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Royce Tiberius Reiner
"Science is a way of talking about the universe in words that bind it to a common reality. Magic is a method of talking to the universe in words that it cannot ignore. The two are rarely compatible."
xxxxxEver since he was a boy, Royce Reiner knew he was special. His family history stretched back hundreds of years, all the way back to a little barony on medieval Bavaria. There, his forebears had been custodes to a small Covenant of House Bjornaer, charged with the defense of the land, people, and magi who occupied their keep. For generations, they had fought and bled to defend the magi's sacred places while they studied Ars Magica and searched for Ascension. Even when House Bjornaer left the Order of Hermes for the Verbenae after the Grand Convocation of 1466, the Reiner family continued their stewardship, their oaths unbroken and firm as ever.
xxxxxWhen the magi migrated westward to the New World, they brought their custodes with them. Settling in a small valley in what would one day become the state of California, they continued their rites and rituals. Royce was born into that family in the early part of the 70s. Brought up to be a protector and a warden for one of the last surviving Bjornaer magi, a powerful Verbena Lifeweaver they knew only as Nemo. To Sleeping eyes, the Reiners were looked at as a bunch of backwater hermits. Nobody really bothered them much, and that was the way they liked it. That made it easier for them to protect the sacred circle that gave Nemo much of his power.
xxxxxAs a boy, Royce was fascinated by the old stories his father and grandfather shared with him. Ingraining into him his sense of duty, to shelter and protect one of the last sources of magick in world that was leaving it behind. Once, they told him, the mighty magi worked openly among the people. But those days were long gone. The people of the world didn't want magick anymore. They didn't need it, or so they thought. But magick was still alive. It still thrived just out of sight, and it was their duty to protect it. When he was sixteen, Royce was welcomed into the sacred circle, and Nemo himself welcomed him as custos. It was the moment he'd been waiting for his entire life. But then, something happened that not even wise old Nemo could have forseen. For as Royce took his oath to defend the Mysteries, his own restless Avatar exploded into awareness. In his mind's eye, the Emperor took up his mantle of authority, crowning him with glory.
xxxxxFor the next fifteen years, Royce would undergo instruction and apprenticeship at Nemo's feet. Learning the secrets of Ars Magica, the Art of Magick. He would seek out his Heart-Beast, a mighty grizzly bear, and contemplate the Mysteries it represented. This led Royce to learning yet another secret--that one of his ancestors was a Gurahl of the Mountain Keeper tribe, a healer dedicated to defending not just the power of magick, but all of Gaia Herself.
xxxxxIn time, Royce would complete his Apprentice's Gauntlet and take his place among the Verbena as one of the last Bjornaer magi in the world. But where to go from there? It was all well and good to be a magus and part of an old family of guardians. But that wasn't going to pay the bills, and even magi needed to eat. While out hunting deer for venison, Royce ran afoul of a wildlife officer who gave him a stern talking-to (and a most annoying citation) for hunting without a license. But as uncomfortable as the encounter might have been, it also gave Royce an idea.
xxxxxLeaving the circle and Nemo's well-being in the hands of his father and grandfather, Royce moved to Silicon Valley to attend college at Stanford University. It was a challenging experience for him. He'd taken to his home-schooling lessons as a boy readily enough, but for the first time, he was going out into the world. But he knuckled down and faced the challenges with all the strength of will and determination that got him through his Apprentice's Gauntlet. In time, he completed a degree in Law Enforcement with a minor in Biology. With these in hand, he applied to California's Department of Fish and Wildlife. He was going to become a wildlife officer himself. A year later, he was sworn in as an officer of the law. Now he had the full backing of Sleeper law to help him perform his duties, as well as earn himself a decent paycheck to keep the lights on and the cupboard full.
xxxxxAnd for the last ten years, that is exactly what Royce has done. Up until now, he's been content to patrol his designated area, keeping a watchful eye out for poachers and the like. But time waits for no man, and the time is quickly approaching when he must take his place among the magi of Prospect. He also cannot escape his Gurahl heritage, and must surely face that side of himself as well. But he will not shy away from the these challenges. For he is a magus, one of the last of the Bjornaer. He is Verbena, a weaver of Life and a seeker of Mysteries. He is kin to the Gurahl, Gaia's healers. And however it must happen, his Will shall be done.
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"I am no bloodsucker's dinner. As long as they keep their distance and stay out of my woods, I'm content to let them be."
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"I deal with living things, not dead ones."
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"Their rebellion failed. If they truly had wanted to succeed, they wouldn't have."
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"I don't know who they are or where they come from. But if they're willing to keep my woods free of monsters, I don't have a problem with them."
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"What would our mission mean if we could not dream of Ascension?"
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"We are all of us mortal. But we could be so much more than that, if we wished it so."
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"I have a lot to learn about my ancestors."
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"That they seek mastery of their Selves is commendable. That they think they can do it without conflict is dangerously naive."
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"We are all made in God's image. No higher Power controls my destiny."
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"They have some interesting insights into the nature of Time. It's just a shame they waste all that potential partying like frat boys."
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"Why serve when they could command? A magus who kneels to the Powers is not worthy of the name."
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"They have a difficult duty. But for life to mean anything, it has to end. It's what makes anything about us matter."
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"We remember when House Bjornaer stood with them and founded the Order. Our tree may have branched since then, but the roots remain."
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"It's inspiring how magickal Science can be. They understand."
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"It might be easy to dismiss them as mere anarchists. But they understand the power symbols have, and were willing to turn against the Technocracy to join us. I have to give them credit for that."
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"They've been blessed. They have the Gift. The world is theirs for the taking. So what the hell is their problem? Is it really so much to ask that they grow up and not act like spoiled little brats who aren't getting their way?"
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"Let them come after me, if they dare. My Will is my own, and I kneel to no one."
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"They fired the first shot. They started the war. But they cannot kill our tree, no matter how much they wish they could replace it with machinery."
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"We prune the Tree of Life to master our Selves. They twist and mutilate it to enslave humanity. Sickening."
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"The things I treasure can't be counted. You can't put wisdom in a bank account, and there's no credit limit on true power."
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"If this world really is so hopeless, then go. Get in your starships and leave. The rest of us have work to do here."
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"They really thought that enslaving themselves to some evil thing was a good idea? They really have no clue how pathetic they are, do they?"
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"The thing that's the most frightening about Marauders is how easily it can happen to any one of us."
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- I never tried to reach
- I never tried to reach
- Your Eden
- Candles raise my desire
- Why I'm so far away
- No more meaning to my life
- No more reason to stay
- Freezing, feeling
- Breathe in, breathe in
- I'm coming back again
- As below so above and beyond I imagine
- Drawn outside the lines of reason
- Push the envelope
- Watch it bend
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- I will survive 'cause I want more
- And I will create a bigger war
- And I will rule over and give you hell
- And then you will do as I command
- I am immortal
- I have inside me blood of kings
- I have no rival
- No man can be my equal
- Take me to the future of you all
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Magick: Ars Magica
xxxxxAlthough he is a member of the Verbena Tradition, Royce's paradigm is heavily influenced by House Bjornaer's Hermetic origins. For him, magick is an Art. It is the Art--Ars Magica, the Art of Magick. It is the birthright of humanity--to understand the Mysteries of the universe, learn the Names of the Powers, and pronounce the Word that once gave shape and substance to the entire order of created things. Like his Hermetic comrades, Royce has chosen a Word for himself: Might. Representing strength, determination, and above all, power. Focusing his worldview through the Word of Might, he seeks to come into mastery of his Self, and thereby, Ascend. However, like the Verbena to which he belongs, he understands that the path to mastery lies in understanding the Pulse of Life. House Bjornaer's motto is "Potentia super ipso potentia super aliis." Power over self is power over others. By mastering the Art of Magick, by mastering himself, body and soul, Royce hopes to find his way to Ascension.
Quintessence and Paradox: Vis and Perfidia
xxxxxMagick is not static. It is fluid. It is dynamic. It moves and changes, as mercurial as the oceans. In certain places and at certain times, the essence of magick collects. These places are sacred to all magi. Once, in the Mythic Age, entire wars were fought between Covenants over these sources of power. This Quintessence--or Vis as it is also known--can be incorporated into magickal practice to lend strength and potency to any Working. Through use of Ars Vis, it can be moved and transformed, or encoded into Wonders to give them fantastic powers. However, in opposition to Vis is Perfidia--Falsehood. A Paradox that denies a magus his power and destroys magick. When a Working defies the natural law of the universe, then Perfidia is the result. True becomes false, strength becomes weakness, and the magus is left humbled and powereless. To avoid this, the magus must be subtle in his Workings. By acting in concert with natural law rather than open defiance, he may still effect great change while still proclaiming his mastery over all things.
Avatar: The Gift
xxxxxFor over a thousand years, the Order of Hermes has recognized that the ability to work the highest Arts is given only to those with the Gift of magick. While anyone may learn to use certain rites and rituals, and even invest those rits with some measure of power, only the Gift--the Awakened Avatar--opens the way to the highest of Mysteries. The Verbena, too, recognize this higher Self, the inner voice that gives power to Workings and allows the performance and creation of true magick. Royce's Dynamic Avatar manifests in his mind's eye as the Emperor, the Tarot card representing masculine power, authority, wisdom, and strength. He is crowned with might, given authority to rule the world. As he progresses along his path towards Ascension, the Emperor poses him riddles and tests to ascertain his worthiness to wear the mantle of kingship. His Avatar also represents Might, the Word that Royce has chosen for himself.
The Spheres: Artes
xxxxxLike all mages, Royce understands that magick can be divided into nine Arts. Each one a Sphere of influence governing the types of spells a magus may cast. For the Verbena, including those of House Bjornaer, magick begins and ends with the Self. For them, the Pulse of Life represents the source of all power, and it is this Sphere that they have claimed as their own. While there have been countless spells and formulae recorded over the centuries, the only true limit to a magus' Workings is his own imagination.
Ars Conjunctionis
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All the universe is the dominion of the magus. The three dimensions of physical space are obstacles to be overcome, just like any other. Through use of the spells under Ars Conjunctionis, things may be brought into conjunction with one another, or with other locations. Distance can be rendered meaningless, as the magus wills himself to be other than where he currently is. To focus the Art of Conjunction, Royce will make use of a shewstone, a gazing crystal to help him center his will upon distant places.
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Ars Fati
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Chaos and order are two sides of the same thing. To the Sleeping, the vagaries of Fate seem fickle and capricious. But for the magus who studies the Art of the Fates, those vagaries can be brought under firm control. To focus the Art of the Fates, Royce utilizes sand to symbolize the breaking down of solid stone into mere dust.
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Ars Virium
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Physical energy is more than merely the motion of photons or exchanges of energetic states. It is the result of a cosmic reverberation, of the Word that was spoken that birthed the universe. That echo of force continues to this day, and the magus who learns the Art of Vigor can harness that echo to his own ends. Since Forces is essential to Hermetic practice, Royce has studied this Art as well. He makes use of a consecrated athame, a blade symbolizing the male principle and power, to cast spells that grant him control over energy.
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Ars Vitae
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All things begin with Life. Without Life, the universe is nothing more than a collection of dead rocks and debris, drifting through nothingness. But here, on Earth, a glorious garden has been planted. It is inhabited by an infinitude of living, breathing things. And although science has attempted to reduce Life to a series of biochemical reactions, the wise magus understands that Life is the most precious miracle ever to be expressed. The Verbena have always understood this, as have the magi of House Bjornaer. To cast the spells of the Art of Living, Royce draws blood, symbolizing the vital force that is the Pulse of Life. While gruesome to some, none can deny that blood is Life, nothing more and nothing less.
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Ars Materiae
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Matter is what Life is not. It is the polar opposite, all material things that are not alive. Whether solid, liquid, or gas, the Art of the Material nevertheless has much to offer the magus who studies its Mysteries. For this Art, Royce makes use of water, the element representing transformation, to invoke his authority over material substances and objects.
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Ars Mentis
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Thought and Will are one and same. Thought is expression of the Self. It is a record of knowledge, a collection of experience. It is memory, language, and emotion. The human mind is a Mystery unto itself, but nearly every form of higher life-form on Earth experiences some form of Thought. Even insects have means of communication among themselves. To focus upon the Art of Thought, Royce burns a beeswax candle, letting the point of flame draw his mind inward to contemplate and invoke his command over conscious and unconscious thought.
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Ars Vis
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At its most fundamental, the universe is energy. Not light, or heat, or gravity, or any other expression of physical Forces, but subtle and ephemeral metaphysical Power. This Power takes shape into many different forms, according to certain cosmic principals. Through the Art of Power, the magus gains control over this fundamental source. He may move it, direct it, shape it, and transform it. He can use it to lend potency to his own Workings, or place it in opposition to an enemy's, preventing their own Arts from being expressed. To focus upon the Art of Power, Royce uses a blessed pentacle, symbolizing the four material elements and the Fifth Force, Quinte Essentia--magick at its most basic and fundamental.
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Ars Spirituum
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There are Powers beyond those known by the Sleeping. Those Powers have Names. To speak those Names is to know them, and to bend them to the Will. Some call them spirits. Some call them angels. Some call them devas, or gods, or any other manner of title. The Art of Spirits gives the magus the ability to call those Names and expect an answer. It gives him the ability to step beyond the boundaries of the material world and walk in the realms of the Powers as an equal. To focus upon this Art, Royce casts Germanic runestones to spell the Names of those Powers. An invocation in Latin can also be effective, but he has better luck utilizing House Bjornaer's Germanic methods.
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Ars Temporis
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An unbroken chain of moments forms the history of all that is. The passage of Time is the great cosmic riddle that all men must face. The magus is no different in this regard. Through the Art of Time, he can liberate himself from the chain of history, casting his senses into the past or forward into the future. He can constrain the flow of those events, defining the parameters of Time to his own liking. As one of the more universal constants, meddling with Time carries a great risk of Paradox, but the rewards are often worth taking that risk. Royce makes use of the symbolism contained in the Tarot deck to focus the Art of Time. By arranging the cards into certain patterns, he can use them to deduce past events, foretell the future, and alter the way he experiences Time's flow.
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| Full Name: | Royce Tiberius Reiner |
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| Species: | Human |
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| Sex: | Male |
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| Race: | Mage |
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| Tradition: | Verbena |
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| Nationalities: | USA |
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| Age: | 48 |
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| Apparent age: | Middle 40s |
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| Occupation: | Wildlife Officer |
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| Concept: | Bjornaer Druid |
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| Nature: | Autocrat |
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| Demeanor: | Perfectionist |
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