World of Darkness: the Second Age of Magic
It's the year of 1840, in the normal world, the Industrial Revolution has changed the world; according to the Kindred, it enlarges their dominion; according to the Fera, the coils of Wyrm and Weaver strangle the land; from the perspective of Mages and Changelings, the Order of Reason has struck a fatal blow to magic. For the Restless Dead, the ranks of the Legions grow from those who died in desperation and by abuse.
This is not the normal world.
Nobody is sure of the exact date, nor the exact reasons, but sometime in the 17th Century, Reality snapped and suddenly, all the supernaturals found themselves in plain view. There was an intense period of conflict as humans reeled in horror at what had been living in their midst and, while they were greater in number, the Others, as the humans called the supernatural races, wielded powerful magics. There were terrible losses on all sides, and conflict was widespread. Thus World War I happened nearly 200 years earlier than in our lifetime, and this one -truly- spanned the whole planet.
What had caused the Others to be seen, also allowed their powers to work unfettered by things like the Shroud, Banality or Paradox; Vampires were not restrained by the Masquerade anymore, and the Garou and the Changing Breeds did not ellicit Delirium.
It was chaos for nearly two decades, as humans fought the Others, and the Others fought among themselves. The war eventually settled and sides were drawn. North America and the European states were a mix and match of human and Other kingdoms and nations. The Middle East fared little better, as there were vast expanses of wilderness where Others established their domains, and left the humans alone. Asia and South America are examples of balance between humans and Others, though they arrived at their state very differently. Africa has been reclaimed by the Wyld, and now it is truly a Dark Continent; no one is sure about what is happening beyond it's shores.
Vampires:
There was no more use of the Masquerade, so the Camarilla no longer served a purpose. Humans were aware of the Kindred, so the Sabbat was fought head on with modern weaponry and great numbers. Thusly, the Sects broke up and the 13 Clans exists independently of one another, forging individual alliances and no longer bound by Princes or Bishops in the old sense. Still, a city is dominated by an elder vampire, either publicly or in hiding. Kindred-ruled nations have specific laws on blood taxes, and specify how much blood a vampire can drink and where can he establish his residence. Other nations or city-states neutral to Kindred have the same laws, which are enforced by other supernaturals or by the Kindred themselves, out of a desire of stability or their inborn territoriality. Kindred-hostile territories consider vampires criminals regardless if they've ever killed or not.
The Kueijin have been recognized by the Asian kingdoms as the overseers of the mandates of Heaven and, though they don't hold political power, they are respected as de facto judges and authorities at best, as spirits of vengeance and destruction at their worst.
Fera:
The Garou Nation has pacified ever since they proclaimed that the Wyrm of Balance had returned, and the Weaver healed. They're now content to keep to their wilderness territories, exacting a sort of Impergium on Weaver, Wyld or Wyrm excesses, not directly against humans or other Changing Breeds. Glass Walkers and BoneGnawers are accepted evils in the cities, though they may be persecuted in Kindred domains. The rest of the Fera are still skeptic of this new age, and keep to themselves in much the same way they've been doing for centuries. Notable exceptions are the Beast Courts of the Hengeyokai in Asia, who have been given absolute power over the wilderness and the Yama World; and the Council of the Spirits, it's mirror in South America. Africa is said to be dominated by selected groups of Fera, who are returnng the continent to the Wyld, but no claims have been verified.
Mages/Sorcerers:
The Order of Reason never had the chance to turn into the Technocracy, and the onslaught of insanity shattered the nascent Conventions. However, they didn't need to worry much, World War I had mages of all convictions fighting against each other, and the Traditions did a much better job at decimating themselves than the Order of Reason ever did. Now, licking their wounds, the surviving mages are not state powers, but keep advisory roles or are individual magical specialists, employed by humans and Others alike. Magically speaking, several universities and institutes teach magic as part of their curriculum, and Traditions and Conventions share Paradigm space. Wondrous machines from the Electrodyne and Differential Engineers share exhibition space with those from Artificers and Celestial Masters, but several members of the Order of Reason still harbor the dream to rid the world of the Other, and work from the shadows against the supernatural.
Wraiths:
The Shadowlands received quite a rich supply of fresh corpses during the War, and the Hierarchy is stronger than ever. The War also served to fray the Shroud and there are certain areas that exist both in the Skinlands -and- in the Shadowlands. These True Necropolis are strange places where visitors can't be sure if the person they are talking to is alive or dead. The reawakening of magic also meant that the ghosts lost a lot of control over the living, as even the simplest of warding rituals recovered their power. In the East, the Jade Emperor is desperatly staving off a civil war in the Yellow Springs, and his control slips as the rebels are helped by free-crossing Hengeyokai, Kuei-jin, Chin'ta and even Shih hunters who have seen that the Emperor owes his allegiance to the Demon Lords.
The Fae/Changelings.
The gates of Arcadia are open, yet not -wide- open. Glamour flows freely now, and several places of wonder have reemerged from the Mists to host the noble Fae who return from Arcadia, without the need to wear a mortal guise. Changelings, even Sidhe changelings, are considered inferior, and a civil war of the Fae around the world is brewing. The Shinma in Asia are not as belligerant, forgiven by the August Personage of Jade, they can now travel freely to their rightful place in Heaven's Bureaucracy, and have renewed their tasks as overseers of nature and magic over Asia with enthusiasm, even to the point of forging deals with the human governments.
Bygones
Even as magic seems to have returned, the Bygones, the creatures of legend, are slow to return from their havens. There are rumors that unicorns roam the Schwarzwald again, and that great reptiles make their way in Africa, but they are still rumors. Here, there not be dragons... yet.
Hunters:
There are no Imbued in this Age; there never was a need, and their time never arrived. Hunter organizations like the Inquisition and the Orphic Circle are more like rogue terrorists nows, fringe groups who lost the justification the secrecy of the Others gave them. Others, like the Arcanum, are barely beginning under public light, as prestigious clubs of scholars. The Autumn People ceased to exist with the influx of magic and Project Twilight will never see the light, though several governments will set up agencies to deal with supernatural affairs, often employing supernaturals themselves.
Special Mortals:
Numina are more frequent now and widely accepted, so Psychics and Sorcerers are accepted as equally as geniuses and talented individuals. Their power is weak, and they're still uncommon. Depending on the domain, Ghouls and Kinfolk can hold special status above the rest of the humans, normal status or criminal status.
Normal Humans.
Despite the powers of the Others, it's still the humans who hold the reins of the world. After the War, consensual reality is still in their hands, and Resonance is more important to the more spiritual creatures like Mages, Wraiths and Changelings. Sheer numbers and greater organization have kept the Vampires and Fera in check, despite their much vaunted power. As individuals, humans have grown more wily, and they have knowledge of little, common rituals against the Others that now have very strong results, as the whole of humanity's subconscious actively back them up (I'm thinking that they can have special uses for Willpower that no supernatural has access to).
Others:
Other supernaturals should be treated in a case-by-case basis; Mummies are still their WoD sourcebook version, not Mummy: the Resurrection's; Fomori (Wyrm), Gorgons (Wyld) and Drones (Weaver) are less frequent, but Chimera and Inanimae are more potent now. Risen are also less frequent, as funeral rituals intended to keep a body from rising are working again.
The World: Gothic-Steampunk
So, why have the Others not conquered the world? Out in the open, they should have the power to do it, right? Wrong. Humans are stronger as a group than as the small herd the Others were used to pushing around. Out in the open, they faced humanity's rage full on, and it didn't treat them kindly. Add to that that as all factions began fighting against each other as well, and you have a picture of the Second Age of Magic: the Others are much fewer in number than they'd be in the WoD's normal history, and this balances the influence they now have, out in the open.
Magic and science work hand in hand, more or less, and it has brought wondrous advances that wouldn't have been possible under the Technocracy's fist. Strange science mixes freely with sorcery, and it's not strange to see a sword-swinging human go against Fae armed with bronze flamethrowers (cold iron is still a strong poison against the Fae).
The Second Age of Magic is an era when anything is possible; it's high fantasy mixed with gritty mysteries, it's magic engines powering great flying zeppelins, a normal human or a member of the Others can carve his own future using his particular strengths, skills and powers. But just because the supernatural is in the open doesn't mean that it has ceased to be a World of Darkness; the Wyrm of Balance has returned, but the demons remain and the Triatic Wyrm of Corruption survived and holds a grudge, darkness still dwells in the hearts of human and Other alike and where you see wonders on the surface, you can scratch and find treason and evil. It's a time of great opportunities, for the better or the worse.
The mood:
We confess: we're anime fans, and we were looking for a setting that would have anime influences while still being WoDish. In the Second Age of Magic, a Mage swordsman could easilly duck it out against pistols, or a Numina-born exorcist have at it against evil spirits. Exalted fits the bill of an anime-influenced fantasy, but we wanted something stranger. And when we talk about anime, we mean -serious- anime, smart storylines are not at odds with spectacular deeds.
Characters:
Players can choose to be part of any of the races in White Wolf books, except the ones from the AEon Continuum (Adventure!, Aberrant and Trinity), and yes, that includes Bygones, Ghouls, Inanimae, Sorcerers, Gypsies, Risen, etc. Strange bloodlines, exotic Changing Breed and things written with munchkinism in mind are discouraged. Exalted are a thing of the mythic past, and don't really belong in this setting, but one or two -might- pop up as allies or adversaries.
The player creates the character following the normal rules in each book, but using common sense when applied to the Second Age of Magic, specially related to Backgrounds and certain powers that deal with the nature of the setting, like Gifts, Arcanoi and Spheres that relate to a weaker barrier between the physical and spiritual worlds.
Normal humans might have other uses for Willpower, but it's still in the works.
Specific questions like "What happened with Caine?" or "Can I play a White Howler?" will be dealt with case by case... we're not in the mood of writing a whole book, and we don't want to trample on White Wolf's copyrights, do we? ^_-
--------
Japan in the Second Age of Magic
1600 marks the beginning of the Tokugawa or Edo period, when Shogun Ieyasu Tokugawa united the country and took Japan out of the Warring States Era. He established contact with European traders, and also persecuted Christianity. But when the wave of the War washed over the land of the Rising Sun, the stability and progress that would mark the normal Japan's history shattered. Shen fought in the streets and in the fields, and the Tokuwaga Period became a sad continuation of the Warring States. Some clans and daimyos were controlled by Others, and their neighbors attacked mercilessly.
At the turn of the 18th Century, the Tokuwaga shogunate was gone, and the Meiji emperor was restored, one century and a half earlier than in normal history. BUt emperor Meiji inherited a land more fragmented than ever before, but with the help of Hakken samurai and the Gaki Kuei-jin, he established some sort of feudal hierarchy: territories are governed independently and are almost autonomous, and many are not obligated to obey the emperor.
The warrior caste was still useful, and the samurai of the Second Age of Magic are a bit less educated than their normal history counterparts, as fewer saw any interest in looking for a spiritual side of the way of the sword. Thus, the few swordmasters not only achieved great skill and inner peace; they also conquered magical powers for themselves. The interest in magical swordmanship increased and, by 1840, the samurai is a warrior-sorcerer.
What Meiji did do was keep the contact with the Europeans, confident in the power of the Buddhist and Shinto monks to stave off the Christian mages and their foul influence. What he couldn't predict was the success that mystic technology would gain. Impressed by the magically-powered ships of the European, the empereor hired a host of Artificers from China, who gladly developed their own brand of advanced and subtle technology to outmatch the Europeans.
In 1840, the capital of Japan is Kyoto, not Edo/Tokyo, and Chinese-themed steam technology (powered often by a combination of material and mystical fuel) shares the land with the warrior-mages, the monks and other manifestations of magic. A balanced technology encroaches on the land, as clean steam trains run on Dragon Tracks with permission and even sponsorship from Kuei-jin, Hengeyokai and Shinma alike.
Commerce with the West is limited, and this time, no American gunship will open the ports. When Commodore Perry arrives a few years later, the Great Dragon King of Umi will sink his ship before he fires the first shot.
Imagery tips: refer to Escaflowne for magical machines, also to Sakura Wars, where mystic tech battles demons. Mononoke Hime for stretches of forest dominated by the Beast Gods.
It's the year of 1840, in the normal world, the Industrial Revolution has changed the world; according to the Kindred, it enlarges their dominion; according to the Fera, the coils of Wyrm and Weaver strangle the land; from the perspective of Mages and Changelings, the Order of Reason has struck a fatal blow to magic. For the Restless Dead, the ranks of the Legions grow from those who died in desperation and by abuse.
This is not the normal world.
Nobody is sure of the exact date, nor the exact reasons, but sometime in the 17th Century, Reality snapped and suddenly, all the supernaturals found themselves in plain view. There was an intense period of conflict as humans reeled in horror at what had been living in their midst and, while they were greater in number, the Others, as the humans called the supernatural races, wielded powerful magics. There were terrible losses on all sides, and conflict was widespread. Thus World War I happened nearly 200 years earlier than in our lifetime, and this one -truly- spanned the whole planet.
What had caused the Others to be seen, also allowed their powers to work unfettered by things like the Shroud, Banality or Paradox; Vampires were not restrained by the Masquerade anymore, and the Garou and the Changing Breeds did not ellicit Delirium.
It was chaos for nearly two decades, as humans fought the Others, and the Others fought among themselves. The war eventually settled and sides were drawn. North America and the European states were a mix and match of human and Other kingdoms and nations. The Middle East fared little better, as there were vast expanses of wilderness where Others established their domains, and left the humans alone. Asia and South America are examples of balance between humans and Others, though they arrived at their state very differently. Africa has been reclaimed by the Wyld, and now it is truly a Dark Continent; no one is sure about what is happening beyond it's shores.
Vampires:
There was no more use of the Masquerade, so the Camarilla no longer served a purpose. Humans were aware of the Kindred, so the Sabbat was fought head on with modern weaponry and great numbers. Thusly, the Sects broke up and the 13 Clans exists independently of one another, forging individual alliances and no longer bound by Princes or Bishops in the old sense. Still, a city is dominated by an elder vampire, either publicly or in hiding. Kindred-ruled nations have specific laws on blood taxes, and specify how much blood a vampire can drink and where can he establish his residence. Other nations or city-states neutral to Kindred have the same laws, which are enforced by other supernaturals or by the Kindred themselves, out of a desire of stability or their inborn territoriality. Kindred-hostile territories consider vampires criminals regardless if they've ever killed or not.
The Kueijin have been recognized by the Asian kingdoms as the overseers of the mandates of Heaven and, though they don't hold political power, they are respected as de facto judges and authorities at best, as spirits of vengeance and destruction at their worst.
Fera:
The Garou Nation has pacified ever since they proclaimed that the Wyrm of Balance had returned, and the Weaver healed. They're now content to keep to their wilderness territories, exacting a sort of Impergium on Weaver, Wyld or Wyrm excesses, not directly against humans or other Changing Breeds. Glass Walkers and BoneGnawers are accepted evils in the cities, though they may be persecuted in Kindred domains. The rest of the Fera are still skeptic of this new age, and keep to themselves in much the same way they've been doing for centuries. Notable exceptions are the Beast Courts of the Hengeyokai in Asia, who have been given absolute power over the wilderness and the Yama World; and the Council of the Spirits, it's mirror in South America. Africa is said to be dominated by selected groups of Fera, who are returnng the continent to the Wyld, but no claims have been verified.
Mages/Sorcerers:
The Order of Reason never had the chance to turn into the Technocracy, and the onslaught of insanity shattered the nascent Conventions. However, they didn't need to worry much, World War I had mages of all convictions fighting against each other, and the Traditions did a much better job at decimating themselves than the Order of Reason ever did. Now, licking their wounds, the surviving mages are not state powers, but keep advisory roles or are individual magical specialists, employed by humans and Others alike. Magically speaking, several universities and institutes teach magic as part of their curriculum, and Traditions and Conventions share Paradigm space. Wondrous machines from the Electrodyne and Differential Engineers share exhibition space with those from Artificers and Celestial Masters, but several members of the Order of Reason still harbor the dream to rid the world of the Other, and work from the shadows against the supernatural.
Wraiths:
The Shadowlands received quite a rich supply of fresh corpses during the War, and the Hierarchy is stronger than ever. The War also served to fray the Shroud and there are certain areas that exist both in the Skinlands -and- in the Shadowlands. These True Necropolis are strange places where visitors can't be sure if the person they are talking to is alive or dead. The reawakening of magic also meant that the ghosts lost a lot of control over the living, as even the simplest of warding rituals recovered their power. In the East, the Jade Emperor is desperatly staving off a civil war in the Yellow Springs, and his control slips as the rebels are helped by free-crossing Hengeyokai, Kuei-jin, Chin'ta and even Shih hunters who have seen that the Emperor owes his allegiance to the Demon Lords.
The Fae/Changelings.
The gates of Arcadia are open, yet not -wide- open. Glamour flows freely now, and several places of wonder have reemerged from the Mists to host the noble Fae who return from Arcadia, without the need to wear a mortal guise. Changelings, even Sidhe changelings, are considered inferior, and a civil war of the Fae around the world is brewing. The Shinma in Asia are not as belligerant, forgiven by the August Personage of Jade, they can now travel freely to their rightful place in Heaven's Bureaucracy, and have renewed their tasks as overseers of nature and magic over Asia with enthusiasm, even to the point of forging deals with the human governments.
Bygones
Even as magic seems to have returned, the Bygones, the creatures of legend, are slow to return from their havens. There are rumors that unicorns roam the Schwarzwald again, and that great reptiles make their way in Africa, but they are still rumors. Here, there not be dragons... yet.
Hunters:
There are no Imbued in this Age; there never was a need, and their time never arrived. Hunter organizations like the Inquisition and the Orphic Circle are more like rogue terrorists nows, fringe groups who lost the justification the secrecy of the Others gave them. Others, like the Arcanum, are barely beginning under public light, as prestigious clubs of scholars. The Autumn People ceased to exist with the influx of magic and Project Twilight will never see the light, though several governments will set up agencies to deal with supernatural affairs, often employing supernaturals themselves.
Special Mortals:
Numina are more frequent now and widely accepted, so Psychics and Sorcerers are accepted as equally as geniuses and talented individuals. Their power is weak, and they're still uncommon. Depending on the domain, Ghouls and Kinfolk can hold special status above the rest of the humans, normal status or criminal status.
Normal Humans.
Despite the powers of the Others, it's still the humans who hold the reins of the world. After the War, consensual reality is still in their hands, and Resonance is more important to the more spiritual creatures like Mages, Wraiths and Changelings. Sheer numbers and greater organization have kept the Vampires and Fera in check, despite their much vaunted power. As individuals, humans have grown more wily, and they have knowledge of little, common rituals against the Others that now have very strong results, as the whole of humanity's subconscious actively back them up (I'm thinking that they can have special uses for Willpower that no supernatural has access to).
Others:
Other supernaturals should be treated in a case-by-case basis; Mummies are still their WoD sourcebook version, not Mummy: the Resurrection's; Fomori (Wyrm), Gorgons (Wyld) and Drones (Weaver) are less frequent, but Chimera and Inanimae are more potent now. Risen are also less frequent, as funeral rituals intended to keep a body from rising are working again.
The World: Gothic-Steampunk
So, why have the Others not conquered the world? Out in the open, they should have the power to do it, right? Wrong. Humans are stronger as a group than as the small herd the Others were used to pushing around. Out in the open, they faced humanity's rage full on, and it didn't treat them kindly. Add to that that as all factions began fighting against each other as well, and you have a picture of the Second Age of Magic: the Others are much fewer in number than they'd be in the WoD's normal history, and this balances the influence they now have, out in the open.
Magic and science work hand in hand, more or less, and it has brought wondrous advances that wouldn't have been possible under the Technocracy's fist. Strange science mixes freely with sorcery, and it's not strange to see a sword-swinging human go against Fae armed with bronze flamethrowers (cold iron is still a strong poison against the Fae).
The Second Age of Magic is an era when anything is possible; it's high fantasy mixed with gritty mysteries, it's magic engines powering great flying zeppelins, a normal human or a member of the Others can carve his own future using his particular strengths, skills and powers. But just because the supernatural is in the open doesn't mean that it has ceased to be a World of Darkness; the Wyrm of Balance has returned, but the demons remain and the Triatic Wyrm of Corruption survived and holds a grudge, darkness still dwells in the hearts of human and Other alike and where you see wonders on the surface, you can scratch and find treason and evil. It's a time of great opportunities, for the better or the worse.
The mood:
We confess: we're anime fans, and we were looking for a setting that would have anime influences while still being WoDish. In the Second Age of Magic, a Mage swordsman could easilly duck it out against pistols, or a Numina-born exorcist have at it against evil spirits. Exalted fits the bill of an anime-influenced fantasy, but we wanted something stranger. And when we talk about anime, we mean -serious- anime, smart storylines are not at odds with spectacular deeds.
Characters:
Players can choose to be part of any of the races in White Wolf books, except the ones from the AEon Continuum (Adventure!, Aberrant and Trinity), and yes, that includes Bygones, Ghouls, Inanimae, Sorcerers, Gypsies, Risen, etc. Strange bloodlines, exotic Changing Breed and things written with munchkinism in mind are discouraged. Exalted are a thing of the mythic past, and don't really belong in this setting, but one or two -might- pop up as allies or adversaries.
The player creates the character following the normal rules in each book, but using common sense when applied to the Second Age of Magic, specially related to Backgrounds and certain powers that deal with the nature of the setting, like Gifts, Arcanoi and Spheres that relate to a weaker barrier between the physical and spiritual worlds.
Normal humans might have other uses for Willpower, but it's still in the works.
Specific questions like "What happened with Caine?" or "Can I play a White Howler?" will be dealt with case by case... we're not in the mood of writing a whole book, and we don't want to trample on White Wolf's copyrights, do we? ^_-
--------
Japan in the Second Age of Magic
1600 marks the beginning of the Tokugawa or Edo period, when Shogun Ieyasu Tokugawa united the country and took Japan out of the Warring States Era. He established contact with European traders, and also persecuted Christianity. But when the wave of the War washed over the land of the Rising Sun, the stability and progress that would mark the normal Japan's history shattered. Shen fought in the streets and in the fields, and the Tokuwaga Period became a sad continuation of the Warring States. Some clans and daimyos were controlled by Others, and their neighbors attacked mercilessly.
At the turn of the 18th Century, the Tokuwaga shogunate was gone, and the Meiji emperor was restored, one century and a half earlier than in normal history. BUt emperor Meiji inherited a land more fragmented than ever before, but with the help of Hakken samurai and the Gaki Kuei-jin, he established some sort of feudal hierarchy: territories are governed independently and are almost autonomous, and many are not obligated to obey the emperor.
The warrior caste was still useful, and the samurai of the Second Age of Magic are a bit less educated than their normal history counterparts, as fewer saw any interest in looking for a spiritual side of the way of the sword. Thus, the few swordmasters not only achieved great skill and inner peace; they also conquered magical powers for themselves. The interest in magical swordmanship increased and, by 1840, the samurai is a warrior-sorcerer.
What Meiji did do was keep the contact with the Europeans, confident in the power of the Buddhist and Shinto monks to stave off the Christian mages and their foul influence. What he couldn't predict was the success that mystic technology would gain. Impressed by the magically-powered ships of the European, the empereor hired a host of Artificers from China, who gladly developed their own brand of advanced and subtle technology to outmatch the Europeans.
In 1840, the capital of Japan is Kyoto, not Edo/Tokyo, and Chinese-themed steam technology (powered often by a combination of material and mystical fuel) shares the land with the warrior-mages, the monks and other manifestations of magic. A balanced technology encroaches on the land, as clean steam trains run on Dragon Tracks with permission and even sponsorship from Kuei-jin, Hengeyokai and Shinma alike.
Commerce with the West is limited, and this time, no American gunship will open the ports. When Commodore Perry arrives a few years later, the Great Dragon King of Umi will sink his ship before he fires the first shot.
Imagery tips: refer to Escaflowne for magical machines, also to Sakura Wars, where mystic tech battles demons. Mononoke Hime for stretches of forest dominated by the Beast Gods.