[Mage: The Awakening 2nd Ed] The Exarchs & The Oracles

 Out of Character (OOC):

Venue: Mage: The Awakening 2nd Edition
Chronicle Storyteller: Jerad Sayler

Fast Guide to the Exarchs

The Exarchs
God-Tyrants of the Lie, hidden chiefs of the Supernal Realm,
symbols of human oppression. Whether they’re the enemy,
the symbol of humanity turned against itself, or the objects of
worship and devotion, all three sects collect lore on the Exarchs
and watch for their machinations — the better to oppose or
serve them. The Seers have the overwhelming advantage in this
area of Awakened study, but enough captured or defected Seers
have been debriefed by Pentacle mages for basic knowledge of
the Exarchs — the Iron Seals’ titles, the existence of Prelacies
and Ochemata — to be widespread. More dedicated researchers
collect individual omens, incident reports, and evidence, chasing
the never-ending Mysteries of the Tyrants’ plans. Most Diamond
Orders restrict access to quantity of Exarchal lore, not quality. A
cabal might have genuine need of an intercepted prophecy but
asking the Mysterium for all such prophecies leads to a cabal
being suspected of Seer loyalties, at least until they prove they
can be trusted.
Contrary to many a young Libertine’s wish that they turn
out to be mythical, the Exarchs’ existence is not in dispute, and
any reasonably experienced mage has seen some signs of their
Supernal reign. As a rule, the Exarchs are neither blatant nor
silent. For whatever reason, they prefer to operate in the Fallen
World by indirect means — reserving direct communication for
favored Seers of the Throne and other supernatural servants
— and the missions those immediate slaves carry out reinforce
the Lie oppressing everyone else. Most individuals, even those
who’ve made opposing the Tyrants their life’s work, are beneath
the Exarchs’ notice, but when direct intervention does happen,
it comes swiftly, without warning, and with apocalyptic brutality.
An individual Pentacle mage might be the sworn enemy of a
dozen Pylons for decades without Supernal incident, unknowingly
cross a line one day that makes a true nuisance of herself,
and be murdered by hostile Supernal entities within hours.
The Iron Seals
Seers of the Throne construct elaborate hagiographies of
Exarchs, describing thousands of Ascended masters in a celestial
Iron Pyramid of subservience and power, but the true number
of the Exarchs is unknowable, if indeed they have what a human
mind can comprehend as individual existences at all. Where
the Exarchs touch the Fallen World directly — the Oneiroi of
Prelates, Exarchate Emanation Realms, the presence of their
Ochemata — the Supernal World warps, imprinting with complex
High Speech runes visible under Mage Sight. The Seers
traditionally render these runes in iron, taking them as the
Exarchs’ names and using what small portion can be translated
into human speech as informal titles. Many Pentacle mages
suspect that the Seals are like Lustrums or Shadow Names,
roles the Exarchs take on to communicate with their servants.
The Seers record ten major Iron Seals, one for each Arcanum,
and prohibit worship of an eleventh. Each Exarch is a complex
Supernal symbol of a form of human oppression and control,
open to interpretation, and the Ministries and Pylons often
disagree about finer details or list additional Exarchs. Although
grouped by Arcana, the Exarchs transcend Path. An Obrimos
Seer seeing an Exarchal Mystery of Space would still describe it
as the work of the Eye.

1. Prime Sight: - Diamond
The mage sees a “color” of resonance you have never seen before. It is so foreign it can’t be described (think Octarine from Discworld), a combination of radiant green and orange. Scales from a slight discoloration to overwhelming brightness and omnipresence.  

The Father is the Archigenitor Exarch patron of the Prime Arcanum and the Greater Ministry of the Paternoster.  The Paternostic Ministry subjugates mankind through religion.

The Father (Prime): Judgement. Authority. Dogma.
The Father symbolizes blind faith and obedience to ironclad
rules and commandments in all forms, especially
religious, and is one of the most worshipped Exarchs as
a result. He is served by the Paternoster and Dolusian
Ministries.

Faith is an unbreakable chain. Resplendent in ceremony and encouraged by the soft certitude of cultured piety, those of the Ministry of Paternoster style themselves priests of the Father, Exarch of control through faith and religion. Champions of all zealotry, the Ministry reinforces dogma and fear while quashing the positive aspects of religion. The Ministries scour Sleeper religions for hints of Supernal insight, that they can be grounded and guttered to promote the pure Exarchal religion.


2. Mind Sight: - Ruby
The mage sees physic push or presence seems to hang over people. In their presence you feel like its looming over them and you with increasing levels of scrutiny. You want to turn and look behind you or up, into your periphery but are terrified at what might be watching. Gods are watching.  

The Unity is the Archigenitor Exarch patron of the Mind Arcanum and the Greater Ministry of the Hegemony.  The Hegemonic Ministry subjugates mankind through collectivism and socialist governance.   Since the rise of capitalism and globalization starting in the 90s the Hegemony went into decline and has faded in influence to the strength of a lesser Ministry. 

The Unity (Mind): Symbol of conformity and uniformity,
fear of the other, and control through nationalism,
xenophobia, and fascism, the Unity promotes impersonal
authorities from banks, to corporations, to nation states,
and teaches humans to shackle themselves to the will of
the crowd. He is served by the Hegemonic and Logothetes
Ministries.

The State is the soul. The first true Ministry finds itself embattled by factional conflicts, as globalization nips at the heels of the servants of the Unity, Exarch of control through nationalism. Dominating nations and attracting leaders, the Hegemons did quite well while humanity existed in a collection of nation-states and far-flung empires, but have fallen prey to the subversive power of the merchant class, represented by the Lesser Ministry of Mammon, servants of the Chancellor. As theocracies and corporate interests rise ascendant over political interests, many within the Pyramid whisper that the 21st century will be the last with Hegemony as a Great Ministry.



3. Space Sight: - Emerald
The mage sees bizarre warping of space around a person. Ranges from slight tweaks to spatial distances to an absolute swirling vertigo spiral emanating from a person who is under the influence of the unseen lords. 

The Eye is the Archigenitor Exarch patron of the Space Arcanum and the Greater Ministry of the Panopticon.  The Panoptic Ministry subjugates mankind through observation and personal transparency.

Vision is power. Making extensive use of surveillance technology, the Panopticon styles itself servants of the Eye, Exarch of control through surveillance. With every tracked private message, every law passed to strip a bit more privacy from citizens, the Panopticon gains power. Eyes high in orbit can see every inch of the globe, and the Ministry spends a great deal of time managing Seer conspiracy cults, promoting a culture without privacy, so that the people shackle themselves for fear of retribution.

The Eye (Space): Symbol of omniscience and acting
from afar, the Eye symbolizes scrutiny by authority and
authority through surveillance. She knows your secrets,
and he is always, always watching. She is served by the
Panopticon and Phemian Ministries.

4. Fate Sight: - Sapphire
The mage sees the threads of fate have a weight to them surrounding a subject. They are more tangible than the normal threads of fate and heavy. Those under the influence of the Exarchs appear to have puppet strings leading skyward. The strings loop, snag, tangle, and pull. More strings or heavier strings denote influence intensity.  

The Ruin is the Exarch patron of the Fate Arcanum.

The Ruin (Fate): Symbol of control through hopelessness,
the Ruin is the Exarch of entropy, decay, and cynicism.
They direct Seers to crush the dreams of Sleepers
and make it seem their mistake was dreaming at all. He
is served by the Kyrian and Peirasmon Ministries.

5. Death Sight: - Onyx
The mage sees people under the influence have tags on ears or toes or fingers as if they were cadavers in a morgue. The writing is blurred, just slightly out of focus. The larger tags or more writing, font, size, denote intensity of influence.  

The Psychopomp is the Exarch patron of the Death Arcanum and the Lesser Ministry of Thanatacity.  The Thanatonic Ministry subjugates mankind by using the fear of death, beliefs in the afterlife, and by utilizing the dead.

The Psychopomp (Death): Symbolizing the fear of death,
the Psychopomp is every guardian of every afterlife from
Anubis to St Peter, the idea that only an elect may enter
heaven, and that flouting the Exarchs’ rules on earth
leads to punishment or destruction. He is served by the
Rhadamantian Ministry.

6. Time Sight  - Amethyst
The mage sees people, things and places significant to the Exarchs hold the shadow of their time of importance. Young people may have the shadow of the elderly or old people have the shadow of the young. None of these shadows depict people in the prime of their lives. All are either infirmed by an excessive age or youth. 

 The Prophet is the Exarch patron of the Time Arcanum and The Dethroned Queen used to be this Arcanum's patron.

The Prophet (Time): Great Man of History, the Prophet
instills hopelessness in the face of progress, the idea that
only a handful of chosen individuals can shape events and
everyone else must follow or be crushed. She is served by
the Horologian and Kyrian Ministries.

7. Spirit Sight  - Moonstone
Mages see subjects under the influence have multiple afterimages that trail behind them. You can see a very unusual kind of essence that motes off of them and infuses them.  Perhaps this is something the Exarchs farm and harvest?  

The Nemesis is the Exarch patron of the Spirit Arcanum.

The Nemesis (Spirit): The law of unintended consequences.
Calamity from hidden events. Control through
secrets. The fear that your life is determined by forces
you cannot comprehend. The Nemesis represents not
so much the Shadow World as the Gauntlet, keeping
humanity ignorant of the monsters their actions breed in
the Shadow. He is served by the Orphean Ministry and
was served by the recently-destroyed Geryon Ministry.




8. Life Sight  - Amber
The mage notices that tainted subjects have a parasitic aura around them, as if they had a parasitic infection. That is how it reads but the mage can find no trace of biological infection using other Life Knowing spells. The intensity of the aura ranges from a slight discoloration of the skin to a massive growth on their bodies. There always only to appears to be coming from one parasite per person. 

The Raptor is the Exarch patron of the Life Arcanum and is the embodiment of mankind's fear of nature.  She uses the fear of the natural world and its secrets to keep mankind hemmed in from elevating their state in existence.  Mages speculate that she may also be the Crone some vampires worship or the Dark Mother, Lilith, mother of all monsters.

The Raptor (Life): Symbolizing the subordination of free
will to instinct, the Raptor teaches that humans are mere
machines of meat following natural law. He encourages
people to think of themselves as “alphas” and couch
business dealings as predator and prey, or to act on their
impulses and resign themselves to being “sheep” preyed
on by the strong. She is served by the Sycorian Ministry.

9. Matter Sight  - Jade (mundane)
The mage sees people tainted by the Exarchs seem to have extra weight/density/mass to them. Gravity and density seems increased around them and other objects seem to pull towards them ever so slightly. Sometimes they feel like invisible chains pulling on the observer and the person, place, or thing. The most tainted you can actually see distortions of the chains on reality all around them… 

The Chancellor is the Exarch patron of the Matter Arcanum and the Lesser Ministry of Mammon. The Ministry of Mammon subjugates mankind through wealth and power.

The Chancellor is also served by another Ministry (as if hedging it's bets), the Ministry of the Pantechnicon.  The Pantechniconic Ministry subjugates mankind through technological superiority and isolation.  Since the failure of the Pyramid to recruit the Free Council of Assemblies both the Mammonites and Pantechnics have rushed to fill the power vacuum as the Hegemony continues to decline.  The Great Refusal (when the Free Council of Assemblies rejected the Seers) destroyed the Seer's hope to create the great Technocracy the Seers suffered perhaps their greatest blow.  The Pantechnicon continues the dream of the Technocracy and its Technocrats maintain it is their destiny to restore what could have been.

The Chancellor (Matter): Queen of numbers and measures,
the Chancellor symbolizes the commodification of
all material things, even people. Everything has a price.
Everyone can be bought. Everything is owned. He is
served by the Mammon and Pantechnicon Ministries.

10. Forces Sight  - Aquamarine
the mage sees that around influenced subjects they can hear this hissing sound. They also hear whispers in varying tones and urgency. Analyzing this further, the sounds seem to emit as if someone was talking through a wall, words muffled and just barely incoherent. The tone and volume of the whispers varies in intensity based on the concentration of the control.  

The General is the Archigenitor Exarch patron of the Forces Arcanum and the Greater Ministry of Praetorian. The Praetoric Ministry subjugates mankind through military might.

The General (Forces): Symbol of control through violence,
division by bloodshed, and oppression through the
threat of physical force, the General teaches that might
makes right, and commands his Seers to stir hatred into
action and hurt into retribution, ripping humanity apart.
She is served by the Praetorian and Herodian Ministries.

The weak fear the strong. Brutal demagogues and warriors, the soldier-priests of Praetorian
serve under the General, Exarch of control through violence. Where their counterparts in the Adamantine Arrow practice combat as a symbol of righteous struggle, Praetorian mages espouse warfare as dehumanizing meat-grinder, through which warlords rise to subjugate others with the fear of violence. As western societies are increasingly militarized by fear of terrorism, and the world bathes in the blood of countless never-ending wars, the Praetorian Ministry seems unassailable in the Iron Pyramid.

Other Exarchs
The chief Exarchs of each Arcanum are not the
only Iron Seals. The Seers recognize an eleventh
major Exarch called the Gate, who symbolizes
Paradox and the Abyss, but the other Exarchs
are very clear that their servants must never worship
him or accept Mystery Commands from her.
Nevertheless, worship of the Gate is rife among
Left-Handed Seer Legacies and former-Seer
Scelesti.
Other Iron Seals encountered by Pentacle mages
or recorded in captured Seer libraries include
the Monarch, the Rani, the Stranger, the Traveler,
the Mother, the Cannibal, the Destroyer, the
Tutor, the Judge, the Progenitor, the Surgeon, the
Hierophant, and the Predator. It is unknown how
many of these are aliases or alternate translations
for the major Seals. At least two (the Rani and the
Progenitor) are thought to be Ascended Seers of
the Throne.

The Fallen Exarch

The Dethroned Queen

The Oracles:

The main opposition to the Exarchs, though, are the Watchtowers.
The Exarchs have commanded their Seers to conquer
and control the Watchtowers since the first Exarch cultist developed
a Prelacy, without any appreciable success. Doctrinaire
Silver Ladder mages (and believers in other Orders) describe
the Watchtowers as the creation of Oracles: Ascended mages
from the Time Before who chased the Exarchs into the Supernal
and built the Watchtowers to guide those who came after out
of the Fallen World. If the Oracles still exist, however, they are
silent, and no summoned Supernal entity or archmaster has
acknowledged their presence in the Supernal Realm. Their existence
is a hypothesis based on a noted absence in the Orders’
understanding of the universe. According to archaeomancers,
mages did not Awaken to Watchtowers in the Time Before, so
something changed during the Fall. Only Supernal beings equal
or greater to the Exarchs’ power could build the Watchtowers,
and the Diamond are not so pessimistic about human nature
to assume that every mage who Ascended in the Fall joined
the enemy. The Oracles, then, are the missing “good Exarchs,”
the wise Kings of Atlantis who made it possible for humans to
Awaken even through their counterparts’ Lie.
The Silver Ladder names the five Oracles with symbolic titles,
developing elaborate allegorical tales about them as teaching
tools for new théarchs. Other Diamond mages don’t usually
buy into the myth to that extent and state more clearly to their
apprentices that the Oracles are a theory. The other Orders
reject the myth; the Free Council see the Watchtowers as symbols
of human inspiration, no creator necessary other than
Fallen civilization, and the Seers assume that the Watchtowers
are simply the Exarch’s own creation or pre-existing Supernal
Realms brought forth in the Fall as counterweights to the Abyss.

The Ladder’s names for the Oracles are:
• The Youthful King of Thorns (Acanthus)
• The King of the Burning Voice (Mastigos)
• The Sorrowful King in Gray (Moros)
• The Star-Cloaked King of Thunder (Obrimos)
• The Throneless King of the Heart (Thyrsus)