Acanthus

Ruling Arcana:
Time and Fate

Inferior Arcanum:
Forces

Favored Resistance Attribute:
Composure

Theme and Tarot: 

The Fool

Acanthus is a magical path whose ruling Arcana are Fate and Time. Mages on this Path are also known as the Enchanters on the Path of Thistle, Scions of the Watchtower of the Lunargent Thorn in the Realm of Arcadia, Kingdom of Enchantment and Abode of the Fae and the realm of illusion, enchantment and constant change. They are characterised by their Awakened companions as flighty, reckless and irresponsible. Using the arcana of TIME and FATE, allow Acanthus to sidestep the setbacks and perils that many other Awakened and all Sleepers must endure or overcome. While this can be to the mage's benefit, it can also be detrimental to his/her development. They fail to remember that we learn more thru our failures, than our triumphs. They seem to rely overmuch on themselves, uncanny timing, and luck. Since theirs is the Arcana of foresight and fortune, this open-minded attitude serves them better than it does most, however they are at times impatient, lack the ability to plan properly, and because of that they often led into strife by their refusal to plan ahead.

Upon Awakening, Enchanters have their minds opened to the the endless eddies, currents, and waves; the possibilities of destiny and near infinite pathways of the time stream.This could explain why Acanthae rarely commit themselves or focus on one thing for any length of time; the uncounted oppurtunities they catch a glimpse of make it seem as though nothing is impossible, as if anything can be forgiven in time. This is how the other Awakened feel in regard to their flighty, impulsive, fly-by-the-seat-of-their-pants cousins, and it may shed some light on the behavior of your typical Acanthus. The Enchanters are famous among other Paths as diviners, oracles, and fortune tellers of incredible skill, but that doesn't do much to change the popular opinion of Acanthus as generally unconcerned with the world around them. This is somewhat true, they are pretty mercurial, making descisions based more on their emotions than logic or duty.

This attitude comes from their Awakening, when an Acanthus goes thru his/her awakening he/she must go through the realm of Arcadia. A universe that is in constant flux, and to take too long making plans is a sure route to destruction. Any descision is made quickly, and if an oath is made, it is well nigh impossible to change.

Enchanters are naturally curious, but bore easily making it difficult for them to commit to anything they think is dull or meaningless. However this mercurial attitude allows them to have an ability that too many Awakened lack, the ability to laugh at themselves, and have fun.

The mages of the Lunargent Thorn have a reputation as the most capricious of the Awakened. To their friends, that makes them ‘free spirits,’ or ‘a breath of fresh air.’ Their detractors are more likely to apply terms such as “unstable,” “immature” or “childish.” Many mages see something fey or otherworldly about the Acanthus, and the Enchanters themselves are hardly in a position to deny it.

Maturity and stability are not the strengths of those on the Path of Thistle. They are visionaries with extraordinary insights into events both past and future, but they may not always make as much of their insights as they could – much to the chagrin of other mages. Their peers accuse them of being flaky or even irrational, but those allegations seem not to phase the Acanthus one bit. Many reasons have been put forth for their odd behavior. Some have suggested that those on the Enchanter’s Path are so inundated with the endless branches of the time stream that nothing seems impossible and no decision irreversible. In their defense, the Path of the Thistle really does promise much more than a mage can handle until one grows in one’s magic.

Because so much of one’s magic takes the form of uncanny good fortune, it’s possible for a mage on the Path of Thistle to imagine herself merely extraordinary lucky, and many show a tendency toward superstition even in their magic. For this reason, many believe that Acanthus epitomize the tarot trump of “The Fool” relying on dumb luck to guide their journeys. Their sense of wonder and endless possibility often inspires hope in others, for to an Acanthus the odds are never unbeatable and there are always second chances. Acanthus are drawn to crowds, but seem destined to be stuck on the edges of any crowd they hang with, always “the new guy” no matter how often they’ve been with a group. Their charming ways make great first impressions, but charm goes only so far, especially once the going gets rough and the Acanthus expects others to pick up the slack.

Acanthus Legacies

 *  Awakening Gambit  – The Awakening Gambit are a Legacy who seek to shunt people into situations where they are forced to Awaken in an attempt to create more mages. Their methods are not always successful, and can be quite dangerous (although the Gambit mages do their best to ensure that no lasting harm can befall their target), but the number of successes they do get indicate that their idea is a sound one.
 *  Blank Badge  – Dedicated idealists and revolutionaries against the whole of the Awakened establishment (including the Free Council), the Blank Badges are direct heirs to the Nameless traditions of the pre-Council era. They’re magical anarchists and rebels, striking the Seers for preference but also any traitor who tries to stay their hand or parlay with the Throne.
 *  Daoine  – The Daoine are Acanthus who attempt to emulate Fae justice. They punish those who have violated their obscure codes and reward those who have acted virtuously. These mages are masters of the hex and curse, using their powers to perform their duties against violators of their own codes or the scruples of whoever hires them.
 *  House of Ariadne  – The House of Ariadne is a Legacy devoted to urbanity. They are attracted to everything about city life, good and bad, for it is from the city that they gain the power to see into past and future. They walk the paths of the ley lines and the lesser lines they call Ariadne's threads crisscrossing the city, and use the symbols they see along the way to interpret the future.
 *  Pygmalian  – The Pygmalian Society believes that art – true Art, that is – is a link to the Supernal, given its quality to provoke and inspire people, and it is a link that even Sleepers can use. The Society thus seeks to inspire artistic emotions in the Sleepers it interacts with, in the hopes of Awakening them from Sleep via a great induced moment of creative epiphany.
 *  Singer in Silence  – These mages have an almost instinctive understanding of death and its hold on those around them. Theirs is the power to summon and create ghosts, and to read the strands of fate and death to see those who are marked and fated to die soon. This knowledge cannot be suppressed or easily ignored, and as a result of their connection to death the Singers are warped in mind, body and soul.
 *  Sister of the Blessed  – This Legacy is an up-until-recently exclusive to high-class women group whose networking and attainments are focused on helping members avoid the social prejudice levied against them. They are skilled in subtle Fate and Mind magics to assist their endeavours and keep themselves from accruing too much unwanted attention stemming from their power.
 *  Skald  – The Skalds are the heirs to a truly ancient practice known across the world; that of the singing storyteller and songwriter. They are superlative musicians and writers, and use these skills to move audiences of Sleeper and mage to joy, sorrow, anger, or any other emotion the bard cares to conjure.
 *  Storm Keeper  – The Storm Keepers have guarded humanity against the forces of nature unchecked for many centuries. They have an almost intuitive ability to comprehend the weather systems of the world. Their powers give them control over storms and any collateral effects of storms, as well as the ability to predict the effects their abilities will have once employed, the better to be fully warned of the consequences of their meteorological meddling.
 *  Tamer of Winds  – This Elemental Legacy specialises in the element of Air. The Tamers of Winds seek and dispense truth and good judgement, serving as judges and counsellors to Sleepers and the Awakened. They can read truths on the wind and delve into the minds of others.
 *  Walker in Mist  – The Walkers in Mists are an order of mages who draw their wisdom and power from the natural world around them, rather than the tomes and scrolls so beloved of their fellow Awakened. They’re masters of manipulating the continuum of nature they call the Mists to gaze upon and travel to places far removed from their own selves in the blink of an eye.


 *  Carnival Melancholy  (left-handed) – Awakened charlatans and conmen, the mages of the Carnival Melancholy harvest the souls of the Sleepers they dupe and use them to bolster their own chances of success. Their philosophy stems from the Depression and sees the Awakened as a nation of fugitives, doing what they can to survive and attain the Imperium Mysteriorum on the backs of the Sleepers.

The Acanthus Outlook
Below are presented common views, stereotypes, and prejudices held by the Acanthus. An individual Enchanter may disagree with some or even all of these descriptions; as Paths are hardly united fronts, the individual outlooks of those who walk them vary greatly. As a whole, however, the following descriptions sum up what the perceived majority of Acanthus believe about the world, and what the world believes about them.

Orders
Some orders are cautious about taking on Acanthus, feeling that they’re too mercurial and unfocused to be proper members. Given the tendency of Enchanters to feel they can get out of anything at any point they so choose, many orders are concerned about their commitment. Still, when they do join orders, those on the Path of Thistle show a slight preference for the Free Council, where their nimble minds are free to innovate where they see fit, and for the Mysterium, where they are free to test their wits against ancient lore. Enchanters have a love/hate relationship with the Silver Ladder. While they are lukewarm about the order’s goals, they are fascinated by the power and resolve it fosters. The Adamantine Arrow recruits Acanthus for the sheer strategic value they bring to the order, but war is not a popular pursuit with Enchanters. The Guardians of the Veil also try to bring in more Acanthus, because their luck and insight is invaluable in defense of the Mysteries, but many Acanthus find the work of the order dull.

Character Creation
Generally charming and quite astute, Acanthus often come from backgrounds in which they survived by their wits, good looks or mental agility. Consequently, they emphasize Social and Mental Attributes, though not necessarily in that order. Physical Attributes are often tertiary, though the most developed of these is usually Dexterity. Social Skills are almost always emphasized, and many Acanthuses seem to have a fair understanding of the techniques of Larceny. Hope is the ideal Virtue of Enchanters, for even those who don’t aspire to it as their guiding principle tend to respect those who do. Sloth, on the other hand, is the Vice elders warn younger mages about, but many still seem to succumb to it. The Danger Sense Merit is especially appropriate for mages on the Path of the Thistle, and any of the Social Merits as well are also good picks.

Appearance
Mages on the Acanthus Path often have attractive features, but thier eyes often take on a crafty, vulpine quality over time may be mistaken for shifty or somehow dishonest. They often appear younger than they are, an impression reinforce by the nigh-omnipresent glimmer in their eyes.

Santums
Whether or not they seek their own kind, Acanthus are extraordinarily social creatures. They often "hide in plain sight," setting up their santums in places close to focal points of one type or another: opera houses, theaters, bars, nightclubs or temples. More often than not, sheer dumb luck keeps others from finding such places, or at least realizing what they are.

Background
The Acanthus Path most commonly opens up to those who are young and inexperienced or to those who cast off a former life for a new beginning or stranger horizons. It favors those who rely on illusion, glamour, luck or benign trickery to make their way, and those who are completely lost in the world due to temperament or circumstance. Students, orphans, gamblers, stage magicians, artists, con artists, models, actors, musician, schizophrenics, “escorts” and vagrants are all susceptible to Arcadia’s call.

Nimbus
“Fey” Things seem enchanted or pregnant with the possibility of magic. In some cases, a greenish glow can highlight metals or reflective surfaces, and eerie, strange singing may be heard from afar. With powerful magic, fogs and mists might rise to cloak the ground. Time condenses in to the present moment; concerns about past or present become irrelevant. Everyone’s heart seems in synch, although the silence between the heart beats hints of eternity. Things sometimes seem to move in slow motion, with sublime grace and beauty.

Acanthus