Legacy: Tellurians

Tellurians
“Don’t you ever look down?”

Ley lines and the power they carry have existed longer than human memory, and man has attempted to harness this unseen power to his advantage ever since their discovery. Many examples of such ancient controls exist: Stonehenge, Mayan temples and even some Roman roads exist along ley lines or sit atop powerful nodes. By focusing the energy that courses over the Earth, the ancients were able to influence natural and unnatural occurrences wherever this energy flowed. They could cause crops to produce untold harvests, or create blight that led to starvation and destruction. They could inspire wisdom and understanding or fuel depravity and breed despair with a simple redirection, and through careful control of resonance, the Tellurians could aid in the creation of a nation or bring one to its knees.

Wherever people have sought to control the power these lines possess the Tellurians have always been nearby. Ever since the fall of Atlantis, these mages have dedicated their lives to understanding the power that flows from node to node. They have amassed vast libraries of maps detailing ley lines all over the world; however, as the world evolves and changes, so does the energy that flows around it. The work of the Tellurians is never done because the lines are constantly shifting, necessitating unending exploration. The original Tellurians were a disparate lot. Each discovered the power of the ley lines within their own cultures and learned to manipulate them as they advanced along in their craft. Eventually they stumbled across other mages who shared their interests, and the first Telluric Council was formed. They agreed that the ley lines should be observed and manipulated only for the prosperity of mankind. To enforce their will, they created the Telluric Wardens, a militant division that punishes those offenders who dare to destroy or manipulate ley lines for destructive purposes. The scholarly nature of the legacy has always endeared them to the Mysterium, with mystagogues making up the largest contingent of their membership, though Wardens are occasionally drawn from the ranks of the Adamantine Arrow.

 

Origins
Parentage:  Obrimos, Mysterium

Background:  The Mapmakers come from all walks of life and have only one thing in common: They seek to understand the currents of power that flow over the earth. Some followed the traditions of the Druids, manipulating all sorts of connections from toadstool circles to Stonehenge. Others learned the arts of feng shui and manipulate the dragon lines on smaller levels in residential areas. However, they all followed their passion even after their Awakening and sought greater understanding of ley lines through their magic. Most Mapmakers keep fastidious notes and maps so that they can keep track of the ley lines in their area and the different resonances that travel down them. Often they hold positions of power in the mortal world, which allow them to manipulate the architecture in the city they reside in or own swathes of untouched virgin forests to preserve the lines flowing within them.

Appearance:  The Mapmakers’ appearances often reflect their beliefs concerning ley lines. If they believe the lines are to be controlled, they tend to be neat freaks, with their clothes and surroundings perfect in every detail. If they believe in merely monitoring the lines and letting them form on their own, then their appearance may be more free-form and artistic, reflecting their more organic philosophy.

 

Doctrine
Prerequisites:  Space 2, Science 2 with a specialty in Cartography, and one of the following at 2 or higher: Academics, Occult, or Survival.

Initiation:  Those wishing to join the Tellurians are usually posed with a test by their mentor. These trials range from successfully documenting the resonances of a particularly complex ley line to the mapping of all lines that intersect with a particular node based on the prospective teachers whim.

Organization:  The Mapmakers are one of the more organized Legacies. They are led by the Telluric Council, comprised of the eldest living or most acclaimed members of the Legacy. Rank among the Mapmakers is afforded to those of age and accomplishment. Once in a blue moon, a younger member will perform a truly remarkable feat that earns them the respect and recognition of the Council, but most of the Mapmakers operate under the simple rule of “avoid the Council’s attention.”

 

Magic
Ruling Arcanum:  Space

Yantras:  Using the principles of Feng Shui to prepare an area for a spell (+2, extended action), Casting while standing on a Ley of appropriate resonance (+1), Working to unveil or study environmental resonance (+2), Using a map of the area being targeted (+1), Casting spells to attune yourself to local resonance (+1)

Oblations:  Rearranging furniture to aid the flow of energy in a living space, making maps, walking through the city to find new ley lines, meditating at a node, successfully mapping the ley lines in an untouched rural area.

 

Attainments
While Prime is an essential Arcanum when dealing with the mystical energies in ley lines, knowing where the lines come from and go to is an invaluable skill. Mapmakers specialise in studying and drawing information from leylines and their associated resonance, becoming masters of both techniques early in their careers. As they advance members of the Tellurians develop a strange kinship to the leys, learning to channel their minds and eventually their bodies, through these mysterious currents.

First:  Reading the Land
Prerequisites:  Space 1, Initiation

The Outward and Inward Eye (Reach: Casting Time):

While a minor magical feat, the first attainment of the Mapmakers is a gift that most mortal cartographers would kill to obtain. With a moment’s concentration members of the Tellurians gain preternatural awareness of the surrounding area, looking down from above, seeing around corners, and peeking through keyholes without having to move so much as an inch. Once invoked this effect lasts for a number of turns based on their Space dots.

Optional Arcanum:  Prime 1

Sacred Geometry (Reach: Casting Time):

The most fundamental ability necessary for pursuit of the Tellurians goals is the ability to discern the paths of extant ley lines and every member eventually learns to do just that. Opening their eyes to the resonance of the earth, Mapmakers can see the telluric currents surrounding them should they be in the vicinity of one and will feel drawn to the nearest such locale if they are between lines when the ability is activated. After activating this attainment the Tellurian can see the leyes for a number of turns based on their Prime dots.

Second:  Walking the Path
Prerequisites: Space 2, Science 3

Break Boundary (Reach: Casting Time):

In their exploratory pursuits, Tellurians occasionally come up against mundane obstacles and opposition that would balk any normal cartographer. Thankfully, Mapmakers may turn to more esoteric avenues of progress to circumvent these difficulties. When faced with a physical obstacle that would restrict their movement, the Tellurian need only touch it and concentrate on the flows of energy between their current position and the space on the other side of said barrier to join with that stream of power briefly and materialise on the other side.

Optional Arcanum: Prime 2

Cloak Nimbus (Reach: Advanced Duration):

Despite their (generally) purely scholastic intentions, occasionally other Awakened object to a Mapmaker’s requests to survey their territory. In such times other mages might be forced to turn back or barter for access, but a true Tellurian has other options. By adjusting their personal interaction with local resonances in a ritual, they may mask their Nimbus completely, including any signature they might leave behind from later spellcasting. This veil persists for a duration based on the Mapmaker’s Prime dots using the advanced factors chart and anyone attempting to pierce it must achieve more successes on a Clash of Wills than the Scribe has Prime dots.

Third:  Skimming the Stream
Prerequisites: Space 3, One of Academics, Occult or Survival at 3

Scrying (Reach: Remote Casting, Casting Time):

By attuning themselves to a particular ley line, a Tellurian may send their senses to any point along its length, observing from the perspective of the currents themselves. They can see out from their chosen point as though they were standing upon that line and may pan this view up and down the line as though walking along it, but they cannot move away from the path.

Optional Arcanum: Prime 3

Channel Mana (Reach:  Casting Time):

As a result of their intense study of the flows of resonance, practiced Mapmakers often stumble upon hallows during their exploratory efforts. For the Tellurians each such opportunity gives them a chance to practice their mastery over energy, drawing power from repositories of mana with a touch and distributing these Supernal sparks as they wish. After touching a source of mana or a repository in which they desire to deposit their own store of power, the Mapmaker may transfer up to their Prime dots in points.

Fourth:  Riding Between
Prerequisites:  Space 4, Science 4

Teleportation (Reach: Remote Range):

As their mastery of leys grows, Tellurians begin to feel a kinship between the cycles of energy in the lines and their own pulse. After sending their senses along a ley line using the third attainment, the Mapmaker may choose to surrender to the flow of resonance, gradually releasing their inhibitions until they dissolve completely into the stream and rush to the point they were viewing before retaking their physical form. This transfer is nearly instantaneous after the meditation is complete, crossing the length of the line in an eyeblink as they are borne along by the currents of power within the leys. Thus a Tellurian well versed in the network of lines that cross the globe can easily travel across the world in only a few hours by making strategic jumps between nodes.

Optional Arcanum: Prime 4

Geomancy (Reach:  Advanced Duration, Advanced Scale):

In a practice that appears to outside observers somewhat like the motions of Tai Chi, skilled Tellurians may actually reach out and shift ley lines from their natural positions with their own hands. Employing this ability requires significant concentration and investiture of time from the Mapmaker as they walk the line they are targeting and attune themselves to its flow. After this alignment, they may shift and pin the ley within the boundaries of an area up to the size of a parking lot from where they began their survey. While moving the line they may reshape its resonance as they choose, changing its emotional keys freely. Once so deformed, the line will remain in its modified position for up to a year unless the Mapmaker chooses to release it earlier.

Fifth: Cracking the Fundament
Prerequisites: Space 5, One of Academics, Occult or Survival at 4

Pocket Dimension (Reach: Casting Time):

Through sheer mastery of the flows of telluric energy that exist across the world, a Tellurian may merge a target with those very same leys, dissolving them into the lines for a time. A subject so affected is suspended outside normal space and held in stasis for one minute after a successful activation. The Mapmaker may initiate this effect by touching a target or by pulling up a fragment of the ley and throwing it at the desired target with an aimed spell roll.

Optional Arcanum: Prime 5

Create Truth (Reach: Advanced Duration):

In a sublime display of their mastery of resonance, a Mapmaker at the pinnacle of their legacy’s teachings may tap into the wells of energy within the Earth and from a seed of their own supernal energy, create a link to the Aether. This ritual creates a temporary five dot Hallow at the location the Tellurian performed the Ritual which lasts for one week or until dismissed. The mapmaker must spend one point of mana when activating the attainment and may not create more than one such fount at a time. This attainment as wondrous as it may seem should not be used carelessly, as the repeated draining of the local ley network can have devastating effects on the environment. (At the Storyteller’s discretion this may result in consequences similar to the Blasphemy spell or worse with repeated or prolonged use.)