User:Marshall

I'm new to wiki stuff. If you don't want me copying your code just say.

Character Path

I'm not sure where this character is going but I could see him either going through a transformation and changing spheres or just becoming affiliated with one.

Possible Paradigm

Themes: Light and Darkness, Intelligence and Ignorance, Order vs. Chaos.

What is Reality

What if there was an ancient intelligence; one that was not rooted in the physical form of a body but rather the incorporeal purity of pure energy; pure thought? This ancient, elevated intelligence existed without form, without names or limits. It was the source and seat of all knowledge in the universe. It existed without regard for such conventions such as time and space for it was the universe itself; a cosmos awakened to thought. But in this omnipresent form it could not fathom a finite existence such as Man so it broke off a portion of its intelligence and infused it within man to encourage their understanding of the world; a Spark. Though the spark of intellect burned brightly in some, for a time, the race of Man was unable to Ascend as a whole; to once again join with the Source.

Those with the true Spark strove to educate and advance knowledge within the soul of Man. They, with names like Merlin, Hypatia and Plato were the heroes of a Golden Age. As the centuries continued to be counted, the Spark did not pass from generation to generation and a darkness of the soul began to spread as one by one the lights went out. Eventually the world slipped back into the chaos of doubt and ignorance. so the Source sent its agents to gather those few in the world unstained by the darkness and taught them how to draw upon their spark to drive back the Void, to fight the ignorance. Reality is then a constant struggle between the forces of ignorance and intelligence; of darkness and light.

What is Magic

Magic is one’s ability to draw upon their spark to tap into the truth of Creation through force of will. To work one’s Will, one must have the discipline to master that Will and then direct it with utmost confidence. In High Magick, everything has significance: the alignment of planets, the tone of words, the calculations necessary to discover the correct number of times to repeat certain phrases, the formalities of address, and the measure or angle of materials aligned just so for maximum effect. That precision has a dual purpose: in one regard, the relationship of those many elements is crucial for success. In the other regard, the precision tests and challenges the magician, forcing him to overcome his flaws and become the superior person whom such intricacies demand.You cannot be weak or sloppy or stupid, goes the reasoning, if you wish to work your Will upon Creation. Only the smartest, the bravest, the most refined people are capable of True Magick, and so the rituals and their elaborate preparations discourage everyone who lacks the excellence to succeed.

In all forms, Magick demands preparation, discipline, and the finest materials a magician can acquire. Such practices connect the mage with greater powers – gods, angels, demons, elementals, and the faceless forces of the universe – and those powers demand respect. A magus does not hope or beg – he commands. Spirits can be bargained with, dragons might be conjured, God Himself might slip the mage a favor, but in the end all of those parties respect the High Magus because, ultimately, he has shaped himself into the true instrument of Will.

How do I access magic?

Circles, Pentacles and other geometric designs, elements, gems to focus energy and light, languages and true names. All of these are the tools of the intelligent mind to manifest its will upon the chaotic war for reality.

Geometric shapes – triangles, squares, hexagrams, pentacles, and so forth – seal different sorts of activities. Squares reflect stability, rectangles present expansive yet secure areas, crosses signify intersecting forces, triangles direct energy, and combinations of those designs combine several forces into unified wholes… wholes often surrounded by a circle. Fire, water, earth, air and life are the principle blocks upon which reality was forged. Gold and silver, diamond and ruby, similar to the primal forces of creation, these substances are the refined materials that help focus the will like light being compressed into a laser and electricity to travel a circuit. To understand these primal forces one understand the same forces of creation. Lastly, words shape abstract thoughts into reality by communicating them to other beings and thus opening their minds to your own. In a communal form, language shares thoughts and – by extension – broadens the potential of reality for everyone concerned. To name something is to define it; to name someone is to have control over them. For this reason, among others, mages often hide their identities, taking on craft names and adopted monikers that differ from their full birth names.

Spheres

Sphere	Thoughts
	"The combination of eternal hunger, long-game politics, secret wars and the pretense of humanity create an interesting rp environment. I think that I'd probably get swallowed up as just another source of blood even with my talents."
	"The spiritualism, eco-minded cosmology and constant struggle against the destruction and defilement of the world is a backdrop for great moments, but I'm not a soldier. I'm not even much of a healer when you folk are concerned. I'd probably end up just another casualty."
	"Their different perspective on reality is an interesting switch especially given the cerebral nature of my talents. That being said, they seem to be tied up with their own political drama and secret wars for the control of things I couldn't possibly understand. Still, I think it'd be interesting to watch. "
	"How do you hide from something that saw the dawn of creation? How do you have coffee with someone that can remember when your kind could barely walk upright? Touching the mind of such a creature, even accidentally could break me. I'd rather not have to grab the /crazy/ glue just yet."
	"Just like the Changelings, it's their alternate interpretation of reality that could be interesting. How they must see the world differently when they can literally alter the fabric of reality - even if only temporarily. Secret wars for the control of our reality seems to be right up there with any epic-level quest. Whether a foot-soldier or general, are mortals just pawns or the prize?"
	"Um. Yeah. Making contact with someone that died would be traumatic but possibly interesting. Listening into the thoughts of someone that came /back/ could be maddening. But what a rabbit hole that would make."
	"Similar to the vampires, their long-game politics could be interesting but I'm not sure I'd be more than a momentary distraction on their quest for whatever it is that they do."