By Jack Dracula (vampire@wam.umd.edu)
Based on the characters and events depicted in the "Books of Magic."
"Now, about the Art itself. About magic...I think I speak with some authority. By means of magic I have lived for many...millions...of years. And I've had time to do a great deal of thinking. And what I think is this. The whole thing's a crock of dirt. Not worth the price I paid. Not for one second. If I had my time over again, I'd be someone happy and distant and small. Live in a hole in the ground, maybe. Never to get involved in the affairs of the great, and the powerful. Never to discover the joy of the Art. That's the trouble, you know. Once you've begun to walk the path, there's no getting off it." -the Atlantisian
The Sons of Jupiter are a Tradition that rose up from the Orphans. They have a completely different approach to the realm of magic than the other Traditions. They are not as focused on the struggle against the Technomancers. The Sons have a more eclectic view, stemming from their splintered history.
No one can truly say when the group was first founded as a separate institution. Some claim to be millennia old (and for a master of Life, Spirit and Prime, why not?) Others support reincarnation as staunchly as any Euthanatos. What can be divined is this.
In simplest terms, the Sons of Jupiter is a loose organization of Magi that seek out the most promising of budding Orphans, and embroil them in their conflicts. But, due to their secrecy, as well as their fractitiousness, no one knows what their central goals are. Indeed, no one knows if there _are_ any central goals.
There are certain battlefronts, though. Certain members become involved with powerful Talismans. These unique Talismans are as dangerous as they are powerful. The Ruby of Life, last held by the late Sargon the Sorcerer, is one example, as is the Helmet of Dr. Fate. Whle these objects may grant extraordinary power, they will, in the end, cost the user his mind, soul or some other exactant price. Others set out on impossible crusades against cosmic events they believe they are destined to fight.
The Chimarae, the Dream Realms, seems to be of particular interest to the Sons. Many go there on a regular basis, for research, travel, or as bounty hunters and scavengers. One theory often postulated by the Masters of Dream travel is that all of the shard realms that make up the Chimarae are ruled by one overall Dream Lord, a Celestine of quite some power. While they seem unable to produce solid proof of this, they are spending a good amount of resources there.
The Sons of Jupiter do not appear focused on the Triat of the Weaver, Wyrm, and Wyld. They do, on that other hand, profess a belief in the Eternal War between Heaven and Hell. Demonology is quite common in some circles, and there are a handful of Celestial Chorus converts who claim to be visited by Angels on a regular basis. If this is true, the effects could be felt throughout the World of Darkness if a large-scale offensive was made against any one target.
While the Sons do not profess quite the same fear in the Technocracy that the other Traditions do, they do have some strange connection to one faction. Spies from the Order of Hermes have reported midnight meetings between some prominent Sons of Jupiter and certain higher-ups in the Void Engineers. The Sons' connection to the Chimarae might have some relationship to the rumored infection of the Void Engineers by the Faerie. (This would also explain the sightings of the Sons who have been spotted in Arcadia as of recent.)
Also, the Sons have had a long and varied history with the Mummies. How this came to be is, again, lost in the dusts of history. The Mummies remain reticent on the whole subject. It is known that some time in the past, the Sons of Jupiter aligned with the Mummies in some battle. And as a result, the Mummies were indebted to give the Sons something of value. The Sons chose to learn Hekau, the magic of the True Names. The Sons learned all they could, and incorporated it into the magic of the Magi.
The Hekau of the Mummies was incorporated into the True Name Rotes of the Sons. Simply put, when the Mage invokes the True Name of the target, not only do they have the -1 difficulty for having something personal from the target, but the True Name also works as the focus. This will obviate the need for ANY other focus. The Sons will never let the Traditions learn of this power of theirs, and would be loathe to teach it to anyone.
As a result of the True Name rituals, a person's True Name becomes even more valuable to the Sons of Jupiter (who are mostly mortal) than the Mummies (who don't usually face foes of their own level.) ALL True Names are guarded above all else, although it has happenned that a Mentor uses the apprentice's True Name to defend himself should the Aapprentice ever go rogue.
The Sons of Jupiter consider themselves among the most enlightened of Traditions, because they focus so much on the price of magic. When any among them find a prospective member among the Sleepers or Orphans, they meet with their fellows to investigate the member further. If they think the person capable, they meet (coincidentally) with them, and offer the prospective the choice.
The choice of whether or not to do magic is central to their philosophy. The World of the enlightened, the World of Darkness, is not for everyone. When you enter this new world, you give up your past life, and you cannot turn back. Once you have seen the truth behind the world of the Sleepers, be it the machinations of the Kindred, the War of the Garou, or the reality-flux of the Magi, you cannot just walk away. You are part of it. You always will be. Once you have figured out the trick of the stage magician, the show just isn't the same anymore.
And the choice is paramount. Kindred give their victims no decision. Garou are Garou by birth, chosen by Gaia to defend her. A Ghost's horror of death is the decision of some unknowable power. The mummy's quest is eternal, death and the real world have no meaning for them at all. And no one can fathom the faeries or their ubiquitous realms.
But the Mage makes a choice. And they pay for it as well. Knowledge is its own curse and burden. A mage can never again have a normal relationship with someone. Never again go out to see a movie, or hang around the house and watch TV. Because they _know_. You can never just walk away.
And the final secret of the Sons? The ever-important choice never exists. As soon as the question is asked, then the student is taken in. Once you see the world of the night, you can't forget that it exists, because you are changed forever. No choice, not even in the face of oblivion.
Younger cabals on occasion play headhunter for the Masters. They set out to either discover the target's True Name, or get a piece of the target to facilitate more magic (or give a bargaining chip at the table.)
True Names are used as sparingly as possible. The most common use is to threaten the target with massive ritual magic at some later date. This works especially well in some Umbral realms.
A number of Sons have also become indebted to certain spirits in the Deep Umbra. How, why, and in exchange for what is, as with most things in the Sons, a mystery.
Philosophy: Magic has its price. Master it, but never think you're free. "VITA BREVIS, ARS LONGA. Life is brief, but the Art is eternal." We have chosen to give our lives to become masters of reality, and we are always paying that cost.
Organization: Most outsiders believe there is no centralized organization. Some members believe there is no organization. What there is is a sort of nodding hierarchy. Most members in the local area would know each other. They would also know appproximately how powerful/ experienced the others are. However, please note bluffing and intimidation are widely practiced, as is 'dressing-down,' appearing to all as someone of a much-lower ability. Appearance is everything and nothing. The Tradition, as a whole, is very individualistic; some members are charismatic enough to raise support for their minor causes, others simply go their own path silently.
Meetings: They only meet when necessary, such as in training a new student or when a threat becomes apparent. When they do work together, however, they work with a frightening efficiency against any foe, protecting each other's weaknesses while exploiting their combined strength. They also meet in shard realms by chance, and exchange current information then and there.
Initiation: A few members get together, and search out the most prominent students. They explain about the world of magic, and ask the student if they will join. None will try again if the student turns down the offer, but no grudge is held.
Chantry: There is no central Chantry. There are rumors, as always, of a node of unmistakable power in the Near or Deep Umbra, but no one has come back with conclusive proof. More widely believed, however, are the rumors that the Sons have a powerful Node hidden in the Chimarae, where their Masters of Spirit can recuperate.
Acolytes: stage magicians, occultists, historians, con men, supernaturals, bounty hunters
Sphere: Due to the Orphanic heritage from which they rose, Sons are allowed to pick their central Sphere. Mind and Entropy are popular, while the Masters of Spirit gain the most respect from their peers.
Foci: The Sons of Jupiter evolved another benefit over the Orphans: they choose their own foci. The True Name of the foe is necessary for any of the True Name rotes, but that supercedes any other focus (also, the True Name focus cannot be ignored using a high Arete.) The most popular choices are: Seal of Jupiter, playing cards, Tarot cards, coins, Language and unique talismans. Coming from their Orphan background, however, a number of the Sons have chosen different foci altogether. Zatana chose Language as her focus; she speaks the desired effect backward (Rac hsarc dna pilf revo.) while another may choose hand gestures be necessary for him to cast from the Forces sphere. The overall choices reflect an eclectic viewpoint. [All choices must be approved by the ST, but you knew that.]
Concept: occult detectives, mystery men, wizards, aliens (from Deep Umbra)
" I-HAVE-SEEN-GOOD-AND-I-HAVE-SEEN-EVIL. AND-NOW-I-AM-DEAD. I-HAVE-BEEN GOOD-AND-I-HAVE-BEEN-EVIL. AND-NOW-I-AM-DEAD. LOOK-ON-MY-WORKS... Y-O-U. L-I-S-T-E-N. I-T-'S. G-O-T. A. P-R-I-C-E. N-O-T-H-I-N-G-'S F-R-E-E..." -John Sargent, Sargon the Sorcerer
Akashic Brotherhood: Combat monsters. Leave them alone and they'll protect themselves just fine. But if you need an ally, it is tough to find better.
Celestial Chorus: Too scary to be ignored; what if they _do_ get their power from on High? It would certainly change the scope of the Eternal War.
Cerebus: To be valued and admired for their organization and strength.
Cult Of Ecstacy: Why?
Discordians: Too unstable to be trustworthy, but maybe they have some alliance with the Marauders that we could use...
Dreamspeakers: They are refugees from the Umbra, their true home. Almost pitiable. Almost.
Euthanatos: Corruption and decay, waiting to uncoil. But to what end? Never believe in them. They would make for strong allies, but they can only trust in decay.
Hollow Ones: Cull these Orphans for those with true power.
Necromancers: True mages after our own hearts, but too focused on their Book, and on this reality.
Order Of Hermes: They pretend to look down on us because we are their most powerful rival.
Runecasters: Leftover reminders of a past they lost.
Sons of Ether: Fascinating use of magic to prove science, the opposite of human history. Good allies, if you can convince one to band with us.
Technolibertarians: Another piece of proof that the Technomancers are splintering like a shattered glass. Not quite as accessible as the Sons of Ether, though.
Verbena: They follow the great old ways. To a frighteneing degree.
Virtual Adepts: This is an example of what the Technocrats could evolve into with the right prompting. Unfortunately, the Adepts are just as lost as the Dreamspeakers; they don't belong in our reality anymore.
T H G I N E M O C E B S E I L F R E T T U B
Ignore Pain (Mind 1, Life 2): Allows the mage, through mastery of her own mind, to completely remove all pain. [This means no minuses to actions due to damage.] However, this also means that the Mage has only a vague idea of how hurt they really are. [The ST should keep track of the player's actual damage, only letting the player know in vague terms if the player specifically states he is looking, "Wahlll, you gots a big gash on yer chest, and yer left arm is missing. But yew don't feel it, so's it's okee."]
Double Pain (Mind 2): This extremely pleasant rote was developed by Jack Corinth, one of the stronger disciples among the Sons of Jupiter today. It locks on the target's mind, and doubles all pain felt by them. Especially fun for fighting those Lupines down the street...[Double the penalties for wounds. If the total penalties go over five, the target can no longer act, but can only curl up in pain.]
Crowded Entrance (Correspondence 3, Mind 3, Entropy 1): Created as a way of using teleportation coincidentally, the Mage a) uses Mind 1: Multi-Tasking to scan the minds of the crowd, b) mixes in a little Entropy to find a spot in the crowd no one is looking at/sensing directly, and c) Correspondence to teleport on in. Great for those quick get-aways.
Master Ninja Time Rote (Time 3, Mind 1, Entropy 1): Just the thing for the clever coyote, this Rote can turn anyone into a Master Ninja. It was first used by Glen Manning, a Mystery Science Theatre fan, who wanted to fight just like the ninjas in bad martial arts flicks. [Time slows down for the Mage, who then can use the Dim Mak effect to his the best possible spot on the enemy. Also, absurdly silly but effective dodges are possible, since the attacker is moving in slow motion; -2 to all dodge target numbers.]
"Kindred" Spirits (Prime 3, Spirit 3): This impolite rote is a dangerous way to get Quintessence from smaller spirits. The mage uses Spirit to call a smaller spirit [trust me, go for a small one.] which the mage then attacks, and drains the Quintessence from. Also note how dangerous this can be, as many spirits are but servants of more powerful beings you don't want to piss off.
Floodland (Mind 3, Entropy 3): A great delaying tactics, this rote was invented by Yomphana (yoyo), one of the Sons diametrically opposed to the Euthanatos. It floods the target's mind with all sorts of random thoughts from everyone in the area. This makes it virtually impossible to concentrate on anything. [For every success the Mage makes in the roll, take away one dice from the target's dice pools.]
Blood Bond(Prime 2, Life 3): Created by Arctus, this simulated the Vampiric Blood Bond by ladening the mage's blood with his own quintessence. [The person still needs to taste the Blood three times for it to be effective, and the mage will have to sacrifice a point of blood, along with the accompanying injury.]
The Notice (Mind 2, Prime 2): This hard-to-describe rote creates a 'quintessence sink,' which fools any Awakened bengs into thinking that the mage is much more powerful than she appears. [Just has some quality of... power about her.] At the same time, it sends out a sort of 'mental beacon' which causes everyone in range to notice and look at the Mage at the same time.
"(lights cigarette) Nobody touches the boy. That's right. The boy's mine. And in thirty seconds, me, and him, and the witch, are going to walk out of here. You know who I am. Or you ought to. You know my reputation. Now... does anyone here really want to start something?" - John Constantine, TBOM
The Dream Time(Spirit 3, Mind 3): This allows the Sons of Jupiter to enter the Chimarae through a sleeping person's dreams [yes, you need a sleeping person to do it. Please note that the user will have to leave the person's dream and enter another dream, but this is usually not too much of a problem. Also note how useful that Dream background becomes.]
Vision Quest (Mind 3, Correspondence 1): This rote is often used in conjunction with the initiation of a new member into the Sons. The Mage taps into the initiate's mind, completely controlling the mental landscape and occurrences. (See Exorcist 2 for a good scene.)
Lucretia my Reflection (Correspondence 3, Mind 3): Allows the caster to communicate with a person by looking in a mirror and concentrating on them (it would also help the target wa also looking in a mirror.) Two way communication is possible, but more importantly, it allows the caster to telelocate themselves directly to the person (by stepping into the mirror.) Created by Stanislaus Silver, who used mirrors for most of his foci. [Use ranges for Correspondence, but lower difficulty by 1.]