Timori

The syntax of the spoken language of Atlantis isn't fully understood by any mage alive today. Small nuances in how a word is spoken, or used, can create major differences in meaning that would be almost impossible to comprehend just by studying the writings of a dead language. There are some who claim that Timori is one such word that has likely received an incomplete translation.Timori can certainly be translated as fearful. The word probably was used in association with the Locust-Eaters from the time of Atlantis, who forsook magic to take their place in what they perceived as the natural order of the world. But those who tread this path state that another possible translation for Timori, one that has been overlooked or suppressed by modern scholars, is "feared."

The Legacy that claims this name allows other Banishers to cause an uproar, prodding and herding them in the proper directions, then swoop in to collect their prey. Every once in a while, a Banisher Awakens with more than the usual instinctive hatred of magic, and the Timori keep their eyes open for those rare individuals to train as apprentices. Though their numbers are still small compared to order mages, the number of Timori grows more often than it shrinks, setting the stage for the time when the Feared are ready to emerge from hiding and declare open war on the Awakened once more.

History
According to the legends of the group and some atlantean documents, these mages had much more in common with their contemporary Banisher fellows than the more peaceful types who simply abandoned Atlantis. Those who refused to abandon Atlantis fought against the intrusion of magic into the world. They attacked magical constructs, destroyed repositories of magical knowledge, and killed any mage they thought they could safely target. Although they disliked the use of magic, the Atlantean Banishers reluctantly concluded that it was necessary to use fire to fight fire. Citizens of Atlantis began to whisper about the traitors in their midst, calling them Timori, the feared, and the Banishers took up the name with pride. Eventually, the Timori cabals were uncovered by the Ungula Draconis and were either killed or forced into exile.

Years passed, and the Timori continued their harassment of Atlantean assets. The Timori had resigned themselves to the idea that their battle might take centuries, when the first Mage War occurred. After celebrating their victory, the remaining mages of Atlantis raised the Celestial Ladder to the Heavens, and the worst nightmares of the Timori seemed to have come true. The Timori sought meetings with the newly exiled mages, to convince them anew of the Timori's position. Reluctant at first to even speak to the Timori, let alone meet with them, the Exiles finally agreed to a temporary alliance when reality began to crack. Using the Sleeper armies of the Timori to assist, the Exiles took their fight back to Atlantis. While the Exiles fought their way up the Ladder into the Supernal, the Timori began to attempt to unravel the spells holding the Ladder together. Then came the explosion that sundered the world. Those who survived wept in despair. Despite their best efforts, the natural order of the world was destroyed, seemingly for good. The Timori went to the leaders of the surviving exiled mages and begged them to give up magic, to which they refused.

With the Awakened community scattered and the members of the Timori reduced to a mere handful, the Timori decided on a new course of action. New Banishers who attempted to seek the Timori out for wisdom were also unlikely to survive such a quest if the Timori remained concentrated in one place. After much debate, a solution was agreed to; the Timori must become immortal. Only by avoiding the gaze of death did they have any chance at replenishing their numbers and continuing their battles. The search for immortality was not a new idea for any mage community. Immortality was, indeed, one of the reasons the mages of Atlantis stormed the Supernal Realms. Abandoning, for now, their war against other mages, the Timori began to research how they could achieve their goal. Years stretched into decades as the Timori continued on their quest. The members of the cabal were growing older and older, and soon it turned into a race to see whether they could succeed in their task before they vanished from the Earth. Finally, the Timori discovered that the secret to immortality lay at the very core what makes a mage. They discovered that by ritually devouring Mana and Gnosis from a living host they could infuse their Patterns with enough raw magical energy to stop or even turn back the clock. Newly empowered by their discovery, the Timori split their forces to ensure a large enough supply of Gnosis for each of them to survive and went back to war.

Drawbacks
Because their bodies are more like preserved corpses than normal, healthy bodies, the Timori have effectively removed their bodies from the Life Arcanum. As they saturate their Patterns with raw infusions of magical power, their bodies begin to crystallize. The result of the crystallization is that the Timori cannot be affected by any Life spell that changes their Patterns in a significant manner. Any attempt to transfigure, hone, heal, or wound the Timori, as the result of a Life spell, automatically fails.

The other condition suffered by all Timori is addiction. From the first time a Timori tastes Mana that has been harvested from a living host, he longs to relive the experience. No high, not that of drugs or sex, can compare with the sensation of stolen Mana. The addiction only worsens when the Timori first tastes Gnosis. Mana addiction is only a mental addiction, but addiction to Gnosis is a true mind and body addiction.