The Antagonist summons a number of Mook Subject: One character

Archetype Antagonists equal to the number of player Range: Short

characters to aid them in combat.
Action: Simple
INSPIRATION Cooldown: One scene; or the target successfully
Cost: None resists the Antagonist’s influence
Duration: One scene The Antagonist’s charms become preternaturally
Subject: All allies potent for a brief instant — long enough to convince
another character of just about anything. The effective
Range: Medium
Scale of whatever she is asking for is considered to be two
Action: Reflexive lower than it actually is. The other character will realize
Cooldown: End of scene relatively quickly that they’ve been had, but it’s more than
The Antagonist’s presence lends strength to her allies. long enough for the Antagonist to make her getaway.
When invoked, all allied characters within near range LIKE A SIEVE
temporarily remove one Injury Complication, or if they do
Cost: None
not currently have one, gain a blanket +1 Enhancement
to all actions. The Injury Complications return and the Duration: One interrogation
Enhancement fades when the Flair ends, when allies Subject: Interrogating character or characters
subject to it move out of range of the Antagonist, or when Range: Short
the Antagonist with this Flair is Taken Out.
Action: Simple
As Antagonists do not use Injury Complications,
Cooldown: One scene; or players intentionally re-
Antagonists affected by this Flair gain +1 Health, or +1 veal information to the Antagonist
Enhancement if undamaged.
Prerequisite: Villain or higher Archetype
ON YOUR FEET The interrogation is a familiar scene — one person
Cost: None trying to get information out of the other. Sometimes,
Duration: Instant however, the subject of the interrogation is the one in
Subject: Allies previously Taken Out control, leading the questioner on to reveal more than they
meant to. Antagonists with this Flair, when interrogated
Range: Short or otherwise directly investigated, learn more from the
Action: Simple player characters than they do from the Antagonist. The
Cooldown: Antagonist numbers are reduced to half or Storyguide may ask a single question on the Antagonists’
less of what they were when this Flair was used previously. behalf, and the players must answer truthfully — whatever
their answer is becomes known to the Antagonist.
The Antagonist clears the rightmost Health Box of an
ally within close range. This can bring characters back into Cooldown: End of scene
a fight they were Taken Out of. RED HERRING
SHARE AND SHARE ALIKE Cost: 1 Tension
Cost: None Duration: One investigation
Duration: One scene Subject: Investigating characters
Subject: All Allied Antagonists Range: Self
Range: Short Action: Reflexive
Action: Reflexive Cooldown: One story
Cooldown: End of scene Prerequisites: Villain or higher Archetype
Prerequisites: Professional or higher Archetype The Antagonist may activate Red Herring in
The Antagonist shares one of her Qualities (chosen response to an Investigation into her. Every interval of
when this Flair is assigned) with other Antagonists within the investigation after Red Herring is invoked suffers a
near range for the duration of the scene. If she is Taken cumulative +1 Complication —eventually rendering
Out, the effects of this Flair fade. the roll all but impossible, as leads dry up and evidence
leads nowhere. When players realize they’ve followed
SOCIAL the wrong chain of evidence, the investigating character
may make a Reason roll using a suitable Skill to learn
HYPNOTIC CHARM where the investigation went off the rails. In doing so, she
Cost: None learns something valuable about her opposition, and Red
Duration: Five minutes Herring’s effects are removed.

152 CHAPTER SIX: ANTAGONISTS

PRINCIPLES
OF ANTAGONIST
DESIGN
WHEN SHOULD I USE A FLAIR?
Many Flairs are fairly self-explanatory — if it would
create a tactical advantage for the Antagonist to use it, use
it. Fight the age-old power-hoarding syndrome that tells
you to save your cool powers for the bigger fight, because
from the Antagonists’ perspective, this is the bigger fight!
Besides, if you’re not going to use Flairs when given the
opportunity, why did you give them to the Antagonists in
the first place?
HOW MANY QUALITIES/FLAIRS
SHOULD I ASSIGN?
As many as you need, no more and no less — especially
when it comes to Flairs. Obviously there’s a bit of an art
to anticipating how effective your players will be in any
given combat, and the dice will have their own say, but the
bottom line is that if you’re having to juggle six or seven
different options for each of the six or seven Antagonists
you’ve got arrayed against your players’ characters, you’re
going to have a bad time. Two or three total is probably your
sweet spot for most Antagonists. Bigger (in a story sense)
characters may have two or three more, but that’s probably
the most you should force yourself to keep track of.
HOW SHOULD I ASSIGN SCALE?
Only assign Scale to Monsters and supernatu-
ral Villains, such as a troll or a fellow Scion. At the
Origin and Hero level, Scale above 2 can be incred-
ibly dangerous to player characters, so be cautious.
WHAT’S STOPPING ME FROM ASSIGNING
A DOZEN QUALITIES OR FLAIRS TO
CREATE SUPERMOOK?
Aside from the headache you’re going to give yourself,
nothing, but we’d recommend against it. Having a mountain
of successes from Enhancements contingent on a very small
dice pool is going to generate extremely swingy results, and
having a laundry list of Flairs isn’t going to help — when
they go off, they’re either going to fizzle or utterly annihilate
the player characters, which just isn’t fun. Besides, Mooks
are meant to threaten with numbers; five ordinary Mooks,
each with a single Quality, will provide more challenge and
a much more interesting fight.
WHAT IF I DO THE SAME THING
WITH A VILLAIN OR MONSTER?
I mean, sure, even Cthulhu lost a fight to a steamboat,
but unless you’re actively trying for a raid wipe, don’t do
this. As above: It’s just not fun. If you really want that level
of depth and complexity in your ultimate battle, build them
like a player character.
PRINCIPLES OF ANTAGONIST DESIGN/TENSION
TENSION
P layers have Momentum, representing the juggernaut of
their characters’ narrative and mythic potential. The
opposing force, the one that makes life interesting for the
player characters, is Tension. Tension is a pool of points at the
Storyguide’s disposal, which may be spent in several ways to
make Antagonists a little tougher than they would be otherwise.
This allows the Storyguide to fine tune a challenge, with a
cost incentive to not overdo it. Players should always know
the Tension Pool total — seeing a giant pile of counters is a
good way to keep them tense, after all. Base Tension is equal
to the number of players + the average Legend of the group,
and refreshes every arc.
In addition to Base Tension, points are added to the
Tension Pool whenever a player character overcomes a
Condition or suffers a Calling Crisis (see Scion: Hero,
p. XX). This keeps the pool topped up according to the
relative drama of the session.
SPENDING TENSION
Spending Tension points is always instantaneous,
taking place outside narrative time. In effect, the situation
is retconned slightly — the new foe was always that strong,
he was just holding back, etc. Tension use should never
result in major inconsistencies (at least, not unless powerful
magic is involved), but it’s relatively easy to explain away
any use of it.
ARCHETYPE PROMOTION
Archetype Promotion is what it sounds like; remove
the Antagonist’s Archetype and replace it with the next
higher up; Mook to Professional, Professional to Villain, and
Villain to Monster, for example. This makes the Antagonist
much more competent, with larger dice pools, Stress tracks,
and base Enhancements. Archetype Promotion costs 3
Tension.
ADDING QUALITIES
Adding a Quality to an Antagonist is a less
overwhelming change, but still represents a significant
boost in ability, since Qualities are permanently active.
Adding a Quality costs 2 Tension.
ADDING FLAIRS
Adding a Flair to an Antagonist is far more granular
and situational than adding a Quality. Any Flairs added
with Tension consider their cooldowns refreshed, meaning
they’re ready to use. Adding a Flair costs 1 Tension.
ACTION INTERRUPT
The initiative roster is set, with player character slots
and Storyguide character slots. Using Action Interrupt,
however, allows the Storyguide to insert a new slot into
the roster for a single round, which may be used for any
Antagonist (even Antagonists who have already acted
in the round). The new slot disappears at the end of the
round. Action Interrupts cost 2 Tension.
153
DEFENSE BOOST
Storyguides are advised to kill their darlings (or, at least,
to let the players do so), but sometimes it’s not quite time for
them to go just yet. Spending Tension on a Defense Boost
raises an Antagonist’s Defense by 1 per Tension spent, to a
maximum of the number of players, for one round.
INSTANT COOLDOWN
All Flairs have cooldowns, conditions that must be
fulfilled before the Flair can be used again. For 1 Tension,
the Storyguide may instantly refresh a single Flair for a
single Antagonist.
POWER COST
Some Qualities and Flairs have Tension costs associated
with them. In such cases, follow the rules described in those
Qualities and Flairs for spending Tension.
EXAMPLE
ANTAGONISTS
T he following Antagonists are meant to serve as samples,
illustrating how the system can be used to build mundane
or supernatural beings. They should not be taken as gospel
or the only available options; we encourage Storyguides to
build their own and get a feel for the system if they can, but
feel free to use these in a pinch.
BEAT COP
Empowered to serve, protect, and harass by the
government, characters will frequently encounter the low
rung of law enforcement. Cops patrol beats (designated
areas) by foot, motorcycle, bike, or car for lengthy shifts.
Beat cops may stop a player character for a myriad of
reasons: strange behavior, speeding, or catching them
escaping a heist.
While not a huge physical threat to most, the beat
cop has already called into the local police station, either
reporting what happened or running the plates on a car
before approaching, thus bending the long arm of the law
towards the player characters. Individually, it is unlikely a
beat cop could take on anyone with even a few dots in a
Combat Skill, but the constant flood of reinforcements and
the inevitability of SWAT arriving on the scene may give
even those of the Warrior Calling pause.
Archetype: Mook
Qualities: None
Drive: To serve and protect
Primary Pool (5): Combat, Investigation, Personal
Interactions
Secondary Pool (4): Athletics, Alertness
Desperation Pool: 2
Health: 1
154 CHAPTER SIX: ANTAGONISTS
Defense: 1
Initiative: 3
SWAT (SPECIAL WEAPONS
AND TACTICS)
The majority of police departments in the United States
and global major cities have a Special Weapons and Tactics
team. These SWAT teams use military-grade weapons,
tactics and practices, and first came to prominence in the
1960s for riot and violent crime control before evolving
into rapid response teams after 9/11. The teams specialize
in assault rifles, sniper rifles, riot-control gear, tear gas, and
specialized heavy armor with night-vision optics. To become
a SWAT member, an officer volunteers, after having served
years on the force, to undergo rigorous mental, emotional,
and physical training with a heavy focus on the physical
fitness of the officer. After passing the initial testing, the
training courses include demolitions, K-9, negotiation,
marksmanship, intense hand-to-hand fighting in urban
environments, and breeching buildings.
Archetype: Professional
Qualities: Group Tactics, Heavily Armored
Flairs: Spray n’ Pray (Heckler & Koch submachine
gun), Dread Gaze (Flashbang grenades)
Drive: To take down the target with extreme prejudice
Primary Pool (8): Combat, Sniping, Athletics
Secondary Pool (5): Demolitions, Alertness
Desperation Pool: 3
Stress: 3
Defense: 3
Initiative: 4
MEN IN BLACK
Not the funny movie version that invades the cultural
conscience every couple of years to trick the masses. These
Men in Black are things in human guise that serve the will of
the Titans, or the things in the cracks of the Titans’ prisons.
They travel in packs of three, using threats, violence, and
murder to fulfill their shady unknown missions.
No matter the time, place, or weather, they always dress
the same: crisp black suit, black fedora, black sunglasses,
black tie, and pristine white shirt. Each has the highest
level of clearance necessary to enter any facility and work
with law enforcement when needed.
Archetype: Professional
Qualities: Super Soldiers, Stand Tall
Flairs: Dread Gaze (terrify), Imperfect Disguise
Drive: Whatever the master wishes…
Primary Pool (8): Combat, Drive, Athletics
Secondary Pool (5): Interrogation, Tracking
 DESIGN PRINCIPLES: COPS
Occasionally, Beat Cops are equipped with riot gear (add Heavily Armored), and act under the
leadership of skilled tacticians (add Group Tactics while being commanded). Beat Cops can easily serve
as the backbone for any non-elite security, military, or organized fighting force. The primary component is
that they are trained organized fighters with vast numbers.
SWAT is an elite law enforcement team trained and equipped to handle the worst situations mortals
can imagine. The members always operate as a unit, and that is one of their greatest strengths. The unit
is composed of various roles and their individual skills reflect their functions. To increase their ferocity, the
team’s members could be on experimental drugs that enhance them and add the Super Soldier capacity
at the cost of their humanity, leaving them monstrous vestiges of mortality.
To make them extra ferocious, give the SWAT team Enhancement 2 to any Combat Skill when two
or more SWAT members attack a single target during the same turn. The SWAT template can quickly
be retrofitted to serve as an elite military squad (add On Your Feet — Squad Medic), a governmental
specialist recovery team, or a corporation’s black ops force (add Twitchy).
Men in Black double as FBI special agents; just add the Cross-Training Quality and remove the Imperfect
Disguise Flair. You can keep the Dread Gaze Flair if you want; it can be pretty intimidating to have one of
those laminated IDs flashed in your face.
Ironically, beat cops also make for decent mobsters, if you replace their Primary Pool with specialties
in Intimidation or just plain Doing Violence. Many organized crime outfits developed from community
support operations. One way to make them challenging to deal with is to return them to their roots: What if
the Mafia is actually the thing that’s tying a real community together? What if, in addition to blackmailing
the rich and shooting their enemies, they actually contribute to a struggling demographic’s well-being?
Making them morally complicated means that a Scion can’t just wipe them out and hope for the best; they
have to figure out how to replace them and improve upon them. Mobsters have Group Tactics as well, but
are frequently bereft of heavy artillery, preferring to come upon their target when they’re unsuspecting
(blasting them while they’re enjoying a meal, for example, or when they’re getting gas or buying a toy for
their kids). Mobsters typically have the Institutional Disbelief Quality, representing a lifetime of buying off
the right people, and the Seeing Red Flair.

Desperation Pool: 3
Stress: 2
Defense: 1
Armor: 1
Initiative: 5
AMAZON
Amazons are a tribe of warrior women who, in
antiquity, dwelt on the fringes of the Eurasian Steppe near
the Black Sea, living apart from men. Related distantly to
the Scythians, they are well accustomed to fighting from
horseback, and favor both spears and archery. Though a
few Amazons still live according to the ancient pastoral
lifestyle, far more members of the tribe have emigrated to
the cities, where they retain their warrior ethos even as they
adapt to a modern way of life. To maintain their numbers,
they either pursue men for the purposes of conceiving or,
if such is not their preference, adopt women from outside
the tribe. Most Amazons will happily take anyone who both
identifies as a woman and can hold her own in a fight —
the training they’ll put her through will more than make
up for any lingering weakness from her origins. Amazons
are extremely family oriented, living together in sprawling
clans, and it’s a rare Amazon who doesn’t, at need, have
sisters to back her up in a scrap.
Archetype: Professional
Qualities: Super Soldier
Drive: To best whatever champions may assail her!
Primary Pool (8): Combat, Feats of Strength (+1
Close-Quarters Combat, +1 Archery)
Secondary Pool (5): Equestrianism, Survival
Desperation Pool: 3
Health: 4
Defense: 2
Initiative: 5
CENTAUR
In antiquity, centaurs roamed the western Eurasian
Steppe in massive herds. Their encounters with settled folk
living in Greece rarely went well — the battle that ensued
between a herd of centaurs and the Lapith tribe after the
former, invited to a wedding, heavily overindulged in wine
is handed down in myth as the Centauromachy; and many a
culture cursed the centaurs for inspiring the mounted combat

EXAMPLE ANTAGONISTS 155

 DESIGN PRINCIPLES: AMAZON
Amazons are a classic mythological Super Soldier, so that Quality and the Professional Archetype (or
Villain, for a really scary Amazon) are a given. Skills will be different depending on where the Amazon
has grown up — the Traits given are for an Amazon raised in the traditional manner, but an Amazon born
and raised in the city (or even by non-Amazons!) will almost certainly prefer driving to riding a horse, and
may even take up firearms rather than the traditional archery — much to the dismay of her elders, of course.
The Amazon template can easily serve to represent a number of other mythological warrior races, such
as Achilles’ Myrmidons (add the Group Tactics Quality) the lesser valkyries of Valhalla and Folkvangr (Add
Flight, On Your Feet, or Here I Come), or the dreaded Bearserker (build for Close Combat and add the
Shapeshifting or Seeing Red Flairs, depending on if you want your Bearserker to be a literal bear, or both
if you really want to terrify your players).

DESIGN PHILOSOPHY: CENTAUR

Centaurs are stronger, faster, and have greater endurance than humans. Most centaurs are well-trained in
archery, but ever since the advent of the firearm they’ve been happy enough to add rifles to their repertoire
— the western U.S., in particular, had serious problems dealing with an armed herd of centaurs in the late
1800s. Their mobility is second to none in open areas, but they’ll have serious problems trying to negotiate
everyday obstacles — like, say, stairs.
Mechanical centaurs will vary depending on their form — for those who are parts of cars or trucks
(or even larger vehicles!), they can be treated more or less like vehicles. When it comes to cycle-based
centaurs, who are much more personal-scale (if extremely hefty and hard), the better approach is layering
on Armor and Flairs that allow for rapid movement across range bands.

156 CHAPTER SIX: ANTAGONISTS

of the Scythians, who mimicked the centaur style of archery.
Centaurs have never held with settled life. They cannot bear
to be confined, and the hard roads humans lay down pain
their hooves greatly (for a centaur will never allow herself
to be shod like a common horse!). The more personable and
staid of centaurs will often trade with settled civilizations,
especially for alcohol, which centaurs love.
Despite the best efforts of modern states to civilize them
(most of which were given up as futile more than a century
ago), centaurs still live in great numbers on the Eurasian
steppe, with smaller colonies in northern Greece (particularly
the plains of Thessaly) and even the United States. The
products of an abortive 19th-century experiment, these
centaurs were captured and transported to North America
in numbers significant enough to sustain a native population,
which to this day circulates throughout the Great Plains,
much to the frustration of farmers there. Modern centaurs
tend to be less violent than their historical counterparts,
having learned well that there are always more humans and
they always have more guns, but friction between humans
and centaurs show few signs of abating.
Classical centaurs are, of course, not the only centaurs
around. With the advent of the internal combustion engine,
the ever-curious Hephaestus took to tinkering, and created
bizarre hybrids of mortals and the vehicles they designed.
Few survived the process, and even fewer managed to
linger. Centaurs engineered around heavy motorcycles
tend to be the most common, but they tend to die young,
being much faster than classical centaurs and having no
protection from falls whatsoever. As a result, they have a
“burn brightly, burn quickly” philosophy, which lends them
to extremes of behavior, especially violence.
Archetype: Professional
Qualities: Group Tactics, Natural Weapons
(Hooves), Twitchy
Flairs: Here I Come
Drive: Eat, drink, and be merry!
Primary Pool (7): Agility, Archery (+1
Enhancement), Creative Pursuits
Secondary Pool (5): Kicking, Endurance, Survival
Desperation Pool: 3
Health: 2
Defense: 2
Initiative: 7
KITSUNE
A fox that has lived for 100 years gains powerful abilities of
shapechanging and illusion. As they age, they grow additional
tails, one for every century beyond the first — when they
reach nine, their fur becomes a shining, golden-white pelt.
Kitsune are not a breed unto their own: Any fox, should it be
clever enough to survive for so long, may achieve such heights.
Kitsune — much like humans — may be either benevolent or
EXAMPLE ANTAGONISTS
DESIGN PRINCIPLES:
KITSUNE
There are many stories of shapeshifting foxes,
with variations down to a regional level at times.
Many kitsune are enshrined across Japan, often
as aspects of Inari, and more traditional kitsune
will dwell in or near such places, serving as
Inari’s messengers (and making good use of
any edible offerings left at the shrine). Most
kitsune are exceptionally well-informed, and
too clever by half. If you want to make a nine-
tail as an Antagonist, promote the Archetype
to Villain (at the least) and consider adding on
Sorcery — the elders among kitsune are mighty
indeed, and given well-earned respect.
Kitsune are one of many trickster spirits in
wider Asian folklore — the original myths of
shapeshifting foxes most likely originated
in China before travelling to Korea and
eventually making the crossing to Japan. For
most of these, the default template works, but
if you want to bring a kumiho (a much more
violent and malevolent fox-spirit) into the
story, you’ll probably want to add claws to
their natural weapons and give them both the
Unnatural Hunger Quality (for livers or hearts,
depending on the myths you’re drawing from)
and the Thousand Faces Flair, for tales speak of
kumiho who could take on the shape of anyone
so consumed. The default template also works
well for tanuki, though they’re less inclined to
take up with the mortals they trick — mostly,
they’re just out for a good laugh. Give them
Thousand Faces and let them use it to become
anything, and we do mean anything.
malevolent, though in their case the difference is whether or
not you’ll likely survive the results of the kitsune’s mischief.
Most often appearing as beautiful young women when they
employ their powers of shapeshifting, kitsune have adapted as
well to the modern world as their animal cousins, glomming
onto romantic partners with wealth to spare or even taking
jobs themselves to pay for their aburaage. The less scrupulous
enchant leaves to look like currency just long enough to spend
it with wild abandon.
Archetype: Professional
Qualities: Natural Weapons (Teeth and Claws),
Imperfect Disguise (Tails)
Flairs: Illusion, Possession, Shapeshifting (Young
Women)
Drive: To survive long enough to grow more tails; to
trick mortals so I’ve got it easy (or just for fun!)
Primary Pool (7): Illusion (+1 Enhancement),
Seduction, Trickery
157
 Secondary Pool (5): Biting and Clawing, Stealth
Desperation Pool: 3
Health: 2
Defense: 2
Initiative: 5
SATYR
Walking in the woods, one might hear the distant song
of panpipes. Drawing closer, you hear laughter on the wind,
smell the heady scent of wine, and before you know it,
you’ve stumbled into a satyr revel. Satyrs, associated with
the God Dionysus, are known for the wild abandon with
which they celebrate, and have historically been behind
resurgences in the Dionysian Mysteries throughout the
western World. In such times they are often accompanied
by maenads, mortal women driven to the very edge of
madness through the revelations of Dionysus and who
serve as his priestesses. They revel with the satyrs in his
name, and have been known in extremis to violently tear
other mortals apart with their bare hands, and according to
some accounts, even to eat the remains.
Satyrs are goat-people; they have the gift of gab and
a knack for attracting the like-minded (or the potentially
like-minded, for that matter). More than a few artistic works
depicting satyrs had the genuine article to pose for them,
and satyrs have even appeared in a number of classic (and
decidedly unclassic) films. However, while it is true that
satyrs prefer play to work, they are universally in excellent
physical condition and more than capable of defending
themselves should local governments (as they often do)
attempt to disrupt their revel. An angry satyr can easily put
a mortal in the hospital with a single well-placed headbutt.
Archetype: Professional
Quality: A Cage of Words, Inspiration, Natural
Weapons (Horns), Sure-Footed
Flairs: Hypnotic Charm
Drive: Let’s party!
Primary Pool (7): Athletics, Headbutts, Music (+1
Enhancement), Revelry
Secondary Pool (5): Alcohol Tolerance, Survival
Desperation Pool: 3
Health: 2
Defense: 2
Initiative: 5
SORCERERS
Humans are notorious both for tinkering with things
they shouldn’t and having unhealthy ambitions — a sorcerer
is someone who takes both traits well beyond the baseline.
Often, sorcerers hold to strange behaviors, either as payment
for their power or from some deeper knowledge kept from
the unenlightened — and some, of course, were just unusual
158 CHAPTER SIX: ANTAGONISTS
DESIGN PRINCIPLES:
SATYR
Satyrs are relatively harmless, unless you get
on their bad side, but the basic idea of the satyr
applies to a wide number of celebrant beings,
not all of whom are so benevolent. Sirens, for
example, may not seem to fit the bill, but much
like satyrs, they have a knack for drawing in
even those who would otherwise avoid them. In
this case, let Hypnotic Charm serve as the lure,
and add in Illusions or Immobilize to befuddle
or trap unfortunates while the sirens dig in.
DESIGN PRINCIPLES:
SORCERERS
Let’s be honest: “Witch” is the most commonly
used term, or the term chosen for translation,
for people accused of making dark pacts
and performing wicked deeds for power. We
chose “sorcerer” because of the gendered
implications and historical malus “witch” has in
the English language, despite the fact that the
term was and still is used to describe men who
are accused as well.
For game purposes, Sorcery does most of
the heavy lifting, but it’s not the end-all-be-all
one might think it is. For example, the asiman
of Western Africa are difficult to distinguish by
day but by night shine with eerie light pouring
from every orifice — a classic case of Imperfect
Disguise. The kitsunemochi of Japan have no
powers of their own, but rather strike a bargain
with a fox (see Kitsune, p. XX), and are able
to command it to use its powers, most often to
spy on or possess others. Some sorcerers are
known to fly; others to transform into animals.
The sky is the limit when it comes to magic, after
all — be creative.
to begin with. Those who dabble in magic can be found
in every region, on every continent, across The World. In
ancient times, such people were deeply respected or feared,
sought out for their wisdom by those with need or courage in
excess. More recent history has been less kind to sorcerers,
as mortals sought first to control, then to wipe out those with
power greater than theirs. Some did this out of envy; others
acted from fear, for not every sorcerer is benevolent. Many
cultures have examples of mortals trucking with dangerous
and malignant powers for their own gain, trading away their
own soul for temporal power, and many governments across
The World still have, hidden deep in labyrinthine legal code,
archaic laws proscribing interaction with certain entities, or
the practice of magic entirely.