I mean mundane Humanity; unawakened Humanity, in groups and as a species. Human culture, science, technology, and art already reflect the Supernal Realms, corresponding to new symbols which they themselves create in 'Supernal Reality'. Note that like the Silver Ladder, we seek to make all Humanity worthy of Ascension, but we do so not by teaching or 'leading' individual humans or groups of them but by destroying the Capital-L Lies which crush the Human soul so that all Humans, everywhere, can Awaken simultaneously in a revolution!"
Prometheus blinked and said, lightly tapping the whiteboard with his cane, "And that is not actually in opposition to our own beliefs; most of us just disdain Sleeper, aka mundane human, culture, science, and technology and that holds us back." He then made red writing appear on the whiteboard, Blood: The Sleepers Follow.
His tone turned firmer, more serious, "If Diamond is Earth and Thunder is energized Air, Blood is living Water. Sleepers are wounded by The Lie, which keeps them from becoming Mages themselves. Until we create a Utopia where everyone becomes a Mage, the Silver Ladder must lead Humanity."
He then stood aside to let Elise write the next countervailing creed of the Free Council on the whiteboard with her marker: Democracy fosters the Trurh.
"Yes, you can be skeptical," Erisse spoke as she waved her right index finger in a tut-tutting way, "But one must remember that the people using lies to get an advantage in democratic politics are those who believe in Hierarchy, and Hierarchy innately dilutes the power of the Supernal World, power shown by Humanity acting in groups, even if the Hierarchy is led by Mages. Thus, we preserve the potency of Supernal Truth by making group decisions, taking on collective responsibility, and electing temporary leaders based on current needs."
Prometheus cleared his throat and said, "Which nevertheless leaves room for cooperation as said temporary leaders are often experienced Mages."
Then with a flourish of his right hand and a twirl of his staff, the entire top section of the whiteboard turned into floating liquid mana which floated up and congealed into the glowing, blue-white words: Star: The Silver Ladder is the Path to Victory.
"The Ladder is made up of the stages of enlightenment, and all Humans have the right to select which rung they want to be on, even if it's not at the top. Despite the Free Council railing against Hierarchy, freedom means the right to choose not to be on top. Of course, this also means that the Awakened, or Mages, have the obligation to uplift Humans towards Awakening, which leads us to…"
He glanced at a faux-offended Erisse, who wrote on the bottom of the board, Destroy the Followers of the Lie.
Erisse then intoned in a solemn tone which sounded like a gothic mausoleum, "The Lie represents the hostile forces keeping Humanity from Awakening, and which forces the artificial divide between Mage and mundane Human by existing. The Seers of the Throne, our enemies, want to keep said divide existent because they are literally motivated by wealth, power, and pleasure. Note that due to the Silver Ladder being arrogant like the Seers and even making occasional common cause with them 'to save the Awakened as a people, some among us see the Silver Ladder as 'Followers of the Lie' too."
Prometheus then spoke, "Which I assume is a notion I've disabused you two of. So, I presume that you two will at least consider being part of the Silver Ladder?"
"Not me," Leon was blunt and unhesitating, "I've already chosen."
Then he turned to me and saw, in my eyes, that I was not going to share his choice.
"Daniel, please no. Don't get taken in," he implored, even as I turned to Prometheus and said:
"I will seriously consider it, yes."
I am not afraid of thinking differently from my brother. As explained by Prometheus, the Silver Ladder's creed didn't sound that bad anymore and they were one of the five Orders of Magi non-villainous PCs can choose to belong to for a reason…
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