By Christopher Kobar
Turning (or Guiding) "the Wheel" (Magick): The Euthanatos and their kind are able to exert their will upon the Great Wheel and turn it as they desire for their own ends.
Infants (Sleepers): Those who have never yet glimpsed the Shadowlands.
The Reaping (The Awakening): The moment at which a dead individual has the Caul torn from his face so that he may see the Underworld for what it is.
Guides (Mages): Those individuals who have undergone the Reaping and have since learned how to Turn the Wheel at will.
Turning in the Fog (Coincidental Magick): A means of Turning the Wheel so that the act of doing so is masked by a Fog, keeping the Infants from realizing what has happened.
Soul (Avatar): The true essence of the individual that cannot "die," per se, but can become destroyed by being dissoluted into nothingness (Oblivion).
Eidolon (Arete): A measure of a soul's enlightenment and strength against its ignorant dark side, often called one's Shadow. By increasing one's Eidolon, Transcendence is made easier.
The Underworld (The Umbra): The world beyond the mundane, one which a soul must eventually traverse if one is to be reborn again. For the Euthanatos, there is only one "Umbra," and that is the one some call the Dark Umbra. While they accept that others believe that different Umbras may exist, for these Guides there is only the one. To "travel" to another would require intense study and a very powerful alteration of their paradigm. They believe others are speaking of the same one, but simply use other terms and concepts, perhaps not seeing it as "correctly" as the Euthanatos do.
Transcendence (Ascension): The Euthanatos believe that when one's soul completes The Journey through the Underworld, it can Transcend and be reborn stronger than it was before. This is the most important goal of all, for only by Transcending can one's soul continue on into the next Cycle.
The Journey (Correspondence): This knowledge is named for the journey which the soul must make through not only this physical life, but through the afterlife in order to reach its goal of reincarnation. This Step includes concepts of distance and direction as well as views of placement. It does not generally cover ideas relating to size and volume, although some Euthanatos have successfully incorporated such ideas after study with other mages.
The Tempest (Entropy): This Step is named for the notorious raging storm of chaos that supposedly hinders a soul from reaching its destination, thereby allowing it to achieve reincarnation. While the Tempest can be seen as a threat, it is necessary for the Great Wheel to turn. Without it, there would be no turning at all, and the Cycle would cease. Dissolution and decay are integral parts of the Tempest, although new combinations are also the result of this powerful storm.
Chains (Forces): Every action requires interaction between things, and these are referred to as the Chains that connect everything to everything else. By understanding these Chains, a mage may cause interactions or stop them (breaking the Chains). This knowledge also allows one to see the Chains and to understand what they mean for those things chained to one another.
The Quickening (Life): While the Tempest often works to break down the physical forms of a soul, it is the Quickening that works to build them up again. Understanding of the Quickening allows one to "quicken" beings, making them healthy again. It can also be used to reverse such a process, a useful tool for bestowing the Good Death.
Forgery (Matter): This Step allows the seeker to grasp the concept of how the Inertia of the Great Wheel can be forged into an unlimited number of "non-quickened" things. Forgery is sometimes called "smithing", and mages who rely upon this knowledge very heavily are often referred to as Smiths.
Masks (Mind): Here in the world of the living, it appears that everyone has a mind, or psyche, but the Euthanatos know that these are only masks worn by the soul. These masks give only hints of the soul's true essence, but do allow the soul to be "recognized" on this side of the Shroud.
The Axis (Prime): Knowledge of the Axis of the Great Wheel gives one the power to control it, making very powerful or permanent "turns." The Axis is the source of Inertia and therefore one of the most crucial Steps to understand if one is to truly achieve Transcendence.
The Afterlife (Spirit): This Step embraces concepts of the soul and the Underworld, focusing on what souls truly are and what they are capable of. A good understanding of the Afterlife lets one actually "part the Shroud" and enter the Shadowlands, as well as to summon forth those souls that have already gone there themselves. The Euthanatos do not accept (like the Dreamspeakers and others) that everything has a "spirit." Such ideas are silly when one considers the Tempest and the need of a strong will to resist its temptation.
The Cycle (Time): To undestand the Cycle itself is to understand fate and the inevitable. Concepts of destiny and possibility are embodied in this Step and are useful for those who spend so much time "guiding" others forward in their own Journeys.
Inertium (Tass): Sometimes Inertia is not "put to use" and bleeds off through the Shroud, appearing in the world of the living. It congeals upon contact with this pale reality, the Fog proactively concealing it from the senses of the Infants that might stumble upon it. Those who have undergone the Reaping, however, may easily recognize this discrete Inertia and use it to aid them in more easily "turning the wheel."
Nexus (Node): Wherever the Shroud is thin, a nexus might form. These are the places where Inertium appears and where easy access to the rest of the Great Wheel's Inertia may be had. Souls on the other side often haunt these sites, hoping to make contact with the living.
Burn (Paradox Flaw): This is the most common consequence of friction. It can take the literal form of striated burns across the mage's body or might simply "burn away" some otherwise normal part of his life, the results being too varied to predict.
Flames (Paradox Spirits): When the friction gets bad enough, it seems to take on a mind of its own, seeming to actually "attack" the offending mage. These "attacks" are called flames.
Meltdown (Backlash): Sometimes, if the friction is really bad, a terrible Meltdown can occur, resulting in most horrible consequences for whoever suffers from it.
Seeing Red (The Quiet): When a Euthanatos has accumulated a great deal of friction, he may begin to "see red" or "see a mirage," as some say. Illusory things will be perceived and nothing will seem to make sense any more.
The Gift (Awareness): Those who receive the Gift are able to glimpse the Great Wheel itself and see the world as it truly is.
Shroud (Arcane): The degree to which the Shroud hides the Euthanatos himself from the senses and psyches of others around him.
Omens (Dream): The ability to recognize omens and to interpret them successfully.