Ananke

An Ananke is a spirit-like being created by an archmaster of Fate and Time, tasked to ensure that its creators will and prophecies come true, or that his descendants are alerted of magical dangers that the mage obscured. Many Ananake were created before the Fall by Atlantean masters who foresaw the disaster.

As agents of prophecy and destiny, Ananke seek out people who have the capacity to change reality; mages who can fulfill oaths long forgotten and visions long obscured. After one of these avatars finds a mage who fulfills its carefully defined criteria, the ananke's very presence alters fate around that willworker. Prophecies are fulfilled and catastrophes are made imminent. An ananke appears to its chosen mage to announce that an event will happen, paying little heed to whether the mage wants it to or not. The ananke delivers its warning, reciting the cryptic details of an ancient divination to prepare the listener. If the mage is truly fortunate, the avatar works beside the mage, granting him temporary powers or abilities to avert the catastrophe. An ananke's message could warn of the return of ancient dangers, such as a cult of Timori Banishers, Acamoth, or the Bound. No matter how benevolent the ananke might appear, however, its very presence forces destined events to occur. The best a mage can hope to do is minimize the damage and try to survive it. As heralds and guardians of prophecy, everything and everyone around the mage is caught up in the drama. The mage must serve as a witness so that an enlightened soul can see that the prophecy was fulfilled. Strangers can suddenly become lovers, cowards become warriors, and bystanders forget their day-to-day tedium to play a part in the scene.

Visions of an Ananke's wrath have been known to inspire dreamers and prophets, appearing in art, literature, and poetry. The most drastic visions are woven into the text of ancient tomes, the lore of sacred societies, and the rituals of cults. A mage who openly uses magic to avert catastrophe finds it easier to do so in the presence of an ananke. An ill-fated mage finds himself at the center of a whirlwind, or crushed by that same force if he rejects his role. For all anyone knows, this might be the price a mage pays for reworking the skein of reality. A mage who has spent a lifetime shifting the warp and weave of the world to his personal desires can get caught in those same threads.