Sumter/Paradigm
The Seers of Chronos are an ancient Tradition, a grouping of visionaries and prophets dedicated to one thing--to destroy the illusion that is the world and reach out to embrace the Truth that lies beyond it. Many people spend their lives Asleep, wrapped in the bliss of ignorance. For them, the world is as it appears to be, and they never think to see it any other way. But sometimes, they have a moment so profound, so fundamental, that it defies everything they have known to that point. That is when they experience true Ecstasy, which is something far beyond simple pleasure. The Seers of Chronos--or the Cult of Ecstasy, as they're also known--understand that Time, like all things, is an illusion. Its movement, from moment to moment, forms a Flow of unbroken events, chained together by that illusion. But through the power of Ecstasy, they liberate themselves from the Flow, and begin to see beyond the curtain of illusion. Every time a Seer uses his magick to break the barriers of the world, he creates a momentary miracle. Put enough together, and you can change the world forever.
The Flow pulses. It moves and is never still. Even when it seems quiescent, the Flow is in motion. The energy of that Flow pools and eddies, collecting within and making up all things of existence. This is Ojas, the radiant, vibrant energy of the cosmos. Mages who study Prime magick are able to collect, store, move, and transform this Ojas, using it for the working of miracles. Moments of Ecstasy can generate Ojas, the vital spark of creation. However, to tear through the curtain of illusion can have dire repercussions. This is Granthi, a metaphysical knot that can lash back against the Seer and chain him to the Flow. By tying him down and restricting him to the merely possible, Granthi can restrict a Seer in many ways. Injury, delusion, even demented manifestations are all possible. To avoid this, it is important to weave miracles in ways that move with the Flow rather than against it. Eventually, even the luckiest Seer will be lashed to the Flow and will pay the price for creating a Granthi.
Like all things in reality, mortality is an illusion. The Seers of Chronos understand this important principle. Our bodies may be temporary, but within, we carry the Atman, the eternal self. Like the universe, the Atman is a part of the Truth that lies beyond the illusion. All humans are possessed of this eternal self. For most, it remains Asleep and unaware, bound up in the motion of the Flow and incapable of perceiving the Truth. But when the Atman Awakens, all of that changes. The stronger the Atman, the more capable it is of storing and chanelling Ojas, the vital energy necessary for the working of miracles. Sumter's Avatar is the Primordial Expression of the North Star, the Pole Star that has guided wanderers and wayfarers since time out of mind. It is the deepest, utmost expression of Travel, of Motion, and guides him along his path through the illusion and towards Ascension. In his mind's eye, it appears as a radiant silver sphere, sometimes as distant as physical Polaris itself, sometimes intimately close, but always present. No matter how distant it may seem when it appears, its voice is a soft whisper in his ear. As his understanding of the Flow grows deeper and more intricate, the North Star reveals newer, more complex layers of the Flow, and helps Sumter grasp the subtleties of deeper and more profound mysteries and miracles.
Like all mages, Sumter is familiar with the nine Shastras. Nine fundamental ways that a Seer can break past the barriers of illusion, and nine ways that miracles can be made to manifest within the Flow. Since the Truth is limitless and Time is eternal, there are an infinite number of ways that a Seer's will can be worked, and countless miracles that can be born.
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