On Magic

Clay

---

Magic is just another one of the ills that are a pox on the world. Eating away at the status quo for some purported gain, or if nothing else, for the sake of its own existence, the only difference between magic and any of the plagues is that we haven't seen proof that it can propagate itself. The day that gets out, we'll probably see the last few reminders of civilization go right out the window... if the window's still even there.

At the core, magic is about cheating the system. It goes around conventions, making big, sweeping changes that are passed off as subtleties when they only are from the conventional perspective. Take a look at the larger, bigger pictures, though, and magic frequently winds up being a flashy, expensive, complicated way of convincing yourself you've taken a shortcut. By the time the final balance is calculated, though, the price... well, magic is weird by the very nature of the stuff, and the price of playing with fire is, inevitably, getting burned.

People who explain magic only help to spread the disease of easy hopes, of hope without respect for losses that have already been suffered and losses which may occur. Magic is the perfect expression of human avarice, but that doesn't stop people from deceiving themselves just like we've been doing with other, more conventional profits for years. Magic doesn't belong in this world, but that doesn't stop it from working.

Greg

---

For a bit, math people tried to work out a grand unified theory of everything. One equation, force, or energy that created the entire universe. These never panned out, and always uncovered some missing component like a ransacked jigsaw puzzle. The reason for this explains what magic is, how it works, and why Two forces animate this world. They are truth and irony. All that exists comes from some combination of these two forces...

Existence itself, what conventionally is, that's the truth of the matter as the saying goes. Simple or complex, it conforms to expectations and is everything we suspect it to be. Irony, on the other hand, is everything we imagine it to be... it isn't even really a tangible force so much as an energy, which is no matter... in both senses, if you're not paying attention to it.

Irony has a power of suggestion or negation. It's a very definite thing by definition, but in existence, is more malleable and even relative. We can use irony to bridge all the gaps truth presents.

Trafficking in the art is something like being a comedian, if magic is something like laughter. A joke is like a spell. There's lead-ins, punchlines, and there's always the hope that it'll be understood when you finish. Humor and irony are some of the largest insulators against the terrors of truth, and living a life of magic is about deciding to stare at the abyss and laugh when it stares back... and if you're lucky, it'll get the joke.

Lyn

---

Magic? Why is it that no one ever seems to ask about the important things first? Magic on its own, magic without the feelings, without the heart, it's like a house without any doors. There's just a shabby attempt at a purpose.

I haven't touched it in a long time, but when I first took up magic, it was only after knowing why I should use it, knowing how it would be used, and knowing that it was something I was meant to do. At least for a time. The ritual associated with it is a little surprising for someone who only knows about its power; it's strange to think that so many different outcomes come from the same general motions, words, and outfits.

We take up magic in order to rid the world of tragic malignancy. By filling our hearts with love and our souls with purpose, we can glow with a glory that once created worlds. The light and shadow we cast as a result is what magic is, and the challenge is to make sure you do not cast more shadows than you enlighten. Or, some would say, to be ready to glow brighter when that happens.

A lot of things can't tolerate magic, because of the impurity in the world. We can't help it that out of sin came knowledge, and out of knowledge came a lot of things that aren't necessarily sinful or bad... but the light can remember their heritage, and when we glow too brightly, it finds something to do if our purpose and desires aren't enough to keep it occupied.

Sophie

---

Once upon a time, stuff was pretty normal. You could guess how life would go. Heck, you could probably even make a bit of money betting on it. Destiny doesn't bother itself with being understandable, I guess, and so magic enters into whatever exists and sends it off in new, confusing directions.

Magic is the current that flows through the world, the stuff change, progress, all those words that kind of describe the fact that the universe is alive, gets made by. Without magic, nothing really has any real animation to it. Of course, with magic - and with too much magic - things just plain fly off the handle.

Magic can twist the present with little parlor tricks as easily as it can twist your actual existence. There's a moment that happens when you actually first realize that things aren't right and you're not sure if they're stable, where you kind of stop believing in everything, abandon all your principles, and invest every shred of will into scraping along whatever the world's inside of to try to cling to reality and existence. If you emerge, you'll emerge having flexed a muscle that most people never know exists. And if you did if well enough, you realize that maybe, just maybe... you could flex it again. By working on that one muscle, building its capacity and endurance, you can hone a certain strength. It almost makes everything else acceptable. For whatever's left in the gap, there's always a good drink.

Aurora Consurgens: After 45 sessions

Our dreams were bold and vague ....

So, we have not passed 45 sessions in a titch over 2 months -- over 20 each month which is pretty darn good. The game is now into week 3, time wise (for Kami) and certain things have wrapped up.

* Everyone is at the same time (yay!)with only minimal strain on time and space.
* r2-45 has attempted to tag everyone thus far, the poor fools.
* Most every PC is aware to greater or lesser extents about the state of police/society with regards to Omegas.
* Everyone has been offered the opportunity to join S.A.F.E.
* And The Event has happened.

Said Event was one Aaron Dupree, an Omega who could make duplicates of himself from other things, ODing on drugs from Doctor D. The end result was over 5,000 duplicates running around stealing all over the city and the mobilization of both S.A.F.E., the police and their Special Branch to deal with this in about one hour. On the minor plus side, it was raining. But a lot of people saw odd stuff -- as if duplicates of a thief all made of garbage were not odd enough -- and the official explanation/lie about 'gangs' is going down about as well as cough medicine.

This can reveal Omegas to the city in one way or another, depending on PC choices and actions. The ball is basically in your court for how this all goes down, with overall agenda S.A.F.E. (and the police, via Teresa) push on this and where it leads.

Aurora Consurgens: a helpful pamphlet

Help! My child is an Omega!

... what IS that?!
Omega is a term for a human who has undergone a mutation which makes them different from other people. Your child may be able to make water solid, float in the air or any of a number of inexplicable things. NO ONE knows why this happens: anyone who claims to know is lying to you.

Perhaps more importantly, your child will also have a mutation (often physical) which sets them apart from other humans. This may be fur, skin made of copper or even quills.

Remember! This is not your fault. It is something that happens without reason.
Also, it is not your child's fault.

...What can I do?
First, make sure you are safe. Is your child radioactive? Poisonous? Does their touch hurt? If so, contact your local CDC and the police department. Mention Omegas, Special Branch, Branch O or Branch X (designation varies by area} and someone will help all of you adjust. If your child is NOT an immediate threat to you or themselves, there is one necessary thing:

• Tell them you love them.
  
• And understand that they are as scared and confused as you are.

How can my darling accept this?!
Most younger Omegas adapt to their new status rather quickly. It is the hurtful remarks of other humans (and Omegas) that lead to problems. If your child has adapted quickly, all the better for them. This does not mean that you are expected to, merely that you can likely cross off suicide from your list of worries regarding your child.

What happens next?!
As your Omega has quills and is a pyrokinetic
his/her ability to harm others is classed as: moderate
which means your child can return home with you.
If your home has been damaged or destroyed, you must speak with your insurance company re: damages and causes.
Your child's actions may class as arson
which the company is aware of. Discrimination against families with omegas is an unfortunate reality of the modern world.

Laws and Compliances
As some Omegas can be considered Weapons of Mass Destruction (or at the very least armed and dangerous), all Omegas should report to the local police detachment detailing their name and known abilities. Testing, if available, may be offered free or charge. In the event of damage or accidental loss of temper, this will count positively to your child's conduct. As Omegas are a widely-kept secret at present, attempts to put your child on a chat show and the like are liable to be met with official disapproval.

• Omegas do NOT have the same rights as humans; your child can be held indefinitely and without bail or due process if the court deems it necessary!

But my child wants to help!
Good! Local enforcement agencies and universities can use all the help they can get dealing with uncooperative Omegas. The more Omegas cooperate, the more visible they become and the sooner the powers that be pass laws making Omegas equal citizens under the law.

But my child is human as anyone else!
Due to the Fifth Geneva Convention (1950), Omegas are not considered human insofar as laws and restraint of suspects come into play. Consider your child's abilities and the limits of jails to understand the reasoning behind said laws.
Note: A protocol allowing experimentation on Omegas was annulled in 1996; anyone attempting to experiment on your child without your and the child's consent is breaking the law.

.. but Junior was going to Harvard!
Regrettably, much bias and propaganda about Omegas exists among those who do know of them. Educating neighbors and friends will be a difficult and lengthy task, but also a necessary one: in convincing others your child is still your child, you help convince yourself. Job prospects for Omegas vary based on mutation but the government has a very open-ended hiring policy.

A warning
You and Basil Manning will have difficult times and days head; no Omega school exist, so homeschooling is a must depending on the age of the child. As more Omegas manifest and comply with the law, the odds increase that the laws will adapt themselves justly to deal with Omegas among us.
However, attempts to claim treatment of Omegas is akin to racism, sexism, gender discrimination and so forth are considered invalid and a difference in degree rather than in kind. (So yes, you may drawn comparisons between what the government feels necessary and those of concentration camps, but given the nature of Omegas and the danger a portion of them obviously pose, these are not considered parallels.)

If you have further questions ...
Please contact Kim Li at Freemont University or any member of SAFE who will be glad to assist you. Kim can also explain the nature of SAFE, which is largely to protect humans from Omega abuses and help Omegas gain the trust and understanding they deserve.

© the Office of Kirk Watson, Omega Liason, 2011.
This pamphlet is for informational purposes only; the contents are liable to change at any date and its use as an educational tool is limited thereby. The office of the mayor assumes no responsibility for misuse or misunderstanding of this pamphlet or attempts to use it to 'prove' the existence of Omegas.

Aurora Consurgens: a treastise on laws

On Superpower and Systems

Doctor Herman Valderschung, Journal of Comparative Normality, pp. 115-116.

The existence of Omegas deforms the world. That this is true is without question: the answers and solutions depend upon how the world responds in turn. This paper aims to cover the basic problems in dealing with Omegas and offer several unpalatable solutions.

Firstly, Omegas are weapons of weapons of mass destruction. This is not true in all cases, and the scale of destruction is generally limited --- held in check by the limits of flesh, conscience and the imagination -- but the potential remains. And yet, a human with a gun can do as much damage, if not more. We regulate guns, thus people who are guns presumably need to be regulated as well.

Secondly, Omegas who commit crimes run afoul of the law. The cost of incarceration for a lifetime is ~2 million dollars for normal prisoners. Death penalties cost more, due to appeals processes and so forth.

Thirdly, there is the issue of discrimination and Omegas in everyday life and the workplace.


To regulate Omegas, one must have a branch of government open to scrutiny whose job is to keep records of all Omegas and their capabilities. That this can be stolen and used is without question but unfortunately no other solution exists. Omegas who do not register will be considered illegals and jailed or dealt with accordingly. Omegas whose abilities allow them to detect and classify other Omegas will be hired for this program. This allows us to determine what kind of Omegas qualify as dangerous, the degree of danger they pose, and to incarcerate them before crimes are committed if need be.

(I am well aware this measure will not be considered favourably, but allowing someone with such power -- and willingness -- to kill with it before arresting them will only serve to blacken the public image of the large majority of Omegas that are not killers and have no desire to be such.)

Regarding criminals, Omegas should be jailed for life. As some are supernormally resistant to damage and most forms of execution, keeping Omegas imprisoned for life is the only viable solution; as well, said Omegas may at some point have abilities society can make use of. The cost of building such prisons and devising ways to imprison Omegas will be extremely costly, but peace of mind has little cost in the long run.

Thirdly, the deeper issues at stake of separating Omegas from the general populace cannot be ignored. What happened in Germany can easily happen here, and perhaps more readily given the more alien appearance of Omegas. Leaving aside how one would make concentration camps (clearly prisons fall under the same penumbra), the obvious danger is creating criminals out of otherwise ordinary Omegas. Integration of Omegas into the world as a whole would be the only solution that does not lead to genocide.

In order for that to happen, the onus is on the Omegas -- and humans who are their allies -- to step forward into the light. This will not be easy, and could easily lead to persecutions and witch hunts, but is nevertheless their only viable option and must be understood as such.


To this end, the laws must move from punishment to understanding. Most new Omegas have no idea what is going or that others like them exist. Give a child a firework and they light it off. Make a child into one, and the results can be more unsettling. Despite this, the attitude of the law to Omegas should be akin to trying to calm down and reason with a crazy person rather than outright abuses of force.

Aurora Consurgens: Time and Space and PCs

We're into session 34 or so of the game, so a recap: (The Wed. in game will mark 2 weeks since the game began (for Kami) in game time).

Mailk and Teresa are on Sunday in the a.m., currently at Freemont General Hospital with Basil, attempting to let the kid see his parents.

Meanwhile, Mason is spending Sunday night with Samson, Kaegan, Jerry and Trevor, trying to get Samson to stop being a dick.

Over on Monday, Kami is working on fixing the Eye and Nattie is off doing SAFE stuff.

While on Monday evening, Teresa has become a police officer, has her own car, and has learned disturbing things about how the law can treat Omegas.


So far, no one has broken time (which is awesome) and things are proceeding well.

Things to keep in mind: Omegas have only 'surfaced' in the last five years, as far as many government institutions are concerned. They are trying to keep it under wraps and deal with Weird Stuff with budgets not equipped for that, so most of the hospitals and police forces are more liable to slip stuff under tables, lose paperwork, drug patients into comas because it's cheaper than trying to fix them/made cells for them etc.

Aurora Consurgens: Experience (Redone)

The previous system was bugging me as being too complicated, so herewith is the revision. Experience will come in two forms: Experience Points and Pips.

Pips

Pips are a +1 to a roll. For each session you play (or wish to but can't due to too many players/scenes at once) you get 1 pip. They must be used prior to the dice rolling. So having 3 dice in Awesome Street Fighting and spending for pips nets 3d6+4.

Alternatively, if you have them banked you can spend 10 pips after a roll is made to redo your entire roll; no further pips can be spent on it, but it does allow recovery from a critical failure.

Experience

PCs get one experience for every 3 sessions they play. To increase a trait, you spend an amount of experience equal to the next level of experience. So do go from 3d6 to 4d6 requires spending 4 experience. This also means that getting from 5d6 to 6d6 requires spending the same experience necessary to get a new 3d6 stat.

Powers cap out at 7d6, other abilities (and less broad powers) at 8d6. Growth in powers in game requires experimenting with them and using them, naturally.

For the most part, the vast majority of npcs will not have more than 4d6 in stats (with an eventually 5 in their best skill), barring alphas and government agents.

This system is designed to allow the creation of new skills and abilities as being more important than upping existing ones; pcs learn, teach each other things, and so forth.

Situational Bonuses

if two people are fighting (say, a chess game to determine if Kami becomes their love slave) ans both have an ability they can bring into play, the person with the more relevant ability may get a +3. So Weapons Guy (3) vs. Sword Master (3) means the latter gets a bonus in a sword fight vs. the former.

Damage will also net the loss of a die/penalty if warranted.

Final Note: The experience rule is being implemented retroactively. So if you have 4d6 in something, 15 session is enough for 5d6. Players are expected to keep track of the amount of sessions they are in and provide updated stats accordingly.

Aurora Consurgens: Session #30

It is now Sunday in game. Hurray! Plot-wise ..

* Teresa has convinced Quentin to join DREAM, partially via Disney films.
* Temperence plans to take Basil to the hospital to see his parents.
* Malik has a bar owner very much wanting to be his Manager.
* Tanya has invited Damien and Teresa to a Circle of Humanity meeting at her place Sunday Night. She had not recinded the offer to Damien despite his murder of Aalim.
* Kami is making costumes for SAFE and has had an r2-45 member declare herself Kami's bodyguard.
* Mason has managed to make friends of a superhero and also enemies of sort (aka Leo).

Where things are going:

All the PCs are now aware they are Omegas and several have been approached by various organizations about recruitment. Things are liable to start coming to a head for various subplots and plans NPCs have for PCs (and PCs for NPCs). Also,Temperence shall meet Omegas who are weird and fine with that, like Mason.


Games in a night:

Games 1 - 3 max. While doing 4-5 is also possible, I'm finding it seems to go too slow and some PCs and plots get sidelined. Combat scenes obviously end up taking precendence in terms of time and action, which is also not fair to other players. In general, session preference will be given to players behind, time-wise, or who haven't been able to make a session in a few days.