Sample file ™ It’s not the tale, it’s he who tells it. — Stephen King, Different Seasons SampleThe Mage Storytellers Guide file By Phil Brucato, Brian Campbell, Richard Dansky, Deena McKinney, Kathleen Ryan and Ethan Skemp Contents 1 Dedications Credits To Aaron Allston, whose Strike Force, Ninja Hero Written by: Phil Brucato, Brian “Technocracy” and Lands of Mystery set new standards for gamemasters Campbell, Richard “Nephandi” Dansky, Deena “Anatomy” everywhere; McKinney, Kathleen “Marauders” Ryan and Ethan “Spirits” Skemp To the VCU Gamesmasters ‘82-’85, and to Grey Beek- er, Bill and John Bridges, Bob Busch, Chris Gibbin, Doug Additional Material by: James Estes Looking Eagle, Ross Lemmon, Shadow Lied, Judith McLaughlin, Libbi Miller, Issacs, Laurah Norton, Wayne Peacock and John R. Robey John and Laurie Robey, Jennifer Starling-Shirley, Lee Developer: Phil Brucato Watts, Greg Wilkenson and Ehrik Winters, for showing Phil Editors: Ken Cliffe and Ronni Radner how — and how not — to run RPGs; Art Director: Lawrence Snelly To the Hard Rock Cabal (Darrell Autrey, Deena McK- Layout and Typesetting: Aileen E. Miles inney, Keith Martin, Stewart MacWilliam, Wayne Peacock Art: Jason Felix, Richard Kane Ferguson, Michael Gay- and “Susan Pradha”), for putting their pastime up for display; dos, Mark Jackson, Robert MacNeil, Heather J. McKinney, To the Maicon gang (Basel, Christian, Isabelle, Jean- Alex Sheikman, Ron Spencer Marc, Louise, Marc-Andre, Yaks, the Martins and all the Front Cover Art: Jason Felix rest), for being wonderful hosts; Front and Back Cover Design: To Sam Chupp, for the title of this book; To Mage players and Storytellers everywhere, and to Stewart, Steve, Andrew and Bill; …And, yeah, to the old Lake Geneva crowd for setting the whole mess in motion to begin with. Stronghold of Hope, Loom of Fate, Love Beyond Death, 735 Park North Blvd. Mage Chronicles I, Mage Screen First Edition, Mage Tarot, Order of Hermes, Sons of Ether, Technocracy It- Suite 128 eration X, Technocracy NWO, Technocracy Progenitors, ® Technocracy Syndicate, Technocracy Void Engineers, Atlanta, GA 30021 The Book of Chantries, The Book of Crafts, The Book of Madness, The Book of Mirrors, The Book of Shadows, White Wolf USA The Chaos Factor, The Fragile Path, Vampire Players Game Studio Guide, Verbena, Virtual Adepts, Werewolf Players Guide and World of Darkness Outcasts are trademarks of White © 1997 White Wolf Publishing, Inc. All rights Wolf Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. All characters, reserved. Reproduction without the written permission names, places and text herein are copyrighted by White of the publisher is expressly forbidden, except for the Wolf Publishing, Inc. purposes of reviews, and blank character sheets, which may be reproduced for personal use only. White Wolf, The mention of or reference to any company or Vampire the Masquerade, Vampire the Dark Ages and product in these pages is not a challenge to the trademark Mage the Ascension are registered trademarks of White or copyright concerned. Wolf Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. Werewolf This book uses the supernatural for settings, characters the Apocalypse, Wraith the Oblivion, Changeling the and themes. All mystical and supernatural elements are Dreaming, Werewolf the Wild West, Akashic Brother- fiction and intended for entertainment purposes only. hood, Ascension’s Right Hand, Axis Mundi the Book of Reader discretion is advised. Spirits, Beyond the Barriers the Book of Worlds, Book of Check out White Wolf online at the Wyrm, Celestial Chorus, Cult of Ecstasy, Destiny’s http://www.white-wolf.com; alt.games.whitewolf Price,Sample Digital Web, Dreamspeakers, Euthanatos, Freak and rec.games.frp.storyteller file Legion, Halls of the Arcanum, Hidden Lore, Horizon the PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 2 The Book of Mirrors: The Mage Storytellers Guide ™ Contents Prelude 4 Introduction: Smoke and Mirrors 8 Chapter One: Anatomy of a Chronicle 12 Chapter Two: The Storyteller’s Corner 42 Chapter Three: Behind the Scenes of the Ascension War 62 Chapter Four: Supporting Cast 102 Chapter Five: Alternate Chronicle Settings 124 Chapter Six: Observations from the Field 140 Appendix:Sample Indices file154 Contents 3 Prelude By Kathleen Ryan Amanda slides one weary hip onto the the coaster through the half-empty glass. The image wavers edge of the bar stool and leans over the brass with the sloshing beer, clears at last, and in one corner of rail with her hair in her bloodshot eyes. “I’m the sodden, pulpy cardboard she reads: looking for a room,” she says, her voice grating OUT like a rusty hinge. LEFT The bartender shakes his head and keeps LEFT mixing drinks. “No vacancies. Sorry.” DOOR BY RAINBARREL “The Yama Kings sent me.” The young Euthanatos drains the glass, grimaces bit- The man behind the counter looks up. terly, and leaves without acknowledging the bartender’s He is fairly young, but his tanned face is deeply lined, and friendly good-bye. his sandy-blond hair grizzled. His heavy brows furrow, and Ω Ω Ω he bites his mustached lip impatiently. “I don’t care who “Come on in here. Hurry.” sent you, lady. You see that sign?” He gestures across the crowd with an empty shot glass. “It says ‘No Vacancies.’ Amanda squints into the shadows of the warehouse, ‘No vacancies’ means we haven’t got any rooms. Okay?” reluctant to obey the whisperer. She sees nothing. Hesitating barely half a second, she puts her faith in Mitzi — Senex’s Amanda frowns. Angry, disappointed, aching, hunted, lieutenant, who plucked her out of deep space to send her she needs a safe house desperately, and the bartender at the here — and darts through the open door. Steel Horse on Shangri-La is her only contact, her only hope. He meets her eyes, and his craggy forehead softens. “Stand away, I’m closing it.” Louder now, the voice is high-pitched and girlish. The speaker continues compan- “Look, now. Sorry about that.” He throws a coaster ionably. “Just push through the blackout curtains — I hope down in front of her and reaches for a beer tap. “Have one you’re not allergic to felt — they’re a little on the ancient on me. I hate to send a customer away unhappy.” side, but they do the job.” She drinks, and the pale brew stings her cracked, dry Amanda untangles herself, lets her eyes adjust. To lips and burns in her empty stomach. Amanda sets the the right, toward the main street entrance, an old jeep on heavy glass mug down, staring blankly into its depths. As bricks huddles next to partially dissected street cycles and the alcohol hits her, she feels her back and shoulders relax, Etherbykes. To the left, a cinderblock wall covered by tires, andSample a little of the pain goes away. After a long time, her file belts and hoses shelters a cracked wooden door marked eyes focus again, and she sees the warped and blurry colors of 4 The Book of Mirrors: The Mage Storytellers Guide “Office.” Three or four halogen lights strung at odd angles glare off of a two-story, chromed-steel junkpile ahead of her. She stares, wondering which way it will eventually fall. “Nice, isn’t she?” Eyebrow raised doubtfully, Amanda turns to face her host. Teenaged, overalled, smiling, the girl whips the ban- danna off her short, curly, light-brown hair and wipes her face and hands with it. The black grease marks disappear; now the grime coats her pale, freckled face evenly. “We still don’t know what we’re going to call her. I kinda like the ‘Lookfar’ or the ‘D.D. Harriman,’ but the rest of the gang all want…” Amanda says nothing. The girl sighs. “Right. Follow me.” Ω Ω Ω The room has no windows. Door, bed, nightstand, wardrobe, sink, desk, chair all suffer in the light of one na- ked overhead bulb. Paint peels from the wood. The enamel in the sink is chipped and stained. The plaster ripples and cracks from old drips in the ceiling. Washed, healed, dry-clad, her hair still wet from dye- ing, Amanda stretches out on the old iron four-poster bed, inspecting her meager supplies. Spare clothes, a little food, her disguise kit, towel, another jar of Mitzi’s healing salve, extra knives, a loaded gun and three marked clips… and a letter from her teacher she hasn’t had the heart to open yet. She packs it all into leather saddlebags and crams the old clothes, jacket, bag and boots into the sink. The young Euthanatos slips a knife out of its sheath, concentrates, eyes closed, on the heap. Once, twice, many times the old bowie’s blade pricks at the fabric, the leather, the rubber heels of the boots. After what seems like hours, she opens her eyes and opens the taps. A thin stream of rusty water washes the pile of dust down the drain. Amanda lies back, the letter in one hand, her knife in the other, and falls asleep. Ω Ω Ω “I’m still not sure about this. I could lose my job, you know.” The words carry only faintly through the door, but the slumbering assassin is on her feet and wary before she realizes what woke her. Amanda swaps Senex’s letter for the gun. Barefoot, soundless, taking cover behind the wardrobe… Three quiet knocks. “Ma’am?” Amanda recognizes the voice of the girl from the warehouse. “Ma’am? I don’t mean to bug you, but there’s kind of a problem. Um, a friend of mine is here to see you. I know you probably don’t want visitors, but he says it’s really important.” SampleAmanda sighs, reaches around for the knob of the file dresser door and pulls.