Category:Mysterium CofD

Mysterium

Magic is Alive
“Knowledge is power.” An elegant concept, reduced to platitude. But you’ve felt it already — that burning desire to know, the sizzle of ecstasy upon sating that desire. You’ve wrought your will upon the world and felt it respond to your touch, felt it push back. By now you’ve heard the stereotype of us, wizards sequestering secrets in their libraries. All true. The hunger for magic is a pang we know well — to feed it, we gather knowledge, preserve it, share it, and when necessary, hunt for it. Shall I tell you of my own satiation? Of the long nights spent in private libraries, alarms silenced by Arcana, perusing centuries-old manuscripts? Or maybe you’d rather hear about the wards around South American pyramids, the ones the tourists don’t get to see. I’ve fought Seers in customs warehouses, gleaned truths from the tongues of spirits and angels, traded with charlatans for the slivers of true magic they possess. Understanding and experience are marks of value. Ignorance and deception are tools of the wicked. Knowledge isn’t power, knowledge is everything — and that’s true beyond the tautological appeal. The secrets of magic are hidden in the dark places of the world. The Mysteries await you, begging to be grasped. As it turns out, a small cult has sprung up in one of those abandoned subway stations, and their leader claims he scries the tunnels through the eyes of rats. Care to come with me to see how he does it?

The world is Fallen, but wondrous. Pure truth from the Supernal drifts downward, fragmenting from exposure to the Abyss. The driven and elect must track down this knowledge to glean true wisdom, separating Supernal wheat from Fallen chaff. Contemporary mages piece together the past, and in doing so forge a future. This pursuit of Gnosis holds together the Mysterium — if mystic lore is the currency of the Awakened, none are richer than Mystagogues. They scour crypts, decipher forgotten languages, and scrutinize myth cycles for signs of sorcery, retrieving and hoarding knowledge that sundered and fragmented from crossing the Abyss.
Mystagogues battle against Pancryptia, the tendency of sorcery to actively hide itself amidst the cultural detritus of the Fallen World. They work to foster academia, instilling the intellectual discipline and rigor needed for the Awakened to sift through the Fallen World for pearls of Supernal wisdom. The World is Fallen and damaged, but Mystagogues scrutinize with singular focus. Two open secrets propel their questioning natures: One, that magic itself is alive and active in the world; and two, that anything living can be healed.

Key Teachings

• The Corpus Mysteriorum - The concept (and much furthered proof) that Magic is a collective, sentient, living force diffused throughout the Fallen World, so named for the 13th century grimoire that set out the original concept.
• Knowledge is Power - All Mysterium seek Enlightenment, but only personal experience will do. No Mage can be handed the answers, they must seek them out themselves and learn from experience.
• Knowledge must be Preserved - The Mysterium guard against Pancryptia, believing that magic shown to sleepers will hide itself. This makes them notorious for stealing magic objects, spells, books and even knowledge from others. They must preserve knowledge so that they may pass it down to those deemed worthy. Mysterium also keep in global contact with their own network of favour trading.
• Knowledge has a Price - All knowledge has a cost, the Mysterium simply deems whether one is ready. Information must be paid for with knowledge, or favours. They do not lie about magic to the Awakened, but they will not reveal or trade knowledge with those who are not ready, or not worthy. They also do not disturb the fragile alliance of power within the Diamond and Pentacle.

Mysterium across Australia

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Mysterium across America

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Deceased, Departed or Missing

The following members have deceased, departed, missing or otherwise not in play.

Cabals and Groups

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Legacies