Posted by: Mist Q 2023-04-10, 23:37
QUOTE
“我明白了。我能想象到,他被所有体面人的社会丢下的样子。”
“要是这社会真的体面,那他早就给丢下了。”
——乔治·吉辛,《古怪女人》(The Odd Woman, 1893)
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“I see. I imagined that he was cast out of all decent society.”
“If society were really decent, he would have been.”
— George Gissing, The Odd Women
维多利亚时代对全球法师而言是一个迎来巨变的时期。腾烟冒火的帝国主义战争机器碾过了曾经的一切,而其在理性之子体系中的大师们(masters)则深陷道德分歧带来的矛盾挣扎,一直延续到下一个世纪。传统宗派也在与帝国主义理念搏斗,而其前工业时代盟友们则感受到殖民压迫者不断迫近的脚步。侵略军以可怕的效率消灭了土著文化和他们的法师捍卫者。维多利亚社会以同样力度对外国和下层阶级进行着妖魔化,贫民窟居民和中非受剥削群众一样受到鄙视。法师、夜裔和影族在险棘两侧展开可怕的战斗,以求掌控节点和领土。这确是一个大变革的年代。
我们通常只通过大英帝国的脏污镜头来看待维多利亚时期。我们对这个时代的称呼,“维多利亚时代”,是以帝国君王为基准的。然而,对迷离诡奇的煤气灯街道和灯火璀璨的烛光舞会集中关注,掩去了该时期历史和文化的许多其他侧面。大大小小的战争在世界各地肆虐,而西方帝国则藉此将其影响力扩展到遥远而广袤的土地。数百种文化败于侵略者之手,从历史的舞台上退场。在印度和爱尔兰,数百万人死于饥荒,而帝国主义的主人们却吃着在饥民土地上种植玉米制成的面包。操纵印度的多元文化和宗教将其推入冲突,东印度公司,以及后来的英国王室,公然掠夺着它的财富。
文化旅游为宗主国的港口带来了异域风情的商品,绅士俱乐部和博物馆的发霉角落里堆满了那些最好永远尘封的东西。窃夺自无数文明的赃物自由地流入征服者手中,绝大部分消失得无影无踪,要么因无人看管而被轻易损毁,要么成为私人收藏不见天日。而在文物之外,还有为数不少的神秘威胁。不止一座伦敦建筑在不知不觉间中已隐藏了能够制造难以想象恐怖的宝藏。电报、轮船和铁路彻底改变了旅行和通信,加强了理性之子对世界的掌控,使他们能够将“不合适的”地点从地图上抹去。
这一时代的法师探索着遥远国度的奥秘,与长期和主流社会脱节的族群打交道,并尝试种种神秘的魔法。一些法师保卫他们的家园免受帝国主义势力的侵害,而另一些则寻求探索生活方式的边界。但并非每个法师都是冒险家。一些人在工业化世界的大烟囱下打起暗影战争。另一些人则在上流社会用餐,牵线搭桥间不着烟火气地屠杀。目的鬼祟的秘密社团和隐秘的堕落行为将自己隐藏在礼教和严苛道德的单薄外衣下。不要相信任何人,尤其是你的盟友。
觉醒赋予了法师超越沉睡者阶级、种族、性别和文化观念的工具,但法师本身也怀有许多同样的偏见。觉醒赋予人们洞察世界的能力。一个不谙世事的贵族妇女听到了她所轻贱的乞丐的想法。一个冷漠的医生察觉到他可怕的治疗方法一手炮制的恐怖精神景观。这种洞悉的天赋对一些人来说是一种诅咒,而另一些人则选择忽略它,回到他们往日的步调当中。觉醒给予启迪,而非慈悲。一个法师可能会找到一千个理由,说服自己为什么她不需要帮助那个死在阴沟里的孩子,或者为什么那些当地工人需要被鞭打。觉醒提供了成为一个更好的人的第二次机会,但有些人仍旧固执己见。
觉醒是一段脆弱的时期。对于每个在神秘社会和学府登堂入室的强大法师,那些天真的法师都是足称肥美的猎物。梅莉·吉尔·斯维尼是个伦敦的流浪汉,她在恶臭的下水道污物中拾捡搜寻有价值的物品,在一次几乎溺死的经历后从黑暗中觉醒。吉尔很快发现自己被踹进一个她本身即是一件宝贵财富的世界当中。一位上流社会的绅士带着可靠的笑容在贫民窟里寻找她。一个有着怪异眼睛的奇怪邋遢女人,带着一群老鼠在下水道里跟踪她。一位著名的印度医生不加解释地为她提供了一份工作。她能信任谁,她将选择谁?小心,年轻的法师,这个世界比你想象的要大得多!诱惑和腐化无处不在。
并非每个法师都愿意为了他人的利益而与朋友和同事发生冲突;这需要一颗善良的心、勇气和坚强的意志。对太多人来说,回到熟悉的理由和借口当中,比为受压迫者挺身而出更容易。他们可以说,如果我利用我在政府中的地位,投票否决“时机还不成熟”的妇女权利法案,能有什么害处呢?如果我利用我在军队中的关系,把当地人赶出他们在南非的故乡土地以便我可以以比他们更有生产力的方式开一个新的钻石矿,这又有什么害处呢?贪婪与利己是强大的动力;只消问问灭世者便可得知,塑造一个狭隘渺小的种族主义者从来不需要什么灵魂交易或是灭世者的污染。
想象一个满脑子维多利亚时代观念的殖民地长官的故事。出于无聊和一些长期受压抑的学术倾向,他对神秘学产生了兴趣,并就此主题开始撰写论文。这位治安官投入了与一位强大的赫尔墨斯秘会法师的通信当中,并引起了对方的注意。而那位法师每告诉他一部分魔法知识,治安官就会觉醒一部分。最终当他发现他的神秘通信者是一个土著女性时,他必须调整他的核心观念,接受她作为他的上级。而即使这位地方长官接受了他的新导师,他也不太可能在对待他的种植园工人上产生什么不同,或者允许他的妻子在公共场合表达己见——至少在没有同侪先行一步的情况下是如此。
相比之下,一位来自前工业化国家、在帝国主义势力范围内活动的法师的路则要艰难许多。这些法师必须与反对和压迫他们的主流社会制度作斗争,对于女性或那些性取向偏离苛刻的维多利亚时代道德准则的人来说则更是如此。如果他们知晓了自己和压迫者本质平等,甚至比压迫者更优越,事情就会变得更加麻烦。智慧、经验和人格上的优势使这些法师能够轻松应付那些欺负和贬低他们的人。而那些缺乏这类特质的法师则往往会“爆发”,引起帝国主义势力在社会层面和物理层面的双重怒火。
一个来自西非的恩格玛(Ngoma)法师访问伦敦时,可能会发现自己的衣着、长相和“不雅”的口音被那些无法理解他的知识和力量的沉睡者嘲笑。考虑到我们的恩格玛朋友可以用一个手势和几个挑拣得当的词来将辱蔑他的欺凌者扫进垃圾堆,像他这样习惯于绝对的崇敬与服从的人,在克制自己的怒火上会有多难?其他法师则从沉睡者的世界之外提供了一些安慰。从定义上来讲,他们都是开明的,一些甚至有着理性而开放的世界观。
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The Victorian era is a time of great upheaval for magi across the globe. The smoking imperialist war machine crushes all before it, while its masters in the Order of Reason struggle with a moral rift surviving well into the next century. The Traditions also wrestle with the imperialist credo while pre-industrial allies feel the boot of colonial oppressors on their throats. Invading forces annihilate native cultures and their magi defenders with terrible efficiency. Victorian society demonizes the foreign and the lower classes in equal measure, with the slum-dwelling masses as reviled as the exploited populations of central Africa. Magi, night folk, and Umbrood wage terrible battles on both sides of the Gauntlet as they duel to control nodes and territories. A time of great change indeed.
We often view the Victorian period only through the grimy lens of the British Empire. Our very term for the era, “Victorian,” refers to the Empire’s monarch as a touchstone. However, focusing only on eerie gaslit streets and grand candlelit balls excludes much of the period’s history and culture. Wars, great and small, rage across the world, while the empires of the West extend their reach far and wide. A hundred cultures lose battles against invading powers and fade from history. Millions die of famine in India and Ireland even as imperialist masters eat bread made from corn grown on the starving peoples’ land. Manipulation pushes India’s diverse cultures and religions into conflict while the East India Company, and later the British Crown, plunder its wealth.
Cultural tourism brings exotic goods to colonial ports, filling the musty corners of gentlemen’s clubs and museums with objects better left untouched. The plunder of innumerable cultures flows freely into the conquerors’ hands, much of it to vanish for good, destroyed through neglect or disappearing into private collections. Alongside cultural artifacts come no small number of arcane threats. More than one London building unwittingly contains treasures capable of unthinkable horror. The telegraph, steamships, and railways revolutionize travel and communication, tightening the Order of Reason’s grasp on the world, allowing them to map “inappropriate” locations out of existence.
Magi in this era explore the mysteries of distant lands, deal with peoples long-separated from the rest of humanity, and experiment with enigmatic magick. Some magi defend their homelands from imperialist forces while others seek to explore the edges of existence. Not every magus is an adventurer. Some fight shadow wars in the smokestacks of the industrialized world. Others dine in high society, pulling strings that kill as surely as cannon fire. Darkly-purposed secret societies and clandestine depravity disguise themselves beneath a thin veneer of propriety and draconian morality. Trust nobody, especially not your allies.
Awakening grants magi the tools to transcend Sleeper notions of class, race, gender, and culture, but the magi themselves harbor many of these same prejudices. Awakening grants insights into the world. A callow highborn woman hears the thoughts of beggars she looks down on. An unfeeling doctor senses the horrific spiritual landscape his macabre treatments create. This gift of insight is a curse for some while others choose to ignore it, cleaving to their previous life. Awakening grants enlightenment, not compassion. A magus may find a thousand reasons why she doesn’t need to help that child dying in the gutter or why those native workers need flogging. The Awakening offers a second chance to be a better person, but some remain unchanged in their views.
Awakening is a time of vulnerability. For the powerful magi that prowl the hallways of every occult society and university, a naïve magus is ripe prey. Merry Jill Sweeny, a London tosher who combs the fetid sewer filth for items of value, Awakens in the darkness after nearly drowning. Jill quickly finds herself thrown into a world where she’s a highly-prized resource. An upper-class gentleman with a promising smile seeks her out in her slum. A strange raggedy woman with mismatched eyes and a horde of rats stalks her through the sewers. A famous Indian doctor offers her a job without explanation. Who can she trust and who does she choose? Beware, young magus, for the world is much larger than you can imagine! Temptation and corruption waits behind every corner.
Not every magus is willing to clash with friends and colleagues for the sake of others; it takes a good heart with courage and a strong mind. For all too many, creeping back to the familiar justifications and excuses is easier than standing up for the oppressed. What harm, they say, if I use my position in government to vote down the rights of women because the time is not yet right? What harm indeed, if I use my connections in the army to have locals driven from their lands in South Africa so I can open a new diamond mine and surely make more productive use of it than they? Greed and self-interest are powerful motivators; just ask the Nephandi, although it doesn’t take a soul bought and paid for or a Nephandic caul to forge a petty racist with delusions of grandeur.
Consider the story of a colonial magistrate with a head stuffed full of Victorian ideals. An interest in the occult, born out of boredom and some long-stifled academic leanings, blooms into writing papers on the subject. The magistrate enters into a correspondence with a powerful Order of Hermes maga, the attention of whom he has attracted. With each piece of arcane lore the maga feeds him, the magistrate Awakens. Upon discovering that his mystery correspondent is a native woman, he must adjust his core beliefs to accept her as his superior. Even if the magistrate accepts his new master, he is unlikely to treat his plantation workers any differently, or allow his wife to speak her mind in public, at least not without some further reasoning from those he considers his peers.
By contrast, a magus from a pre-industrial state operating in an area of imperialist influence has a difficult road ahead. These magi must contend with a prevailing social system built to oppose and oppress them, doubly so for women or those whose sexualities stray from the strict Victorian moral code. Knowing that they are equal to or better than their oppressors makes things even more difficult. Wisdom, experience, and strength of character enable these magi to deal with those that would bully and belittle them. Those lacking these traits often “flame out,” drawing the social and physical ire of imperialist forces.
A Ngoma magus from Western Africa visiting London may find himself scorned for his clothing, his looks, and his “unrefined” accent by Sleepers who couldn’t begin to comprehend his knowledge and power. Given that our Ngoma friend can humble his bullies with a gesture and a few well-chosen words, how difficult is it for someone like him, used to absolute respect and deference, to restrain himself? Other magi offer some solace from the world of Sleepers. These men and women are, by definition, enlightened and some even share a rational and open-minded worldview.
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制图术,剪定之魔法 Cartography, the Magick of Reduction 探索协会掌握着维多利亚时代最为强大的武器之一。通过将铁路、电报线等宏伟风水工程与严苛的维多利亚教育体系相结合,探索协会将那些“不合时宜的地方”沉入影界。那些神话当中的城市、汇聚力量的土地、神秘奇异的岛屿,以及任何理性之子认定对其范式构成了持续性威胁的地方,都会逐渐消失。
探索协会的制图师们裁定理性之子所容许的景观,并制定新地图和重刊书籍。偶有文字图画能逃过这种清洗,却也仍然容易被认作是架空虚构和无知者的妄言。埃尔多拉多之城(即黄金国,the city of El Dorado),布拉希尔岛(爱尔兰传说中的幽灵岛,the Island of Hy-Breasail)和数百个鲜为人知的神话遗迹被指南针与望远镜而非火枪击沉。
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Cartography, the Magick of Reduction
The Exploratory Society wields one of the greatest weapons of the Victorian Era. By combining great geomantic works like the creation of railways and telegraph lines with the punishing Victorian educational system, the Exploratory Society sink “undesirable locations” into the Umbra. Legendary cities, sites of power, magical islands, and any place the Order of Reason deem an ongoing threat to their paradigm simply fade away.
Exploratory Society cartographers decide on the Order-approved landscape and make arrangements for new maps and revised books. The occasional text or chart escapes the purges but is easily dismissed as fiction or the work of the ignorant. The city of El Dorado, the Island of Hy-Breasail, and hundreds of lesser-known mythic sites fall not to musket-fire but to the compass and telescope.
Posted by: Mist Q 2023-04-10, 23:38
性别、性别角色和平等 Gender, Gender Roles, and Equality
维多利亚时代的人对妇女在家庭以外的地位不屑一顾,然而随着20世纪的到来,这种情况正在慢慢改变。美国内战使妇女能够承担新的角色,这鼓励了变革。在欧洲,尽管有维多利亚作为其最强大的国家元首之一,但仍旧很少接受妇女承担非传统职能。一些上层社会的女士随着男性“保护人”的死亡而找到了自由,但大多数却和下层社会的女性一样被扼杀。在欧洲以外,性别角色开始变得越来越模糊,尤其是对于生活在边境地区的欧洲殖民者来说,那里的生活方式要求每个人都要尽自己的能力。
法师比一般的沉睡者要更加眼界开阔,他们通常平等地对待所有性别。即使是最沉闷的赫尔墨斯秘会法师也必须承认,在觉醒者的队伍当中有许多有能力的女法师。在觉醒者群体中,有少数人仍然相信所谓“女人的正确位置”,但在大多数情况下,他们被斥为傻瓜。在经历了家庭、朋友和社会几十年的支配后,女性觉醒者通常会发现觉醒者世界的精英政治让人耳目一新。
一些女性在觉醒者群体中取得并担任高级职位,尽管“男孩俱乐部”仍旧在诸如理性之子在内的某些团体中蓬勃发展。在这些组织中,任何想要获取晋升的女法师都面临着一层又一层的玻璃天花板和隐性的歧视。而更加平等的传统宗派和工坊,如圣叶和梦语者,则幸运地没有这种偏见。觉醒者和沉睡者社会所提供的截然不同的自由需要理性的头脑来管理和分割对待。在与盟友的会议中,一个女法师的话语可能可以号令一百个男人,然而当她想要在沉睡者的镇议会上发表讲话时,他们可能要求让她的丈夫来说。这种二分法非常令人沮丧,它为觉醒的女性敞开的大门数量惊人,但也同样剥夺了她在她已然超越的茫茫大众中得到相同事物的机会。
许多意志刚强的女性并没有让自己的真实自我被迫转入地下,只向少数觉醒者敞开心扉,而开始在维多利亚社会的边缘寻求自我的实现。有些人前往遥远国度或影界界域,在那里,性别的束缚毫无意义。其他人则留在原地,但积极努力地反对阶级和性别强加给她们的陈规陋俗,将拥抱反叛或出格的事物作为一种抵抗的形式。然而,社会会进行反击,一个法师的开明认知可能会被认定为疯狂,甚至被那个时代对那些被判定为精神障碍者的恐怖医疗手段所扼杀。
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Gender, Gender Roles, and Equality
Victorians frown upon women taking prominence outside the home, though this slowly changes as the 20th century looms. The American Civil War enabled women to take on new roles and this encourages change. Europe, despite having Victoria as one of its most powerful heads of state, rarely accepts women taking on non-traditional functions. Some upper-class ladies find freedom with the death of their male “protectors,” but most are just as stifled as their lower-class counterparts. Outside of Europe, gender roles become increasingly blurred, especially for European colonists living on the frontiers where the lifestyle requires everyone to do their part.
Magi are more cosmopolitan than the average Sleeper, and they generally treat all genders as equals. Even the stuffiest Order of Hermes magus must acknowledge that there are many competent magae within the ranks of the Awakened. Within the Awakened community a vocal minority still believes in “a woman’s proper place,” but in most cases, they are decried as fools. Women initiates usually find the meritocracy within the Awakened world refreshing after decades of domination by family, friends, and society.
Some women achieve and hold high-level positions within the Awakened community, though “boys clubs” thrive in certain groups, such as the Order of Reason. Layers of glass ceilings and passive discrimination face any maga intent on advancement in these organizations. The more egalitarian Traditions and Crafts, such as the Verbenae and Dream-Speakers, are blessedly free of this bias. The contrasting freedoms offered by Awakened and Sleeper society require a steady mind to manage and keep separate. While in council with her allies, a maga’s word may be law to a hundred men, yet when she wishes to address a Sleeper town council they may ask to speak to her husband instead. This dichotomy is enormously frustrating, throwing open a staggering number of doors for the Awakened woman even as it denies her those self-same opportunities among the very people who she has now outgrown.
Instead of letting her true self be forced underground, revealed only behind closed doors to the Awakened few, many a Willworking woman seeks fulfillment beyond the fringes of Victorian society. Some travel to far-flung places or Umbral realms where the tethers of gender mean nothing. Others remain where they are but actively strive against the strict mores and rules that class and sex would impose upon them, embracing rebellious or outrageous elements and movements as a form of resistance. Society pushes back, however, and a maga’s enlightened perception may be decreed as madness or even cut short by the horrors of the era’s medical treatments for those judged unsound of mind.
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关于“历史准确性”的简要说明 A Short Note on “Historical Accuracy” 在游玩维多利亚编年史时,请提前与玩家决定如何处理这个时代固有的性别歧视、阶级歧视和种族主义。这些主题可能会造成伤害,其背后有着长期的痛苦历史。不要让“历史准确性”成为你的玩家遭受偏见伤害的借口。记住这是一个游戏,它是为了获得乐趣。忽视你的话和想法一点也不有趣。
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A Short Note on “Historical Accuracy”
When playing your Victorian chronicle, decide in advance with your players how you want to handle the inherent sexism, classism, and racism of the era. These subjects can cause hurt, with a long history of suffering behind them. Don’t let “historical accuracy” become an excuse for bigotry and prejudice inflicted on your players. Remember this is a game, and it’s meant to be fun. There isn’t a lot of fun found in having your words and wishes ignored.
Posted by: Mist Q 2023-04-10, 23:39
社会中的法师 Magi in Society
所有法师都始于沉睡者,他们可能会长期沉浸于那一时代沉睡者的信仰和偏见当中。维多利亚时代的世界不是一个善良的世界:帝国主义国家残酷而受阶级驱使。在它们之外,殖民地是挣扎求活之地,几乎没有人身或社会层面上的保障。在西方国家及其殖民地之外,世界大部分地区都陷入了冲突的阵痛、存续的挣扎或自身长期存在的问题当中。法师可能来自富裕的精英阶层、贫穷的下层阶级,或者介于两者之间的少数其他阶级。所有人都极为注意阶级之分,敏锐地意识到自身在社会等级中所处的位置;工人阶级的劳动者耻与“罪犯阶级(criminal classes)”为伍,而上层阶级则以他们与王座的距离来计算自己的价值,同时又极不情愿地接纳那些暴发户加入他们的行列。法师的阶级深深地影响了他们的世界观,甚至污染了觉醒者之间的交流。
对这一时代的觉醒者而言,最为重要的是他们对这一时代无可匹敌的社会力量——帝国主义——的看法。帝国主义哲学与其治下土地之间的冲突是这个时代许多关键政治事件的主要驱动力。帝国主义是一股席卷世界的强大暴力,它造成了难以估量的巨大伤害,无数文化被扫灭,孳生了奴隶制、大屠杀、失地流亡和强迫性再教育——这仅是其暴行当中的几桩而已。距离和宣传使普通人能够毫无负担地接受帝国主义所带来的好处。毕竟,学者和政治家都声称他们正在教化世界,为世人带来统一和安全。
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Magi in Society
Every magus began as a Sleeper, likely spending a great deal of their time soaking in the Sleeper beliefs and prejudices of their time. The Victorian world isn’t a kind one: imperialist states can be cruel and class-driven. Outside of them, the colonies are rough places to live with little physical or social protection. Beyond the West and its colonies, much of the world is gripped in the throes of conflict, the necessities of survival, or long-running problems of their own. A magus may come from the wealthy elite, the impoverished underclass, or any of the handful of sub-classes in between. Very concerned with the class divide, everyone is keenly aware of where they sit within the hierarchy; a working-class laborer looks down on the “criminal classes,” while the upper class tallies their worth in distance from the throne while begrudgingly admitting the fabulously wealthy into their ranks. A magus’ class deeply colors their world view, tainting dealings even among the Awakened.
Of deep importance to an Awakened of this time is their opinion on the great social force of the era: imperialism. The conflict between imperialist philosophy and the lands that fall beneath its control serves as a primary driver for many of the key political events of the age. A powerful force that rampages across the world, imperialism causes untold harm, destroying cultures wholesale, nurturing slavery, massacres, displacement, and forced reeducation, to name but a few atrocities. Distance and propaganda enable average people to willingly buy into the benefits reaped by imperialism. After all, scholars and statesmen alike claim they are civilizing the world, bringing unity and safety to everyone.
觉醒的冲突 Awakened Conflict 对于法师来说,这是一个动荡的时代;理性之子重铸了自身,抛下了他们剩余的最后那点道德,将那些更平等的元素弃如敝履。升华之战比几个世纪以来都要激烈。灵性主义和神秘主义的兴起和流行,为更多的泛灵论宗派提供了在更大程度上掌控共识的机会,而科学的兴盛使其从教会的约束下解放,给予理性之子的要员堪称惊人的自由治权。战争从帝国权力的沉浮中诞生,蔓生向世界的所有角落。
理性之子在这场扩张中独占鳌头,但传统宗派也并非白璧无瑕。赫尔墨斯秘会在埃及肆意掠夺那些失落的奥秘,而更多落魄的秘学团体则发现自己被从被肢解的土著民族中获得了大量新血,为之振奋。在这一时期,随着传统宗派当中的帝国主义者与他们受迫害的同侪的分歧越来越大,一些传统宗派几乎走向分裂。1884年,一次在巴黎举行的旨在讨论殖民地地区法师所面临的问题的会议演变成了暴力事件,几乎引发了一场传统宗派的内战。
许多宗派大师和他们的学徒认同帝国主义哲学,少数人则更进一步,试图扭转那些不认同他们观念的法师。关于山中城堡(mountain castle)、秘密穹界领域和异邦法师遭受“再社会化(resocialization)”的隐匿庄园的黑暗传言在传统宗派间甚嚣尘上。虽然这些地方确实存在,但其中只有一半是灭世者的秘密阴谋;剩下则是真的如此相信的人,他们认为自己在帮助“受蒙蔽的可怜虫”。有着内斗的传统(如狄德内派和统合派),赫尔墨斯秘会是这一运动的排头兵,而一些天国颂歌和圣叶的成员也有加入。这些观点与上述宗派内外的其他法师都产生了尖锐的冲突。梦语者们为拯救全世界与他们在一起的人民而拼死战斗,而空明宗和巴蒂尼则为他们在东方的根做着同样的事情。
简而言之,在这一点上,传统宗派和理性之子一样处于动荡之中,基本可以说是由于几个世纪以来殖民扩张带来的猜忌与内部矛盾达到了顶点。这种内部冲突往往涉及到传统宗派的年轻成员,他们热切地投身于他们时代的动荡中,即便会为此而面对来自过去时代的大师们的否定。不论如何,这些异见者之间以暗杀和背叛为特色的小规模暗影战争一直持续到19世纪80年代末。
对升华之战或帝国主义斗争不感兴趣的法师也必须考虑它们对日常生活的影响。对于这些巨大的争端,理性之子和传统宗派都采取了降或死的态度,而选择过于公开地站在某一边的法师则会变成绝佳的靶子。数量惊人的秘密社团、俱乐部和集会应运而生,提供保护、社群交流和增进各派系之间的相互了解。来自远东和非洲的法师们通过旅行传播他们的哲学,而在美洲,秘密团体在他们的殖民压迫者无法察觉的梦界或无垠旷野中聚会。
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Awakened Conflict
For magi, this age is a troubled one; the Order of Reason reinvents itself, shedding the last vestiges of morality and ridding many of its more egalitarian elements. The Ascension War runs hotter than it has in centuries. Spiritualism and hermeticism rise and gain popularity, offering the more spiritual Traditions the opportunity for a greater grasp on the consensus, while science reigns unfettered by the power of the Church and gives the Order of Reason’s luminaries terrifying free reign. The War spreads to every corner of the world, born on the tide of imperial power.
The Order of Reason rides high at the forefront of this expansion, but the Traditions are not altogether innocent of wrongdoing. The Order of Hermes freely plunders Egypt for lost secrets, while more downtrodden mystic organizations find themselves invigorated by fresh recruits from decimated native populations. Some Traditions come close to breaking apart during this time, as the divide between Tradition imperialists and oppressed colleagues grows. In 1884, a convocation in Paris intended to discuss the issues facing magi in the colonial regions devolves into violence, almost starting an intra-Tradition war.
Many Tradition masters and their pupils subscribe to the philosophies expressed in imperialism and a few take it further, seeking to convert magi that don’t follow their beliefs. Dark rumors of mountain castles, secret Horizon Realms, and isolated estates where foreign magi undergo “resocialization” plague the Traditions. While these places do exist, only half of them are secret Nephandi plots; the rest are true believers, who think they are helping “poor deluded fools.” With a history of marginalizing their own (House Díedne and House Ex Miscellanea for example), the Order of Hermes is at the forefront of this movement, joined by elements of the Chorus Celestial and Verbenae. These views conflict sharply with other magi both inside and outside of the above Traditions. The Dream-Speakers fight desperately to save their people across the globe while the Akashayana and Batini do the same for their strongholds in the East.
In short, the Traditions are in as much turmoil as the Order of Reason at this point, mostly due to centuries of distrust and infighting brought to a head by colonial expansion. This internal conflict tends to involve younger members of the Traditions, who are deeply invested in the tumult of their time, even in the face of disapproval from ancient masters. Regardless, a minor shadow war rages among such rivals until the late 1880s, marked by assassination and betrayal.
Magi not interested in fighting the Ascension War or the imperialist struggle must still consider the ramifications of both in their daily lives. Both the Order of Reason and Traditions take a join-or-die attitude in the face of these great conflicts, and magi choosing to stand apart too overtly paint a target on their heads. A staggering number of secret societies, clubs, and lodges arise, offering protection, community, and increased understanding among the various factions. Magi from the Far East and Africa travel to spread word of their philosophies, while in the Americas, secrets groups meet in the dreamlands or the vast wilderness, unseen by their colonial oppressors.
沉梦初醒 Awakened Among Sleepers 放眼整个社会,觉醒是社会流动的终极形式。即便是最弱的法师也可以通过巧妙地使用魔法一夜暴富。然而,粗心可能会引起夜裔、法师同行甚至沉睡者当局的不必要关注。可怜的法师,他把铅化作黄金,却将条子和税务委员会带到了家门口!聪明的敌人可以轻易构陷法师,并指出来路不明的财富或影响力作为证据。而那些拥有数百年财富和权力的组织,如传统宗派和理性之子,可能愿意向合适的新人送上大礼,以此来换取他们的无条件服从,并有完善的机制来保护他们免受不必要的关注。当然,财富仍旧买不到上流社会培养体系带来的礼仪、人脉和“教养”。
对于想要实现社会阶层提升的人来说,财富只是第一步。法师可能需要克服种族和性别偏见,同时通过魔法或令人印象深刻的社交行为建立新的联系。礼仪本身就是暴发户必须通过的最后一道关卡。上流社会自然流露的举止来自严格的训练和巨大的社会压力。模仿这些需要练习,而且很可能还需要一个老师。
在一个如此重视社交价值的社会当中,甩开你的出身是非常困难的。一个出生在伯明翰贫民窟的法师可能会努力掩饰她的口音和举止,以免让她出身上流的新盟友发觉。但当她的老朋友意图前来拜访看看她漂亮的新房子,或者索取恩惠以换取对她“一段不幸的关系”的掩饰时,事情就会变得更麻烦。同样地,那些有力的秘法团体依然乐于伸出援手,在某些情况下,甚至会要求他们的新成员重写他们的过往人生。就像选择一个赝名一样,这种对个人的重塑也有助于隐去可能的仪式魔法联系。
虽然魔法可能让法师过上安逸的生活,但觉醒者并不会满足于已有的成就。他们能感受到推动他们参与世界并改变世界的驱动力。法师经常选择那些超常的职业,以求挑战自我,并追求其远大理想与抱负的实现。作为探索者、建设者、哲学家和浪漫主义者,法师引人注目,也因此发现他们会被要求恪守陈规。当一个心直口快的法师提出不讨喜的意见,他会发现自己很快就会受到社会压力的全方面压迫,更有严苛的法律和能转瞬摧毁辛苦积攒的社会资本的闲话圈子紧随其后。维多利亚时代的人知道,他们必须切断那些染上污点的关系,否则就有因此失去社会地位的风险。丑闻和其他社交事故能迅速让一个人变得茕茕独立。即使是下层阶级也会有这种社会排斥,不过中上层阶级对此的感受最为深刻。
在一些文化当中,法师可能已经有了一个既定的角色,如萨满、巫医或师公(cunning man)。这些固有路径为其难以解释的行为提供了社会认可。但有些法师别无选择,只能被迫离开这种传统角色。在刚果地区,在欧洲入侵者屠杀了整个部落之后,幸存的法师如今失去了他们曾经帮助的人。在英国烟雾弥漫的工厂中,来自农村的古老传统在贫穷和痛苦的重压下无声凋亡。即使在这些传统实践幸存的地方,行愿者也不可能总能符合沉睡者的期望。许多人寻求开辟一条属于自己的道路。
魔法和天赋让法师能够自由选择其工作。一名帮助约束当地范式的铁路顾问。一位保护矿工不受隐藏在地下的危险影响的工程师。一个对大学赞助的探险活动中所带回神秘文物进行收容的编目员。一位作家,把他的冒险经历写成虚构的“一便士恐怖故事”,希望有一天有人会意识到虚构背后隐藏的真相。像精神病医生、灵媒或咨询侦探这样的职业将那些奇异事件投入法师的视野之中。1883年,精神病医师阿尔伯特·韦斯顿拉(Albert Westenra)在非洲与附身于殖民地儿童的邪恶影族作战。随着维多利亚时代的科学求知欲战胜古老的迷信,这样的案件甚至开始变得习以为常。阿加莎·韦伯利,一个美国的善终者法师,经营着一项秘密的侦探业务。她的客户是全美洲最富有的那些妇女。她的案件是平克顿侦探拒绝受理的那种,时常被认作“不着边际的妄想和女人的癔症”。理所当然,医生和科学家也会有他们自己的离奇遭遇。他们遇到了奇怪的魔法、可怕的疾病和超自然的事件。
帝国主义在全球的扩张唤醒了那些不应被惊扰的存在。在国内,在老不列颠(old Blighty),从农村生活到城市生活的转变,让那些可怜的穷人沦为黑暗事物的待宰羔羊。工程师们挖掘着古城的遗骸,随意挖开几个世纪以来的瘟疫坑(plague pit,大瘟疫的集中埋尸地)和那些被遗忘的墓地。1860年,泰晤士河附近的夜间下水道工程打开了一个封闭的罗马时代房间。工程师们发现了被人类指甲留下爪痕的砖墙,以及一具有同类相食痕迹的古老骨架。在接下来的三个月里,一个身份模糊的人物在伦敦的下层阶级中游荡,因为它偶尔使用的拉丁语和其钟情的狩猎场,故得到了“斯皮塔菲尔德教区长”的绰号。在约莫12起杀戮之后,教区长消失得无影无踪。警方没有发现尸体,故而几乎没有花费时间进行调查。出身卑微的失踪人员们之间也缺乏什么重大的联系。
随着蒸汽船和火车的发明,法师们不再需要依靠魔法来跨越遥远距离的阻隔。大量的游记和小说,如《八十天环游世界》,让那些使用精巧旅行魔法的人的行动变得更加轻松。有了巧妙的计划,再加上一丝优雅的魔法,火车就能像钟表一样稳定运行,马车的畜力也不再会有损伤。许多法师以此为引进行更漫长的旅行,走出他们的疆界去探索理性之子控制范围以外的土地。他们与新的同行会面交流,不受所属组织条条框框的限制,拥抱发现和友爱的精神。然而,帝国主义力量很少会落后于这些热情的探险家。理性之子将触角伸向全球,将不需要的元素排除在外,并寻求西方所未知的技术。
在欧洲和北美,维多利亚时代的道德观念将世界一分为二。壁炉与家庭的纯洁空间;以及肮脏、腐败的外部世界。家和法师圣所之间的相似性不可否认。许多法师将自己的家视为圣地,并利用这种信念的力量强化其防御。灯具和蜡烛作为光源的广泛使用意味着入侵者永远不确定重重叠叠的阴影当中隐藏着什么。那闪烁的火光是准备攻击的火焰精魂,还是只是一根坏灯芯?“纯洁”的维多利亚家庭空间也掩盖了许多罪恶。家庭暴力在这一时代极为普遍,即使在上层和中产阶级中也只是隐藏得更好而已。家庭大权掌握在丈夫手中。教会、社会和法律推行着这种父权权威。沉默和礼教的规则使灭世者为之陶醉的黑暗行为不受阻碍地猖獗。
维多利亚时代的人认为生儿育女是一项重大的社会责任。没有子嗣会引来同情的目光。当然,每个女人都想成为一名母亲,所有男人都想繁衍自己的后代吗?找个“好伴侣”意味着积极地追求那些未婚男女。拒绝太多的邀约会引起许多流言蜚语,甚至更糟。一个法师会有许多东西要隐藏,让沉睡者进入自己的核心生活会让事情变得复杂。未来的丈夫或妻子可能必须通过法师秘所的审查。他们可能有一些他们自己也不知道的联系,而这对法师则构成了威胁。他们可能会在不知不觉中干预圣所的防御。而即使是在绅士俱乐部里随口说了一句关于妻子奇怪习惯的话,也有可能引起不必要的注意。
家庭是敌人可以利用的潜在弱点,需要法师付出许多努力来严防死守。法师可能会隐藏家庭成员,绑定某些实体来保护他们,或者对他们施加保护魔法。那个可怜的蠢贼在黑暗的小巷里撞向法师的丈夫,却发现自己面对的变成了老尼可本人。
法师之间的婚姻有时会践踏沉睡者社会的习俗。一个富有的英国女人嫁给了一个来自爱尔兰荒野的蛮子,这成了一场相当大的丑闻。在沉睡者社会中,没有人意识到他们都是圣叶法师,在灵性上密不可分。他们所看到的只是一段“不幸的结合”。一些群体,如希波克拉底誓环,会进行配种实验,希望创造与沉睡者社会中所发生的种种全然无关的全新的法师。而一个近亲繁殖的可怕法师家族可能会捕获夜裔、恶魔或其他法师,期望培育出一个黑暗弥赛亚。
人际关系对维多利亚时代的上流社会来说至关重要。他们从小就编织着这个社交网络:进入合适的学校,上合适的大学,结门当户对的婚,培育体面的孩子。聪明的法师利用这些联系来获取其他人无法获得的资源和情报。法师会在围绕种种礼节构筑的精巧魔法上花费许多时间。只消一封精心施法的信或名片,再加上正确的措辞,一名法师就可以进入任何家庭或会见几乎任何人。如果法师的技巧足够精湛,甚至几乎不需要任何魔法参与其中。
仆人对主人家的内情了如指掌。只要不会显著损害家族声誉,他们可能会与其他同行分享八卦和信息。在维多利亚时代,仆人无处不在,从富人雇佣几十名男女,到中下层阶级勉强雇佣一个女佣。仆人和主家之间的关系有点类似于不对等的婚姻,而这对魔法来说是双重的。也无怪乎大多数法师都有一些仆人对他们的“其他生活”至少有些基础了解。炫耀性消费的原则同时适用于法师与沉睡者。因而,他们通常拥有比他们真正所需更多的仆人或助手。相对而言,一些法师选择或被分配了仆人的角色。这可能是为了间谍行为、防卫工作或获取灵感。而对传统宗派或理性之子而言占据了重要社会位置的沉睡者经常发现自己会有一些过于有能的仆人。法师从一个理论上的劣势地位小心地管理着他们不知情的主人。
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Awakened Among Sleepers
In society at large, Awakening is the ultimate form of social mobility. Even the weakest of magi may garner large fortunes through the clever use of magick. Carelessness, though, may attract unwanted attention from night folk, fellow magi, or even Sleeper authorities. Pity the magus whose transmutations of lead into gold bring the Peelers and Board of Inland Revenue to his door! A clever enemy can frame a magus for a crime, and point to inexplicable wealth or influence as proof. Organizations with centuries of wealth and power, like the Traditions and Order of Reason, might be willing to shower the right recruit with gifts in exchange for their unquestioning obedience, and have the structures to protect them from unwanted attention. Of course, wealth can’t buy the manners, contacts, and “breeding” of an upper-class upbringing.
Wealth is only the first step for someone wishing to move social class. The magus may need to overcome racial and gender prejudice while forging new connections, either through magick or impressive acts of social manipulation. Etiquette itself is the final gauntlet through which the nouveau riche must pass. The careless manners of the upper class come from rigorous drilling and tremendous social pressure. Emulating these requires practice and, most likely, a teacher.
Walking away from your previous life is very hard in a society that places such massive importance on social currency. A magus born to Birmingham’s slums may struggle to hide her accent and manners from new highborn allies. The struggle worsens when her old friends call to see her fancy new house, or demand favors in exchange for concealing her “unfortunate connections.” Once again, the great magickal organizations are happy to help, and in some cases require, their new initiate to reinvent their life. Like choosing a craft name, this personal reinvention also serves a practical purpose in hiding possible ritual magick connections.
While magick might let a magus live a life of leisure, the Awakened do not rest on their laurels. They feel the drive to engage with the world and change it. Magi often choose professions outside of the norm that challenge them while fulfilling their long-term goals or dreams. Explorers, builders, philosophers, and romantics, the magi attract attention, and by doing so find themselves called on to fall in line. An outspoken magus positing unpopular opinions finds himself in short order beset on all sides by societal pressures, backed up by draconian laws and a network of gossips capable of destroying hard-won social capital in mere hours. Victorians know that they must sever a tainted connection else risk losing their social standing. Scandals and other social disasters fast find one without a friend in the world. Even the lower classes suffer from this social ostracism, though the upper and middle classes feel it most keenly.
In some cultures, a magus might already have an established role to assume, such as a shaman, witch doctor, or cunning man. These established paths offer societal sanction for otherwise hard-to-explain behavior. Some magi have no choice but to walk away from such traditional roles. In the Congo region, after European invaders eradicate entire tribes, the surviving magi are now bereft of those they once helped. Amid the smog-belching factories of Britain, old traditions from the countryside wither and die beneath the boot-heel of poverty and pain. Even where such practices survive, a Willworker cannot always conform to the expectations of Sleepers. Many seek to forge a path of their own.
Magick and talent let a magus choose from a multitude of jobs. A railway consultant, helping to constrain the local paradigms. An engineer shielding miners from dangers hidden underground. A cataloger of arcane artifacts brought back from university-sponsored expeditions. A writer turning his adventures into fanciful “penny dreadfuls” in the hope that one day someone may realize the truth behind the fiction. Professions like alienist, spiritualist, or consulting detective draw strange events to a magus’ attention. In 1883, the alienist, Albert Westenra, battles malevolent Umbrood possessing colonial children across the African continent. Such cases become almost commonplace as Victorian scientific curiosity overcomes age-old superstition. Agatha Webley, an American Euthanatos maga, runs a secret detective business. Her clients are the richest women on the continent. Her cases are the kind that the Pinkertons refuse to take, considering them “flights of imagination and feminine fancy.” Doctors and scientists come across their fair share of weirdness, also. They encounter strange magick, terrifying diseases, and supernatural events.
Imperialist expansion across the globe awakens things better left undisturbed. At home, in old Blighty, the shift from rural to urban living leaves the wretched poor with little or no recourse when the darkness preys upon them. Engineers excavate the bones of ancient cities, ripping open centuries-old plague pits and forgotten graveyards with aplomb. In 1860, nighttime sewer works near the Thames break into a sealed Roman chamber. Engineers find brickwork with scratch marks made by human nails, and an ancient skeleton with evidence of cannibalism. For the next three months, a silent figure stalks the underclasses of London, nicknamed the “Spitalfields Rector” for its occasional use of Latin and favored hunting grounds. The Rector vanishes without a trace after an estimated twelve killings. The police, finding no bodies, spend little time investigating. The missing persons, of lowly origins, lack significant connections.
With the invention of the steamship and train mean, magi no longer need to rely on magick to cover vast distances. The abundance of travelogues and fiction, like Around the World in Eighty Days, makes things much easier for those using elegant travel magick. With clever planning and just a whiff of elegant magick, trains run like clockwork, and carriage horses never run lame. Many magi take this as a cue to journey farther, going beyond their maps to explore lands outside the Order of Reason’s grasp. They meet with new peers and interact with each other free of the strictures and rules laid out by their ruling organizations, often embracing a spirit of discovery and camaraderie. Imperialist forces are rarely far behind earnest adventurers, however. The Order of Reason reaches out across the globe, mapping the undesirable elements out of existence, and seeking technologies unknown to the West.
In Europe and North America, Victorian morality divides the world into two spheres. The pure sphere of hearth and home; and the grubby, corrupt sphere of the outside. The parallels between the home and a magus’ sanctum are undeniable. Many a magus treat their home as a sanctum, enhancing its defenses using the power of this belief. The widespread use of lamps and candles as light sources means intruders are never sure what the copious shadows hide. Is that flickering flame is a fire spirit preparing to attack or just a bad wick? The “pure” Victorian household conceals a multitude of sins. Domestic abuse is common, even if better concealed among the upper and middle classes. Household power resides in the hands of the husband. The Church, society, and the law enforce such patriarchal authority. Codes of silence and propriety allow such dark acts as a Nephandus would revel in to flourish unhindered.
Victorians consider raising a family a high social duty. Being childless draws pitying glances. Surely every woman wants to be a mother, and all men desire to extend their line? Seeking a “good match” involves pursuing unmarried men and women with vigor. Refusing too many offers leads to gossip or worse. A magus has much to hide and admitting a Sleeper into one’s innermost life complicates matters. A prospective husband or wife may have to pass inspection by the magus’ Chantry. They may have connections they are unaware of that make them a danger to the magus. They might unknowingly meddle in sanctum defenses. Even an offhand remark at the gentleman’s club about a wife’s strange habits risks drawing unwanted attention.
Family is a potential weakness that enemies can exploit, requiring much effort to protect and ward them. A magus might hide family members, bind entities to protect them, or cast protective spells on them. Pity the poor thief that jumps a magus’ husband in a dark alley only to find themselves facing the very face of Old Nick, himself.
Marriages between magi sometimes flaunt social Sleeper conventions. A wealthy English woman marrying a wild man from the Irish wilderness raises quite a scandal. Nobody in Sleeper society realizes that they are both Verbena magi sharing a deep spiritual connection. All they see is an “unfortunate alliance.” Some groups, such as the Hippocratic Circle, experiment with breeding programs in the hope of creating new magi, not so removed from what happens in the upper classes of Sleeper society. A hideously inbred family of magi might capture night folk, demons, or other magicians in the hopes of breeding a dark messiah.
Relationships and connections are vital to the upper-class Victorian. They weave this social network from a young age: going to the right school, the right university, marrying well, and raising seemly children. The smart magus uses these connections to access resources and intelligence not available to others. Magi devote much time to elegant magick surrounding etiquette and protocol. With a carefully enchanted letter or calling card, and the right turn of phrase, a magus may enter any home or meet almost anyone. It barely takes any magick work at all, if the magus has enough skill.
Servants have a great deal of knowledge of the inner workings of their master’s homes. They might share gossip and information with others of their rank, so long as doing so wouldn’t damage the family reputation overmuch. Servants are ubiquitous in the Victorian era, from the wealthy employing dozens of men and women, to the lower middle class scraping together enough to employ a single maid. The relationship between servant and family is somewhat akin to a lopsided marriage, and this goes double for a magus. Small wonder then that most magi have servants that know at least a little of their “other life.” The principle of conspicuous consumption applies to magi as well as Sleepers. As such, they often have more retainers or assistants than they truly need. By contrast, some magi choose or are assigned the role of servant. This may be for spying, espionage, protection, or inspiration. Sleepers in positions important to the Traditions or Order of Reason often find themselves with such extremely competent servants. The magi carefully manage their unwitting charges from a supposedly inferior position.
Posted by: Mist Q 2023-04-10, 23:42
学徒制与入会 Apprenticeships and Initiations
传统宗派和理性之子都在积极地招兵买马,不仅是为了补充先前的损员,也是为了进一步扩大他们的影响。虽然性别、种族和阶级并不关乎大多数魔法组织的整体,但它们内部的派系却有着属于自己的偏见。理性之子倾向于不信任来自工业世界以外的法师,认定他们当中的大多数都是来自传统宗派和工坊的潜在间谍。而一旦招聘人员测试了潜在法师的忠诚度,就会给他们指派一位导师。在理性之子中,这种规范化的过程往往会把新学徒分类处置,进而扼杀了他们的创造力。传统宗派的做法要更加混乱,由于各种各样的原因,他们可能会给学徒指派一个并不合适的导师。而一些传统宗派大师甚至会搜集学徒乃至交易学徒,藉其成绩来提高自己的名望。
理性之子在阶级上存在着重大问题。下层阶级中只有极少数人有机会熬过极度的贫困和童工生涯,获得加入理性之子上层所必需的科学理解。理性之子经常将低龄法师投入其快速教育项目,这将维多利亚时代的十年教育野蛮地压缩到短短几个月。实验性的脑部手术和药物的使用让更多的学徒失去了机会,而非得到了教育。幸存者如此毕业后则会进入导师指导的正常课程。传统宗派则通常接受成员的各种出身,但帝国主义倾向往往会把法师归类为与他们的出身文化相关的宗派。例如,原住民法师可能会发现自己被引向梦语者,尽管他对赫尔墨斯哲学有着强烈的兴趣。
这个局势不断升级的时代使得法师的入会与学徒制度变得仓促,更多地强调礼仪,而非实际的魔法训练。虽然穹界领域仍然强大,秘学九宗议会对传统宗派法师仍然影响甚大,但他们正在仓促应对世界范围的大规模范式转变和来自全球各地的新晋法师浪潮。一些传统宗派,如赫尔墨斯秘会,仍然会花费多年时间来训练他们的新成员。其他人则采取了更加务实的做法。由于培训完全由导师个人所掌控,这使培训的风格与知识都显得凌乱不堪。少数人(主要是赫尔墨斯法师)呼吁制定正规化的课程,但顽固的传统宗派很难改变它们千百年来的传统。
新人法师通过加入世界各地为数众多的秘密社团和俱乐部来补完他们零碎的教育。这些秘密社团的范围极其广泛,从诺里奇的绿人社交俱乐部(the Green Men of Norwich’s social club)到大平原地区的奔流之帐(the Running Stream Lodge of the Great Plains),再到刚果丛林中的阿布雷-姆法尔梅(Abre-Mfalme,斯瓦希里语,“远方之王”)隐秘村。这些不同的群体追求各种各样的社会、魔法和政治目标。俱乐部成员分享魔法技艺,相互保护,并提供建议。而有些俱乐部则只是一个法师与其他同类会面交谈的社交场所。许多秘密社团会接受来自一切魔法之道的成员,尤其是由强大的独立法师主持的那些——他们几乎不担心政治上的反冲。
虽然加入结社通常需要正式宣誓并秘所相联结,但大多数秘密社团只需要一些共同的利益。随着20世纪的到来,背叛和腐败的故事不断流传,人们对秘密社团的看法也随之恶化。1899年,臭名昭著的幽灵之家(House of Phantoms)事件促使传统宗派和理性之子正式禁止参与秘密社团,进而终结了这两个群体之间最后的社会关联。改进的教学方法成了秘密社团棺材板上的最后一颗钉,彻底瓦解了它们作为替代导师的作用。
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Apprenticeships and Initiations
Both the Traditions and the Order of Reason aggressively recruit not only to replace their losses but to expand their influence. While gender, race, and class don’t concern most magickal organizations as a whole, factions within them carry prejudices of their own. The Order of Reason tends to distrust magi from outside of the industrial world, believing most of them to be potential spies from the Traditions and Crafts. Once a recruiter has tested the loyalty of a prospective magus, they assign them a mentor. Within the Order of Reason, this codified process tends to pigeonhole new apprentices and stifle creativity. The Traditions practice a more chaotic approach, which, for different reasons, can leave an apprentice with an unsuitable mentor. Some Tradition masters collect and trade apprentices, gaining prestige from their exploits.
The Order of Reason has a serious problem with classism. Only the exceptional few among the lower classes have a chance to overcome crushing poverty and child labor to reach the scientific understanding necessary to join the Order’s upper echelons. The Order routinely places lower-class magi into its accelerated education program, which compresses the brutality of a decade of Victorian education into a scant few months. The use of experimental brain surgeries and drugs breaks more apprentices than it educates. Survivors graduate to the normal mentor-led curriculum. The Traditions generally accept members for who they are, but imperialist leanings often leave magi pigeonholed into Traditions associated with their cultures. A First Nations magus, for example, may find himself shepherded towards the Dream-Speakers, despite a keen interest in hermetic philosophy.
This era of heightened tensions results in rushed initiations and apprenticeships with more emphasis placed on protocol and less on actual magickal training. While the Horizon Realms remain strong and the Council of Nine Mystick Traditions holds considerable sway over Tradition magi, they struggle with the massive paradigm shifts occurring worldwide and the influx of new magi from across the globe. Some Traditions, like the Order of Hermes, still take pains to train their initiates for years. Others take a much more pragmatic approach. With training left in the hands of the individual mentor, this leads to a patchwork of training styles and knowledge. A handful of voices (mostly Hermetics) call for a formal curriculum, but the fractious Traditions are slow to change centuries-old habits.
Nascent magi supplement their sparse education by joining the worldwide plethora of secret societies and clubs. These secret societies range from the likes of the Green Men of Norwich’s social club to the Running Stream Lodge of the Great Plains, to the hidden village of Abre-Mfalme in the Congolese jungles. These diverse groups pursue a variety of social, magickal, and political goals. Society members share magick techniques, provide protection, and give advice. Some clubs serve as little more than social outlets where magi meet and talk to others of their kind. Many societies accept members from all magickal paths, especially those presided over by powerful independent magi since they have little fear of political backlashes.
Whereas membership in a cabal usually requires formal oaths and links to a Chantry, most secret societies require only common interest. With the dawning of the 20th century, opinion on secret societies sours as stories of betrayals and corruption circulate. The infamous House of Phantoms affair in 1899 prompts Traditions and Order of Reason to officially ban membership in secret societies, dissolving the last social connections between the two groups. Improved teaching methods drive the final nail into the coffin of secret societies, removing their function as substitute mentors.
Posted by: Mist Q 2023-04-10, 23:42
秘密社团和其他组织 Secret Societies and Other Organizations
法师们为了共同的目的组成了秘密社团。其原因可能是为了找个伴,分享信息,进行影界旅行,或者其他一些原因。秘密社团通常会不论其出身和隶属而接受一名法师的加入,这使得会员身份的保密尤为重要。让你的理性之子上级知道你经常和一个转轮之民共用一张台球桌对你的职业前途发展并不友好。但这也就是说,这种虚伪也是普遍存在的,传统宗派和理性之子的上位者本身也有不少俱乐部成员资格。不止一个传统宗派大师谴责他的下属与“敌人”勾勾搭搭,同时每周三次和“敌人”一起喝白兰地抽雪茄。
秘密社团诞生于维多利亚时代的动荡之中。当恢弘的魔法之力于内于外进行着隐匿的战争时,人性寻求着庇护。一些法师只需要一个可以毫无顾虑地说出自己想法的地方。其他人则寻求友谊、盟友或知识。对他们关起门来做的事保密是条不言自喻的规则,这使他们多数时候都能畅所欲言。
传统宗派和理性之子的首要目标并不总能满足其成员个人的计划或社交需求。在这种情形时,秘密社团会补上这一空白。就像伦敦的每一位绅士都有一个俱乐部一样,世界上大多数法师都有他们称之为家的秘密社团。法师需要他的宗派或公约来成为法师,但也需要他的秘密社团来帮助他实现自己。
秘密社团通常有未觉醒的雇员,同时偶有可能会有来自觉醒者社群以外的团体成员,如夜裔和影族。新加坡狮子会两名已故成员的鬼魂会为他们的年轻成员提供建议,把他们当作自己的孩子。一些团体会邀请那些处于觉醒边缘的人,引导他们踏上旅程。为追求自己的目标,许多秘密社团会跨越文化、种族和阶级的界限。较大的组织会在世界各地设置多个分会所。加入幽暮北裔(Twilight Northerners)(勇敢的影界探险家)或波士顿诡诈客(Boston Twists)(著名的Certámen决斗家)等这样的俱乐部,可以获得其他地方无法获得的声望和福利。
在秘所与结社中还有那么多要处理的事情,你可能会问自己,为什么还要在游戏中使用社团?秘密社团反映了那个时代的沉睡者文化。它们为玩家角色增加了一个维度,并为说书人提供了一种引入新故事线索和配角的方式。巴克斯利夫人是一位圣叶法师,她需要一位熟知秘传医道的专家来救那个掌握着她姐姐灵魂的灭世者一命。巴克斯利的圣叶结社伙伴永远不会向一个臭名昭著的黑法师伸出援手,但或许她可以说服她餐会里中的某个人来帮助她。
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Secret Societies and Other Organizations
Magi band together in social groups, forming secret societies, for a common purpose. This may be companionship, information sharing, traveling the Umbra, or some other reason. Secret societies often accept magi regardless of affiliation, making membership secrecy especially important. Your Order of Reason superiors learning that you regularly share a billiards table with a Chakravanti is not a recommended career move. That said, hypocrisy is rife, and the upper echelons of the Traditions and the Order of Reason share more than a few club memberships themselves. More than one Tradition master censures his underlings for interacting with “the enemy” while taking brandy and cigars with a high-ranking luminary three times a week.
Secret societies arise from the turmoil of the Victorian era. While the great magickal powers engaged in low-key war both within and without, human nature seeks sanctuary. Some magi need only a place they can speak their minds without fear. Others seek companionship, allies, or knowledge. That what happens within their walls stays secret is an unspoken rule, allowing magi to speak freely most of the time.
The Traditions and Order of Reason have overarching goals that don’t always have a place for their individual members’ agendas or social needs. In these cases, the secret society steps in to fill that gap. Much like every gentleman in London has a club, most magi worldwide have a secret society they call home. A magus needs his Tradition or Convention to be a magus, but he needs his secret society to help fulfill him personally.
Secret societies usually have unAwakened staff, and may rarely have members of groups outside the Awakened community, such as night folk and Umbrood. The ghosts of two fallen members of the Lion Society in Singapore provide advice to their younger members, treating them as their own children. Some groups invite those on the cusp of Awakening, guiding them along their journey. Many secret societies cross the boundaries of culture, race, and class in pursuit of their goals. The larger ones have multiple chapter houses across the world. Membership in clubs like the Twilight Northerners (daring Umbral explorers) or the Boston Twists (famous Certámen duelists) offers prestige and perks unavailable elsewhere.
With so much to deal with in Chantries and Cabals, you may well ask yourself, why use societies in your game? Secret societies offer a reflection of Sleeper culture in the era. They add a layer to player characters, and they offer the Storyteller a way to introduce new story threads and supporting characters. Lady Baxley, a Verbena, needs an expert in an esoteric healing art to save the life of the Nephandus holding her sister’s soul. Baxley’s Verbena cabal mates would never help an infamous dark magus, but maybe she can persuade someone in her dining club to help.
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全球秘密社团 Secret Societies Worldwide 绅士俱乐部和社团在欧洲、北美和殖民地蓬勃发展。它们的觉醒者版本也如雨后春笋一般。它们的群体中充满了来自这些国家的法师和少数外人。在工业世界里,秘密社团隐藏在大众眼皮子底下,伪装成私人的社交俱乐部。例如,埃奇沃思俱乐部(the Edgeworth Club)是一群出身于下层社会的孤儿法师,他们主要由街头儿童构成,聚集在伦敦的一家小餐馆里,寻求保护并分享知识。这些法师自封为街头儿童的保护者,在雾气弥漫的街道上与不止一种黑暗生物发生过冲突。理性之子会非常喜欢抓捕这些年轻的法师并对它们进行再教育。而埃奇沃思俱乐部与虚无党有所联系,该宗派则认为这是其潜在成员的一种“实习活动”。
北美是殖民地俱乐部、非洲输入社会团体以及土著民族集会和社群的所在地。灵媒俱乐部和团体在北美各地活动,受到了广泛的欢迎,并为各类传统宗派法师提供了极好的掩护。“老东部”(back East)
*的绅士俱乐部中隐藏着从纵欲到科学研究的各类事务中活跃的不同派别。波士顿的奥芬巴赫连续体(the Offenbach Continuum)主要由电力工程师和一些不懈的神秘猎人组成。该组织专注的目标是一扇被发现于城市地下深处,被他们命名为连续体(Continuum)的奇异银门。
与欧洲那严苛的氛围相比,新世界对这些社团更加开放包容。美国南部的法师是伏都教和巫毒实践的中心,他们将聚会隐藏于沉睡者代理人和浮夸的表演之下。沉睡者和觉醒者在强大影族的阴影下和谐地融合在一起。魔鬼舞者(the Devil’s Dancers)是个由觉醒者和沉睡者一同组成的混编团队,他们作为狂欢节群体的一部分在南方各地旅行。舞者们专门和影族打交道,尤其是被最近的殖民扩张激怒或腐化的那些。他们都通过表演来掩饰和施展自己的力量。
在大平原和更远的地方,土著民族与疾病、饥荒和苛政斗争以求生存,并保护他们文明的火焰不至熄灭。土著社群和集会通过将仪式场隐藏在荒野之中,将会议伪装成狩猎旅行,并发明秘密语言来继续坚持活动。在物质世界之外,萨满们以玛雅梦域(the Maya dream zone)或通识域(Vulgate)
*作为避难所,从不直接会面,而以精魂或意识形态会面。雨师会(Rainmaker Society)就是这样一个由原住民巫医及其盟友组成的,旨在保护知识和文化的团体。总的来说,这一组织属于温和派,他们培养新的法师,帮助年长者们逃脱迫害,并藏匿那些文化的瑰宝。雨师们在一定程度上控制着一个庞大的通道网络,在每年的特定时间,能够通过这些通道进出影界。这些通道横跨半个大陆,是不止一种已经被沉睡世界所遗忘的文化遗孑的家园。
在更广阔的世界区域当中,秘密社团会更加小心地隐藏自己,尤其是考虑到殖民政府对当地文化团体的猜忌时。在中国,沉睡者中的秘密社团致力于支持普通民众,保护他们免受朝廷的暴行并煽动叛乱。巫龙、空明宗和善终者都支持了沉睡者社团,同时在更深的阴影中经营他们的团伙。即便如此,一些巫龙和金龙的傲慢还是意味着他们就有可能会漏过那些藏得更好的秘密社团,让农民法师在他们眼皮底下谋划大事。后者通过与天庭有关的影族使者网络进行通信,尽管如果没有恪守正礼或内容上有所冒犯,这些使者就可能会篡改或干脆抛下信息。月兔会(the Society of the Moon Hare)就是个觉醒者激进团体,他们煽动叛乱,保护人民免受不论字面上还是比喻上的怪物的伤害。该组织的领导者们经常袭击巫龙和金龙,使这两个组织都对其成员穷追不舍。
在日本,海军上将佩里舰队中著名的黑船的到来轰开了国门。觉醒者集团比以往任何时候都能更轻易地进入日本。新的集团找到了进入日本主要城市的路子,意图从日本法师制作的奇异除灵陷阱(Yurei traps)和机器人上得到一些收获。跨文化的社会成为了强大魔法集团和日本觉醒者之间新一轮互动的基础。日本双屐会(Two Shoe Society)的除灵师游历西方世界,寻找西方的精魂学识。但会中的长老们怀疑,无礼西洋人祖先的躁动灵魂很可能助长了西方帝国主义的侵略,并怀疑他们是否能让这些灵魂成佛。
印度的觉醒者群体长期以来就有原本转轮之民的密教传统,出于教学和社交的目的,他们很快就接受了秘密社团的概念。但在另一方面,东印度公司的掠夺行为促使了政治和武力群体的兴起。由于几个世纪前喜马拉雅战争遗留伤害的影响,印度的本土法师对公开战争敬而远之。相反,这些群体更关注如何更巧妙地解决英国的殖民统治。略显意外的是,大多数印度理性之子成员对帝国主义持反对态度,并隐蔽地努力抗击其影响。这些反帝国主义者必须谨慎行事,并利用像隐秘的蓝齿轮机关(Blue Cog Cognate)这样的社群来传递他们的信息。机关的成员从不见面,通过报纸上的广告和情报点来交换信息。
在非洲,秘密社团承担着间谍、教育者和卷宗保管者的角色。像恩格玛主导的大象学院(the Elephant School)这样的团体会保护和传授那些文化遗产。另一方面,由来自各种宗派的本地法师组成的秘密的好战派系——雄狮会(the Lion Society),与灭世者和从事奴役活动、渎神邪教以及其他此类行为的人进行着激烈的斗争。
殖民地的影响意味着绅士俱乐部在非洲很常见,而它们的数量要远超本地社团。非洲各地的法师们通常将聚会安排在其他活动,如狩猎、庆祝、宗教活动、慈善或学校活动当中。这些活动掩盖了团体的真实性质,使他们能够在没有太多窥探的情况下会面。在城市之外,据点和集会地隐藏在开阔的天地间,只要小心不要引起理性之子间谍的注意即可。卡贝兹亚-姆蓬古之子(the Children of Kabezya-Mpungu)
*们主要是受万物平衡哲学影响的中非洲法师。这些法师相信理性之子确实有所裨益,但拒绝帝国主义的有害影响。他们在魔法实践中融合了科技与秘学,试图使自己成为理性之子和传统宗派各自当中温和派的桥梁。父神之子们走的是一条崎岖而危险的道路,但他们利用自己在冲突双方的关系取得了显著的成果。
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Secret Societies Worldwide
Gentlemen’s clubs and societies flourish in Europe, North America, and the colonies. Their Awakened counterparts thrive, too. Their ranks filled with magi from these nations and a smattering of others. In the industrial world, secret societies hide in plain sight, masquerading as exclusive social clubs. The Edgeworth Club, for example, is a group of lower-class orphan magi, predominantly street children, who gather together in a London rookery for protection and knowledge-sharing. The magi are the self-appointed protectors of street kids and have traded blows with more than one dark creature in the fog-choked streets. The Order of Reason would dearly love to capture and reeducate these young magi. The Edgeworth Club has connections to the Hollow Ones, with the club serving as a kind of “internship” for prospective Hollowers.
North America plays host to colonial clubs, imported social groups from the African continent, and First Nations lodges and societies. Spiritualist clubs and groups travel around North America, proving very popular and providing excellent cover for all manner of Tradition magi. The gentlemen’s clubs “back East” conceal factions dabbling in everything from debauchery to scientific research. The Offenbach Continuum in Boston foremost consists of Electrodyne Engineers along with a few other dogged mystery-hunters. The group’s studies focus on a strange silver-white portal, known as the Continuum, discovered deep under the city.
The New World nurtures more openness for these groups’ offerings than Europe’s more restrictive atmosphere. Magi in the American south, a center of voodoo and hoodoo practices, hide their gatherings behind fronts of Sleeper agents and theatrics. Sleepers and Awakened mix harmoniously in the shadow of powerful Umbrood. The Devil’s Dancers is a mixed group of practitioners, both Awakened and Sleeper, who travel throughout the South as part of a carnival. The dancers specialize in dealing with Umbrood, especially those angered or corrupted by recent colonial expansion. They both conceal and work their power through their performances.
In the great plains and beyond, the First Nations battle illness, famine, and draconian laws to stay alive and keep the flames of their cultures from guttering out. Native societies and lodges persevere by hiding ritual sites in the wilderness, disguising meetings as hunting trips, and developing secret signals and codes. Outside of the material world, the Shamans use the Maya dream zone or the Vulgate as sanctuaries, never truly meeting face-to-face but instead in spirit or thought-forms. The Rainmaker Society is one such group of First Nations medicine men and their allies aiming to preserve knowledge and culture. Generally peaceful, the group trains new magi, helps elders escape persecution, and hides cultural treasures. Rainmakers partially control a vast network of tunnels that fade in and out of the Umbra at certain times of the year. These tunnels cross half the continent and are home to the remnants of more than one culture already lost to the Sleeping world.
In the wider world, secret societies conceal themselves with greater care, especially given the colonial governments’ paranoia towards local cultural groups. In China, secret societies among Sleepers work to support the common people, protect them from over-harsh treatment at the hands of the imperial dynasties, and instigate rebellions. The Wu Lung, Akashayana, and Euthanatoi all sponsor Sleeper societies while running their clubs and groups from even deeper in the shadows. Even then, arrogance on the part of some Wu Lung and Metal Dragons means that they can miss even better-hidden secret societies of peasant magi conspiring under their noses. These latter groups communicate through a network of Umbrood emissaries related to the celestial courts, although such envoys may alter or fail to deliver messages if the correct forms are not observed or the content simply offends them. The Society of the Moon Hare is one such Awakened activist group instigating rebellions and defending the people from monsters, both literal and figurative. The group’s leadership regularly strikes against Wu Lung and Metal Dragons, and both groups actively hunt its members.
In Japan, the arrival of the famous Black Ships of Admiral Perry’s fleet opens up the country to external influence. Awakened groups have better access to Japan than ever before. New societies find their way into major cities, intent on learning a little of the strange Yurei traps and automatons crafted by Japanese magi. Cross-cultural societies form the basis for a new wave of interaction between the great magickal groups and the Japanese Awakened. Japan’s Two Shoe Society’s ghost hunters travel the occidental world seeking knowledge of the spirits of the West. Elders of the society suspect that unquiet souls of disrespected Western ancestors might well have a hand in fueling imperialist aggression, and wonder if they might lay such spirits to rest.
India’s Awakened community, long accustomed to the cults of the proto-Chakravanti, embrace the concept of secret societies for teaching and social purposes. In turn, the East India Company’s depredations prompt a rise in political and martial societies. India’s native magi, scarred by the legacy of the Himalayan Wars centuries before, shy away from open warfare. Instead, groups focus on more subtle solutions to British occupation. In a twist, the majority of the Order of Reason in India oppose imperialism and quietly work to oppose its influence. These anti-imperialists must act carefully and use societies like the cryptic Blue Cog Cognate to spread their message. Members of the Cognate never meet in person, exchanging messages through newspaper advertisements and dead drops.
In Africa, secret societies take on the role of spies, educators, and archivists. Groups like the Elephant School, dominated by the Ngoma, preserve and teach cultural heritage. On the other hand, the Lion Society, a secretive militant sect of native magi from all Traditions, fiercely opposes both Nephandi and mortals engaged in slavery, profane cults, and other such practices.
Colonial influence means that gentleman’s clubs are common in Africa, but they are far outnumbered by native societies. Magi across Africa usually arrange meetings as part of other events, such as safaris, celebrations, religious events, charity events, or schooling. These events hide the true nature of the group, allowing them to meet without too many prying eyes. Outside of the cities, strongholds and meeting places hide in the abundance of open space, provided one is careful not to attract the attention of an Order of Reason spy. The Children of Kabezya-Mpungu are primarily central African magi influenced by the philosophy of balance in all things. These magi believe the Order of Reason does bring some benefits, but they reject the harmful influences of imperialism. They fuse the technological and mystical in their magickal practices, attempting to make themselves into a bridge for the moderates in both the Order of Reason and Traditions alike. The Children walk a narrow and dangerous path, but they use their contacts on each side of the conflict to great effect.
*老东部back East:美国俚语,回到作为北美殖民者起点的美国东部文明地区/或直接指东部。
*通识域Vulgate:上影界的最低处,人类和一些其他物种思维中最简概念的投射,连接着语言之河和伊斯坎达尔图书馆等界域。
*卡贝兹亚-姆蓬古Kabezya-Mpungu:中非巴鲁巴人神话当中的创世父神。
Posted by: Mist Q 2023-04-10, 23:42
成员和权力结构 Members and Power Structure
一个社群的成员为社群做什么,能从社群中得到什么,是理解这个群体的关键。例如,四环会有着(主要基于年龄的)严格的等级制度,其成员努力学习和分享有关影界和鬼魂的信息。另一方面,奥芬巴赫连续体很少关注组织架构,只有解明他们好奇的主题这个唯一目标。连续体的成员共享资源,并就那个怪东西的本质进行辩论,但除了这一共同的痴迷之外,他们缺乏一个有凝聚力的结构。
一些团体对未来的成员怀有偏见或对他们设置障碍。埃奇沃斯俱乐部不信任成年人,而狮子会则对灭世者的渗透偏执到会不断地试探彼此。象牙绅士只接纳有英国上流社会教养(而不是说仅是英国人就行)的成员,将其他人当成二等人。四环会对外人开放,但到目前为止,文化差异和秘学理解的障碍使他们鲜有非日本会员。一些协会比如蓝齿轮机关,实行分级会员制,他们指导沉睡者科学家,给予他们提示并引导他们走向觉醒。而跨派系团体,如雨师会,从他们的多样性中获益匪浅。他们的认知理解更为全面,成员也更难从人群中被辨认出来。
很少存在没有辅助人员的社团。社交俱乐部,如巴黎秘食客俱乐部(the Parisian Mystic Diner’s Club),以神话兽类(mythic beasts)和灵体为宴,需要数十名仆人才能保障其顺畅运作。注重实践的俱乐部可能需要助理来为他们的日常任务提供支持。这些仆人往往不知道主人的真实本性,但一些社团发现,给予这些从者一定程度的神秘知识会让他们更有用。魔鬼舞者与沉睡者表演家同行,其中一些过去曾受到过法师的帮助,并在之后发誓要报恩。
组织结构会反映出其目的。像前面提到的秘食客这样的社交俱乐部往往是非正式的,而像狮子会这样的团体则会采取严格的小组结构,使其单元不会暴露整个团体。会员资格通常伴随着责任,比如蓝齿轮机关会向学校和教育机构散布技术资料,或是雨师会对口述传统的抄录。投入到社团活动当中时间的多少通常取决于成员付出的意愿。少有社团的影响力能够大到要求其成员大量花费其个人时间。
作为责任和时间投入的回报,秘密社团根据其目标与成员共享资源。最常见的是集会场所。就像凡人们的俱乐部一样,这些集会场所可能有相当了不得的幕后赞助者,像是象牙绅士在伦敦郊区奢靡堕落的豪宅,或是埃奇沃斯俱乐部(通风性相当良好)的召唤圈那样的仪式场。秘学图书馆很常见,比如大象学院著名的活图书馆(Living Library)和四环会的大档案馆(grand archive)。大多数俱乐部都提供某种形式的社交网。埃奇沃斯俱乐部对伦敦的所有销赃处和腐败条子了如指掌,而魔鬼舞者则有着遍布美国南部的朋友网络。
秘密社团通常会有一些不成文的行为规范或是礼仪,这些规矩可能会让新人陷入麻烦,也会揭露那些潜在的渗透者。禁止使用异常的魔法或以其他方式引来沉睡者对社团的关注之类的规则很常见。在俱乐部场地内与俱乐部成员发生公开冲突、破坏《协约》(见下文)或使俱乐部名誉扫地同样是惩罚的理由。除了这些明确的规矩外,大多数社团都有一系列独特的小传统和习俗,如问候礼仪、送礼规则和时间预期(*注:指“一会儿”或“一次工作”这类不成文、约定俗成的时段概念)。根据秘密社团的性质,对违规行为的惩罚从轻微谴责到驱逐,甚至更严重。
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Members and Power Structure
What a societies’ members do for and take from the society is key to understanding that group. The Four Rings Society, for example, has a strict (mostly age-based) hierarchy and its members strive to learn and share information about Umbrood and ghosts. The Offenbach Continuum, on the other hand, cares little for structure and has a single, tightly focused goal to understand the subject of their interest. Members of the Continuum share resources and debate the nature of the strange object, but outside their common obsession, they lack a cohesive structure.
Some groups harbor prejudices or include barriers to prospective members. The Edgeworth Club distrust adults, while the Lion Society is so paranoid about Nephandic infiltration that they constantly test each other. The Ivory Gentlemen only admit members with an upper-class English (not just British) upbringing, regarding everyone else as inferior. The Four Rings Society is open to others, but cultural differences and barriers to mystical understanding have so far kept their non-Japanese membership small. Some societies operate a tiered membership, like the Blue Cog Cognate, who mentor Sleeper scientists, offering them hints and guiding them towards Awakening. Cross-faction groups, like the Rainmaker Society, gain much from their diversity. Their understanding is broader and their members harder to pick out of a crowd.
Societies rarely exist without support staff. Social clubs, like the Parisian Mystic Diner’s Club, who dine on mythic beasts and ephemera, require scores of servants to keep them operating smoothly. Practically-focused clubs may require assistants to support their day-to-day tasks. These servants are often ignorant of their master’s true nature, but some societies find it more useful to grant such retainers a measure of occult knowledge. The Devil’s Dancers travel with Sleeper performers, a few of whom the magi helped in the past, after which they pledged their assistance in return.
Structure reflects purpose. Social clubs like the aforementioned Mystic Diners tend to be informal affairs, whereas groups like the Lion Society operate a cell structure where captives can’t expose the entire group. Membership commonly comes with responsibilities, such as the Blue Cog Cognate’s seeding of technomantic material into schools and educational institutes, or the Rainmaker Society’s transcribing of oral records. The time invested in society activities usually depends on what the member is willing to give. Few societies have the influence to demand copious amounts of their member’s time.
In return for responsibilities and time, secret societies share resources with members in line with their goals. A meeting place is the most common. Like mortal clubs, these meeting spots might have grand sleeping arrangements, like the Ivory Gentlemen’s decadent mansion on the outskirts of London, or ritual spaces like the Edgeworth Club’s (rather drafty) summoning circle. Occult libraries are common, as with the Elephant Society’s famous Living Library, and the Four Rings Society’s grand archive. Most clubs offer some form of social connections. The Edgeworth Club knows every fence and corruptible peeler in London, whereas the Devil’s Dancers have a network of friends spread across the American south.
Secret societies usually have uncodified standards of behavior or etiquette that can trip up newcomers and reveal would-be infiltrators. Rules against the use of uncanny magick or otherwise drawing Sleeper attention to the society are common. Open conflict with club members inside club grounds, breaking the Entente (see below), or bringing the club into disrepute are likewise grounds for punishment. As well as these obvious protocols, most societies have a list of minor traditions and practices unique to their history and nature, such as greeting etiquette, rules around gift-giving, and expectations around time-keeping. Depending on the nature of the secret society, punishments for transgressions range from minor censure to expulsion, or worse.
Posted by: Mist Q 2023-04-10, 23:43
无规矩不成法师——法师之礼
Manners Maketh Magus — Etiquette for Magi
维多利亚时代出版了无数关于礼仪的书籍,这是有充分理由的。工业世界的社会是一个由繁文缛节组成的噩梦般的迷宫,其目的在于将那些不属于它的人排除在外。而在帝国主义的势力范围之外,法师们要应对的社会形势和复杂性则要超出伦敦绅士的想象。每种文化都有其传统、法律和礼仪,每个觉醒者群体也是如此,而所有夜裔和影族更不用说了。多塞梯堡(Doissetep)的大图书馆有一整栋附属建筑,专门介绍从凡人和影族到夜裔和妖精王庭的种种协议和契约。
有些人想知道,当法师有无视这些协议的选择和权力时,为什么还要给自己套上新的规矩。这些大大小小的规则保护觉醒者免受彼此的伤害,并为这个残酷而混乱的世界提供了一个稳定的框架。规则巩固了结构,确保了法师在其中的地位,保护了弱者(偶尔),并约束了那些愚蠢和危险的人。
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Manners Maketh Magus — Etiquette for Magi
The Victorians produce countless books on etiquette, and with good reason. The social landscape of the industrial world is a nightmarish labyrinth of protocol and decorum designed to exclude those not born to it. Outside the imperialist sphere of influence, magi contend with social situations and complexities beyond anything the likes of which a London gentleman might conceive. Each culture has its traditions, laws, and etiquette, as does each group of Awakened, let alone all the legions of Night Folk and Umbrood. The great library in Doissetep contains an entire annex dedicated to protocols and pacts from mortal and Umbrood to Night-Folk and Fae courts.
Some wonder why magi choose to inflict new rules upon themselves when they have the choice and power to ignore such protocols. These rules, both great and small, protect the Awakened from each other and offer a framework of stability in a world that can otherwise be cruel and chaotic. Rules enforce structure, ensure a magi’s place within it, protect the weak (sometimes), and reign in the foolish and dangerous.
基本礼仪 Basic Etiquette 在公共场合接近另一位法师是一件微妙的事情。一对天国颂歌法师可能通过藏在他们衣服上的象征符号或古老版本的共同祝颂来认识彼此。咖啡馆里的理性之子贤士可能会在纸上信手涂鸦一个方程式,然后把它扔给另一张桌子上的疑似盟友让他完成。而在这些秘学巨头之外,法师必须依靠当地的惯例和
协约的变体(见下文)来接触。在任何情况下,在接近另一位法师时将带着的武器或法器收起来都被认为是个好的开端。在这个时代,信任是宝贵的。有时,引荐由另一位觉醒者来进行要比迫使无意于此的圈子进行要强得多。
当第一次于另一位法师会面时,礼貌的做法是正式地称呼他们,通常会使用他们自居的阶位。行事要谨慎;与其他法师打交道时,尊重是一种宝贵的货币。尊重一位潜在的贵人既是明智之举,也是体面的。而在于来自异文化的法师进行第一次接触时,一支巧妙的社交舞随之而来——双方都试图弄清楚他们应该表现出多大程度的尊敬。在完成这些例行公事后,法师们彼此便算是认识了。根据具体情境的不同,这种结交可能会变得不那么正式。
magus(pl.magi)、maga(pl.magae)和magum(pl.maga)分别指男性、女性和非二元的法师,但许多年轻的法师认为后一个术语是过时的,并将magus和magi用于觉醒者的所有性别。在内部,理性之子将觉醒成员称为贤士(luminary),但在他们的队伍之外很少有人使用这个词。除了在公共活动中,法师很少使用沉睡者的头衔,而是更喜欢使用觉醒等级(如果有的话)(见M20,第141页)。
在维多利亚时代,法师们通常遵循几种广泛的社会契约。请注意,在
条律和
戴米安原则之外,这些指导方针只是指导方针而已,并不是什么实践性的规则。违反这些准则会损害法师的声誉,导致被排斥或更糟。好名声至关重要,所以大多数法师尽可能避免公开的违规行为。
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Basic Etiquette
Approaching another magus in public is a delicate affair. A pair of Chorus Celestial magi might know each other by symbolism hidden on their clothing or an archaic version of a common blessing. An Order of Reason luminary at a cafe might doodle an equation on a piece of paper, dropping it for his suspected ally at another table to complete. Outside of the great magical organizations, a magus must rely on local conventions and variations of the Entente (see below) when making contact. In all cases, approaching another magus with weapons or will-working tools holstered is considered good form. Trust is a rare thing in these times. Sometimes introductions are better made by another Awakened rather than forcing an acquaintance where none is desired.
When first meeting another magus, it is polite to refer to them formally, usually citing their presumed rank. Err on the side of caution; respect is a valuable currency when dealing with other magi. Treating a potential senior with respect is both good sense and honorable. A delicate social dance ensues when meeting a magus from an alien culture for the first time, as both sides try to figure out exactly how much deference they should show. Once the magi have gone through these formalities, they acknowledge each other and become acquaintances. This acquaintance may grow to become something less formal depending on time and circumstances.
The terms magus (pl. magi), maga (pl. magae) and magum (pl. maga) refer to masculine, feminine, and non-binary magi respectively, but many younger magi consider the latter terms archaic and use magus and magi for all genders of the Awakened. Internally, the Order of Reason refers to their Awakened members as luminaries, but few outside their ranks use this term. Magi rarely bother with Sleeper titles except at public events, preferring instead to use Awakened rank, if any (See M20, p. 141).
Several broad social contracts are generally followed among magi in the Victorian age. Note that outside of the Protocols and the Precepts of Damian, these guidelines are only that, and not enforceable rules. Breaching guidelines damages a magus’ reputation, resulting in ostracization or worse. Reputation and respect are crucial, so most magi avoid overt breaches whenever possible.
风俗与仪节 Customs and Courtesies 理性之子有
戴米安原则(the Precepts of Damian),由无形学院(the College Invisible)递交维多利亚女王。传统宗派则有
条律(the Protocols),根植于赫尔墨斯秘会。而对于这些团体之外的法师来说,
协约(the Entente)是法师在工业世界普遍认可的一套公约。
在这些行为准则、常识、实用规则和其他跨文化协议之外,存在着许多次要的条约和协议。凡人术士、影族与夜裔各自的社会契约也催生出许多这样的契约和协议。更含混不清的规矩的例子包括在过去与妖精王廷进行交易时书下的数百码的关于赠礼的文本;一条被误译为禁止在与吸血鬼见面前吃大蒜的古赫秘法律;以及每年3月7日在法国北部的某个沿海小村庄禁止使用精魂魔法的规定。
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Customs and Courtesies
The Order of Reason has the Precepts of Damian, handed down to Queen Victoria by the College Invisible. The Traditions have the Protocols, with their foundations in the Order of Hermes. For magi outside these groups, the Entente is a set of conventions generally recognized by magi in the industrial world.
Numerous minor pacts and agreements exist outside of these codes of conduct, some common sense, some practical rules, and others cross-cultural agreements. Mortal sorcerers, Umbrood, and Night-Folk inspired many of these pacts and agreements, mostly through their own social contracts. Examples of the more obscure rules include several hundred yards of text concerning gifting, spawned by dealings with the Fae courts of old; a mistranslated old Hermetic law prohibiting the eating of garlic before meeting with vampires; and the forbidding of the use of spirit magick on 7th March every year in a tiny coastal village in Northern France.
戴米安原则 The Precepts of Damian 戴米安原则乃是理性之子的存在之基与庄严宣言的重要构成部分。戴米安教授(Professor Damian),无形学院的代表,理性之子不为人知的大师,在19世纪末向维多利亚女王阐述了这些指导方针。这些规则将理性之子的目标聚焦起来,指向一种新时代的新哲学。在《原则》发布后的几个月内,无形学院向理性之子内的高级法师发布了条例解释,以帮助他们正确理解。随着世界的变化和解释的更新,对戒律及其最初解释的新澄清,如下所列,成为理性之子中的年度事件。随着世界的变化与相应认知理解的更新,对如下所列原则及其最初理解的解释更新已成为理性之子系统当中的年度活动。
▌秩序、静态与共识 Order, Stasis, and Consensus 予宇宙以静态与秩序。可预测性带来安全。当一切都被发现,一切都被知晓,大同(Unity)将被铸就。 这一崇高原则要求启明之人在使用超常魔法时要慎之又慎。除非处于最极端的情况,它完全禁止使用任何灾难性的魔法。启明之人必须以身作则,而他们的魔法在结构化上的进展意味着,终有一天,他们的一切壮举都将降入凡俗的领域。贤士以这一原则来评估他们同侪的器量,蔑视那些违反它的人,排斥在这一规则上耍小聪明的人。
▌技术与教化 Technology and Training 说服群众相信科学、商业和政治的善性以及理性的力量。纷争和苦难在我们的乌托邦中将被彻底根除。 此原则要求启明干员在任何时候都要穿上科学的外衣。理性之子的成功必须来自科学和理性思维,而不是装神弄鬼的愚行。这条戒律鼓励启明之人创造和预言造福他人的仁善科学奇迹。贤士通常通过赞助和参与庆祝现代科学技术的活动来维护这一理想。
▌安全与保障 Safety and Security 保护险棘与穹界。反乱分子肆无忌惮地破开大门,威胁着我们世界的稳定。不受控制的门户也允许如灭世者之流的外部势力进入我们的世界。绝不容许这种情况的发生。 此原则是一系列直截了当的命令:加固险棘,巡逻穹界,对付那些危及世界的人。“反乱分子”一词让许多贤士对他们与传统宗派中故友的关系和认识产生怀疑。许多反省会致使几十年的长久情谊破裂。
▌智识与监察 Knowledge and Surveillance 定义宇宙的性质。智识必须成为唯一,否则混乱将笼罩万有。宇宙的根本之力不能容许未知的肆行妄为。 此原则命令启明之人编目宇宙。理性之子中一些更狂热的派系利用这条戒律为严重侵犯个人隐私的行为进行辩护。也有贤士利用这一原则来为与传统法师的交往开脱。毕竟,如果不能仔细观察,就无法学习。
▌进步与灭法 Progress and the Pogrom 消灭现实干犯者。他们的鲁莽愚行威胁到我等的安全与我等走向大同的进程。 此原则赋予了贤士道德权威,让他们在消灭现实干犯者这一活动上为所欲为。在维多利亚时代,“现实干犯者”的定义有些宽松,许多贤士根据具体情况决定他们能将谁认定为现实干犯者。一名访问南非的英国空间探索者可能会因为一名祖鲁人恩戈马法师在家乡老布利蒂的俱乐部里与两名圣叶巫师每周打两次台球而认定是他理性之子的威胁。
▌启蒙与赋权 Enlightenment and the Empowered Elite 牧养大众;保护他们免受自己和其他事物的伤害。 此原则是理性之子当中那些将自己视为人类的牧羊人的家伙的最爱,他们对沉睡者时常持着父兄式的高高在上的态度。对此原则过于投入的贤士常显得对大众过于傲慢——这对受下层阶级法师庇护的上层阶级沉睡者来说尤其令人恼火。在维多利亚社会,看不清自己的位置是一种巨大的失礼行为,绊倒了不止一位贤士,给理性之子的计划带来灾难性的后果。
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The Precepts of Damian
The Precepts of Damian form part of the Order of Reason’s raison d’être and manifesto. Professor Damian, a representative of the College Invisible, the unseen masters of the Order of Reason, outlines these guidelines to Queen Victoria in the late 19th century. These rules bring the Order of Reason’s goals into sharp focus — a new philosophy for a new era. Within a few months of the precepts’ release, the College Invisible release clarifications to senior magi within the Order to help with their correct interpretation. New clarifications of the precepts and their initial interpretations, listed below, become a yearly event within the Order of Reason as the world changes and the interpretations require updating.
Order, Stasis, and Consensus
Bring Stasis and order to the Universe. Predictability brings safety. Once all is discovered and all is known, Unity will be won.
This lofty precept requires the illuminated to reign in their use of uncanny magick. It outright bans the use of catastrophic magick except in the most extreme circumstances. The illuminated must lead by example, and the structured advancement of their magick means that one day, everything they do will fall within the realm of the mundane. Luminaries use this rule as a measure of their fellows, looking down upon those breaching it, and ostracizing those flaunting or skirting it.
Technology and Training
Convince the Masses of the benevolence of science, commerce, and politics and of the power of Rationality. Conflict and suffering will be eliminated in our Utopia.
This precept requires illuminated agents to use the trappings of science at all times. The successes of the Order of Reason must come from science and rational thinking rather than mystical nonsense. The precept encourages the illuminated to create and herald benevolent scientific wonders for the betterment of others. Luminaries most often uphold this ideal by sponsoring and partaking in events that celebrate modern science and technology.
Safety and Security
Preserve the Gauntlet and the Horizon. Chaotic individuals who open gateways with impunity threaten the stability of our world. Uncontrolled portals also allow outside forces, such as Nephandi, access to our world. This must never happen.
This precept is a straightforward series of commands: thicken the Gauntlet, patrol the Horizon, deal with those who would endanger the world. The term “chaotic individuals” causes many luminaries to question their connections and acquaintance with long-term friends in the Traditions. A lot of soul-searching leads to friendships decades in the making broken asunder.
Knowledge and Surveillance
Define the nature of the universe. Knowledge must be absolute, or chaos will envelop all. The elemental forces of the universe must not be left to the caprices of the unknown.
This Precept commands the illuminated to catalog the entire universe. Some of the more zealous factions within the Order use this Precept to justify terrible breaches of personal privacy. Some luminaries use this precept to excuse mixing with Tradition magi. After all, one cannot learn if one cannot observe closely.
Progress and the Pogrom
Destroy Reality Deviants. Their recklessness threatens our security and our progress toward Unity.
This rule gives the luminaries the moral authority to do whatever they want to destroy reality deviants. In the Victorian Era, the definition of “reality deviant” is somewhat lax and many luminaries decide on a case-by-case basis who they consider as such. A British Void Seeker visiting South Africa may decide that a Zulu Ngoma magus is a threat to the Order while playing billiards twice a week with two Verbenae warlocks in his club back home in old Blighty.
Enlightenment and the Empowered Elite
Shepherd the Masses; protect them from themselves and from others.
This precept is a favorite of those within the Order who see themselves as shepherds of humanity, taking a paternal, and oftentimes condescending, approach to Sleepers. Luminaries cleaving too much to this rule appear condescending to the masses — something particularly irritating to higher-class Sleepers patronized by a magus of a lower social class. Not knowing one’s place in the world is a huge faux pas in Victorian society that trips up more than one luminary, with devastating consequences for the Order’s agenda.
条律 The Protocols 启于古代的《赫耳墨斯法典》,条律是秘学九宗——传统宗派的高阶议会制定的基本行为规则。一个违反条律的法师通常会发现自己要向同侪组成的法庭申辩。然而可悲的现实是,在一些具有帝国主义倾向的圣所,那些“右翼分子”很少像他们的下层同侪那样受到严厉的惩罚。
▌学无先后,达者为先 Respect Those of Greater Knowledge 基于常识的规则。尊重法师,她只消一眼就能把你变成闷烧的余烬。撇开玩笑不谈,“智上之智(greater knowledge)”的概念在更帝国主义的法师中是一个激烈争论的话题,他们认为殖民地的当地法师在知识方面“天然”低于他们。古典主义倾向也污染了这个概念。上流社会的法师们认为自己天生比下层社会的法师更有知识。帝国主义法师发起了一场有争议的运动,要求传统宗派的排名系统包括表示社会阶级的细分,这样上层社会的精英就不必向土著大师低头。
▌凡师之恩,必有其偿 A Tutor’s Debt Must Be Repaid 阶级主义的幽灵再次抬头。上流社会的法师们愉快地指教他们的同伍者,几乎不对回报做什么期望,而工人阶级的法师们可能会发现自己只不过是一个契约仆人。甚至几年后,一名学生可能会受到过去师长的社会阻碍和影响,反之亦然。
▌巫以诺名,誓不可轻 A Magus’ Word is his Honor; Break Not a Sworn Vow 除了正式的惩罚之外,违背誓言肯定也会毁掉你的声誉——这一维多利亚时代的昂贵之物。在最近的一个例子当中,巴塞洛缪·诺斯曼·巴尼·弗朗博勋爵(Lord Bartholomew Northman bani Flambeu)违背了对摩洛哥善终者法师的誓言。尽管诺斯曼只受到了伦敦同侪法庭的轻微谴责,但他发现自己被社交俱乐部拒之门外,在伦敦社交圈声名狼藉。最终,他移民到澳大利亚以求远离耻辱。
▌结社与圣所不可背弃 Betray Not Your Cabal or Chantry 一个可以追溯到传统宗派最初时期的警告。背叛是传统宗派中最大的罪恶之一,也是发生背叛时对他们打击最大的罪恶。而帝国主义的统治者在处理自己的问题时,对违反这一规则的人惩罚尤为严厉。一个下层阶级的法师不必理解真正的荣誉,但一个绅士应该要清楚。
▌勿与升扬之敌为伍 Conspire Not with the Enemies of Ascension 新的旅行和沟通方式为阴谋提供了新的机会。来到一个新地区的法师经常受到怀疑,除非他们有社会关系可以为他们担保。一封介绍信或一位广受尊敬的人的话则能打开许多紧闭的大门。
▌守护眠者;其行盲也 Protect the Sleepers; They Know Not What They Do 大多数传统法师认为这是该组织(*指秘学九宗)存在的全部原因。这一条律在理论层面来说对帝国主义法师极难保证,但在实践中,这种保护往往只是针对超自然威胁进行扩展。帝国主义的法师可能会支持甚至帮助沉睡者部队在刚果征服或屠杀村民,但如果一个影族对同一批村民进行袭击,出于一种扭曲的贵族责任感,他们会觉得有义务保卫这些处于西方国家统治之下的村民。
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The Protocols
Inspired by the ancient Code of Hermes, the Protocols are the basic rules of behavior laid out by the Council of Nine, the high council of the Traditions. A magus breaking a protocol usually finds themselves answering to a tribunal of their peers. The sad reality is that in Chantries with imperialist leanings, those of the “right breeding” are rarely punished as harshly as their lower-class counterparts.
协约 The Entente 这套社会规则旨在指导那些生活在工业化社会中的人,是一位新觉醒的法师将最早被教授的东西之一。这些规则使法师能够在社会中发挥作用,而不必担心他们的生活会变成战场,也不必担心自己会陷入偏执的隐居状态。尽管生活在工业世界的法师们从条律与戴米安原则中获得了灵感,但他们认为这些规则更实用。如果你选择生活在欧洲帝国内部,这些规则既是明智的预防措施,也是有益的保护措施。
虽然没有正式的权力来执行这些规则,但法师认为破坏协约是一种糟糕的行为,会损害破坏者的声誉,甚至会让她成为众矢之的。
▌无战书则不启战端 Maketh No War, Without First Offering Fair Declaration 觉醒的社会认为,最低限度要在开始敌对行动前提前一天发出通知,尽管一些更“粗鲁”的启蒙人士认为,在投掷火球的前几秒钟大声辱骂就称得上足够公平。年长而明智的法师可能会提前几天发出书面警告,希望全面战争的威胁足以将他们的敌人带到谈判桌上。违反这条规则会让其他人也对你这样做。但在现代战争和间谍活动的现实前提下,这一规则的重要性显著减弱。
▌提携后进之觉醒者 Bestow Knowledge on the Newly Awakened 这条规则曾经是赫尔墨斯法典的一部分。如今,这种“提携”可能只需花几个小时喝茶和解释启蒙的基本知识,也可能只需将启蒙者视为新学徒或结社伙伴。至少,一位法师会向他的觉醒伙伴解释协约。
▌觉醒道上不可为贼 Steal Not from Your Fellow Awakened 这包括盗窃与魔法事业有关的知识和物品。违反这一规则会招致其他人的对等报复,受害方可以自由支配,根据自己的意愿进行惩罚,无论是亲自惩罚还是将行愿者拖到法院上。被贴上小偷的标签是毁掉名声并被逐出许多社交圈的一条捷径。
▌家庭神圣不可侵犯 Family is Sacrosanct 除非法师的家人积极参与她的活动,否则你不能伤害他们。此类违规行为的受害者经常惊讶地发现,会有数十名盟友争先恐后地帮助他们实施报复。帝国主义法师在对待原住民时经常忽视这一原则,并用从颅相学到优越人种论的各种伪科学和种族主义废话来为自己辩白。总的来说,如果法师出身于一个高等人种,那么就很难指望他对一个“蛮夷”给予他对一位绅士同僚那样的礼貌。
▌信守汝之诺言 Honor Your Word 法师拥有堪称巨大的力量,大多数人认为荣誉和负责任地使用魔法是过上美好生活的关键。大多数法师认为,即使不在心中认可,也要在形式上良好地遵守协议。声誉的得失取决于对这一规则的遵守。
▌礼先敬贤 Respect Your Elders and Betters 这是另一条跨越老规矩和常识之间鸿沟的规则。在这种情况下,“贤”通常指那些拥有更强启蒙力量的人,而不是指社会结构层面或帝国主义种族信仰层面。
▌持法以慎,勿显人前 Be Subtle in Your Arts, Lest Others Know You For What You Are 亦称为阴秘法则(the Rule of Shade),自燃烧时代以来就一直存在,长期遵守,后来被传统宗派作为半正式的第八条律采用。这条规则很有意义,既因为沉睡者,也因为过去的猎巫行动在许多地区并不遥远。
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The Entente
Intended to guide those living in industrialized societies, this set of social rules are among the first things taught to a newly Awakened magus. These rules enable magi to function in society without having to worry about their lives turning into a battlefield or driving themselves into paranoid seclusion. Although drawing inspiration from the Precepts and Protocols, magi living in the industrial world consider these rules more practical. If you choose to live within the European empires, these rules are both wise precautions and helpful protections.
While there is no formal power enforcing these rules, magi consider breaking the Entente as poor form, damaging the breaker’s reputation, and even making her fair game should others wish to act against her.
信与约 Pacts and Promises 在上流社会之外,几乎没什么能阻止法师利用沉睡者甚至超自然实体。然而,他们的愤怒以及由此造成的破坏和暴露对每个人来说都是个麻烦。以下契约和承诺是管理工业社会之外世界对法师的期望的一般准则。
这些规则名目甚多,但并非通行于所有地方,而且只有在社会压力下才能执行。每个地理区域和文化都有一些附加规则,通常涉及文化禁忌或要求。例如,在中国及其周边地区,巫龙推崇《天道(the Heavenly Paths)》的仁德,这是一套以更普遍的契约为基础的十二卷律书。这些道律很少被强制执行,但大多数巫龙和他们的盟友都表现出对它们的崇敬。在澳大利亚,一些当地的法师延续着《骨韵(the Bone Rhymes)》,这是一种直接的押韵诗歌体规则,深受影族的影响,包含了处理精魂事务时的实用智慧。《骨韵》列出了对各类影族领主的至少十几种正式问候语。使用这些问候语传达了正确想法的法师通常会得到积极的反应。
一般协议和承诺如下:
▌尊重权力和未知 Respect Power and the Unknown 这一规则的一些变体包括进入主人的领地时请求许可或向主人赠送礼物。帝国主义的法师利用这一协定,通过讨价还价在新领地建立永久的立足点。随着时代的发展,这种滥用行为的消息不胫而走,这一规则慢慢地转向对未知事物的抵制,导致许多本土法师将自己和他们的人民与帝国主义扩张隔离开来,或者积极拒绝进入他们领土的企图。
▌不要给凡人带来麻烦,也不要让觉醒者接受他们的审视 Trouble Not Mortals or Expose the Awakened to Their Scrutiny 这条规则的后一部分可能不存在于人们相信魔法和法师存在的地区,例如前殖民时期的美国部分地区。由于知道理性之子不喜欢怪异魔法,当地的法师经常无视这一规则,甚至把手下的沉睡者干部从他们的领地带到与贤士会面的地方。
▌不可扭曲其领地内凡人的灵魂以对抗法师 Twist Not the Soul of Men Against a Magus in His Domain 该协定特别提到了对地方范式和领地的侵蚀。理性之子通常只在交战期间打破此规则,他们对这一规则的刻意忽视引起了几位土著法师对“安全”的理性之子领地进行渗透,并通过邪教和其他类似团体破坏他们的范式的行为。
▌警告旅行者您的领地内存在危险 Warn Travelers of Dangers Within Your Domain 这只是一种礼貌,但法师“忘记”警告那些足以激怒他们的人并非闻所未闻。帝国主义法师可能会成为许多“错误和疏忽”的受害者。
▌存身若水,不争皓月 Be Like the Waters and Dance Before the Silver Moon 理性之子(即此处所说的皓月)不可对抗或揣测。试图与理性之子开战的土著法师最终总是死亡或更糟。这一新规则由死去法师的鬼魂传播,它们告诉未征服领土上的当地法师,至少在短期内要避免受到理性之子的关注。