[Mage: The Awakening 2nd Edition] Legacy: Bearers of the Eternal Voice

Out of Character (OOC):

Chronicle: Mage 2: The Dethroned Queen

Venue: Mage: The Awakening 2nd Edition

Chronicle Storyteller: Jerad Sayler

Assistant Storytellers: Hannah Nyland & Alex Van Belkum

Legacy Conversion:

Bearers of the Eternal Voice

"Only a thicket of lies can fully hide the truth."

The following is the Legacy conversion of The Bearers of the Eternal Voice.  These are the specific Attainments were originally developed for use by the character Witness, played by Korri Smith in our second Mage Chronicle: The Dethroned Queen but we are looking at a Guardian/Masque based-Legacy.  Design by Korri Smith with the help of Hannah Nyland.

Sources: The original source material is from Guardians of the Veil, adapted for use in Mage: The Awakening 2nd Edition.

Human history records countless individuals who could alter the fates of nations and the hearts of kings with their words. Great orators like Pericles of Athens made speeches that touched the depths of their listeners’ hearts and spirits.However, not all amazing orators were great political leaders; some were inveterate con artists like Cagliostro, or figures of mystery such as the Comte St. Germain. The ability to lie convincingly and to convince others that the speaker is both truthful and worth listening to is not uncommon among Sleepers; truly great orators, however, who can convince people to change long-held opinions or cause those they speak with to trust their own senses less than the speaker’s works are rare indeed.

For many, the attainment of such verbal excellence is too difficult and subtle a path to power. Most people find the more obvious language of violence, threats and bribes to be easier, as well as exceedingly powerful and effective. However, even the most dire threat or the most tempting bribe only serves to control the subject’s actions — in their hearts, they still know and understand that they are being coerced and may someday learn to resist fear or temptation and disobey the person offering the threats or bribes.  Threats of disobedience soon start a vicious cycle, in which the individual who wishes to remain in charge must continually offer ever more extravagant threats or bribes, or sometimes both together, to make certain that their subjects continue to obey them.

Realizing the difficulty and the ultimate futility of such endeavors, some would-be rulers seek to find ways to convince their subjects to follow them willingly and to accept the ruler’s pronouncements as the ultimate truth. Long ago, Machiavelli said that it is better to be feared than loved, because love is more ephemeral, but wise rulers, as well as skilled con-artists, advertising agents and some mages understand that being trusted and believed is best of all.  Whether Sleeper or mage, the path to gaining a listener’s trust is similar – the speaker must understand the secret language hidden in every person’s unconscious. This language of pupil dilation, posture, stance, vocal tone and many similar cues is exceedingly subtle and difficult to master, but the rewards are correspondingly great. While mortals who master these methods can become great orators and equally impressively liars, mages who pursue this Legacy can become greater still.

Legends speak of a Bearer of the Eternal Voice being found at a murder scene clutching a bloody knife in his hand, but who was released solely based upon his account of the events leading up to his discovery with the knife. In the ancient streets of the Time Before, it was said the Bearers of the Eternal Voice walked among the populace, reassuring them about the wisdom of their rulers and convincing them of the urgent necessity of opposing the enemies of Atlantis. In this long-lost era, the Bearers of the Eternal Voice were said to in secret to other nations, convincing both leaders and important members of the populace of the folly of opposing the Awakened City and of the great benefits that would swiftly follow an alliance with this great power.

Since the Fall, those who study this Legacy are often called Whisperers, because of the hidden and secretive role they must now play. However, the necessity of secrecy has in no way lessened their powers. In the millennia since the Fall, Whisperers have found additional uses for their talents. The most important are being able to reduce Sleepers’ Disbelief and halting the spread of knowledge of magic. There are far too few Whisperers to talk to every Sleeper who has ever seen evidence of magic, much less the many thousands who have merely heard of such acts. However, Whisperers do their best to convince Sleepers that the most obvious damaging evidence for vulgar magic has some completely natural and reasonable explanation.

Because Whisperers’ abilities can also be used against other mages, especially mages less skilled in the Mind Arcanum, Whisperers are a somewhat secretive and insular group. This tendency is further exacerbated by the fact that their ability to manipulate others gives many Whisperers, particularly those who follow the Mastigos Path, a sense that everyone else is nothing more than will-less pawns whom Whisperers can manipulate as they will. This sense of superiority influences many Whisperers’ dealings with Sleepers and sometimes carries over to their dealings with other mages. This same feeling also produces the intrinsic paradox that all Bearers of the Eternal Voice must find some way to come to terms with. Their Legacy is an intensely social one and to use it they must interact with Sleepers, often with large groups of Sleepers. However, Whisperers are also keenly aware they are manipulating the people they talk to, and some Whisperers regularly manipulate their fellow mages. While many Whisperers genuinely like people and simply have no problem lying to individuals they like, most are highly social misanthropes who do not particularly care for or about others.

While some Legacies are declining in favor as the 21st century marches on, the Whisperers are growing more popular — the growing prevalence of advertising, political spin, online con games and the increasing number of mages who realize the power of the ability to manipulate communication and belief all combine to cause mages to flock to their ranks.

Parentage: Mastigos or Guardians of the Veil

Nickname: Whisperers
Primary Arcana: Mind, Secondary: Space

Appearance: Although this is by no means always true, the stereotypical Whisperer is blandly attractive. One of the more basic ways to gain others’ trust is to fit in with them. Unless they are attempting to specifically convince members of a fringe sub-culture of the truth of their statements, followers of this Legacy do their best to remain well-groomed and presentable, while not being so distinctive or unusual-looking that they make anyone notice them as anything other than an upstanding and honest, but otherwise average, individual.

Since there is also power in status and conformity, the business suit is the unofficial uniform of the Whisperers. The style, cut and quality of the suit depends upon individual taste and gender, as well as the circles that the Whisperer travels in. However, unless circumstances dictate otherwise, a Whisperer is usually found in a suit.

Background: Although they can come from almost any background, all Whisperers share a casual disregard for the truth and a comfort with lying. Many come from families in which one or both parents worked as con artists, advertising agents or in other professions in which the truth was considered to be highly flexible. Although in the past, Whisperers traditionally came from either the highest or the lowest classes, today Whisperers come from every social class and income bracket.


Doctrine

Prerequisites: Mind 2, Persuasion 2 and one of the following additional skills at 2 dots or higher: Empathy, Expression, Intimidation, Politics, or Subterfuge.

Initiation: The prospective Whisperer must convince her tutor of something without corroborating evidence.

Organization: There is no real hierarchy beyond the basic bond of tutor and student for many Bearers of the Eternal Voice, especially for Mastigos who have no association with the Guardians of the Veil. Because some con games and similar deceptions require more than one participant, most independent tutors require their students to periodically help them pull a con. Similarly, students who need another participant can either call upon their tutors and give them a substantial cut of any profi ts for their trouble, or seek out another of the loose association of Whisperers.

In contrast, Whisperers who also belong to the Guardians of the Veil are part of a tightly knit organization. These Whisperers are typically deeply enmeshed in the intricacies of the Labyrinth and are often important members of one or more of the central groups. Few Whisperers are willing to take sufficient time away from their magical studies to actually run any of the many groups involved in the Labyrinth. However, a surprising number of the important guest speakers and other major peripheral figures involved in everything from UFO cults to organizations of professional skeptics are skilled Whisperers. The most skilled and powerful Whisperers are exceedingly important figures in the hierarchy of the Guardians of the Veil, and their actions regularly causes large numbers of Sleepers to ignore incidents that might otherwise becomes serious problems for the Guardians..

Suggested Oblations: Going out among the crowd at some event or gathering and both observing and talking to people, doing a survey (either door to door or by phone), listening to charismatic speakers in person or on television and analyzing how they speak

Yantras: A prepared speech relevant to the spell being cast (+1); Succeeding on a Persuasion or Subterfuge roll relevant to the spell (+2); Proper attire for a given social situation (+1); Being the center of an audience’s attention (five or more listeners) (+1); Target has a Condition or Tilt relevant to the spell being cast (+1); Opening the last Door in a social challenge (+2)

Concepts: Con artist, pathological liar, advertising agent, corrupt religious official, politician, lawyer

Attainments (First Draft)

First: Perfected Conversation

Prerequisites: Initiation

After a few moments of casual conversation, the Whisperer picks up on social cues too subtle for most people to read. Tones, inflections, word choice, facial tics and body language all reveal a wide assortment of information about the conversationalist, information that can later be used to leverage the target socially. The Attainment duplicates the effects of the “Know Nature” spell, with reach assigned to instant use and the advanced Reach effects.

Optional: Space 1

The Whisperer also becomes aware, through conversation of a number of significant Sympathies the target has, as per the spell “Correspondence”.

Second: Gilded Speech

Prerequisites: Mind 2, Persuasion 3

A Bearer of the Eternal Voice can be alluring, attractive, charismatic and suave. People want to listen to her speak, and regard her favorably. She rarely missteps socially, and is often forgiven any lack of social grace. Anytime the Whisperer would improve the Impression level of a target by one step, improve it by an additional step. Additionally, any action that might cause an Impression to lessen can be smoothed over with a successful Manipulation + Subterfuge roll (– the target’s Composure) as the Whisperer explains away the faux pas.

Optional: Space 2

Distance means little when it comes to the power of the voice.  The Whisperer may use any of his attainments through long-distance medium that allows two-way conversation, including telephones, radios, and text messages.

Third: Voice of Reason

Prerequisites: Mind 3; In addition to the Persuasion 3 requirement from the previous Attainment, the Whisperer must increase the other Skill she used to meet the requirements of the Legacy to 3, or must attain two dots in a second skill from the list of possible requirements.

The words of a Whisperer are a balm to the troubled soul, able to soothe any anxieties, fears or worries. They can also humble the arrogant, pacify the reckless and introduce doubt to the confident. The Whisperer may suppress one of her target’s Mental or Social conditions, positive or negative, per dot of Mind that she has for a scene. She may spend a point of Mana to maintain the effect for an additional scene, or a dot of Willpower to resolve it permanently. This is not a gift a Whisperer grants easily.

Optional: Space 3

The Whisperer may leverage her Sympathetic ties to her target in his attempts to predict their social responses.  She gains 8-Again on any roll made to Open a Door on any target she has used Perfected Conversation on.

Fourth: Spoken Reality

Prerequisites: Mind 4, Persuasion 4, and the other Skill requirements of the previous Attainment

The Whisperer has learned how to use her voice to literally change people’s memories. By conversing with someone, she may alter that person’s memories of events that occurred within the last few days. After a brief conversation, she must spend a point of Mana and make a successful Intelligence + Persuasion roll (- the target’s Resolve) to rewrite the memories surround one event that has occurred within a number of days equal to her Mind dots. This alteration lasts for a scene. She may spend a point of Mana to maintain the effect for an additional scene, or a dot of Willpower to make the changes Lasting.

Optional: Space 4

Scale is a matter of perspective. The Whisperer is now capable of using her attainments on more than one target at a time.  She may affect up to 5 individuals with her Legacy Attainments without penalty; every doubling of this number applies a -2 penalty to any relevant dice rolls, including any social maneuvering rolls, similar to the Advanced Scale Spell Factors.

Fifth: Ideal Audience

Prerequisites: Mind 5; In addition to the Persuasion 4 requirement from the previous Attainment, the Whisperer must increase the other Skill she used to meet the requirements of the Legacy to 4, or must attain three dots in a second Skill from the list of possible requirements, or two dots in a third Skill from the list.

At this level of Mastery, the Whisperer is so convincing, so compelling, that her audience accepts her opinions and statements as absolute truth. They adjust their world view to incorporate her words, and become the people she knows they can be. When the Whisperer Opens the final Door through social maneuvering, she may reflexively spend a point of Mana and change one facet of her target’s psyche, similar to “Psychic Reprogramming”. The traits she may alter are limited to: Virtue, Vice, Short-term Aspiration, Long-term Aspiration, Obsession or a non-Physical Persistent Condition. She determines what the new trait is when she changes it. If she uses this Attainment on a group, she must change the same element for everyone in the group at the time. The alteration is Lasting, but may change over the course of the target’s life as normal. Eliminating a Persistent Condition with this Attainment does not grant a beat.

Optional: Space 5

Just as the Whisperer can change her target’s beliefs, she can change the subject’s relationships. When she Opens the final Door through social maneuvering, she may either reassign or create a number of Lasting sympathetic connections to the target equal to her dots in Space. While these links are Lasting, the may fade with time as described on page 172 of the MtA 2e Corebook.