DANCERS

By Deirdre Brooks (xenya@teleport.com) (3 Aug 94)

"Who's tripping down the streets of the city
Smiling at everybody she sees
Who's reaching out to capture a moment
Everyone knows it's Wendy"

She awoke in the late afternoon, the veil of maia shimmering before her eyes. Arising from her bed, she walked to the shower, the residue of the previous night's pleasures fading away. She plucked a lotus blossom from the air and inhaled its fragrance before placing it in a convenient planter and watching it grow roots into the soil and draw the nourishment out, its petals blooming rapidly.

She looked in the mirror and wasn't slightly surprised to see her Avatar looking back out. The Avatar smiled at her and faded, leaving only her reflection. This wasn't an uncommon sight--her Avatar appeared fairly frequently as she neared Ascension.

After a long, hot shower she dressed and walked out into the afternoon sunlight, watching the Dance play about her. Everything was the Dance--life, death, time, space. It was all measured by the Dance. Her Magick was the Dance, more truly so than the Traditions who have only their realities to see, and the Conventions who would stop it, reduce it to a slow, defeated shuffle. They were both far too closely tied to the reality which the Dance creates rather than the Dance itself.

There was a momentary shock as she felt a disturbance in the Dance. Following the threads of probability, she found the probable cause.

It was the Pogrom.

History: The Dancers practice a style of magick which seems to relate to the Verbena, Dreamspeakers, Celestial Chorus, Euthanatos, and Cult of Ecstasy. The operative word is 'seem.' They feel that reality is the expression of an eternal Dance, a Dance which changes the world as it changes. Each individual person can affect it simply by acting. However, through understanding, they can learn to affect directly change it. They can learn to see the possible forms the Dance can take, and even reinforce one of the paths until it comes to pass. To them, anything is possible, some things are simply less probable than others.

They have a complicated belief system which seems to draw from several Traditions at once. At the basis of their system is the Goddess. She is the Mother of All, the Creatrix of the Universe, Choreographer and Dancer. Reality is an expression of her Dance, and is nothing more than an illusion--a trick played by our senses. Reality is, in fact, how we perceive the Dance. All living beings have the ability to alter the Dance--usually on a personal level. It is considered best that one understand herself before she attempts to change the world. For the Dance to continue properly, the old must be swept away leaving room for the new. The destruction of anything does not leave a void--the Dance will fill the space left by the death or destruction of anything in the Illusion. This is not always good, so it is best to consider the consequences of one's actions before killing or destroying. Enjoyment of the gift of life is considered to be uppermost. You have an opportunity to experience life as a discrete individual--take it! Understand what being alive truly means. Do not simply live--act! Love! Do whatever you can to appreciate the Dance.

Change is perceived to be the constant of the universe. With each new step a myriad of new possibilities appear.

Historically, the Dancers are an old Tradition from Harappa, and follow a philosophy much like the religion of that ancient culture. They have had dealings with the Traditions on a personal level, and many have joined the Council to fight the Technocracy. Others, however, feel that the Ascension war can be fought in many other ways, on many other fronts.

The Dancers have unfriendly relations with many different groups in the World of Darkness. They are not friendly to most Garou due to the Impergium, which they do recall--past life memories are common among the Dancers, and many look to the Dance to see what happened in past times--and the War of Rage. The Dancers allied themselves with the Bastet, at the time, and have not yet forgiven the Garou for this outrage. Some tribes, such as the Children of Gaia and the Glasswalkers are easier to deal with than others, such as Red Talons for their active support, Silver Fangs for their leadership, or the Silent Striders for their apathy. The Ventrue are much hated by the Dancers for ancient grudges, specifically the Aryan invasion of their nation.

Among the Traditions, the Dancers have a strong dislike for the Euthanatos, whom they feel corrupted the religion of the Goddess into a murder-sect.

They are preparing to put a final end to the bride-pyres in India. To this end, they are attempting to re-organize like never before.

Philosophy: The Dance is everything, through it you can understand the Universe. We are all the Goddess, and as such, we are all unique expressions of the Dance. This is the source of our magick, our understanding. Since we are the Goddess, she is always immanent.

Organization: The Dancers generally travel the world to see as much as possible. When two or more meet, they engage in a rather exuberant celebration, and soon part again for further travels. If any Dancer requires aid, she may request it of any other, and they will give it.

Meetings: Generally by chance, although they try to gather at least once a year to exchange news and meet the new Initiates.

Initiation: The Initiate is taught the philosophy on a personal, mystical level. She is shown the web of probabilities which is the Dance, and the means by which it can be altered. When the Dance is finally perceived, the Initiate is accepted into the Dancers.

Chantry: Their Ancestral Chantry has Earthly manifestations in New Delhi. Other manifestations include New York, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas.

Acolytes: Children of Gaia, Khan, Bubasti, Wiccans.

Sphere: Time

Foci: Dance--Correspondence, Entropy, Prime, Time, Lotus-- Forces, Matter, Life, Blade--Mind, Spirit

Concepts: Performer, mystic, wanderer, doctor.

Quote: "We are the Dance; the Dance is the Goddess; the Goddess is each one of us. Ascension is in the palms of our hands, we need only make the right steps. It is not yet time, however. We must work to help others to this stage."

Stereotypes

Akashic Brotherhood: While they understand the importance of our philosophy; their Do is an aspect of the great Dance. Unfortunately, they use their understanding as reason to shut out the rest of the world. They see only a small part of reality.

Celestial Chorus: They are somewhat correct. There is a Goddess, indeed. Their "One." However, they seek Ascension in the wrong manner. We are already the Goddess, what is needed is understanding and true vision. Not unity.

Cultists of Ecstasy: Pleasure is meaningful, but is not useful as the ultimate end. It is good for relaxation, but the Dance must continue.

Dreamspeakers: They continually try to awaken their Goddess, when they need only look within themselves to find her.

Euthanatos: Their "good death" does not create possibilities, it revises them. Do they look at the consequences of their act before deciding someone must die? No. Sometimes, the "good death" causes more problems than it solves.

Hollow Ones: Poor, lost children. They cannot see the Dance, and this leaves a void within them. Would that they would allow us to lead them into the light. It is their choice.

Order of Hermes: They would reduce every step of the Dance to a formula of some sort, a means of describing the indescribable. Their magick is of a sterile sort, although it is not as barren as that of the Technocracy.

Sons of Ether: These scientists, with their bizarre theories, have more life and imagination invested in their magick than the Order of Hermes ever will.

Verbena: Blood is a powerful tool, but one must be careful that the knowledge of the price is not forgotten.

Virtual Adepts: They ignore most of the Dance so they can play in their virtual playground. The Digital Web is interesting, and it will play an important role in the final moves of the Ascension War, but the entirety of the Dance must be acknowledged before Ascension is achieved.

Dancer Foci: The Dancers use dance to describe the steps of the Great Dance, with it they can traverse time and space, and disrupt another's place within the dance. Or they can make it more firmly a part. It demonstrates the link between the Dance and the universe, and how everything is One.

The lotus is a representation of the veil of Reality, the illusion the sleepers have created to protect their senses. It is the physical world. It represents Life, as it is alive. It represents Matter, for all living things return to that state. Finally, it represents Forces, for the light of the sun is its source of nourishment.

The blade represents a cutting of the veil, a rending to uncover the truth hiding beyond the Illusion. When all is gone, the Spirit and the Mind remain. The Mind creates the Dance, and the Spirit sustains it.

Other foci can be used--Any complex physical activity, such as Do, could substitute for the Dance. The lotus can be replaced by any representation of the physical universe. Blood could be used, but is uncommon. Other flowers are known to be favored, such as roses. The blade can be replaced with a pen, for example, which can be used to reveal or conceal the truth.

The Sphere of Time

Time, more than any other Sphere, represents the Dance. It allows sight of the future steps, and a review of past steps. Probabilities can be explored and possibly exploited with the viewpoint given. With it, beings and objects can temporarily be taken out of the Dance, or their tempo can be altered. Ultimately, the Master of Time can step out of the Dance for periods and observe the unchanging world.

Correspondence

This represents the motion of the Dance. With it, you move from one place to another, possibly multiple places. Since all is One, you can look at any part of the Dance just by focusing on that one part, or see many parts by looking at all of them.

Entropy

This is the progress of the Dance. As it continues, things change. They grow, mature, weaken, and die--and new things rise to take their place.

Prime

This is the flow of the Dance. Without it, nothing new could come into being. Energy is always being exchanged throughout the illusion, and this is understanding of the ways it moves.

Forces

This is the Dynamic Essence of the Veil. It is raw power--the light of the sun, the heat of the flame. It holds us to the earth, yet allows us to soar.

Life

This is the Questing Essence of the Veil. It is what drives the Veil to continue, for without Life, the Veil would have no meaning.

Matter

This is the Pattern Essence of the Veil. It gives the Veil solidity. It gives us the ground to walk upon, the seas to sail upon, the air to breathe. Without it, we would live in a void.

Mind

This is the essence of the Dance. It is cloaked by flesh, and riddled with contradictions, but it is what creates the Dance. With Mind, we can sense and comprehend the Universe around us. With it, we can see what we want or need to change.

Spirit

This is the Veil. Beyond the Veil is the Reality of the Dance. Things appear as they truly are, filtered by our own minds. Beyond the Veil, little remains hidden.

Rotes

Inner Dance (Time 2, Entropy 1): With this rote, the Dancer maintains an awareness of the near- probabilities, and determines which are most likely to occur--and reacts to them. It can be used to aid the Ability use in any instance where foresight could help--Combat, auto racing, etc. You see the opponent's moves before he can make them. This rote has a duration of one turn per success.

Blush of Mortality (Life 5, Matter 4): The Dancer holds her Lotus where a vampire can breathe the fragrance, and it restores the vampire to full mortality.

Search Out The Path (Correspondence 2, Entropy 2): This rote enables the Dancer to find her way nearly any location she can visualize. She simply walks in the directions which "feel right" according to her vision of the Dance, and arrives in the proper location.

Choreography (Correspondence 2, Entropy 1, Life 1, Mind 3, Time 2): With this Rote, the Dancer can follow the progress of a living person through the Dance, from birth to possible deaths. She can see their health, attitudes, thoughts, and what choices they are likely to make.

Life Changes (Life 5, Mind 2 or 4): The Dancer can use this to utterly change another living being's place on the Dance, transforming them into another being. It is perfectly permissible to do this to an unwilling target, provided the consequences of the action are at least understood. The mind can be altered to match the new form. Alternatively, only the mind could be changed, leaving the body untouched. If only feelings and emotions are altered, Mind 2 is required.

Blazing Sword: (Prime 2) This rote charges the Dancer's blade with Quintessence, allowing her to spend one point of Quint each time she strikes, thus causing Aggravated Wounds. It lasts for two rounds per success.