Laws of the Traditions

Nearly all the documents of the Traditions come from the Grand Convocation in 1466. Mage society runs on a 500 year old foundation. Many older Mages enjoy the tradition, but many younger Mages feel that the archaic system ought to be reworked.

The Resolutions

“Resolutions of Intent of the Council of Nine Mystic Traditions

We Declare, on this day commonly known and held sacred as the Longest Day of Summer, the formation of our Brotherhood, forged in Magic and Dedicated to restoring and retaining Truth, Art, and Wonder throughout our World. Let it be commonly Known as the Council of the Nine Mystic Traditions, gather in the Common horizon Realm, which contains the Essence of all places in One, as do we All.

In the Names of all the Gods and Goddesses we Revere, we Unite under this one Council for the Resolution of Disputes, the Defeat of our Enemies, and the Pursuit, Salvation, and Teaching of our Art.

We Declare, under all the Oaths of our Magics, the following Resolutions:

- That we Gather all willing Magi under the titles of the Traditions, as befits their Preference and Art, and School them to the Good of Each and All.

- That the Enemies of one Tradition become the Enemies of All.

- That the Enmities betwixt our Traditions be Dissolved for the Good of All, and that all Disputes be Resolved by Common Trial and Tribunal.

- That we Adopt, under as many Names as we see fit, the Nine Universal Spheres of Magic to Teach and Define our Art.

- That we Pursue the Protocols of Good Conduct to the best of our abilities, for the Good of All, and punish Infractions by Common Trial and Tribunal.

- That we Pursue, and help others to Pursue, the Higher Path we call Ascension, for the Good of Each and All.

- That we Protect those Lands, Peoples and Beats threatened by the Depredations of the Orders of Reason, our Common Foes.

- That we Seek a return to the Old Ways and the Broadening of our World and its Wonders, and Strive toward a better Understanding of our Art.

- That we Meet each Nine Turns of the Year, with our Assigned Officers, to pledge our Unity in the face of all Obstruction, Trial and Dissent.

This we Pledge, in all Respect and Unity. May our Path Prevail against the Hazards of our Age.”

The Declaration of Council

The final Resolution, now called The Declaration of Council, rules that the Council of Nine will meet every nine years to set Horizon’s policy and review its course. There is often more magical progress and argument during one week of these meetings than during the nine years between them.

The Protocols

These ancient customs are the primary legal document of the Nine Traditions. There are eight Protocols. Some are rigidly enforced, others mostly ignored.

Respect those of Greater Knowledge.

This is a smart one to follow – greater knowledge generally means greater power.

A Tutor’s debt must be repaid.

Education is never free; a teacher is well within his rights to expect heavy repayment from his students.

A Mage’s Word is his Honor; break not a sworn Vow.

Tradition society will not tolerate an oathbreaker.

The Will of an Oracle must always be obeyed.

This one is commonly ignored, since few modern Mages even believe that Oracles exist. But if there’s no such thing, why is this Protocol on the books?

Betray not your Cabal or Chantry.

A most serious offense, especially as Mage history has been pockmarked with strings of betrayals. Expect harsh punishment.

Conspire not with the enemies of Ascension.

Those caught working with the Technocracy, Marauders, Nephandi, or other enemies are cast out of Mage society. In the case of the corrupted Nephandi, the punishment is usually death, or worse.

Protect the Sleepers; they are ignorant of what they do.

Those who endanger Sleepers are frowned upon by other Mages, although only the most serious offenses are brought before an official Tribunal.

Be subtle in your Arts, lest Sleepers know you for what you are.

This is commonly known as the “Rule of Shade”, meant to protect Mages from witch-hunters and zealots. Flashy Mages are dangerous to associate with, and make it more dangerous for Mage society as a whole to proceed.

The Compact of Callias

This document encouraged mixed-Tradition cabals. Previously, a group of Mages would be all from one Tradition; the Compact encouraged Mages to work together and learn from each other. It was the precedent for the First Cabal, composed of one member of each Tradition, and thus shared in that Cabal’s failure. Finally, in 1623, the Compact was officially abandoned. Multi-Tradition cabals could still exist, but they would not have any special status with the Council of Nine.

Certamen: The Duel Arcane

The system of Certamen has been in use by the Order of Hermes for millennia, and spread to other Traditions after the Grand Convocation. It is a formalized system of non-lethal magical dueling. Certamen is not simply a magical duel – it is a ritual of honor.

For truly hideous offenses, a Mage may call Certamen to the death - The Duel Thanatos. This follows the same rules as below, except that once a Mage’s Locus is depleted, the other Mage begins removing Health Levels, until death. Obviously, this is a very serious challenge, and most Traditions allow a refusal of the challenge with no loss of honor.

Declaration of Intention

The challenging Mage clearly declares her intent to the challenged, the purpose of the Certamen. The challenged then accepts the duel or cedes the point of contention to the challenger.

Contest of Wills

If the challenged accepts the duel, the next phase is basically each Mage trying to psych the other out, through harmless displays of power and skill, declarations of impressive magical lineage, and other such boasts. The players make a challenge against each other, using Manipulation + Intimidation, Influence, or Subterfuge. The winner gains +1 to his actions during the remainder of the Certamen. On a tie, neither Mage gains any bonus.

Building a Locus

Each Mage uses one of his Spheres to build a locus, or a source of mystic energy that serves as his opponent’s target during the duel. Choose a Sphere – your Sphere Rating will be how many Health Levels your Locus has.

Selecting Aegis and Gladius

Each Mage chooses two more Spheres (not the one they used for their Locus), one as their attacking Sphere, or Gladius, and one as their defending Sphere, or Aegis. Thus, a Mage must know at least three Spheres to participate in Certamen.

The Duel

Certamen is a show of huge, but harmless, magical might. The target is always the opponent’s Locus – harming the opponent is bad form, and may cause the Mage to forfeit the match. Both players make standard challenges against each other, using Arete + Sphere Level + Willpower + D6 to attack or defend. Each success removes one Health Level from the Locus. Players should describe their character’s actions in vivid detail, coming up with feints, blocks, and trickery with their magic. Truly creative uses of the Spheres may receive bonuses from a Storyteller.

Both Mages take one Paradox each turn of the duel, but that’s all. They don’t need to know any special Rotes, nor do they suffer additional Paradox for large, magnificent Effects. It’s all just for show.

Resolution

Eventually, one Mage will be victorious over the other. The losing Mage is drained of all his Quintessence. It is customary for the defeated Mage to praise the skill of the victor, and offer up the prize to him without complaint. The victor then praises the skill and bravery of the defeated. Etiquette then dictates that the two Mages should avoid Certamen challenges towards each other for a year and a day.

Does this seem complicated? It should. Certamen is a high ritual art, one which must be studied and learned. Don’t worry about memorizing these rules – most new Mages wouldn’t know how to perform Certamen. I’m sure that when you annoy that Master, he’ll be more than happy to explain it to you as he prepares his Locus, Aegis, and Gladius.