Author's Foreword: This is one of a series of posts intended to show what various mage groups believe, how they think, and why they think the Sleepers ought to prefer their vision of reality. It is not intended as a complete picture of each group, or a 'fair' portrait. It's written as propaganda by each group, but honest propaganda. They won't lie, but they won't list their own flaws in detail either :) Naturally, these posts represent my own idiosyncratic views which I believe to be reasonably compatible with canon, but given my memory is at times rather sieve like, I may forget stuff. If you see a contradiction between this or the appropriate Trad/Conv book, it may or may not be deliberate. If you have suggestions for more questions that should be covered, please let me know. Hollow Ones and a bunch o' other stuff is all copyright of White Wolf, of course. You can find the ones done so far at: http://www.maison-otaku.net/~rhea/WW/index.html Enjoy! Ascension 2000 Campaign Pamphlets: Hollow Ones Hmm. Hollow Ones. Ahh, yes, depressed, black wearing, Anne Rice worshipping, clove cigarette smoking rebels trying hard to be just like all the other Goth rebels. With magickal powers. Or are you going to tell me you all secretly worship Teddy Ruxspin and like to watch the Smurfs when no one else is looking? We're the only realists you'll find in this little quest of yours for understanding. The other mages are all living in the past like most of the Traditions, or living in a dreamworld like the Sons of Ether, the Virtual Adepts, the Marauders, and the Technocracy, or living in a nightmare, like the Nephandi and some of the Technocracy. The Mythic Age failed, it died, but a lot of people are still trying to raise it from the dead. The Technological Age has failed even more spectacularly. And it looks like we'll be trying delusion set number three in the 'Hell on Earth Age', the way things seem to be going. There is one thing which distinguishes all of the Hollow Ones from all the other traditions: it's the tension between knowing that every dream for a better future will fail because humanity is too fucked up to make any happy dream real, and an unwillingness to draw the conclusion from that the Nephandi do, that it therefore doesn't matter if we contribute to the world becoming more of a hell hole. We are the generation for whom every ideal has been shown to have failed. We watch people rush back to the very set of ideas that a century ago, they couldn't run fast enough to get away from, because now that the new ideas have failed them, they've forgotten the old ideas failed them too. We know they are fools for doing so, yet at the same time we can't help but emulate them; our own look evokes one of our own dreams of the past, the 'Romantic' age. It's not for nothing that the mundane movement of which we form the Awakened, Cranky vanguard called itself 'The New Romantics'. Yet, at the same time as we try to evoke the mystery of the past, we're aware deep down that we're ignoring the bad stuff from that past movement which caused it to collapse in the first place. Our hearts want to believe, and our minds know better. And as a result, we all have a hollow place inside that we want to fill but don't know how. Some of us try to fill it with knowledge, for we know just enough to know how little we really know. Others seek love. Some try to silence the cries of their inner void by helping families or friends. Others lose themselves in dreams or drugs. But nothing quite satisfies. If it does, if one of us finds something to fill the void, they leave us, for they have ceased to Hollow. We are united by this lack. That sounds pretty depressing. It is, sometimes, but it's important to remember we don't just sit around and complain. We have parties, fall in love, have fun, create art, listen to music, attend concerts and movies, go skiing, or whatever, just like anyone else. But we're always a little restless, and a little aware of the fact that our search for meaning hasn't come to completion yet. We don't just sit back and let the world crumble, but our efforts tend to be intensely personal. We use our magic to help our friends, our families, and our communities, because we've seen that every kind of grand organized crusade becomes corrupted by the flaws in human nature and eventually becomes the sort of monster it was created to slay. So why bother? That's why our Tradition is so loosely organized. Pretty much, you find a group of other Hollowers, and hang out with them, and that's about it. Which is a big part of why I'm not sure if those of us who want to get us a seat on the Council of Nine have the right idea. Let's face, the Council of Nine has screwed up more times than there's numbers to count the mistakes. We're not crusaders, and we're not highly organized. If we did take the Tenth Seat, we'd have to join in the Ascension War, and I'm not interested in spending my time hunting HIT-Marks and being hunted by them, especially when I've got classes to take, and a younger brother to babysit, and a Tori Amos concert coming up. On the other hand, I can see some truth in what those of us who want the Tenth Seat say. They say that we won't get any respect unless we organize; if one more Mage calls me an 'Orphan', I'll have to tell Mom so she can unleash the Wrath of Mom on them, and trust me, given a choice between the Wrath of Mom and jumping into the Sun, I'd take the Sun any day. They say that we shouldn't just complain about the world, that we ought to get together and use our powers to change it. I don't trust US enough to get behind that, and I think I do more good here at home, but still...I'd like to hope we could do a better job than the Council of Nine Windbags. But I can't make myself believe it. And finally, some of them point to how eclectic our magick is, and argue that if the Tenth Sphere is the one that is the union of the other Nine, we're the Tradition best suited to unify the other Nine. Because we don't have some cloying philosophy hanging over us, we can take the best of each, and throw out the rest. Now THAT I can agree with, and on my days where I think maybe we should make a real push for the Tenth seat, that's the argument that really convinces me. That's our strength. We're the only pragmatists, able to take what works and throw out the rest. The Council of Nine each has their own vision of the world, and so do all the other mages. We lack vision, but we possess the flexibility they lack. And given the way 'vision' has tended to be 'tunnel vision', I think we got the better part of the deal. So how do you do your magick? We make up a lot of it as we go along. Pretty much, we experiment with any kind of magickal lore we can get our hands on, and figure out what works for us. We're united by a common attitude to the world, not by rules about how to do magick. It starts with experimenting. You buy some book at an occult bookstore, or borrow it from a library or a friend, or maybe you get a few tips from another Hollow One or a Mage. First you throw out everything that either looks incredibly stupid or dangerous, then everything that requires stuff you can't get like manticore fur and eye of newt. Then you just try everything else that does something you want to be able to do. A fair amount of us stole the idea from the Verbena of keeping a Book of Shadows, a sort of personal tome of lore where you write down the stuff that actually works. These may or may not be shared with others, depending on what else you keep in them, and how secretive you are. We tend to share information pretty freely among ourselves. Some of the more common stuff includes: horoscopes, chinese zodiac, I Ching, using skeletal remains (for talking to the dead), runes, chanted spells, casting runesticks, a little bit of blood magick, sex, drugs, ouija boards, dance, prancing about naked under the stars, any weird science toys the Etherboys will loan us, and even those cheesy 'Angels Among Us' books. So how would you go about getting front seat tickets for a Tori Amos concert? Man, I put a lot of effort into working up something to cure your lung cancer. Don't tell me that Ahl-i-Batin Bedouin Wannabe did the trick. Did he ever explain how you were going to get thirteen hours of continuous night without going to the polar regions? Well, I was just trying to pose something that seemed to be on the level you use your magick at. We're not simply petty like that. Although I did score front seats for her next concert here, but... Anyway, I'm gonna cure your cancer, dammit, 'cause I spent three days working this out and testing it on my uncle. But I don't really have lung cancer. It's a thought question. Too bad. Here's your cure for when you GET lung cancer. Or if someone else you know does. First thing would be for you to give me your zodiac sign and a pack of cigarettes you've already smoked some of. Cancer. I was born on the Summer Solstice. Here, pretend this box of Tic-Tacs is a box of cigarettes I've been smoking. Right. And your name? My name? True names have power. They help. Ahh. I'm Professor Stephen Frewin Warwick of the University of York. And what's your name? Agnes, but my friends call me 'Perdita'. Okay, so your name is a seven, six, seven name. A what? Very balanced. Adds up to Twenty, which means...[rifles through a small book] Judgement. Interesting. Now, we're dealing with an illness, which means I apply that to the suit of Swords. Seven of Swords twice, so that has extra effect, while the Six has a minor influence. Hmm...do you travel a lot? Yes, in my research. And these interviews have certainly sent me around to travel. Right. So you've got a double in the 'Personal Changes' category and one in the 'Betterment' category. Clearly, you've had a pretty good life, although one with lots of changes in it. Do you switch jobs a lot? Not really. Anyway, the omens are good for your recovery. Now, the next thing we do is to take this pack of cigarettes in THIS bowl. I put this second bowl over them, and you're going to set them all on fire. I've drawn the rune that signifies 'lung' on the inside of this second bowl, and...oh yes, you're going to need to bleed on it to empower that rune and create the sympathetic link. What if this turned my lung into copper? Naah, Uncle Ernie didn't have that happen. Okay, so you would bleed into the 'lung' rune, and then we'd let the cigarettes smoke up onto the inside of the 'lung' bowl so it got dirty. Once that happened, we'd take the dirty bowl and clean it in the sink while chanting this latin chant for good health I found in this book 'Secrets of Hindu Mind Control, by an Anglo-Saxon Mother'. You've got to be kidding. I kid you not. Real book. Not that much a real Hindu would believe in in it, though. Anyway, so once we cleaned the bowl, your lungs would be clean and healed, all thanks to the principles of sympathy and contagion. What was the stuff with my name for? That was for determining if it was likely to work, or if I it wasn't going to help. No point in doing all that if it wouldn't cure you. A combination of numerology and Tarot. What was that bit about 'Judgement'? That was the major Arcana corresponding to your name. Given you go around judging what is true and false for a living as a teacher, I guess it fits you. Right. So, I understand that you all principally use your magic on a fairly localized scale, keeping up a relatively normal life to go with it. Well, some of us do use their magick to drop out of society, but yeah. We spend a lot of time trying to learn more about magick or hanging out with our fellow dwellers in shadow, like mages, ghosts, faeries, vampires, werewolves, etc. We have the big advantage that we have yet to make anyone hate us, so we can learn from everyone. Isn't that a waste of your potential? I never signed a contract saying I was oblidged to live up to someone else's opinions of what I should do. Idealistic crusades fail; we've seen hundreds of them go blort. So, it seems to me that the best way to help the world is to help people. It might not stop the Apocalypse, but who can? Better to do the good I can than to work towards something that's going to fail. So you believe in the Apocalypse? Damn straight. We can feel it coming, all of us, and in the dark of the night, it scares the hell out of us. This world may be a garbage dump, but I'd rather have a garbage dump than hell on earth or no earth at all. There's too many prophecies, too many omens, too many groups that hate each other's guts agree. When the Werewolves and the Vampires actually say the same thing, you know it's gotta be true. We're living in the Last Days, dreaming of something better, but at the same time, far too aware that it's just that: a dream. We want hope, we want to believe in a better future, but none of the people selling the future have one that can overcome our doubts. How can you live like that? One day at a time. One day at a time. We just go by our code, which basically boils down to 'Look every gift horse in the mouth' and 'Don't treat other people like garbage'. We often fear the future, but at least we have the present. Everything perishes, but we can appreciate the beauty while it lasts. And even though the world is dying, we can still sometimes find beauty; the fact that it's so fragile makes it all the sweeter. So what would your ideal world be like? Ideal worlds are for losers who can't deal with the real one. Well, that was succinct. In an ideal world, we'd all find a way to fill this hole in our hearts. But if we knew what could fill that, we'd all be beating a path to its door, and our Tradition would be looking for a new name. Can't help you more than that. Fair enough. So what do you think of your fellow mages? The Nephandi are a bunch of whacked in the head fools who cheered for Jason when they watched Friday the Thirteenth. We recognize the universe is screwed, but we don't throw gasoline everywhere and ignite it like they do. Stay away from them if you can, alert any other mage you can find to kill them if that doesn't work, and take a chainsaw to them if you can't get help. I hate to advocate killing, but these freaks really DO want to eat my soul, if it exists, and I'm not taking any chances. The Marauders are what would happen if Toons escaped into the real world. Watch them from a distance, run for your life if they get too close. The Technocracy are what happens when anal-retentive people get Magick. Pretty much, we ignore them, and they ignore us. If they mess with your family and friends, then it's time to kick them in the head...and relocate our family and friends. They've done a lot of good stuff, and if they didn't think they ought to rule the world, they'd be okay. I could go on a long winded rant about how each of the Traditions suffers from Tunnel Vision, but I doubt you really want to know. Basically, they're idealists, and we've all been burned by each and every one of their ideals. They look down on us, and we return the favor. On the other hand, they're the only group of Mages we can really talk to and learn from, and some of them are pretty decent. Do you really want a personalized rant on each? No, that'll be fine. Would you like to make a closing statement? We're having a party on Friday. Bring your own beer or soda and tarot cards. Wear something good for contacting the dead. We'll supply the ouija boards, chips, and music. And a big room for dancing. It's at the old Crowley mansion on 'Demon Row'. You can't miss it. Oh wait, who are you doing next? I believe his name is Robert Davenport. He represents some sort of group called the 'Butcher Street Regulars', whatever that is. Another Orphan group, I believe. He called me to schedule a meeting. Then, after that, I'm off to see Mr. J. White of the New World Order. That's a group of wrestlers, right? I'd never imagined how many odd groups of mages there could be. The Butcher Street Regulars are a bunch of MARAUDERS! You're gonna end up as a petunia or something. And the New World Order is some Technocratic group. Although I suppose they might sponsor wrestlers. This should be interesting. If you make it to the party, tell me how it went. And I'll try to put you back together again. We'll see if I need to take you up on that.