Spirit: Knowledge of the Umbra and its inhabitants comes from studying this Sphere. The Mage who commands its power may converse with spirits and travel to their realms (albeit with difficulty).

Specialty: Dreamspeakers

1 – Spirit Senses

2 – Touch Spirit

3 – Pierce Gauntlet

4 – Rend and Repair Gauntlet, Bind Spirits

5 – Forge Ephemera, Outward Journeys

Spirit is the study of ephemeral Patterns, or ‘spirit-stuff’. These Patterns are commonly found in the beings of the Umbra, although some occasionally foray into the material world.

Spirit lies somewhere between Prime and physical, the reflections of the other Spheres in the Umbra, or the spirit worlds. A Mage with this Sphere opens up a new world, worlds upon worlds in the infinite complexity of the Umbra. There are countless strange and bizarre spirits in the Umbra, and this Sphere allows a Mage to communicate and interact with them – and step into the Umbra, removing himself from the boundaries of reality. Spirit Mages can slip into other dimensions at a whim, speak to the spirits in the world around them, and command all the realms of existence.

Spirit has many limitations. It cannot affect anything physical on earth – only spirit patterns in the Umbra. The Umbra is a dangerous place, and many of the spirits there think in ways that are completely alien to the human mind. The world is surrounded by the Gauntlet, which makes it difficult to interact with the spirit world. Although Horizon is already in the Umbra, it has it’s own Penumbra that Mages with Spirit can pass into. Unfortunately, it also has it’s own powerful Gauntlet, which means that Spirit Mages cannot pull Umbra-based escapes as easily as they might do on Earth. On the other hand, Spirit can be infinitely powerful, and a Mage without Spirit can’t be said to truly know the nature of the universe.

Apprentice Spirit: Spirit Senses

Like all other Spheres, the first step of Spirit is learning to see the spirits around you. Mages get a glimpse into the Mirror Umbra – the reflection of the material world. They can see anima and ghosts, hear spirits and detect where the Gauntlet is thick or thin. The Mage can determine if an object is spiritually possessed, and sense objects with connections to the Spirit world. A Mage without Spirit Senses is absolutely helpless to the Umbral creatures around him.

Initiate Spirit: Touch Spirit

For a brief moment, the Mage can reach into the spirit world, manipulating creatures and objects there, extending his touch, speech, or hearing into the next world. He can also exhibit some control over the Gauntlet – making it harder for spirits to manifest, or easier. Combined with other Spheres, the Mage can make objects that interact with the spirit world, or use Correspondence to extend his sight further than the Mirror Umbra.

Disciple Spirit: Pierce Gauntlet

A Mage can now pierce the Gauntlet of the spirit world, physically moving himself into the Umbra or back. This action tends to be Paradox-heavy, and puts the Mage at risk of whatever lives in the Umbra, so is not something to be done lightly. The Umbral Mage can then interact with spirits directly and use his magic on them, travel forgotten spirit pathways, and move into other spirit realms. In addition, the Mage can now awaken the spirits of objects (gaining an intelligent computer or totem) or lull them to sleep (such as the spirit of a security system). With other Spheres, Mages can make Umbral copies of Matter of Forces patterns. The Mage has taken a great step into a larger – and more dangerous – magical world.

Adept Spirit: Rend and Repair Gauntlet, Bind Spirits

The Mage can now open his spirit gates for others, tearing a hole in the Gauntlet to pass through. The Mage can also reinforce the Gauntlet and seal breaches, making it impossible for unwanted spirits to drop in. He can now place powerful bindings and summonings over spirits, gaining allies and servants from minor spirits. The Mage can even link a spirit to an object, called a Fetish, to be able to call upon its power. Spirit becomes yet again more powerful, yet again more dangerous.

Master Spirit: Forge Ephemera, Outward Journeys

The Master of Spirit gains some truly terrifying powers. He can now create, destroy, or heal spirits and spirit material. The Master can create new Realms in the Umbra (a massive undertaking requiring tons of Quintessence). Since he can now interact with the living soul, the Mage can even see the Avatars of others, seeing the powerful spirit energies infused in Awakened Mages, and the sleeping spirits of the Sleepers. A Master might try to force a Sleeper to Awaken, but such efforts are dangerous at best. Perhaps most frightening is that a Master of Spirit can perform the Gilgul rite – killing the Avatar permanently. This ritual is one of the most guarded and feared powers of the magical world. The Mage no longer has limits to his Umbral exploration, now able to move past the Horizon into the Deep Umbra and Far Realms, into lands far beyond the abilities of human imagination.